répondez s'il vous plaît

When did it become ok to NOT RSVP? Seriously, HUGE pet peeve of mine. I understand there is some confusion about it-I'll admit I'm guilty of not RSVP-ing when I know I won't be there (which I am trying to be better at), but I NEVER don't RSVP and then show up.

As a hostess it makes it hard to plan-especially when I have family in town that I wasn't planning on being here when I sent out invites so now I need add them as well as try and figure out what the final number will REALLY be...ugh. With all the technology we have it's so EASY now to say 'yes' or 'no'-and in a prompt manner. I don't need anything fancy, send me a frickin text for all I care. I don't know why I even bother.

I get people are busy, and things happen, but seriously. I shouldn't have to to baby sit you and bug you about RSVP-ing, we're all adults here. If you want to come say yes-and promptly-did you know Emily Post says you are obligated to respond in 2-3 days after receiving an invite? It's true. I sent these out a month ago and am still waiting for people, so now I get to make those obnoxious/embarrassing calls of "hey, I sent this out a month ago, now we're two days away, I need to give the restaurant a final number, are you coming or not?"

Seriously folks. RSVP to your host/ess and save them the pain of tracking everything down. They've got enough on their plate.

did you know?

Many cool (and not so cool) people were born today.

People like

Tommy Lee Jones

Merlin Olsen

Heidi Montag- I did say some not so cool people,
didn't I?

Oliver Stone

Prince Harry-I knew that I liked him for a reason. :)

And last but not least, the cute little blonde girl on the right:

                                             
 
 

Who grew up to be the cute brunette girl you all love:

Just a tip for the rest of you-unless you are a size 0 do not, I repeat do NOT get your BMI and body fat analysis done on your birthday. I was just bludgeoned with how much work I have to do (in the interest of full disclosure and to make up for yesterday I'm gonna tell you--but only if you promise not to judge me please! 26 BMI 33% body fat...boo on both counts so there is no birthday cake for me tonight!!).



my favorite time of year

I don't know if you have felt it yet, but I have. That magical 'click' when the seasons change. Yes, I know it's still warm, and yes I know there's still the potential for it to still get hot, but there's no denying it. Autumn is just around the corner, and it's the best time of the year.

This weekend my parents were in town (hooray!) and we had a busy weekend filled with the State Fair-better people watching than Wal-mart-Jeff Foxworthy was SO right, eating awesome food at the Greek Festival (you missed out if you didn't go), and Mr. Wonderful and I drove up to Snowbird for some brats at Oktoberfest-it's still going on for three more weekends! Even if you don't drink beer it's worth the drive and lots for fun to just walk around. But don't forget a jacket like I did otherwise you'll be cold and miserable or pumping out $60 for a Snowbird sweatshirt like me. It was a busy weekend, but the best I've had in a LONG time.

I swear all the best things happen in Autumn-the State Fair, the Greek Festival, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the leaves change and it becomes cute clothes and boot weather, and most importantly--my birthday.

Yes folks in just two short days I will be 31. Don't ask me what I have planned, because it's not that big of a deal-besides I have no idea. Trying not to freak out about the milestones I thought I would have hit is probably top of my list, although I know it's ridiculous. The most I can say in my defense is I have ALWAYS been this way-ALWAYS been well aware and worried about how quickly time goes by. It's always worse around my birthday as that's when I usually stop long enough to take stock of my life.

Although it's hasn't always been easy and it isn't the path I would have chosen, I'm grateful for it nonetheless. It's made me who I am, and I wouldn't change THAT for anything in the world.

for the birds

'Day' trips to St. George (i.e. back-to-back days of driving to and from) are totally for the birds. As of right now there's only one person who can get me to make said trips-although when the time comes I'm sure I will do the same for her sister:


My beautiful Birthday Princess
FYI she has a swimsuit, Princess dress-up crown AND skirt
on as well as the towel cover-up thingy. She's a rockstar.

 It was the Bug's birthday celebration this weekend. Well actually her birthday isn't until Friday but Mom's first first day back from maternity leave with the Chunky Monkey is Saturday the 2nd. She didn't want to overload herself, so she chose to get it done before hand. Since MY co-worker is on maternity leave too I have no time off so I had no choice but to high-tail it after work on Saturday.

Bug is the smartest, prettiest, sassiest two-year old around. We had so much fun counting "one...two...THREE!" and running through the splash pad. She is already a fashionista-made evident by her accessory choices of the day. She is a rockstar and already loves her pink guitar. Once that was open she had no desire to look at anything else.

I can't find the cord to my camera that has all the CUTE pictures, so you get to make due with the crappy iPhone photo above and the 'oh-so-adorable-you-have-to-be-pure-evil-to-not-LOVE-her' video of her with  her pink "gi-tar".

