Tagged Thrice

I actually got tagged by three different people (2 of the tags were the same though), sooo I'm kind of cheating a bit and combining the three of them together. Buckle up!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the question about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 other people and posts their names and leaves a message on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog to get the directions.

Tag #1/2

1. What was I doing 10 years ago:
Hmmm…I was 15, awkward, insecure, and in high school. I was probably flirting a lot with boys (getting my first kiss), getting good grades in school, volunteering for Student Council, and getting excited to turn 16 so that I could date and drive. Ha! Little did I know…

2. 5 things on my to-do list today:
*Go walking with Audrey and do yoga
*Take resumes out to a billion places
*Get a job (crossing my fingers)
*Maybe get some groceries if my check comes in
*Go to FHE and make some friends (if I don’t get lost trying to find it)
and probably call my mommy.

3. What snacks do I enjoy:
I love popcorn! C&C (cheese and crackers), Baked Potato Pringles, dried pineapple or mango.

4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
Honestly? Pay my parents the million I probably owe them! Go shopping, pay off my school loans, car, etc. Pay off my parents home, buy a practical sized home for myself, go on a really good trip, and put the rest in savings or invest it. Man, am I ever creative.

5. 3 bad habits:
*I don’t wash my face before I go to bed - it's usually just in the shower in the morning.
*Sometimes I eat cookies or ice cream for breakfast.
*I’m always picking at and filing my nails.
*I also jump to conclusions way too easily

6. 5 places I've lived:
*Raymond, Alberta, Canada
*Las Vegas NV
*Rexburg ID
*Paris, France
*Portland OR

7. 5 jobs I've had:
Bank Teller, Nanny, Gap, LOC, Flower Shop

8. 5 things people don't know about me:
*I really like cleaning floors (sweeping, mopping, vacuuming), but I don't like dusting, or washing dirty dishes unless they are freshly dirty. If they've been sitting dirty for a while it totally grosses me out.
*The older I get the less I like being alone all the time.
*I like being in the group that’s getting all of the attention, but I don’t really like to be the actual person in the center of attention.
*I take back any previous statements I may have made and would rather live somewhere hot than somewhere cold. Ideally though, somewhere with mild seasons would be perfect.
*I’m a closet hopeless romantic, but yet I still giggle and think it’s silly when cheesy “romantic” things happen to me.

Tag #3

8 Things about myself that you may not know...

1. I can make my stomach do the wave.
2. I just learned how to roll my tongue like a taco last year. Jonas taught me, oddly enough.
3. I'm afraid of man made heights (but I've bungee jumped), and I'm not afraid of natural heights like mountains and trees.
4. I'm afraid of fish and deep water with currents. I almost drowned when I was younger, but Matt saved me.
5. I love other people's children, but I'm terrified of raising my own someday.
6. I totally dance and/or make faces (and occasionally flex) in the mirror on a daily basis.
7. I don't like seafood, but I LOVE sushi.
8. I read my scriptures every night wearing my Ghostbuster glasses from Halloween with the lights on them. This way I don't have to get out of my nice warm bed to turn the lights off when I'm done! Some people (Joni) think they're creepy and ridiculous, but I think it's a fantastically genius idea!

Ok, so now I tag Danielle, Robyn, Christy, Lindsay (I know how much you love tags), and Andrea. I'm making the rule that you can choose one of the two tags, or both. Whatevs, they're just fun anyway. :)

Fun with Friends and Family

Multnomah Falls

I love that stuff just grows on trees here. We called this our Muppet Tree bc it has Kermit skin.

My feeble attempts at being a photographer.

