New Hair, New Blog

This haircut isn't actually that new. I've had it for about six weeks now. But it was inspired by the girls with bangs from a few different fashion blogs I read. So I figure the mentioning of new(ish) hair is apropriate for the mentioning a brand spankin' new fashion blog. Drum roll please....

Check out my new blog at http://www.once-upon-a-wardrobe.blogspot.com/

I'll be deleting this one soon simply for the fact that it gets neglected as is and I want to focus all my blogging energies over there. But never fear, I will still post stuff about life and hubby... along with picutres of my cloths... Ha. Sounds kinda boring when I say it like that! Whatever. You'll read it. I know you will :) And if you do, please leave comments! I'm so excited about my new blog-baby. I'll comment on yours in return, I swear I will!

xoxo

My husband is adorable.

This is how my morning started.

Husband: "I had the worst dream ever last night."

Me, concern: "Oh, really? I'm sorry baby. Tell me about it."

Husband: "Well I was taking you to go get snow cones..."

Pause. Ok, so right here I'm thinking "well that's a cute way for a nightmare to start" but I'm also thinking of all the terrible things that are probably about to come. Like we get in a horrible car accident on the way and one of us dies. Or when we get there the place is being held up and one of us is held at gunpoint. Or there's a murderer on the loose who happens to be hiding at the snow cone place. He killed the vendor and is now putting razor blades in everyones shaved ice. If it were my bad dream (which I have often; actually, more than often) it would have included any one of these things, or worse. It would have been horribly graphic and likely would have involved middle-of-the-night screaming and crying and thrashing on my part.

But it wasn't my nightmare. It was my dear, sweet husband's. Ok, continue:

"I was taking you to get snow cones and when we got there, the guy, the snow cone guy, the f***ing snow cone representative was trying to charge me $23 a piece for a damn snow cone. He looked like Santa, this guy was so fat and jolly. 23 dollars! So I tried to haggle with him but he swore it was worth it. I tried the snow cone. It was just a frickin' snow cone, and I told him that. So he said ok and asked me how much it was worth. I told hime $3 would be an expensive snow cone. He said I could pay six. Six f***ing dollars for a snow cone! Unbelievable."

Yes, I used his own language in this re-cap. That damn Santa like snow cone representative.

While I'm having nightmares about the most gruesome things you could ever come up with my dear, sweet, endlessly frugal husband is dreaming about being overcharged for shaved ice and syrup.

I love that boy.

I heart style blogs.

Alright, yet another thing my dear friend Aubrey has turned me onto: fashion blogging.

Oh my gosh, I frickin' love it!!

My ultimate favorite is Tieka at Selective Potential (selectivepotential.blogspot.com) This girl is so cute and stylish! What an inspiration. And I love cloths. I mean, I LOVE cloths. Like really really love. So I've been thinking how fun it would be to start a style blog! But then I think "really, what's the point?" I don't even know who would read it. And I'm bad at blogging too. There would be such a huge learning curve with me! I don't even know how to do that thing where you put in a link without it actually saying the name of the site you're linking to. If I did, I would have just said "check Tieka out here." Frickin' fail on my part. Yeah, I'm definitely bad at blogging.

I have these moments where I think "maybe I should do it. It would be fun" I know this stuff is easy. I could learn.... but then I read all these awesome fashion blogs where these girls have SO MANY followers and sponsors and are featured in all sorts of press. It's a bit overwhelming. I don't even know how they start all of that. Not like that has to be the goal or anything, but if I start a style blog I'm sure I would want it to eventually be successful. I mean, I don't care about the success of this blog because this is just my silly little place to ramble. Like this. You see what a ramble this is?? Ha. Yeah, blogging failure right here.

Maybe I should just start a style blog and learn as I go. Hubby already said he'd take outfit pictures for me, even though he sort of thinks it's silly. Now that's love. The other thing though is that I don't really follow what's on the runway or anything. And I buy all my cloths second hand. So maybe that wouldn't work. But then maybe if I do style blog my own personal style would evolve as I go. And I could always start paying more attention to runway.