Also while I was down there LB2 and Fishin' Sister FINALLY convinced me to take these canaries home-I've wanted them since the Easter trip but I was convinced I would kill them. Well now I have them, along with a promise of a dog when I get my house looong story but good news for me-SQUEE! I love them, but they need names and I need help because we all know how clever I'm not. There's two girls and a boy. So far the suggestions are Pan, Wendy, and Tink; Bart, Maggie, and Lisa; and I came up with Rory, Lorelai, and Luke because they sang the whole way home. I'm kinda leaning to the latter, but I wanna see what y'all can come up with.

the one where kristen turns 30...

It's times like this I wish I had photoshop--because I would SO cut and paste my pic in here...

Rachel: Okay! Y’know what? I realized it was stupid to get upset about not having a husband and kids. All I really needed was a plan. See I wanna have three kids…
Phoebe: Oh let me guess, and you wanna have them all at the same time and you wanna have them for your brother.
Rachel: As I was saying… I should probably have the first of the three kids by the time I’m 35 which gives me five years. I love this plan! I wanna marry this plan!
Phoebe: If you could do that, I’d marry the hippity-hop.
Rachel: So, if I wanna have my kid when I’m 35, I don’t have to get pregnant until I’m 34. Which gives Prada four years to start making maternity clothes! Oh wait, but I do want to be married for a year before I get pregnant…
Monica: Really! That long?! (Chandler slowly turns and looks at her.) (To Chandler) Look all you want, it’s happening!
Rachel: No, so I don’t have to get married until I’m 33! That’s three years, that’s three whole years—Oh, wait a minute though. I’ll need a year and a half to plan the wedding, and I’d like to know the guy for a year, year and a half before we get engaged… Which means I need to meet the guy by the time I’m thirty.
Ross: Which is fine! Because you just turned—(Removes two candles from the cake)—twenty-eight!
Rachel: No! Ross, no! It is not fine! Eh-eh-according to my plan I should already be with the guy I wanna marry!

There's no way to say this and not sound completely pathetic, so I'm just gonna say it.
Yeah...it took me turning thirty to be able to FULLY appreciate Rachel and her frustration/desperation here.
Only I wanted to be married-almost done having kids-maybe one or two more-by the time I was thirty. Yeah THAT'S not happening. Usually I'm ok with it--until times like this weekend and I REALLY think about it. THEN I hear an incessant "TICK TICK TICK" in the back of my brain and I realize my time is running out. Then panic mode sets in because I realize this one is COMPLETELY OUT OF MY HANDS.
Normally if I want something I just go out and get it. But this situation doesn't work that way. And it SUCKS. Plus it doesn't help any when my happily married with children friends get all smug and say crap like "don't worry, you'll get your turn." Yeah. That's REAL easy for you to say. You're already livin' the dream. Or the person who was married at 19 and a parent at 20 is trying to "relate" because they remember wondering and stressing if it was ever going to happen for them too. Gah! Word of wisdom my friends: If you've already got what the person wants or you yourself have not been down a damn near identical road don't say crap like that. EVER. All you'll get is a smack in the face.

After all this stressing marriage and motherhood better be all it's cracked up to be otherwise I'm gonna be PISSED.
Funny how life doesn't EVER work out the way you planned. Being single is HARD.
Ok, I've vented. I'm better now...kinda.

good thing i didn't get it tattooed on my ass...

Yesterday the internet was all abuzz. Apparently the world is off its axis and everyone has a new sign on the Zodiac.
 If this is true I am no longer a

Ha ha ha ha! Not any more you aren't!

  and am now a

Don't worry kid; I feel the same way...

Man I feel bad for the people who decided to immortalize it in ink. Good thing I'm not one of them.

At first I didn't think much of it; it's just some hacks at a Planetarium making this announcement. Then at dinner Mr. Wonderful brought up the subject, so we started reading about what our "new" signs said about us. I started to have a bit of an identity crisis. I have always been a Virgo to the core, but I was finding I have a lot of Leo traits in me as well. Not to mention Mr. Wonderful and I are no longer compatible signs! GASP! The world is coming to an end!

Now I have never been all Professor Trelawney about this sort of thing (although the actual science behind it is quite interesting), but by this point I started to feel a little lost. I thought I knew who I was but now I had some moron at the Plane-arium (bonus points to those who know the reference) telling me I have been living a lie. It's been a difficult pill to swallow.

Although Mr. Wonderful said I have a lot of Leo in me, I nearly floored him when I read Virgo to him. We have agreed although I have Leo traits in me, there is no mistaking I am Virgo through and through.  

Then today the silver lining. I read that astrology experts aren't jumping on this bandwagon just yet. WAHOO! Maybe since I'm RIGHT on the cusp (the day after my birthday is when Virgo starts) I'll just say I'm a Lirgo and leave it at that.

Identity crisis solved. For now.

Here's where I'm getting my information:

Leo Profile

Virgo Profile

It hasn't changed? Honest?

