day twenty-three

The only thing this picture and this blog post have in common is
that they're both random.

Fifteen random facts about me? Huh. You know it’s funny; you can name quirky things about yourself UNTIL someone asks you to share them. Most of these are known, some are not, there’s quite a few Disneyland related ones, but here we go:

1. I didn’t ride on an airplane for the first time until March of 2002-I was 21, it was to Seattle to attend Fiancée #1’s father’s wedding, and since it was six months after 9/11 I was more than a little bit nervous about it.
2. I am such a Disneyland junkie I purchased an Annual Pass in 2009. I only went twice that year-but the perks and discounts it afforded me made it well worth it.
3. I know how to get around Disneyland better than I do our own local amusement park: Lagoon. People ask me for navigation tips before they go.
4. I have movies in my collection that have never been watched, let alone opened. (Like plastic wrapper opened-some still even have the tag on them...)
5. I have never had a tan in my life thanks to my 50% fair Dutch skin. I have two levels: burn and peel.
6. Thanks to my father I have a soft spot for classic, American muscle cars.
7. My mother is the reason I like the Beach Boys.
8. I wish I had more time (and space) to scrap book.
9. I have had one cavity in my 30 years.
10. Cooking for the people I love makes me happy.
11. When I was eight I won an essay contest and got to ride on the Channel 4 float for the 24^th of July parade. I ended up with heatstroke.
12. I always have some sort of music playing device with me, whether it’s my iPod or Pandora on my phone.
13. People watching in
    New Orleans Square
    with a mint julep and some beignets is one of my favorite things to do.
14. I always get a little misty when I walk under the bridge for the Disneyland Railroad and onto
    Main Street
    after a long time away.
15. Although I have lots of gadgets I have no idea how to use half of them. I have to rely on Mr. Wonderful and Superman Lover for help more often than not.

day seven

My dream wedding? If we're being 100% truly honest here (and I like to think we are), if money and my religion weren't issues I would have a Disneyland Dream Wedding complete with a Disney Princess Couture dress (seriously. Go look at these. It's awesome and HEAVEN for a Disneyland nut like me.)  in a heart beat.

Since an Eternal Marriage is FAR more important to me than an incredibly expensive civil one I'll opt to stay here. I've thought a lot about what I want when I get married and honestly as long as my wedding involves this:

And him kneeling across the altar from me:

I will be a happy girl.

(I'll just drag him to Disneyland for the Honeymoon.) :)

wordless wednesday

wishing I was here...

10 things I hate about you...

Ok, not really. I just couldn't come up with a more clever title.

I was tagged through proxy to list ten things that make me happy. Since I have been quite the Debbie Downer as of late it will benefit me I think to list things that make me happy. In an effort to stretch myself I’m going to forgo the “Thanksgiving Table” happies-Gospel, family, friends, and loved ones- as my friend Emmalee called it and list some little known (and not so little known things that make me happy.) So here they are in no particular order:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Most Wonderful Man (MWM): Ok, so he’s my number one, but I promise the rest will be in NPO. It’s funny how when you lose something so wonderful you’re convinced you’ll never find anything that compares to that wonderful again. Then you do. MWM is that wonderful I never thought I would have again. He makes me happy every single day. He is everything I want, could hope for, or need, and he compliments my crazy personality so well. He is my best friend and is always so supportive of everything I do-no matter how hair brained or crazy he thinks it is. He is patient with my moodiness and is always trying to make me happy. Just seeing him smile at my craziness is enough to make any terrible day bearable. I definitely don’t deserve him but I sure am happy he chose me!!