Well, whatever. If I do it you'll be hearing about it for sure. But it isn't going to happen right away. Just thought I'd take a moment to think aloud here. Because if you can't do that on your silly little ramble blog then what can ya do! Right? :)

Tea time (my new favorite things)

Internet shopping is the devil.

Well, okay, maybe that is a strong choice of words. It's just that it's so easy to buy things!!

I NEVER shop online, but I found this necklace that I fell so completely in love with so quickly I simply could not stop myself. (It's a really round-about way that I found it. It's not important, but to simplify I'll say I checked out one of the sponsors of a blog I was reading and was sort of led to it that way.)

But wait, I mentioned favorite things in the title. Plural? That's right.

My sister recently let me borrow a book that she said she loved so much I just had to read it. She found her copy on the library's "for keeps" shelf for just fifty cents. She bought it soley for the cover, which she and I are both known to do often. (Don't judge a book by it's cover, you say? Pshh!)

Looks like a sweeping romance, right? Um, yeah!! Well, turns out I more than love it. I don't even have the words for how much I love it. Literally the exact second I set it down I thought "well, now I have to buy it!" (I payed more than fifty cents.)

So what's the point? Well just that I love these things! And that I have now made two online purchases in one week. Seriously, who am I? I feel like I don't even know myself anymore.

I don't think I've ever been looking forward to the arrival of the mail so much as I am now.

26.2 Miles! Done!

Well I finally did it. Marathon Day in Vegas, baby!

Actually, to be perfectly clear, the race took place in Rachel, Nevada, but we stayed in Vegas for the race weekend. I'm pretty sure I mentioned a while back that my sister and I have been training vigorously for MONTHS for this event. Official title? The Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon. It ran along the outskirts of area 51 on the ET highway in the middle of the night and the wee hours of the morning Saturday/Sunday. Crazy, I know :) But it was so fun!!... and more than just a little bit exhausting.

We did great though! Jennefer had a bit of a problem with a foot injury, but we both finished together and she's recovering well. Our mom and one of our aunts came to Vegas with us to see us to the bus, meet us at the finish line, and overall support us for the event. We stayed up all night on Friday and watched "Chariots of Fire" (a classic running movie) to get us pumped. We slept most of the day Saturday to prepare. We watched "Camelot" (oh how I love that musical) and ate pizza in our hotel while we packed up what we needed for the run... slept all day on Sunday to recover! And went out on Sunday night, hobbling along the Vegas strip to have dinner in Paris (hotel and casino, that is) and watch the fountain show at The Bellagio.

It was a great trip! And all my goings on about how I can't wait to stop running?? ... Well .... I am looking forward to a break... but I do really feel like this has been good for me in so so so many ways.... plus the event was just way more fun than I expected! .... so .... I think I'm going to do another marathon here in Arizona in February. After a much needed rest and recovery from this one, of course!

Pictures from our trip...

In the gardens of The Bellagio, our first night in Vegas (and me with my awesome travel look! Obviously not an out on the town sort of getup.)

Picking up our race packets and buying glow sticks for race day!

Mom and me, chillin' in the hotel before the race.

At the hotel, getting ready to go.

Bus line!

Finish line!!! :) (tired much? ha!)

Stretching.

I changed out of my race cloths because I felt sweaty and awful. Obviously I don't hide a tough workout well.

Paris :)

This is about all the "night on the town" you could get out of us.

I don't have any pictures of us actually on the course, but there was a photographer taking pictures for the event which I'm waiting to get back. I'll post them when I get them... if they're any good! We'll see :)

Girl World.

Today when I was browsing facebook I noticed something that really stood out to me to the point where I feel I have to share my opinion about it. I have chosen not to share this opinion on facebook because it's rather detailed and that forum is really more about the one liner opinions. I think starting a debate about this topic on that site probably wouldn't accomplish much. That being said, I do feel strongly enough about it that I think I should put my thoughts out there, somewhere, so I've decided this will be the place.

A girl I know had a post on her account today which said that she likes a page titled "I'm a girl but I'd rather hang out with boys because it is less drama!!!!!"

