Mahogany Hair?

So, about mid-december I decided I wanted a change, and that change was going to manifest itself in my hair. So my roommate Kristina and I ended up in the hair color isle of Wal Mart, where she picked up a bottle of black, and I went with a moderate color called "Roasted Coffee" which was brown with a tinge of red. I have always wanted to go red, but I was afraid to do anything too outrageous. The next time I got a bit more gutsy with a "Medium Auburn." While I was smashingly gorgeous in those colors, none of them were quite the change that I made last night. My hair is almost Mahogany! It's an herbal essences color called "Paint the Town" and when I first did it, I was really worried about how it looked... However this morning, all dryed and styled, I think I really love it. It's wild, and vibrant, and just the outstanding color that a fire sign (because I'm extra fiery being an Aries/Leo - which basically means I crave attention) would wear. It's bold and sassy!

Also, I just have to say TGIF! It's Friday! *Happy Dance* This week actually moved by fairly quickly, just not quickly enough. My job is a good job, I'm happy to have it and I am good at it, but it's not very... Stimulating... There's a frustrating lack of excitement in it, and that makes me miss working at Sparetime even more. At least when I worked there it seemed like there was a steady flow of action, always something going on or some character in bowling that you could have a fun conversation with. Sometimes, I think I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could support myself there. Who knows though, it's been over a year and a lot of the same people aren't there any longer, it may not be what I remember if I went back.On another up-note, I finally found the charge cord for my MP3 player, which I haven't seen since Xmas. Work is slow right now, so in the 9 minutes between calls I am happily jamming out to my own music! This makes me tres tres happy! Huzzah!

Haven't heard from the Army boy in a couple of days, this kind of makes me sad. Especially since he said he'd call me, and our "big" conversation the other night is still unfinished. I'm confessing here, the more I think about it and think about him coming home, the more excited I get. This could be a good thing, a very good thing. It's been a long time since I've allowed myself to fall madly in love with anyone, and I think I might just let myself do so with him. There's some real potential here! I think the scariest thing for me is that technically it'll only be my 2nd long-term relationship. I've had quite a few short flings and relationships, but I can't count any of them as serious. Nothing really serious since DF ended in 2006. Wow. Being single has been fun, and I'm still enjoying it currently... But at the same time... Maybe I can channel this into fulfilling some of my desire for change... I'm excited for a new experience! Bring it on!

Mark's up for a visit, and I'm inviting a couple friends over, so we're having theme night tonight. He's making Margeritas and Daquiris and I'm going to make Mexican food to go with the tequila! I'm going to make my dad's enchiladas! He cooks the meet in beer for flavor, and then adds enchilada sauce and cheeses. I'm getting the recipe from my mom at lunch so I can pick up any remaining ingredients I may need. I've been missing cooking, so I'm excited to do so. Just a few more hours til the weekend... Tick Tock... To quote Alanis (as I do so often):

Bring on the Tequila, oh

I'm fire on Tequila, oh

Hostess most on Tequila, oh

Bestest friends on Tequila, oh

Bleeding Heart

I have a bleeding heart, and I have known this since I was small. When I was a child, there wasn't a kitten on the farm that I didn't rescue from it's circumstances and bring in to try and save. Some of them were far too little to survive the cold out when their mother had abandoned them, and some of them were too far gone by the time I arrived. Most of them didn't make it, and at first the heartbreak in the fact that I couldn't save them was unbearable. It would leave me crying, and my mother would hold me and try to teach me that death was a part of life, and that it wasn't my fault that the small creature had died. However, it was in my nature to blame myself on some level. Perhaps I didn't do enough, and perhaps there was something I missed or screwed up that would have saved the helpless thing had I figured it out. It's silly I know, but I still hold small amounts of guilt for the kitten I accidentally rolled on in the grass when playing with it, and I still hold guilt for the hamster (though it was pretty old) who I came home to find dead in it's cage with an empty water bottle. Now I know that chances are it wasn't my fault, but I still hold that small traumatic event in my memories, and I still feel that small twinge of guilt. Blame it on the bleeding heart.