I have to admit that I have had a lot of fun the last couple of weeks, despite the fact that I am now really unemployed and a little worried about life. We'll move past that and get on with the positive stuff. Joni came to visit me two weekends ago and we had a total blasty blast! The weather was ideal while she was here, so we spent a lot of time outside. I tried to give her the full Portland experience, without having actually experienced any of it yet either. I made sure I introduced her to Voodoo Donuts and Saint Cupcake, first of all. They are both deliciously unique little shops that have really disgusting sounding and creative donuts, and cute little cupcakes.
Anyway, so we got our fix of sweets while she was here for sure! Ok besides the food stuff, we went out to Multnomah Falls, the Chinese Gardens, and Powell's Bookstore. The falls were really beautiful and I haven't gotten the pictures from Joni yet that actually have us in them, so you just get scenery ones right now. The Chinese Gardens were super cool because it was Chinese New Year's so they had some extra displays and stuff out. Unfortunately nothing is really in bloom yet, but it was ok because the ambiance is just cool in and of itself. So, for those of you who don't know what Powell's Bookstore is, it's a huge, multi-level bookstore with every book imaginable in it and it's pretty cool. They sell new and used books and their prices are pretty good. I must say proudly though that Joni and I both left empty-handed...strangely. Anyway, so that was super fun while she was here and I was really sad to see her go. I haven't laughed that much the whole time I've been in Portland.

Then, Jason came down last weekend and so I hung out with him and Tali and Christoph, which is always loads of fun. It would have been awesome if Christoph knew how to use my camera when he was taking pictures of Jason and I and not just himself, but oh well. We went out to Pittock Mansion and walked around outside since it was so nice. They also all came to my roommates wedding reception with me, which I did the flowers for but forgot to take pictures. Oops. I don't know what's wrong with my brain.Tali being our tour guide at the mansion.

Tali and Christoph trying to outdo mine and Jason's awesome photo, which you will not see because Christoph thought he took it, but nay alas, it did not actually take.

I'm trying to escape through a whole in the balcony railing with the help of J and Tali.

So, after Jason left I decided that I should probably go up to Canada and visit my cousin Emily and her little kiddles. I drove up Sunday and came back Friday and it was so so so fun! It was nice to be with family again because I was feeling a little homesick, and we had an absolute blast while I was there. Her boys are so stinkin' cute and her oldest, Tommy, is two and all boy all the way. He's so entertaining and always climbing, running, growling, wrestling, pushing little girls in rivers, whatever it is that little boys do. He totally cracked me up! Ems and I had tons of fun and it was nice to hang out with her again, since I haven't seen her in like 5 years. Yipes. We were very productive while I was there and the weather was gorgeous so we spent the entire week outside, which I loved. We pruned her apple tree, went for walks, took the boys to some parks, rode on a ferry, threw rocks in the river, went swimming, practiced our new dance moves...you know, typical stuff. :) In all of our fun I totally forgot to take any pictures, so I'm completely retarded. We didn't even take any of the two of us! If only my camera wasn't broken, maybe I wouldn't neglect it so much. I'm seriously kicking myself for not taking any. Oh well, I guess that just means that I need to go and visit again. :) Anyway, so now I'm home and I can no longer live in denial. I must get back to "real" life and find a job so that I don't end up down at the shelter with the rest of Portland's inhabitants. Wish me luck!

Home Sweet Home

Ok, it was beautiful outside today and there was no rain, so I had to take pictures. This post is mostly for my mom and is going to be filled with lots and lots of pictures! She's been dying to know what my house and what not looks like here in Portland, so here you go. Joni has already basked in the real beauty (and chill) of being here in the flesh, but the rest of you will have to settle for digital. Anyway, here is a sneak preview of the house - not really the whole thing, just the important parts.

Our house

Again

View of our neighborhood from the front porch

We live in the Brooklyn Division in Southeast Portland, so there are a lot of really cool old houses.

The front entrance way - pretend that mess of junk isn't right there...it's DI stuff and what not. Not mine!

View of front room from front entrance. I love the floors in this house - original hardwood.

Kitchen. Why yes those are olive green cupboards, and I only wish you could see the matching stove! We don't usually keep light fixtures on the floor, but we just got the wall plastered.

To complete the first floor, we have the bathroom.

Stairwell with cool little reading nook, which you can also see Mt. Hood directly from on a clear day. Pretty neat!

My blessed room. Pay no mind to the "rustic" decor - air mattress, boxes and tuppeware bins for nightstands - it's so shabby-chic, n'est pas?!