3-oh

So yesterday I turned...THIRTY. The big 3-0. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't freak out a little bit…ok A LOT. For me I have never dreaded getting older. I have never lied about my age-nor do I plan to, and I know that for the most part I have aged well because when I tell people how old I am I’m greeted with looks of disbelief because apparently I only look 25. For me it’s the milestones that I haven’t yet reached that make me cringe at turning 30.

Now I have always known that I was NEVER going to be the 19-year old Bride and the 22-year old mother of two with one on the way (no hate for those who were these things-it just wasn’t for me). I HAD hoped to be married and starting a family in my mid-to late twenties, and be finished having kids by the time I turned 32, but yeah THAT’S not happening. Those are the things I have a problem with. The mile stones that society, religion, family, or in most cases, self-imposed. So rather than sit and stew about being thirty I'm trying to love the fact that although I'm not where I WANT to be I'm where I NEED to be. So in honor of that here are thirty reasons it's great (or will be great) to be thirty:



1. There's a certain irresponsible stigma attached to twenty-somethings. I call it "the Real World Syndrome". This no longer applies to me.

2. Thanks to extensive viewing of 'What Not to Wear' my fashion sense has improved IMMENSELY.

3. I don't care now as much as I did at 20 what people think of me.

4. As a result of #3 I feel more comfortable in my skin.

5. I have my own 'big girl' place.

6. Although I'm 30 apparently I still only look 25...

7. I can say that I feel old without getting the looks I did before. (although they're still there.)

8. I can have twenty-something fun on a thirty-something budget.

9. It's not half bad being the cool favorite aunt.

10. I love being able to babysit my friend's kiddoes and not have to worry about my own.

11. My time is still my own.

12. wow, this is harder than I thought...

13. No more student loan/car/debt in general!

14. I WILL be getting married and starting a family in the next 1-5 years. (no this is NOT an announcement.)

15. I can be a 'responsible adult' and still act like a kid...

16. I'm left alone to make my own decisions without a lot of "I'm older and wiser, and I've been there so listen to me" bs.

17. I can now give the "older and wiser I've been there listen to me" shpiel.

18. It's the best of both worlds-I'm mature enough to be taken seriously, but I still have the energy to do the things I want.

Ok...another perk of being 30 is not having to finish lame self-imposed lists. :)
Happy birthday to me!

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. :)

Let's play catch-up, shall we?

Holy crap. Have you ever had times in your life where it's just sped by, yet you have nothing to show for it? That's how the last couple weeks have been for me. Then when I sit down to account of my adventures (or lack thereof)-I draw a complete blank. So...I will attempt to make this short, sweet, and somewhat interesting for those of you who care to read further.

In August my best friend Amber, Grandma Honey, and I took the girls to see "South Pacific" in Sandy. Amber is doing such a great job teaching her girls to love the theater. We had so much fun dressing in hula skirts (the girls did, anyway), our flower leis, and hibiscus in our hair for the night out. I thought the girls would have a harder time with this show than they did with last year-we saw "Beauty & the Beast"- but aside from a few wiggles they were captivated! Now they go around the house singing "I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair..." Thanks to my little shutterbug best friend I have photos of the evening:

Makala, Mommy, Grandma Honey, and Ashton

Makala, Mommy, Auntie Kristen, and Ashton

Um...what else....ooh! ooh! Kimmy and I went to the State Fair a couple weeks back. We had a BALL!!! She had only been once before and had missed out on so much. The Fair was a family tradition for me growing up--I have especially fond memories of the "Big Yellow Slide". Amazingly enough Kimmy had never been on it, so NATURALLY we had to go!! It was so fun spending the afternoon with her wandering the Fairway, people watching, and eating all different varieties of Fair food!! P.S.-the corn dogs and funnel cakes were our FAVORITE!! :) Kim never sent me HER pictures, you you're stuck with mine: (Why they're HUGE, I don't know...)

Waiting in line on the slide-Kimmy is so cute in her new shades!

Partaking of the Fair food...YUM!!

Last week was my birthday, and that was fun. I'm not one of those people who dread getting older. Actually I look forward to my birthdays. The only thing I dread is the landmarks--you know, the milestones society thinks you should be hitting each year. That aside, I had the special treat of my parents visiting. It's always so fun to have them here. You don't realize how much you need your family until they aren't readily accessible. Unfortunately I don't have pictures-my parents are about as willing for pictures as Scott is--but I do have a couple of what awaited me when I came back to work the next day:


This is the whole reason I didn't come in on my birthday. I was trying to avoid the chaos!! I appreciate the effort of my co-workers though. It did make me feel loved.








Hanging in my chaos--let's just say I didn't get much done that day-there was TOO MUCH going on!! :)

Can you believe she'd never been on the Big Yellow Slide!? I KNOW!! We had fun though!

Last year these were all over the fairgrounds, but this is the only one we saw...

Well, that's about all that's been going on as of late--nothing too exciting as you can see.