I really think it is a sad day when the value of female friendships is degraded to the point where this kind of a statement is supported by so many women. More than two thousand people like this same statement. It seems to me this concept perpetuates a social standard that we, as women and as human beings, should not "like."

Now I'm not saying that I expect every girl to get along, because I don't. That is completely unreasonable. But it is unreasonable in the same way that it's unreasonable to expect ever person to get along, regardless of sex. In personal relationships there will always be conflict and everyone will come across other people in their life that they don't like. Even still, I think we should stand up and recognize the other women around us for what they are: strong, passionate, intelligent human beings. This idea that "girls are dramatic" is self loathing. Yes, women tend to be emotional. And yes, this trait can lend itself to dramatic behavior. But it can also lend itself to creativity, compassion, strength and understanding. Why do we constantly insist on focusing on those negative aspects of ourselves rather than the amazingly positive ones??? And yes, I know, not every girl is going to get along. But don't say "I don't like girls because they are dramatic", or even "I don't like that girl because she is dramatic." I think it should be recognized from a point of "she and I do not connect; we are not kindred spirits."

I'm aware of the comeback to me saying this idea is self-loathing. The thought is "well it's not self loathing because I don't think that about myself. That's the point: I'm not dramatic, only other women are." Well my point is that if you are a woman and making a statement that generalizes women it is impossible to separate yourself from that no matter how much you think you can.

Beyond being self loathing, I think this statement of "I'm a girl but I'd rather hang out with boys because it is less drama" gives the implication that a woman's value comes from her ability to acquire the affection of men. I may be reading too much into it here, but when statements like that are made I hear "well I'm a guys girl which makes me better than someone who guys don't want to have around." Absolutely there is nothing wrong with getting along with men, but to place so much stress on that paints a negative picture and destroys the balance of self-worth. Self-worth, based on your ideas and dreams and opinions, based on your self, not based on whether men enjoy your company or not (or you enjoy their's). Words carry energy, and whether this facebook statement is intended to make an outright statement about the value of a man's attention or not is irrelevant to me because I think it definitely carries that energy with it.

And we are doing all of this to ourselves with these statements about girls and their "drama."

I think as a society we could all benefit from a little more self-editing when it comes to our speech. With facebook and twitter and all the other communication avenues that have become so easily accessible we're all of a sudden able to put a massive number of ideas out there with very little effort. It's like communication diarrhea: "I like this, and this, and this, and this, and this!" All of a sudden you've just made five statements linked to your ideas and opinions about the world around you in the same amount of time it took you to take a single bite from your bologna sandwich. I say slow down and think about what the things you say (and yes, "liking" something on facebbok is saying something!) actually mean.

I truly think that we as women should make a greater effort to value our female friendships rather than launching this all out civil war.

And that's my two cents. (Well, maybe a little more than two)

Waiting Until....

I'm noticing a pattern in my life. I've gotten stuck in the "my life will be better when" thinking. My life will be better when I finish school... when I take a break from school... when I get a job... when I get a DIFFERENT and better job... when I move somewhere new.... It doesn't really seem to be working out.

I'm a firm believer in all that "live in the moment" crap. I really am. I don't want to be constantly looking forward to some vague future. But the thing is, no one ever really tells you how to do that live in the moment stuff. The thing that really made me realize I'm having a problem with that? A few months ago I thought "I'm going to start running. I'll feel better when I start running regularly." Now, all I can think is "I can't wait until the marathon is over in a few weeks and I can stop running. I'll feel better when I take a break from running."

I know all this stuff sounds pretty trivial the way I'm presenting it, because when I communicate (speaking or otherwise) I tend to try to put a casual or upbeat spin on things. If I'm being perfectly honest I have to admit that sometimes (but not always) it's a bit of a cover.

That's definitely the case this time.

I hate to be so negative, but if I'm being perfectly honest I think I have to admit to myself that I might be struggling with clinical depression. It's something I've dealt with off and on in the past, and there's family history and all that crap. I guess I need to get actually diagnosed or something. But if I'm being perfectly honest I think I need to admit I might need to get on some medication or something.