As I grew into a teenager, and even to an adult, I never stopped trying to save things. I adopted both of my cats from Heaven's Gate Animal Sanctuary because I couldn't bear to see them in the cages crying at me in Petsmart. I kept bringing in sickly animals to nurse, and when one wouldn't make it I would convince myself that I had done some small amount of good by making their last few hours or days better. They had seen tremendous love and had a warm bed and a belly full of kitten formula, which is more than they had experienced for the first part of their little lives. Don't get me wrong, some of them lived. Gizmo was a kitten that I found in the pasture and brought inside, and she's still alive and reeking havoc at my parents house, as well as Mad Madam Mim who was a little kitten I found at my grandmother's house who was so very nearly blind from all the sickness. She's still a sneezy strange little thing, but she's alive and happy and brightens up every time I visit. I think she knows my voice.

The point I am trying to get to is that I don't think I'll ever get past this part of me that is always wanting to help people. Nor will I get past the part of me that feels bad when I cannot. When I see someone hurting, I want to take on that hurt for myself because I know I am strong enough to handle it and I want to spare them the pain. Even though I know that I cannot do that, as it is their lesson to learn, I still ache to save them from it. Over the years, I have had to learn that I cannot save everyone, no matter how much it hurts me to have to stand back and let them experience it for themselves.

Now, I'm also a firm believer that we are in each other's lives for certain reasons. I believe that we meet people because they have something to teach us and to help us with at that time when we need it. The Universe never leaves you unprovided for entirely. Sometimes I feel that so strongly, and a few friends that I have in particular I have no doubt in my mind that I am here to help. What I do doubt, is my ability to. I figure that God/Universe/Goddess/Deity (whatever you believe in) wouldn't have pushed me to help if I couldn't do it, I just don't know what exactly it is I am doing. My purpose is clear, my method is not, and sometimes I feel like I am failing as a friend. Where are my limitations? What exactly do I do, and what do I leave up to these friends to do for themselves? Am I only support? Or am I supposed to be a proactive catalyst for them to move forward?

On another note, this is not a completely one way street. These friends are helping me by teaching me. The circumstances here are gifts to me I believe, as they will help me grow and prepare for any helping I do in the future. Even right now, I can see how deeply they are affecting me and how much I am growing on a personal level just by knowing them. They are truly amazing people, even if they don't always see it, and how I wish I could make them see themselves the way I see them. With non-biased and non-judgemental eyes! I can see so much beauty, and I am constantly shocked when they tell me what they see in themselves, because I don't see it like that at all. All I see is beautify and light, and that overpowers any of the darkness there.

So how do you show people? I can put a mirror in front of them and say "Look, you are beautiful! Look at that smile, and those eyes, and all the depth and light that comes from them both. You brighten my world!" They will then look at it and see something entirely different, and tell me that my opinion doesn't count because I'm their friend and so I am biased. How wrong they are! We are ALWAYS more biased against ourselves than others! Being a friend is not being blind to faults, it is being able to see those faults and choose to forgive them because your friend is important to you and that stuff doesn't matter in the big scheme of things.

Wow this got long again... I never intend for these blogs to be as long as they end up, but once I start writing it just keeps spilling out... Maybe it's finally time to start writing my novel again, because my muse seems to be making her way back into my life, and that's fantastic! I'm also thinking I might look into going into either psychology or social work for a career. With my drive to help people, and the way I perceive things, I might be pretty good at it. What do you think?

Commitment Issues?

Yes, I'll admit it, I have commitment issues. I probably should have been born a man, doesn't it seem like they have the excuse for being afraid to settle down? Maybe it's just a stereotype, I've known plenty of men who were happy to settle down and start a family, but I honestly haven't known very many women. It's strange to me, that I should feel this way, and I don't know just at what point it was that I started feeling like this. Growing up, I had your typical girl fantasies about meeting "prince charming" and settling down in a big house with a dog and a couple kids. However, now that I'm grown up and moving ever closer to that reality... I find myself actually dreading it. However, and here's the kicker, I also still want it. That's the story of my life, I'm always most afraid of the things I want the most, every time! What's with that?

In any case, I'm going to have to decide what I want, and sooner rather than later. [Womanizer] called me last night, and he actually has papers in his hand that say he will be in Salt Lake City on the 20th of March. Wow! I knew he was coming home soon, in fact it was originally planned for the 20th of Feb, but you know the US Govt. They pushed it back to March, which I'm sorry to say was a slight relief. It's not that I don't want to see him, because I really do, it's just that whole "I'm afraid of what I want" thing.

