the things in my head on this friday.

via

sometimes you just need to wear a ponytail and not change it for 3ish days. 3rd day pony hair is where. it's. at.

i highly advise you to buy yourself some dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, then boil them for an hour and a half the next day. when the time is right, use this recipe for mindblowingly delicious hummus. forget vegetables, this stuff is good from spoon to mouth.

whenever i hear about SOPA i just want a steaming bowl of sopa.... like tomato sopa. and i wonder if the mexicans are really confused as to why the heck all the americas hate their sopa all of a sudden? (want in on the joke? sopa=soup in spanish. *lightbulb*)

wanderlust has hit me full force! MUST GO ON VACATION. this blog about packing doesn't help me one iota! nor coworkers telling me about their sixteen day florida vacations.

the homework just keeps coming, i tell you. so does the work! i am beginning to think i should just keep my sleeping back there for the days i work afterhours then the next morning too... saving on gas and an endless supply of hot chocolate in the breakroom? win win.

toasted cinnamon raisin bread topped with a slather of greek yogurt, drizzled honey, cinnamon, and banana slices. you're welcome.

snow in the mountains! i love it.... "in the mountains" being key words here, folks.

it is the weekend! the next two days are looking nice and empty. mmmmm freedom. oh, and did you notice the date? it's my 20 5/6 birthday today. i think that constitutes yogurtland or something. just 2 more months until 21. scary. you have a great one!

there is some tension in the air.

can you feel it?
even though i am not participating in school, i can still feel the death grip that finals week has on my provo people. can i say i'm glad i'm not one of them?
can i say that my biggest worry today was that the biscotti that i was making would crumble and fall apart?
that i wouldn't make it to cycling on time?
that i'd lost the mail key? (found in a coat pocket in the trunk of my car... don't ask how that happened...)
how about that i might be developing an addiction for this jar of crack? street name: biscoff spread.

 i think this was actually my only feasible worry. it's delicious. it's peanut butter and gingersnap's love child.

and all i know is that if this is the worst of my problems, my life is pretty good. and i need to remember this when i have to go back to school in less than one month.  meh
ps i go home in two weeks. yaaaaaaaaaay

so maybe i just missed the train on that one.

alright i am going to reveal unto you all how uncool i really am. 

how out of the loop i tend to be.

sheltered.

narrow minded.

i've never watched "shark week". and i never plan on it.

a summary of my feelings. edited for young audiences. 

i really don't get it. at all... aren't there specials on animals all the time on DC? when is "wallaby week"? how "meerkat month"? why don't people tweet and blow up facebook when weekend long marathons of man vs. wild are on? maybe i don't get "shark week" because i didn't grow up with five hundred channels, nor did i hear the "discovery channel" song til i was, what, maybe in 7th grade? who am i.

all i do know is now that little factoid about me is out and it feels good. and now i can go about living my life in peace.  

and go eat lunch at diego's.

because it rained and they closed the pool

today as i was trying to find some recipes i took a gander down at my recent searches and decided you can tell a lot about a person from the things they look up on google.

i would say this search of my recency (is that a word? i hope so... add that to the search queue) basically explains myself over the last week or so. 

speedy peterson is dead?! suicide?! what the heck! now there is one less living famous person from idaho.

i bought couscous this week and made this delicious concoction of couscous, mushrooms, apricot preserves, and a ton of steamed broccoli. it was good, promise. if i woudn't have been so busy stuffing my face i would have snapped some pics. oops.

can you tell i had baking on the brain this week? well i was jordan's bridal shower yesterday so i had to get my culinary on. did i ever mention that i very much dislike baking? i'm not much for measuring and i like substitutions so baking just really isn't up my alley. cooking, now there's a different story. anyways, i made these.

 lingerie cookies. there is no other way i would rather spend my night than to stay up til 2 am frosting four dozen heart cookies into humps and other lady lumps. the things we do for friends!

these little devils. thank you pinterest. while i may have been cursing these reese's cheesecake bites up and down for their affinity to fall apart right on contact, no one was harmed in their making.

tragus piercing? yeah... some girl was complaining about hers on facebook and i just wanted to feel in the know. i think i'll keep my tragus how it came. thanks!

