"I'm Just Going to Gilbert for awhile..."

Having always been a combination of supposed tough girl/hopeless romantic, I've never been one to cry very hard at good-byes. The idea of moving from one place to start another has always had enough of a romantic notion for me that my visions of all the exciting possibilities ahead sort of precludes any sadness I might have about not seeing my friends for a few months. Somewhere deep inside I know I'll see them again, and that the ones who have touched my life by the time I leave will somehow manage to be in my life forever. And this makes the good-byes much more manageable.
Along this line, last week I warned Bridget not to expect too many tears when she moves to Utah tomorrow. Plane tickets to Salt Lake are really not that expensive, the guys in her new ward are too hot and tempting to stay away for long, and, we know too many people getting married here for her to stay away. She needed this warning. After all, I didn't want her to think I didn't value our friendship.
And then two hours later John stopped by. After a brief stint here, he announced he was going to go to Gilbert (which is about 15 minutes away) for about an hour and a half. Without me. Before I really got to spend quality time with him. On Easter. Still, not a big deal. Really. 

But there are sometimes I'm not too proud of being a girl.  Like when a boy you kind of like a lot leaves unexpectedly, and a girl known for crying two tears at significant occasions suddenly cries 50 tears for absolutely no reason at all. And she tries to blame her hormones, but secretly wonders what emotional reservoir that flood stemmed from. 

And then there is today. 

Today Ariana Smith got engaged to Tyler Miller. Bridget, Brad, and I hid in the bushes at Desert Botanical Gardens so we could watch. And even though only Bridget got to stay to take pictures because Brad and I got kicked out by the Park Ranger, it was an incredible adrenaline rush and madly exciting to be part of such a historic event like the start of an eternal marriage. ok, gag a maggot, I know. But seriously, they are quite perfect for each other, and it was very exciting. 

Afterwards, we all had a chill-fest at my house, where we looked at proposal pictures, Sexy Young Phil serenaded us with his guitar, we ate delicious Nello's pizza, and celebrated with Blue Bell. 

After most people left, Bridget and I sat on the couches, while an exhausted John slept on a couch, and Brad figured out how to get 1500 pictures from one computer to another. 

And then Bridget put on her Phil CDs. The Phil CDs are two heart-wrenching perfectly touching albums compiled solely for the intent of squeezing as much sentiment as possible out of this moving situation. They are remarkable albums, capable of stirring up all kinds of emotions. So even when you think you are stable, these songs bring up all sorts of raw unprotected emotions- like analyzing the fact that every relationship in your life seems to be in some sort of terrifying transition and maybe you're happy and maybe you're not. And maybe you're perfectly okay but maybe just maybe you're falling apart. 

And then the night ends with two girls on a couch bawling their eyes out, quite likely for very different reasons, but still resulting in some sort of unspoken bond. 

And then you realize that no matter why you're crying, sometimes friendships are woven by words not said and hugs not given, but just times and moments somewhat like these. 

So there you go Bridget, you got your 50 tears. Just don't expect me to cry tomorrow. 

I'm not even that girly.

 

Sneaking In Some Fun

Last week I worked Wed, Thursday, Fri, Sun, Mon, Tues. So really my little time off on Saturday night was precious and short-lived. And I just sold the Bel Air back to Josh. I only have a few days left with it before it gets on a truck headed to Alabma.
So last week, John and I took it to a car show. (And tonight, we are all going to the drive-in!!)
The car show we went to takes place in a parking lot in North Scottsdale every Saturday. Every Saturday for 25 years. It is very low key; you just show up and park your car. It did make me want to spend a couple thousand dollars on the Bel Air for new paint and upholstery, but people were very nice and humored me and asked me questions about it. And it was so fun to see some of the older cars. My favorite was the turquoise thunderbird. So so cool. And no, I didn't even take a picture of it. There was also this sweet red car with surfer red interior, the coolest luggage rack, and the sweetest surfboard rearview mirror ever. It used to be in a museum in Japan, and the owner loved to talk about it. Such cool stories.
Then we went to this little ice cream shop that's been around for forever and is very original. Just to sneak in some snacks before John went off to a party and I went home to hang out with Brad and try out Buca de Beppo, which was a little disappointing. (Not hanging out with Brad. Buca de Beppo. Pretty Blah.) At Sugar Bowl, we had an Orange Raft (Sherbet floating in Sprite) and PB ice cream. Both of which were amazing. And a hot dog. For protein. :-) It was such a cute little place and so fun.

Oh, and a little self-conscious side note. My tummy is a little more obvious than in pictures from a few weeks ago. We can thank the fact that I took an entire month off of working out to focus on eating easter candy, cookies from the cafeteria at work, and Target Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti (a candy bar masquerading as cereal) while the rest of you were running 10K's and half-marathons and waking up at 5:30 in the morning to run before the rest of us even thought about waking up. I think I'm going to run today before it gets to 110 outside again!