For those of you who I don't see often (like my family) [womanizer] is a guy I started dating last May, but he got called away to Georgia by the Army right after our second date. The first month he was gone I didn't hear from him much, but he then came home for a wedding, we had our third date and we talked on the phone every day after that. He came home for the holidays briefly and accidentally met my parents, and that was a little weird for me, but at the same time impressive because him and my father got along shockingly well. My dad has never liked any of my boyfriends, but he even pulled me aside at Grandma Delight's on Xmas eve to say "Now don't rush into anything because he's on the other side of the country, but I think this one is a keeper. He has his head on straight." Which is a huge compliment if you're dating his daughter. Ha ha! So weird, but still... Kind of cool... From the first moment I met [womanizer], I had a feeling about him. It wasn't one of those "girly-hopeful" feelings, but a gut feeling where I just knew that no matter what happened I was probably going to end up with him. Which both frightens and intrigues me.

So [womanizer] called me last night and told me the news about his orders, and then he made me talk about why I was so afraid of it, and how I felt about him. For being a fairly gifted writer, I sure have a hard time when it comes to putting my own emotions into words, I get so emotionally blocked off. To my humiliation, I cried, and I felt so dumb! I'm also surprised just how much information I finally shared with him. We've always had really good communication, but there are certain things you hold back from someone. He managed to get me to confess about my feeling, and then shocked me by telling me he'd had the same feeling all along and hadn't shared it with me. I admitted to him that I had seriously contemplated whether or not I could survive 8 years with him in the military (because at the time he was planning on going for full retirement) and that I had about decided I could do the traveling thing for a few years and then settle down at 30 when he retired. Another shocker came when he told me that if I had confessed that months ago, he would have stayed here and take then position the army offered him in Tooele. Wow.

Suffice it to say, our whole conversation last night, pretty much put each other in our futures. We spoke of the future like we expected the other to be there. He admitted his dismay at the fact that I have asked him to start over dating me when he gets home, and that he thinks it's because I want to date other people to. That's not why, not to say I hadn't thought of it, but the real reason is because I really want to be wooed. I've never really been chased and romanced (not by available men anyway) and have never received flowers, or felt like someone was trying to woo me. If he's to be my last, I want to experience it all! He said that if we end up together, he'll spend the rest of my life wooing me, even after we've been married for 30 years... So sweet.

So the conversation put me a little more at ease, I'm a little less freaked out by it and a little more twitterpated with him. For now, however, I'm not done playing. I have a month until he gets home to play and party with my friends and other dates, and when he gets home I'm going to ease into it with every intention of making it last. I don't want to rush into it, only to be rushing out of it in the future. We shall see how this goes...

Fixed - I Think

Hey everyone!

I know someone has to be reading my blog, because I was messaged twice on facebook about not being able to leave comments. That makes me happy! Yay! *Happy Dance!*

Thanks Lori - that email was so sweet! I miss you guys so much! I'll reply in detail when I get home, and I'm not using my phone to check my facebook. :)

And thanks Bree too! Love you always! I'll try and come to help you move when the time comes, I did last year, so you know I'm good for it if I can. :D

Anyway, I think the comment thing has been fixed... I disabled the captcha thing in my settings... Let me know if it doesn't work...

The Mastery Of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

I just finished reading this book, so I wanted to write a quick review here in my blog. This isn't the first time I've read it, as I did a few years back when I borrowed it from Melanie Grace, I think it was when we were living together. This book has a lot of good information in it, and while I think it's information that we all know deep down, sometimes you need someone to plainly say it (or write it) to remind you. At least that is how it was in my case.

When I read it the first time I remember loving it, it was brilliant and while I didn't feel like I agreed with everything in it, a lot of what was taught in it shaped some of my views on love. At the time, I hadn't had much experience in relationships, in fact I think it was pretty recent after the end of my very first relationship. However, a lot of what was in this book really stuck with me, so just before Yule this year I took the time to run to Barnes & Nobles and pick up two copies of it. One for [womanizer] (as a gift) and one for myself to read again. Really, I'm glad that I did.