bridal shower gifts and games? like mentioned above, jordan, my old roommate and pal is getting married on friday. it's crazy. it's absurd. she is moving up in the world.  we  kelsey threw her the best shower ever. food galore! lace! frilly things! dirty talk! too many pictures! it was everything a good bridal shower should be.

 the last single lady embrace. EVER.

 janky lingerie dress up? you really have no idea.
here's to you, jordan devereaux jimenez.
and here's to you for being the best host ever, kels.

veginaise? i was searching it because it was a cool word and i wanted to know how to spell it. and i am slightly scared of it, but secretly want to buy a bottle and mix it with tofu and call it egg salad. (kidding. but i have seen recipes. it's a real thing, people).
as for the sea world schedule...don't remind me. i still shudder at the memory of copious penguins standing around their cardboard antarctic habitats.

i advise you to go check the things you're recently searched now, too. you'll love it. it is just the thing to kill time when the rain quite literally rained on your seven peaks parade.

tales from the road.

strange things happen on roadtrips. sometimes you eat strange things. sometimes you play strange games. sometimes you walk into a gas station wearing no pants.

let me expound.

friday night we drove from san diego to las vegas. the drive was long, and for some reason i decided it would be a good idea not to change out of my swimsuit for the whole ride. i think that brainchild was fueled by lack of sleep and pure laziness, but i digress. we stopped at a rest stop, it was kind of late, and i was feeling a little delirious. everybody jumped out of the car to use the bathroom, and for some reason i thought it would be perfectly acceptable to throw on the shirt i had been wearing that day over my swimsuit and call it good. i threw on some toms for good measure and marched right into that gas station.

wearing no pants.

let's just hold on one moment and pose a question to the audience. have you ever had one of those dreams where you go to school and forget to wear pants? you just roll up in your underwear and it's the most embarrassing moment of your life? i definitely have those dreams... and friday, it happened in real life.
don't ask me why i thought it would be a good idea to walk in there wearing no pants, but really i didn't even connect those dots in my head until i was halfway into the gas station and everybody was giving me the once over. all eyes turned and stared. i felt them from every which way as i made a b-line for the ladies room.

in the bathroom while waiting for a stall, my mom assured the lady washing her hands that i usually didn't dress like this. i gave a weird grin and tried to pull my shirt down to make it look like some teenie bopper short dress or something, but no matter what i did, it still looked like i had simply forgotten to put on pants. no hiding that naked truth.

the best part of this story was it was like a slow moving nightmare. most of the time when you do something semi-embarrassing, it's easy to weasel your way outta there... but when you're not wearing pants and you have to get back from point b back to point a, well, that's a different story. walking back out to that car in my garb was pure slow motion fueled by more stares from barstow locals and travelers.   moral of the story? don't wear your swimsuit on a roadtrip and think other people will understand. or maybe it should be that shirts are not dresses, nor should they be paired with toms. or maybe you just shouldn't let me loose at gas stations past my bedtime.

kind of reminds me of this one time in madrid...

let's just hope these moments don't happen in threes.
happy monday

favorite things this week

1. hoodies

2. tastespotting.com/ foodgawker.com

3. pay day

4. blueberries

5. the one hair tie that i own

6. this video:

and the behind the scenes is great, too.

i want this job just so i can come home and tell my husband i just threw food around all day and photographed it.

have a great weekend!

a breakfast for the books

i eat  some oatmeal about every day. sometimes i mix it up, throwing in an apple instead of a banana, but mostly it's always oatmeal, yogurt, jam, a banana, and cinnamon to boot.
this morning i had to work early, so i was rushing around, but also making sure i had enough time to eat my breakfast, because  trust me, this girl doesn't EVER skip breakfast. (or really any other meal for that matter.)

i assembled it all, threw it in my favorite bowl (it tastes better that way) and dug in. i eat this every morning. i always know what it's gonna taste like.
however, this morning as i put the first spoonful in my mouth, something was wrong and i couldn't figure out what. i kept eating, not really thinking about it too much, just wondering if maybe i'd salted the water too much or something but the taste persisted. stronger in some bites, milder in others.
i was about 3/4 done when i brought a spoonful up to my face and the realization came to me as i studied it. those little flecks i'd sprinkled on top were definitely not cinnamon.
note to self: for full breakfast satisfaction, make sure the chili powder and cinnamon are not in identical spice jars.

ps. i finished it anyways.

twenty things

while sitting at work today, reclined in my chair, answering phones and transferring to nurses, i was thinking about what exactly i have learned in my last twenty years of life. this is what i came up with, in between transferring calls from worried mothers wondering if pepto bismol could help their three year old's constipation.