Sorry It Took So Long

It sure doesn't take long to get sick of looking at pictures of ham, does it? I worked quite a few days in a row and have been pretty lazy, so sorry that I haven't posted in a bit. The Tuesday after easter was our friend Dr. Brad's 32nd birthday. He got accepted into Johns Hopkins and may be moving soon, and we are going to miss him so much. He is so very cool. Bridget decided we should get up early to celebrate his birthday. So she called his roommate and determined when his usual breakfast time was. Which meant I had to get up at 7:30am. Ouch. So I crawled out of bed, we brought ham, eggs, and waffle mix, and headed over to Dr. Brad's. Here's a few pics from our early morning celebration: Bridget cutting ham, Dr. Brad pretending to be Sherlock Holmes-ish, and The Mug That Bridget Broke.

Easter Weekend Part IV

Easter Dinner. I've never really made an Easter Dinner. I dye eggs, but really, a big dinner? What's the point?
Except Fresh & Easy had hams on sale - 7.76 pounds for $5. Ok, that wasn't the exact price, but it was about what our ham cost. I thought it was a fully cooked ham that I was going to just cut up for salad. But it wasn't fully cooked, and it had a bone in it. This was a predicament. I had my mom e-mail me a recipe. She thought it might have too much ginger in it, but it didn't. It smelled AMAZING, and was the most moist ham I'd ever had (sorry mom). Also, I made a carrot soup I found on Glamour.com. It looked more like pureed baby food carrots, but, despite this, also was so so delicious. And we had instant mashed potatoes. And Brad wore this pimp outfit. Oh, it was me and John and Bridget and Brad and kinda felt like old times and I loved it. Bridget is moving to Park City, UT in two weeks and it will be so so sad. I love her and will miss her so much. Happy Easter!
I moved the recipes to Candice's and My Dinner Blog. Since I haven't posted anything to it in like a year. And they made this post way too long.

Easter in Ghana

Hohoe Easter
Originally uploaded by Lasse80

I work with a woman named Agnes, whom I love. She is from Ghana. In her village, this week is an important one. On Friday night, everybody dresses in black and usually there is a storm. There is singing and a commemoration of the events of the crucifixion. This starts at Midnight. On Sunday, the people awaken at 3 am when the moonlight bathes the village. Everybody is dressed in white and they all are singing hymns. 

Here in America, we get dressed in our black "clubblin'" clothes on Friday and it rains one of the 10 days of the year it does that here. It storms until Sunday morning. About 3. And then it stops. My brother and I wake up at 5:45, throw on our white sweatshirts, and drive to Tempe Town Lake. Where I look for my Reflections of Christ CD and put on "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The sunrises at 6:01, and I impatiently think I'm waiting only for the sky to light up. When it does, I'm ready to leave, and Brad says, "I just want to stay until I see a sliver of the sun." I'm reminded that sometimes the Lord doesn't operate on our time table and sometimes we need to have patience with Him. I turn the car around, and within 10 minutes, I have watched a full sunrise for the first time. Amidst planes, power lines, and freeways, flanked by a man-made lake, I imagine Ghana and the Resurrection, and I celebrate Easter. Even as my retinas recover.

And then sleep, for 1 more hour, until I wake up, and worship in a different way.

Easter Weekend Part II

And for my first Facebook event, I will be dyeing Easter Eggs. About 5 dozen. A couple things about this:

• Even with adults, this is so crazy messy.
• But CVS near ASU has a ton of kits even the day before Easter. Because a lot of college kids don't actually do this. 
• So we had marble, transformers, sparkle, tye dye, and eggs-of-our-own-making. 
• SOS pads are the best for getting dye off of a kitchen table when you just assumed that dye would come off your kitchen table, and, really, it doesn't. Moms plan ahead and lay out newspapers. Single people still just think, "They're all adults; what's the worst that could happen? hmmm....maybe sticking Peeps to the wall?

Easter Weekend Part 1

A GUY AND HIS GIRL ON THE POLE. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT THEY SURE HAD EVERYONE'S ATTENTION



US- FREAKING OUT

Bridget and I had a plan to have a girls' night out. Well, with a couple guys she knew. It started with her hairdresser who has a mad crush on her and his drunk super-freshly-divorced friend who proved to be too much to handle for to long. He was heavy on the defensive and all too pretending-to-be-a-jerk-crying-inside. A terrible combination, really. So we left.
After a nice little dinner at Stingray sushi. Which I really like. Except I need to remember Morning Dew sushi roll in better than Las Vegas. Even though Las Vegas is very good.
So we left. Freezing our butts off (a little rainy, maybe 60 degrees?) but chilly and we were in heels. We walked a few blocks towards a club and then hailed a taxi (my second ever) and he gave us a ride for FREE! sweet! that doesn't happen. And he smelled good. And he was from Africa and talked all pretty. Anyways,
so we ended up at Devil's Martini and danced for a bit even though it was kinda lame, but still kinda fun. I talked to a group of guys who were far too full of themselves to pay us any attention, which was annoying. But they were dumb.
So John came and rescued us. Truly rescued us. Both in the dance partner way and the ride home way. And then we went to AXIS RADIUS.
Axis Radius is the epitome of Scottsdale. People like to look pretty and be seen here. There is FOG, which is so so cool. That was my favorite. These are the dancers.