Reading it this time, I feel like I agreed with a lot more of what he said, and that I soaked more of it in. It didn't do much to change how I feel about relationships or love, because they were pretty similar to begin with. It did reaffirm them for me though, and put into words a lot of how I felt. Enough that when I finished reading it I had the urge to pass it along, so that a certain friend of mine could take the time and read it, in hopes that it would reaffirm things for him. Especially the most important things that deal with self love, self destruction, the "Parasite" inside of us all, and how the way others act should not affect us and vice versa. It really opened my eyes, and I feel like sharing the knowledge I feel I've gained from it. I'll probably buy it again in a few months.

This book really speaks towards the way society can implant negative thoughts on us, and how we can be raised to believe them. We are all born innocent and full of love, and somewhere along the way we learn how to be distrustful, and how to be hurt, and to be hurtful in return. Our parents learned this while they grew, and they (along with the rest of society) then teach it to us as we grow up, and the cycle continues ever onward. Personally, I would hope that I have the strength to stop that cycle, and leave my children full of love and respect.

Another thing it tells us, is the story of "The Man Who Didn't Believe in Love", which is now one of my favorite legends. It tells of a man who went around giving lectures on the non-existence of love, because so many people use it to manipulate each other. He says "love is like a drug" because in each relationship you have the "dealer" of the "drug" and the person who is addicted and keeps coming back for more. The stronger partner deals out the love, and the weaker tries to soak up as much of it as they can, and they take any abuse the dealer gives out too, because they think they need it so badly and that they can't get it anywhere else. He vows that he does not believe in love, because he has had many such experiences and refuses to let anyone manipulate him with this false emotion.

So this man is walking through the park one day and he comes across a woman who is sitting in the grass crying. He stops to console her, and asks her why she is crying, and she replies "I am crying because love does not exist." The man is astounded, because he has finally found a woman who feels the same way he does. He talks to her, they develop a friendship, and soon they are spending all their time together. They never fight, and they never expect anything from each other, they have the perfect bond. One day when the man is away, he is contemplating his relationship with the woman. He realizes that what he feels for her must actually be love, and that he had been wrong all along. Love does exist, and it is much more pure and beautiful than anything he'd ever experienced. The man is so excited that he rushes home immediately to tell her how he feels about her. She, in turn, replies that she has felt this way for quite some time and has been afraid to tell him because of his disbelief in the emotion.

The legend then tells that the man is so happy, that he goes outside and sends his happiness into the universe. His happiness is so large that it pulls a star down into his hands and he hurries to give it to the woman. The happiness is so overwhelming, that for a moment the woman hesitates, and in that moment of doubt she drops it and it shatters. Now there is a man who is wandering the Universe, broken and lonely because he once again believes that love does not exist. There is also a woman who sits at home waiting for the man who once loved her, feeling remorse for that one moment of doubt that ruined their relationship.

So in asking yourself who was in the wrong, was it the woman who doubted for a moment? No, it was the man who decided to place his entire happiness in someones hands. If we place all of our happiness in the control of others, how can we ever expect to be happy? It is entirely up to us to be happy, and if we choose to be happy with someone else, we're all the better. We cannot rely on them to make us happy.

The book delves into quite a bit more information regarding loving yourself and being a whole person. It also emphasizes my previous belief that you have to be happy on your own, if you can ever be happy with anyone else. You have to love yourself to fully love another, and you have to be an equal part to a relationship, and not rely on them. It is the same with friends, family, and anyone you encounter.

In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you read it simply to remind yourself of what you knew before. He has at least 3 other books that go along with it, and I plan on reading them as well.

Remember, God = Love and God is inside of you.

So YOU = LOVE.

Je Suis Fatigué

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I'm trying to learn French... Yes, it's kind of in bits and pieces as I pick it up from my friends, but it's certainly fun! Kristina and I downloaded a program too, but it's on her computer and we haven't sat down and played with it much... Maybe I should copy it to my computer, or burn it to a cd and listen to it in my car. In any case, I'll decide something I want to say and then ask Ken how to say it and go around using that phrase all day. Today it is "Je suis fatigué" which means "I am tired." LOL, I know a few small things here and there too, and certain words... So when Josh and Jon sat together and spoke french, I could actually pick up on a few words, which leads to me figuring out the basic gist of the conversation. It's fun! I am actually really enjoying learning it.