1. its not smart to stick utensils in the toaster. or whole eggs in the microwave.

2. read lots of books

3. pray every day

4. find time for your friends far away. call them. 

5. shop the perimeter of the grocery store. eat your vegetables!

6. travel. don't think, just do.

7. wake up early. get up, dress up, show up. 

8. if you're going to make dessert, make dessert!

9. the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so speak up.

10. make your bed. every day.

11. facebook is not real life.

12. keep perspective

13. when the gas light goes on in your car, get gas.

14. never text in the shower.

15. always be game. 

16. be wary of blind dates

17. never use box color for your hair. 

18. buffets are never a good idea.

19. follow the speed limit. use your blinker!

20. never wear skirts over a hot air vent. unless you're trying to pull a marilyn. (which will happen)

funniest thing all day

i just thought this was appropriate, seeing as i have three wedding announcements sitting on my fridge at this exact moment.

what i've been up to

first off, happy birthday to the best little brother ever

seems like just yesterday the secretary was interrupting our bus ride to the botanical gardens when i was 7 to announce that i had a new baby brother. what good times it's been since then. happy 13th little paytey. i love you.
i think it is safe to say it's finally spring.
at least, that is what my sunburned shoulders are telling me. today i finally reconnected with some great provo trails and it feels so nice to get off of university blvd and onto dirt! our moab relay is next weekend... hopefully i am ready. and if not, well at least i can enjoy the scenery while i walk!
life is great. without the weights of school and homework my days have been real stress free and somewhat lazy. waking up without an alarm has never felt so nice. i've been getting called into work quite a bit (yay money) which keeps me busy, but between the nine to fives, there has been a lot of empty space to fill.
voids that have easily been filled with trips to yogurtland, which takes the cake for the best froyo in ALL the land, trips to the grocery store with britni- it's great to have a kindred spirit who loves buying produce as much as me- bike rides and reading and "borrowing" music from the provo library. this week's hot items? the outliers on book on tape, he's just not that into you (don't worry, i read it in about 3 hours... seriously every single girl should read it. i've never seen the movie, so who knows if it's the same thing) and retrato en sepia by isabel allende. out of respect for cinco de mayo tomorrow i'm gonna get my spanish on and read it in it's native language. yeah, probably biting off way more than i can chew, but i am gonna try.
speaking of cinco de mayo tomorrow i am so excited to cook and listen to my marachi band music and wear my drug rug all while drinking mexican coke imported right from south of the border.
it feels good to finally have some semblance of hobbies again.
i went to scratch my forehead and found it caked in dirt from my run, oh 2 hours ago. time to shower. til next time!

i bought my first pair of scrubs today

i put them on after work and then never wanted to take them off again. where have i been the last nine months and why did no one let me in on the biggest secret to comfort?
sometimes my job is a funny place. being summer and all, i tend to be there a lot, so consider this the first post of many on the subject.
this story is based on actual events.

the more i work, the more i learn about people and their strange quirks/ ideas about disease/ and general paranoia. when people come to my desk to check in their child, and i click on their name and often times a flasher will come up, telling me they have a credit, balance, special instructions for scheduling, etc etc. basically we know more about people than they think, and sometimes i wonder what my face does when i find some of the more interesting notifications. like this one.

"SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Do NOT give out any information to mother if she calls. She is not to know any of child's information. If any records are to be given out, caller must use code word. The code word is 'rumplestilskin'"

upon reading this i had to make a conscious effort not to fall off my chair or laugh hysterically. just when you think you've seen it all...

you know it's monday

when you accidentally hook up the bunsen burner to the water spout instead of the gas pipe.
then turn it on and spray 2/3 of the class before realizing it.
i couldn't really tell how ticked people were- i was laughing too hard. just one of the graceful moments in my life, ya know?
kind of like another moment i had last week when i almost set our apartment on fire.
 you see, it was just another day of playing "try to make up something to eat", and when i found some corn tortillas in the fridge, i decided to try my hand at broiling some chips. things went smoothly up until i had flipped them over and went to check on them a couple minutes later. i opened up the oven to pull em out, and it was like dante's inferno in there. my chips were on fire! all of them! i yelled to my roommate, telling her i didn't know how to put out a fire and to get the fire extinguisher. then the bright idea came to me that i should swat at them with the oven mitt to get rid of the oxygen in the oven, so i proceeded to do that while jordan filled up a cup and doused the remaining flames with the water. ayyyy it's a good thing all we have to do to dismantle our fire alarm is to press a button on it. i think my roommates are becoming used to coming home to the smell of burn.
and don't forget exhibit c. it happened yesterday while my roommates were making birthday crepes. i was just doing my part, helping them along when i set my oven mitt on the stove... and it started smoking/almost flaming. someone didn't turn off the burner (not me! not me!) and my reputation continues to develop.
i am definitely starting 20 off right.

on my mind

coconut m&ms

cadbury mini eggs

the velvety shorts i bought
by polishing off last year's birthday giftcards.

  i never want to take them off.

the beautiful spring weather outside. 

boy life gets better when the temp gets over sixty.

my tax refund

learning when it comes to eyeliner,

 you get what you pay for.
wet n wild 88 cent just doesn't cut it.

failing my cleaning checks AGAIN

 and having the cleaning lady tell me

 i need to scrape the crap off the stove
 with a spoon. boooo

engaged people. 

(congrats to BRITTANY!)

a summer job dealing with food prep.

fighting the crowds at gold's tonight. eek

great mexican food on friday. 

hunger banquet on saturday. 

turning twenty on twenty. 

costa rica and summer.

holstee manifesto

have you seen this?

read this

which stems from this.

girl, you just got jimmered. sometimes i really like byu

a cyber sticky note

Samantha brought it to my attention today that evidentially I speak Spanish in my sleep. hehe I hope that is a sign of some kind of Spanish progress, and not just the fact that I let my Spanish homework seep into my REM. Anyways, it made me laugh.
And in microbiology lab today I swabbed my cellphone and now I get to let the grime culture for a week. Can you hardly wait to see what creatures call Antonio home? I can.
And in mission prep today I learned that only 1/132000 people on the planet have the chance to go on a mission. Whoa. You've got a better chance of playing in the Super Bowl.
The sun shone today... and it's actually been shining for a good solid week now, and when I have nothing to watch at the gym in the morning besides the 6 AM news, it brings me happiness to know that the high is over 20 degrees. False spring, yeah, but I like it.
Okay, now I'm just putting off my physiology homework. School is kicking my bootay!

a nice day brightener.

just watch this. and prepare yourself for laughter.

ATTENTION BLOGWORLD.

I love Shutterfly.
They email me with great deals on different photo projects multiple times a week, have great projects to do with your pictures, and they've done it again with an offer you just cannot pass up.
So you've been thinking about doing Christmas cards, yeah? Well Shutterfly is offering 50 FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS to those who just simply do a little bit o' bloggin' about their offer. Boy oh boy I just about jumped for joy when I saw this offer and the fabulous selection of cards they've got here on their site. Me and the roommates were thinking about getting some cards made to send to our families, friends, missionaries, etc etc, and the great cards on Shutterfly really sealed the deal. I mean, who can even think about passing these up?!

Shutterfly has so much to offer when it comes to the ways you can actually USE your pictures instead of just letting them sit on your memory card. They have tons of projects, and you can really let your creativity flow through all the different options they have for styles, patterns, and templates. My favorites are the calendars because making and giving these is truly something you can enjoy year round.

I was just giddy when I saw the variety of holiday cards they have to offer, too! Me and the 'mates might not be as cute as these kids, but I think our faces will look nicely right down there! We've taken lots of good candids over the semester, and I just love this card because it's a little less traditional, and a little more me! 