I hate even putting this out there because I think people sort of don't understand. "Oh just be happy" or "stop stressing" or "you're just having a bad day." Um, yeah, thanks for THAT but I really think you're missing it. Anyway, this post isn't about other people so I guess that's a bit of a sidestep.

Another observation I have? It's the worst kind of catch 22 ever. I feel unstable and unmotivated towards my life, and one of the things that could possibly help (meds) feels out of reach because I'm unmotivated towards taking the steps necessary to get it. And I have a wavering view of it. One minute I think I need it (like now, 9:30 at night when there's nothing I can do about it) and the next I'm telling myself "nah, maybe you're ok."

Well for now I'm going to go paint for a bit. At least that's a bit of a mood lifter that's immediately accessible. Now that I'm thinking about it, I do have one more observation to make. Although I didn't realize it at the time, in hind sight I think I was dealing with some of the worst depression I've experienced in a while last year at about this time. THEN I didn't even have the motivation to pick up a paint brush even though I knew it would be good for me (or pick up anything really, not even the TV remote) so I guess on the bright side I can say that at least I'm not there anymore... that's still not living in the present though. That's just comparing myself to the past.

I need to see a doctor. This really isn't a self diagnosis thing. I don't even know where to start though. It just feels like another thing to be overwhelmed by in my life.

I hate this. Honesty sucks.

Just some sketches...

I have a new idea for some art, but I kind of feel like it could potentially go horribly wrong.

I haven't painted or done anything artistic in general (other than some light scrap booking) in quite a while. Like maybe over a year or so. But I got a sudden inspiration recently that I think I'm going to run with.

I want to do some 3D mulit-medium stuff. I have some 12 by 12 wood planks left over from a project at home that I think I will mount in an open frame. I'll do my painting on the wood plank and then I want to incorporate some more 3D aspects to it. I found some tiny wood rounds (hard to explain) that I think would work well. I'm thinking of doing a peacock painting so I would paint on the wood rounds as well and work them in as the eyes in the feathers. Then I started thinking I might like to fill the space between the painting and the frame (where the mat would be in a more traditional piece of art) with silk flowers. That's an idea that came sort of last minute so we'll see about that.

I guess we'll see about the whole thing. It sounds a bit crafty, but my vision of it is actually really cool. Does this sort of thing count as "real art"? Actually, when I think about it I don't really think anything I do could be considered "real art" (especially when you consider how inconsistent I am in actually doing it. There are people out there that make a living at this? Like full time? Like they have enough ideas to create full time and put together entire shows? Really?), but anyway it feeds my soul so "real art" or not I think I just might do it anyway.

I'm in a bit of a peacock mood lately. I think the last time I painted (like really got into it at least) it was peacock themed. Whatever. I just might go with it. See how it turns out.

Seriously these are only sketches and you in no way get the whole 3D multi-medium thing here, but here is my rough idea thus far. I felt the need to post it just to get the idea out there. Make it more tangible or something. (Silly, I know)

And that's my rant for tonight!

Evil Dead The Musical

Not sure whose familiar with the Evil Dead trilogy and whose not, but for those who are unfamiliar Evil Dead is a terrible, horrible, bad acting, over-the-top, fabulous series of zombie movies that has an incredible cult following for its unique ridiculousness. My husband happens to be part of the cult. So when we heard the muscial based on these movies was showing in Phoenix we of course jumped on it as the perfect opportunity for a compromise. We figured, I love musicals (and all stage performances in general, but especially musicals) and he loves zombies (and all things un-dead) so this must be made for us!

It was an absolute blast. So funny! Great music! Great performance! And a fake blood splash zone which of course we sat in making it all that much more fun. It was absolute over-the-top, hilarious, ridiculous, fake blood, musical fun!

Here's a picture of us after our experience in the splash zone :)




The best part? My husband had so much fun that he admitted (with absolutely no encouragement!) that musicals aren't half bad. He's actually interested in seeking out others with me. As long as they're of the quirky variety, which is always my favorite kind anyway ;)

Absolutely fabulous night!!

Ahh, the blog... I'm so bad with the blog...