On another note, I have to mention that I love-love-LOVE Joss Whedon's new series Dollhouse. Josh messaged me last night and said I really needed to watch it, so I pulled up Hulu and watched the first two episodes. Brilliant! And Eliza Dushku really rocks my socks in this role. The only thing I worry about, is that it currently is airing on Fox. I don't trust that they wont make me fall in love with the show and then yank it out from under me like they did Firefly. Bastards. Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts right?

And yes, je suis fatigue. I don't know why I'm so tired, I went to bed fairly early last night... It was like 11pm, and I slept til about 9am this morning... (Give or take tossing and turning a slight bit, and some strange dreams I don't quite remember.) I thought that sleeping for almost 10 hours would make up for the minmial sleep I received this weekend, but I was wrong. It's been a long time since I went 48 hours on less than an hour of sleep. I miss those days when I could continually not sleep (i.e. working theatre until 3am, going home and reading my book until 5am and then getting back up for school/more theatre.) I'm only 23 years old, I should still be able to party and then get up and go to work! Haha!

In any case, the weekend was eventful. Saturday (following my previous blog) I had a bit of a freak out about my personal space and broke down a bit. Kristina recognized this and we totally gutted my room and re-arraged everything so I can put it in the closet and close the door and have good organization. We also moved the futon into Kailee's room so that I had more walking space. It felt good to clean it, and I dubbed it my pre-spring cleaning and felt amazingly better after. However, now when I walk in my room... It feels too... Empty. I need to put pictures up or find some new furnature for it... Maybe I'll get myself a bookshelf so I can finally put my books out.

After I felt better I swung up and picked up Josh and Max and brought them to my house where we played strategy games. The games only allow for 6 players so I sat the first one out and finally finished my book. I'm going to blog about it next, it's amazing and I think everyone should read it. It's The Mastery of Love by Miguel Ruiz, and I plan on re-purchasing it in the future. Haha, it'll be the third time I buy that book, and I think it's awesome. I bought two copies just before Yule, and gave one to [womanizer], and then I read the other. I had the strongest urge to give it to another friend to read, so when I finished it I jotted down a quick note for him in the cover and turned it over to him perminantly. I love that feeling. I like when I feel like a book chooses me, and when I feel like it has a further purpose and I can pass it along... That's love, books = love for me.

OH! I forgot to mention that I actually made it up to the bowling alley on Friday to get my W2. Bree, I see what you mean about the car they had painted, it's... special. Really special. I got to say hi to Bob Scadden and catch up with Evelyn for a bit. Monty and Dick weren't there at first, but I did get to see the Kim, Savannah and the new baby which looks like a miniture Bridger, and therefore a miniture Monty. Shauna was there, and I bumped into Terry and Jay Jorgenson on the way out the door. How I miss that place sometimes! I did also get to see Dick and Monty as they arrived just as I was leaving, hugs all around and catching up. Apparently the Syracuse alley is coming along and is set to open in April, I need to check it out as it's just down the road from me. Is it wrong that I kind of want to go work there again?

Sunday morning I went to breakfast with Josh, Angel, Max and Jon at the Star Cafe, where we enjoyed ourselves and got to chat and have good food. After I dropped them all off at home, I stopped for gas at the Chevron on 21st and Harrison, and guess who I bumped into? Dick again, blue corvet and all. It was a strange coincidence, twice in one week after all these months... So we gabbed for a minute, and I told him I need to come visit Holly, and he said I should come over and see his new carpet. I might just do that. (Shut up Bree. I really honestly know what is going through your head right now and I don't like it! LMAO!)

I'll end this blog now, with one question... Why are my blogs always so long lately?

Je t'aime mes amis! I love you my friends!

Day Trips, Crazy Psychics & Close Quarters

Yesterday I took a trip to Tooele with my good friend Amber, as moral support while she went to meet this guy she has been talking to online. We left about 8:30pm and I drove her cute little red Honda up while she sat next to me and we bonded and chatted about life in general. I really enjoyed the drive as it was really awesome to be able to hang out with her and take a drive. I really like driving, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip up. Now Tooele is kind-of out in the middle of nowhere, and it was kind of boring hanging out there, but I'm glad that I got to spend time with her and that I could be there for me when she needed me.

Something Funny - On the way home (around about Midnight) we stopped at a Top Stop in Tooele so I could grab an energy drink since I'd only slept one hour in the last 48. So I run in and the guy behind the counter says "1 minute and I'm closing!" I quickly tell him I only need to grab a drink and I'll hurry out, and he replies "Is your name Angie?" I stop, and look at him and admit that my name is actually Angie, and give him a look (without actually saying anything) that basically says "I have never met you in my life, how do you know my name is Angie?" He replies to the question I'm thinking and says "I'm just getting a lot of telepathic energy from you." I do actually believe in that stuff, and since I've never had any contact with this person, I kind of just smile at him and grab my drink. Then as I'm checking out he says "Did you work at the Maverik down the street?" I said "No, I'm not even from here" as I haven't even been to Tooele since I was around 8. He just said "Wow, I don't know where I found your name, but that's cool." Angie really isn't that common of a name either...

By the time I get home around 1am or so, I am exhausted and assaulted by a wave of negative energy. Kristina and Matt had been arguing and Matt's kids had been acting out all night. I immediately get into an argument with Matt about where his kids are sleeping because I really wanted my own bed at that point and Kristina was so mad that she said the kids couldn't sleep in Kailee's room. Now, they could have easily slept on the futon in our room, except that my room is a HUGE disaster and that was covered in laundry. This has been a source of much frustration for a long time now, as I am constantly arguing with Matt about the laundry... So he goes upstairs, and throws EVERYTHING ON THE FLOOR! I was so upset that when I finally went up to bed, I turned around and went back downstairs because I was so furious that I couldn't sleep.

I am just at that breaking point... I really need my own space... I was so angry, and even thought about finding someone else's place to sleep at that night, but didn't have any options. I may stay at a friends place tonight just to get out. We've already been arguing this morning and I can't take it anymore... I can't take the close quarters... I can't wait until summer when I can get a place with my own room and some friends that I live with a little better...

I'm just frustrated.

Where I Am & Who I'm With

Well, since I've finally gotten an outside blog, I figured I should write something in it. Honestly, I used to have an outside blog at deadjournal.com... That was a few years ago, and I stopped using it when I started blogging on Myspace. The main upside to blogging here is that I can access it at work! *Grins* Whereas Myspace is blocked.

Since I have some family blogs I'm now connected to, I figure I should post a small update on my life. I know when I see my extended family (like once a year at Christmas - and I didn't even see you guys at Christmas this year) there's always the mandatory questions like "Where are you living?" or "Where are you working?" So hopefully with this blog, we can all keep in touch better! And also, it's good to see my Aunt's & Uncle's family blogs... Your kids all grow up so fast!

I'm currently living in Layton, and I love it. I'm living in a subdivision (HOA and all) in a three bedroom house with too many people. There's 4 adults & 2 children there constantly, and 2 other children there every other weekend. It's really great though, I thought I would feel cramped but they all feel like family and it's very nice being surrounded by them.

As for work, I'm a full-time employee as a technical support representative for Redgear Technologies, which is a subsidiary of H&R Block. I spend 8-9 hours a day on the phone helping people resolve technical issues with their tax software or help them learn the product a little bit better. (You can bet I hate to talk on the phone when I'm at home, and it's true. Good thing I have unlimited texts!) It's only a temporary position for tax season, but it's giving me another 6 months of experience in the field, so hopefully come April I can find a better position.

When I'm not working, or hanging out at home with my roommies, I'm out with the rest of my friends partying. We have a lot of parties. If there's not one at my house on a Friday or Saturday night, it usually means I'm out to the movies or up in Ogden at Josh's house. It's loads of fun, and go-go-go!

A little bit about my non-blood family:
(I'm taking this opportunity to brag about all my amazing friends!)



Ken & Kristina
Ken and Kristina have easily become like family to me. They're like my brother and sister now. Kristina and I stay up late and either research interesting things, rock out to Alanis Morissette, or watch saved TV shows like Nip/Tuck or Grey's. Ken and I bond over Boggle, because he's a super whiz at it, and I've only beat him once or twice. He also has the best time trying to gross me out as often as possible. He's pretty good at it.

Kailee & Kaden

Kailee is 3 1/2 and her intelligence surprises me every time. Her word pronunciation is perfect, and she only has to hear a word (even big words) once to be able to say it back to you with proper diction. The other night she was arguing with her mom about going to bed (as children are prone to do) and yelled "Well I was going to tell you I love you, but now you're being extracting to me!" We're sure she must have heard us talk about extracting files on the computer and incorporated it into her own speach. It's pretty darn cute.

Kaden is smart for his age too. He's 1 1/2 have and still learning how to put words together, but when you talk to him, he understands absolutely everything you say. And the best welcome in the world is when you come home from work and he runs to you to hug your leg and scream "Agjie", it brightens my day every time.

Matthew
Matthew is my other roommate and one of my very best friends. He's become so much like family to me, and I love him and his two beautiful kids dearly. He's currently battling for custody for them, and I really hope he wins at least equal custody. He is a terrific father, and he loves them so much.

Devin will be 4 next week on the 28th, and he is a very bright and compassionate child. You can really tell that he loves you, and he loves his sister and cousins very much. This year for Christmas, all he wanted was a set of tools like his daddy had. Santa brought him the biggest set we could find.

Hailey is a little ball of energy. She just turned 3 on Valentines day, and they had her party last night. When I got home she was wearing a little tiara and some jewelry and told me over and over how she was the prettiest princess girl. She's such a doll, you can't help but just pick her up and hug her every time you see her.

More Family...



Josh, Max & Angel

Josh is one of my closest friends. I've only known him a few months, but it already feels like a lifetime. He's highly entertaining, as he does some pretty funny impressions of people we know, and he does a good job of keeping me sane when I'm at work by texting me. I don't think he gets just how much we all love him, and how much difference he makes in the life of every one of our friends.

Max is a genius, a highly underestimated genius. He's also one of the best friends I've ever had, and I am so grateful that he kept in touch with me all of those years we weren't hanging out. It really means a lot to me that he did. If he hadn't I wouldn't have him and about half of my family in my life right now, and that would be tragic.

Angel is one of the greatest friends you could ever ask for. She's blunt, and funny, but you know you can trust her to always tell the truth and be a great friend.

Paul, Amber & Garrett
Paul is a fun friend to have. He's honest and sincere, and I'm so glad to have him in my circle of friends. He's funny, and always makes sure to leave a great comment on your page to let you know that he's thinking of you. Though Paul, dude, you really need to come hang out more often.

Amber is one of the sweetest people I know. She's beautiful and charming, but she always sells herself a little to short. I always tell her "Love yourself!" Because we all love her and see her real beauty. I'm glad to have met her!

And last, but certainly not least, there's Garrett... Who is absent mostly due to being in Arizona. We keep hoping he'll move back up... In any case, he's here in spirit!



Chad, Heather, Jan & Brad
Chad is such a character! He's been one of my greatest friends. Lately he hasn't been around much, he needs to get back over here and hang out!

Heather, beautiful beautiful Heather... How I love her, she's fabulous.

Jan and Brad have been like family to me. Jan told me once that even though I wasn't dating her brother anymore, I was still her honorary sister-in-law. That makes me feel really special. Brad and Jan have been like the older brother and sister I never had and I love it!



Cristina, MelanieGrace & David
Cristina has been my best friend/honorary sister since I was 7 and she was 9. We don't see each other nearly often enough, but she's still a huge part of my life. I love her dearly! Hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) we're going to Ireland this summer!

MelanieGrace has been one of my best friends since High School, and she's now been living in Denver for a little over a year. I did get to see her a few times recently, which has been fantastic! I've gotten to see her a couple of times lately, and I'm looking forward to her visit at the end of the month.

David is truly a kindred spirit, and I miss him like crazy!

And... Since I have a lot more friends, and I'm totally addicted to taking pictures... Here's a bunch of shots that are pretty recent in my life. Most were taken by me. *They're clickable thumbnails, so if you click on it, you can see the full sized picture


New Years 2008/2009



More Parties!