This wall is all windows and I have an amazing view of the yard and ginormous tree. Apparently we have lilac, hydrangea, and rhododendron bushes, which I'm hoping will bloom before I move.

Welp, that's it. There are actually two other bedrooms and a dining room, plus the back porch and creepy creepy basement, but you get the gist. So, this is home sweet home for the next month and then I'm out so my roommate and her new hubby can live happily ever after!

Learning

I'm learning a lot of things here in Portland. I know that this is where I need to be right now and that this is what I need to be doing, but I search every day for the actual reasons why I am here. I think a huge part of it is that I've learned so much about myself since I moved here.

1. I've learned to trust my abilities and to have the courage to develop my talents.
2. I've learned to appreciate the sun and it's warmth, while still loving the rain.
3. I've learned that I am a suburban gal and feel a little claustrophobic and hectic downtown, but I still appreciate the character and excitement that downtown holds.
4. I've learned to appreciate what I had in Las Vegas. It's actually a pretty clean city.
5. I've learned to appreciate good hygiene and taking pride in my appearance (though not being high-mai)
6. I've learned to appreciate the high number of LDS church members and single adults in Las Vegas and the strength of the church there.
7. I'm so thankful for a roof over my head.
8. I'm so thankful for food in my cupboards (even if it is minimal).
9. I'm so thankful to have a place to shower and clean clothes to wear.
10. I'm so thankful for a close, loving family.
11. I'm thankful that I was raised with good morals and high standards.
12. I've learned to really appreciate big Sunday dinners and time spent with family. I really miss that a lot on Sundays.
13. I'm thankful for a warm, comfortable bed.
14. I'm thankful for modern day luxuries - dishwashers, washers & dryers.
15. I still love the rain and I love how it changes the ambiance of the city.
16. I love that there are so many beautiful gardens and trees here.
17. I love that people here are relatively courteous drivers.
18. I've learned to relax more and take life in stride, rather than trying to plan it all.
19. I hope I'm learning to trust in my Heavenly Father more, and what he has in store for me.
20. I love that the church is the same all over the world and that I can feel comfortable, and welcome, and part of the ward family in less than a day.
21. I've learned to try and accept people from all walks of life.
22. I've learned to appreciate the stability and reassurance of a steady job and a regular paycheck.
23. I really appreciate and miss the comfort of good friends.
24. I've learned that doing everything alone isn't that much fun, and isn't really part of the plan.
21. I know that I am learning and being tested here, and I hope that I'm catching it all, and I hope that I'm strong enough to pass it all.

Happy Valentines Day!

I have to admit that normally I am quite anti-VD, but this year I actually embraced it and had fun! It was definitely an experience working in a floral shop for this blessed holiday. We were super duper busy and my back was killing me by the end of the week (sleeping on an air mattress doesn't really help either ;) ). Anyway, even though it was a lot of hard work, it was also tons of fun to see everyone buying flowers, bears, balloons, chocolates, and gifts for their loved ones. I don't know why, but I loved seeing the parents buying things for their children, children ordering flowers for their moms, and the overall happy feelings that walked in and out of the store. There was a homeless man who came in and bought a bear and balloon for one of the other homeless women in the shelter down the street. He couldn't afford flowers, but I thought it was so sweet that he got anything for her at all. I don't know if I'm just turning into a major softy lately or what, but I loved feeling the love that everyone else had. I don't know if that even makes sense, but it's just really cool to see how flowers really do express more than words and how they brighten somebody's day. I did a delivery for a huge vase of 2 dozen roses to the wife a young couple, whose husband was out of town on business and his card was so sweet and apologetic for missing such a sweet and sentimental day. She was so surprised and so happy when I gave them to her.

Ok, anyway...the point of the story is that I liked that this year I was able to forget about myself and the whole "Single Awareness" thing and slight bitterness that sometimes come with Valentine's Day. It was great to be doing things for others and basking in their joy. It made me really love the day. So, I just want to say that I really love my friends and family and I like that we have a day dedicated to telling those we love how we feel, because we often get wrapped up in life and forget.

Da da da...Happy Birfday!

Happy 1st Birthday to my little Jonas-face! I love you!