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Music: Music is the essence of my being. Just being able to listen to it, make it, feel it is enough to make ANYONE happy. My musicals make me ESPECIALLY happy-because where else can you break into song and not only everyone knows the words, but it has the power to make two people fall in love in a matter of minutes? Now that’s something happy. Being able to know music, appreciate music, and most importantly SING music makes me the happiest girl in the world.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Food: Not only does this have the ability to sustain life, but it brings people together and makes them happy. Even when the food is terrible you can still manage to laugh about it and have a good time. What else can do that? Honestly. The only thing that makes me happier than eating food is making food for the people I love and watching it make them happy in turn. I am so happy that my mother taught us how to cook and not to be afraid trying new things. Because of that I love searching for new recipes, making menus, going shopping, and trying new things. Plus it doesn’t hurt I’m pretty dang good at it if I do say so myself. :)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Being on stage: I have very few regrets, and most of those have stemmed from denying myself new opportunities. Being on stage at every opportunity is one of them. I didn’t discover my love for the spotlight until I was a Senior in High School and 90% of my schedule was filled with music and drama classes. It doesn’t matter if I’m singing in a choir, helping behind the scenes, or acting- I’m usually my happiest on stage. I don’t have big dreams of becoming a star, but what a wonderful outlet! Where else do you have the opportunity to do things you wouldn’t normally do-make out with a complete stranger, strip, or fight over a man (all of which I’ve done, BTW), and not feel the least bit guilty about it? Being on stage is such a great outlet for me, and although it was late in coming I sure am happy I found it.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Choice reality shows: Before you judge me let me say that I HATE the dog eat dog elimination reality shows. I’m into the feel good ones that chronicle more than stalk. I’m such a chick. I LOVE Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Boss, Man vs. Food, Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, Little People, Big World, all the “feel good” reality shows that don’t make you want to throw things at the tv. Except Mary on Cake Boss. She’s a royal bitch, that one.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->A car that works: This is a blessing just as much as something that makes me happy. I’ve had a car that wasn’t reliable so now I have one that is I appreciate it that much more. Being able to get where you need to be when you need to be there, and not having to count on anyone else to get you there is enough to make anyone happy. :)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. <!--[endif]-->Seattle, WA: It’s funny how a place that I’ve only been twice in my life can make me so happy-especially a place that rains 50 weeks a year. There’s just something about the atmosphere, the community, and the Farmer’s Market that calls to me. It’s enough to make me over look the rain. I love that place.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8. <!--[endif]-->Disneyland: For those of you who know me well you know that I couldn’t write one of these and NOT include Disneyland! People make fun of me because I have never had the desire to travel abroad. I had the option of taking a Mexican cruise or going to Disneyland. I chose Disneyland. No joke. Aside from when I’m with Most Wonderful Man I’m happiest when I’m here. Many a memory has been made here and I can’t get enough of all the fun little details that are in the park-hidden Mickeys, Club 33, and the attention to detail in general just makes me happy. We want the Redhead! We want the Redhead!

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9. <!--[endif]-->Blog-Stalking: Since I put so much effort into mine and hope that people will read it, I HAVE to do the same for others. I typically only read the blogs of people I know-and let’s be honest-if I happen to stumble across a blog from someone I knew in High School, you BET I’m reading it. If this makes me crazy, oh well. I just love to read various blogs from friends and family. I also love reading the different writing styles that are unique to each author. Keeping in touch with loved ones is certainly enough to make ANYONE happy.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10. <!--[endif]-->Blogging: Believe it or not I really do enjoy keeping you all posted-plus let’s face it-we’re all a little narcissist and LOVE the opportunity to talk about ourselves and not be judged as a result.

I have never been the best at journal-keeping-this fact made obvious by my three-month break between posts-but what a great way to post standpoints, feelings, as well as the standard here’s what’s happening in my boring life post. Awesome. Simply awesome.

Well this is my list. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m stealing yet another idea from Emmalee and will be posting a Confessional. Hopefully every week,but we all know that’s not going to happen. Peace out.

Time to play catch up...

As I'm sitting on Scott's bed watching him play Ghostbusters (at my insistence; I try not to be the bratty girlfriend who doesn't let her man do anything fun...) I decided I would be productive and update everyone on the happenings (or lack thereof) since my last post. Let's see...all the way back to June. That was a long time ago. Here is where Hollywood would insert the flashback complete with narration-just to warn you it's kinda long and there are a lot of pictures-most of which are in chronological but not chronological order... if that makes sense...