Just some pictures from our trip to Utah. So much fun!!! (not in order of occurrence, but whatever)

Crabby pants over here wasn't having a good fishing day. haha

Now this is a good fishing day. See the difference? Look at that big smile! :)

We had a blast! Can't wait for another visit!

where we live (and other updates)

As everyone already knows, we moved recently. Seby and I got new jobs, which I'll go into a little more in a bit. But I thought I'd start by showing everyone our new place :) (well, kind of new. We've been here a few months now)


It's a duplex. We share this building with one neighbor.




Our front door.

Front yard: landscaped in the standard rock that is Arizona landscaping, of course. And dead flowers in my planters :( I've never been so good with plants. But I'm getting better. There are plants in the backyard that are alive and well :)

The living room.

Eat in kitchen. It's pretty big, actually. It was hard to get good shots of any one room just because of the angles. These are all sort of in sections.

Hallway. Clearly my husband had some influence on the artwork here. (Have I ever mentioned he LOVES football? Like more than I ever thought anyone could)

Bathroom. Looks tiny. It is tiny. I actually don't hate it though. We have a lot of storage in the hallway, so it's ok.

Bedroom.

Office.

And the "man cave" which is a very fitting name for this room. Our place is a two bedroom, with this somewhat odd addition off the back patio. You can't get to it from inside the house. This door is an entrance off the patio. It doesn't have a closet, but it is ventilated and linked into the AC system. It's a decent sized room, but it's long and narrow with a low ceiling. It's definitely a cave.

And yes, there are two TVs in there. Which I find incredibly ridiculous and my husband finds incredibly necessary, of course. Two sports games on at the same time? No problem! Want to play video games while you watch football? Got ya covered! (ridiculous, I know!)

Seby loves this room. It's his hang out and do whatever he wants to do room. I like it because it's a great place to keep his million guitars. (Ok, not a million. More like eight. That's a lot though!)

Patio.

Seby also loves this "room" See the grilling set up? Carnivore, for sure.

And the backyard. With our quirky, but fun (and free!) tree stump stools.

So that's our new place. It's way bigger than where we were at. Probably three times as big. It's also about a hundred dollars less per month than where we lived before (which sort of shows how messed up the housing market is right now, but we're on the winning end of that deal right now so of course we're happy)

We pretty much love it :) It took me some time for me to get adjusted, but I'm really starting to feel like it's home now.

So onto other news, I have a new job, as a manager at a breakfast restaurant. It's actually a place I worked at a few years ago. When I was struggling to find a job I decided to go back. It's working out well. I work very early in the morning most days (about 5 am) but I knew that would be what I was getting into. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. The pay is not great, but it's enough.

Seby, on the other hand, had found a job he LOVED! It was the job he was holding out for, with a company that does ticket sells for concerts and comedy shows. He did customer service for them and loved the people he worked with and the atmosphere. The pay was really good. I've never seen him love a job so much.

I'm sure you've gathered by now that I've been speaking in past tense....

About a month and a half ago he got laid off. Apparently the company lost one of their biggest venue contracts shortly after he was hired and found they didn't have the need for him they anticipated. So my dear husband is left without a job... again.

It's a major bummer. We're doing ok though. I know he'll find another job soon, and we have such a rockin' deal on our place we're not worried about that. It still sucks though. He hates not working.

My only concern is that I'm trying to get to a point where I can cut back on hours at my job and go to school full time in August so I can finish my frickin' degree already (see last post for more on that!) I'm pretty sure it can still happen, but the sooner he's working again, the easier it will be!

Anyway, we'll survive, but it is some recent news worth sharing.

And the final update?

Jennefer (my sister) and I have decided to run a Marathon in San Diego in June :/That's a nervous face.

I'm excited, but I'm nervous! Neither one of us are really runners. But we know we can do it. We started training last month and are on a great plan. We've been consistently running 4 days a week, with one cross training day per week (working out in some other way, like climbing stairs or working out on an elliptical trainer) It's been super fun bonding time with my sister. Plus I'm starting to get my booty in shape, which is great! :)

And that's it: work, school, spend time with husband, run, more work, more school, more running.... such is my life these days.

Feel updated? Good! :)