 

Thank's Shutterfly!!
Now head on over to this page to start planning out the best Christmas cards of your life! And don't stop there! Shutterfly also has a great selection of thank you cards for after the holidays, and wall art to enjoy year round. Now get on over there and make some magic!

one two step

welcome to my Friday night. Friends are playing, fun is brewing somewhere, and I am sitting in the kitchen studying for my accounting test. Yes. Anyways, amidst all these dividends and such I just decided I had to share a really great story that happened to me. Here it goes:

As most people know, I make an effort to get to the gym every day. Working out makes me feel a little better, gets my mind a little clearer, and makes me feel a little less guilty when I've just GOT to make a 50 cent Macy's ice cream cone run. Most mornings I make it, but Fridays are especially hard for me because I've got to be out the door for work by 8. That means early gym time... which takes me back to the good ol' days of Fitness 19 with Mom at 4:45... oh I do NOT miss those early mornings. Anyways, this morning I got up at 5:30, suited up, and went to Gold's with the intention of sweating it out at step class- the only class offered at 6 AM. I figured it wouldn't be that hard... I kind of remember my Mom doing step in the wee mornings of the early 90s, and from what I remembered, well, it wasn't anything I wasn't capable of. I got there in good time, found some space in the back corner, and sized up my competition. Meh- it was a handful of women in various walks of life, most 40s or 50s, and without a second thought I stretched out a little and prepared for what I thought would just be a nice little routine.

I was wrong. 

Stepping is a cult. I don't know where these women learned it, but they  were INSANE and I just stood there looking like a fool trying to mimic their footsteps as they did all these ridiculous moves and fancy footwork on that dumb bench. On a break one lady even turned to me and was like, "oh is this your first time? Don't be intimidated, just follow the footsteps.. you'll get a hold of it!" 

I did not get a hold of it. I was almost crying with embarrassment, the hilariousness of the situation, and the fact that the stupid step was kicking my butt. Why the beep was I even here? I could tell all the women around me were pitying me... they didn't look directly at me, but conveniently the walls at Gold's are full of mirrors, therefore the graceful steppers watched me just trip over myself in the back corner. However, I was determined to stay the whole 45 minutes. I was determined not to relive the "hip hop class" incident of many moons ago. 

But I am not that strong, turns out. After a big enough dose of embarrassment I stepped it right out of there with a "thanks for coming!" hollered at me from the instructor as I ran out of there, throwing back a big "ol' yeah..... you owned me" grin as I ran away.

You will find me at the treadmills from now on.

ten things and i should be sleeping

a few things I would like to share as of late:

1. The new job is great. however, the sick children have donated their sickness to me. I need a stricter regimen of purell... this cold is getting me down!

2. I found a new old pair of jeans at Plato's Closet and I am in love. 35$ MEKs? I will take it.

3. My roommates have returned to the state, and that means I've got friends in Provo again!! We move into the new apt. in two weeks, and that makes me happy.

4. you should probably go to Walmart and pick up some Great Value brand bean and corn salsa. No, don't judge, just do. It is delicious.

5. I tried key lime pie bars for the first time yesterday, and that is all I can think about lately, besides a tortilla bocadillo from Spain. That sounds really good, and I miss Spain. (big surprise there!)

6. Someone should come fold my laundry that has been washed since Tuesday. Honestly I know I've got time, I just can't get around to it.

7. it's Lindsay's birthday today, and I wish I was home to celebrate and eat chocolate pie with her. I love you, Linds

8. I can't get enough Spanish music lately. Domingo Astroromantico is the best song, and if you want to hear the best version, click here. If you want to see good ol' music video that captures the Spaniards in a nutshell, click here. It's rich, corny, and I love it.

9. I went to Idaho Falls last weekend for Chayden's farewell, and it was great to see everyone (that is left there, anyways) and I wish him the best of luck in England!

10. There is a random rooster running around my grandma's street, and I have no idea where it belongs, but it is hilarious, and the neighbor girls like to cart it around like it's a baby.

well, ¡basta ya! that's enough. hope life is great. keep on ramblin'