I jokingly said I was going to drop out of school and make this my job. Just tan, go to the gym, and wear cool boots.
Just kidding. Terrible. But very scottsdale.
So anyway, I'd never been, and it was fun. And I got in free, which made me feel cool. And talked to a cool guy from London, and one from Ecuador. Just fun.
It wasn't Bridget's favorite night, because, really, the clubs were close to empty and the guys were a disaster. But I loved spending time with her, and really, it's all about the memories, right?

What a Fun Little Conference Watching-Pickles Meeting-Baby Shower Throwing- Desert Photo Shooting of a Weekend This Was.

Ok, so I really do like being social. I question myself on this once in awhile because sometimes I simply do not like the groups in which I find myself. But surrounded by friends or even people I just find enjoyable? I love it. And I don't get tired of it. At all. So this weekend. Was great for me.

First. Conference watching. Conference is back again. And we love it. Me, Brad, John, Bridget, Tyler, and Pickles. Bridget brought over English Muffins from her work, LGO. They taste a little like healthier doughnuts. Brad made amazing swiss cheese, avocado, egg sandwiches. He did get some crap from Bridget and John about the Miracle Whip, but that happens when you grow up in a house where you don't taste mayonnaise until an 8th grade field trip. It was a nice time. A little louder than some sessions. No question I'll rewatch this session- or at least read it, but it was a comfortable and enjoyable few hours.

Next! Pickles Meeting. Ok, out of order, I know. This is Bridget's friend from Boise. Real name: Jared McGee. (I think). Pictures? at www.perfectmiracles.blogspot.com. Very nice person. He brought over two other friends last night who were pretty cool and it was fun to all hang out. I love meeting people who at least share some of my affection for Boise, and they all did.

Third! Baby Shower Throwing/Sprinkles Eating. Larry from my work got married last year to a cute girl Amanda from Tennessee. They met on the internet and are adorable. And she is due now on April 25th. But she doesn't know too many people here, so Bridgette (from work) and I threw her a fun little baby shower on Saturday. (I missed the second session of conference. I spaced it when the planning began.) Bridgette brought cute little butterfly and flower decorations and some sandwiches. I brought the cupcakes and provided the house. And the baby food for that crazy tasting guessing game. Baby Mac & Cheese is so gross!! It was fun to hang out with some of my favorite work people and I really like Amanda, too. A few people stayed til almost 5- four hours after it started. I loved every minute. And the cupcakes were delightfully delicious. They had little pink bunnies and little baby bottles and were caramel praline and carrot cake and chocolate and vanilla. If you ever get a Sprinkles where you live, don't get Vanilla. It's so boring. Not like Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. That's Different.

So people all day Saturday.

Then...

Sunday. Me and Brad and John and Tyler and Ariana. Ariana brought over delicious little oatmeal muffins for the morning session, reminiscient of October conference and our Women's Health muffins. A little more tired. But I definitely heard all the talks, and they were really excellent. Lots of temple & happiness & peace & productivity talks. Then I took a wonderful nap. ahh. nap time.

Second session was probably the most chill. Just me, John, & Brad.

Then I ROUND BRUSHED my hair. This to me is somewhat craziness. I do not really understand the appeal of doing ones' hair for 30-40 minutes everyday. This seems like a very long & tedious process that serves only to take that much longer for me to get to Target. Or clean the house. Or get the mail. Really. It just seems like it takes absolutely forever. But. Vanie, the girl who cut my hair in February, makes my hair look beautiful when she round brushes it AND she came over to teach me on Monday, and we did our hair together and I was crazy late to FHE but it was fun anyways.

So, Bridget loves to take pictures. Bridget wanted to take pictures of me (and John) in the desert. She told me to do curls. I assume that meant round brush since I didn't have a curling iron. I will never ever be a cosmetologist. I swear this to you. But I did it. And I had some big Utah girl hair. Vanie is a convert. But she gets the Utah hair thing. This she was born with.

So outfits, bar stools, and boots in tow, we packed up the Bel Air and headed out to the desert. I posted 50 pictures on facebook. Can I just tell you? These pictures turned out amazing and were so much fun. And I swear to you, the first person to ask me if these were engagement pictures will be shot on contact. No. They were us messing around and Bridget loving both her amazing talent and her amazing camera. And it just so happened that John and I have some great individual pictures and a few thankfully cool pictures together. And the Bel Air looks cool, too. Here's a few shots.

Great Weekend.