June: I branched out and did Beauty and the Beast in Murray. After a rocky start on my end, I ended up having a great time and made some fabulous friends in the process. Aside from the wettest June in like the history of Utah-thus leading to us being rained out not once, but twice AND a rain delay on closing night I had a great time and hope to call Murray my home again soon...plus it wasn't NEARLY as hot as the Sugar Factory-although I'm sure the rain had something to do with that...*sigh* The joys of doing outdoor theater.







July: Sparky, Kimmy, Scott, and I all bought season passes to Lagoon. I've never had one, and I didn't get to use it until after B&B, but it actually turned out to be pretty fun. It's no Disneyland, but let's be honest...there's only one Disneyland. Well one day Kimmy and I met up with some of my friends from B&B- Madman, Myranda, and Chris. I'm fairly sure it was the hottest day of the year, and NATURALLY we had to have the Old West Pictures taken. For some reason I looked ridiculous in all of them--everyone else looked great:

August: Amber and I took the girls to my parent's house for a girl's weekend to see Annie at Tuachan. This was my first show there and if you haven't been--GO. It's really worth the drive. I'm not sure who had more fun, my family or Ashton and Makayla. They both absolutely fell in love with my brother and sister in law Casey and Darla, and his menagerie, got henna tattoos from my mom, and helped my dad with the pond. The trip also served a triple function so Amber could take family pictures--for those of you who remember the last time we took them my dad had long hair--and for me to meet my newest neice, Allison Mae. It was love at first sight for me. I can already tell I'm her favorite aunt...










September: MY BIRTHDAY!!! My awesome friend The Chris-not to be confused with the previously mentioned Chris-- took me to lunch and made me the cupcake tower of goodness complete with a candle and my FAVORITE kind of cake--Red Velvet...oh, and did I mention both my parents FORGOT my birthday? Yeah. They totally did. Kinda put a damper on the rest of the day, but I can laugh about it now...good thing I had Scott that night to lift my spirits--I really am a lucky girl. :)


October: The long-awaited trip to Disneyland was FINALLY here!! I was so excited to get away from everything and spend some much needed (and well-deserved) time with my family. I was especially happy because Scott faced his fear of flying and came with me.
We got tickets to the trick-or-treat party in California Adventure and decided to dress as Mousketeers--except dad because he wanted to be Captain Jack and Scott because he's a party pooper. Joan and I bought iron-on letters before we left and my mom made the shirts once we got to the condo. Well, after making three shirts she ran out of letters and had to fashion an 'N' for her name...leading her to misspell her own name-'Melaine' instead of 'Melanie'. Apparently she STILL can't talk about it without laughing to the point of tears. They still turned out great though:












We had a good time the first two days, but on day three Scott woke up and said he wasn't feeling too hot. By 8 pm that night he was in bed with a fever. The rest of the trip was pretty much a bust, but Scott was great and humored me by not only attempting to go to the park every day for a little bit but going to a character breakfast AND taking pictures with the characters and photo-ops-although he HATES having his picture taken. Looking back I'm 99.9% sure it was the Swine Flu...especially because Joan was diagnosed with it three days after we got home...

And that brings us to now. Looking back I've had a busy couple of months. Nothing of note is happening this month...unless you count me paying off my car, Thanksgiving, and Christmas music starting on the radio...you gotta love this time of year. Hopefully I will be better at keeping everyone posted.

Thanks for reading. :)

Hooray for Disneyland!!

This summer I started having "girls night" on Thursdays with two of my dear friends, Aaron "Sparky" Sparks, and Kimmy. It has been so nice, and I'm sure Scott appreciates the weekly break. :)
Anyway, in July Sparky mentioned taking a trip to Disneyland. He told me later he didn't ever think that it would come to fruition, but apparently he didn't know me as well as he thought. Aside from the fact I'm a Disneyland addict, I love a project. So I did the research, made the presentation, and before you knew it, we were in Disneyland! Kimmy ended up having some things come up and was unable to go, so it was just me and Sparky. We had a ball!! We spent six days in the park--which some people would say is excessive, but in spite of all the time I've spent there I still did things I've never done before! We took TONS of pictures, and walked onto almost everything. Pirates was by far our favorite.
Here's some photos for your enjoyment: