I'm in the Valley Ho!

John and I walked through this hotel just because it was close to the sushi place and he knows that I think the world revolves around cool hotels. I used the spa bathroom and had to dry my hands with a hand towel at 8pm. I also used their little mouthwash bottle by the sink with little tiny sacrament-looking cups. So awesome. Also, when I did finally get on their website, I literally gasped out loud at how cool their bathtubs were. Ahh!! I love it!! Enjoy..
www.hotelvalleyho.com

(Oh, and leave it to Scottsdale to put a bed outside a hotel downtown- a different one. I totally laughed. We each took a picture on it, but a- I can't find JUST FOUND! them. and b- it smelled kinda weird). But very sexy scottsdale-ish.

Catching Up on a Few Lost Times

So there have been a few awesome meals and moments I've neglected to put up here. What follows is basically a collage of
a) an awesome breakfast in La Jollab) few weeks later, at Joe's Farm Grill where Brad and John and I drove out to Agritopia, which is a lot like Hidden Springs in Boise, a very organic, porch-centric community. And everybody grows food for this restaurant, Joe's Farm Grill.

It's like an old school building maybe? converted into a 70's-ish restaurant with INCREDIBLE food. And yet. I only remember what John had. Or what John and I shared. Which was a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich with raspberries and chocolate. Oh my gosh it was amazing. (Doesn't Brad look ecstatic?)
And they have IZZEs. However, the most entertaining part of the night was this sign in front of the trees out back that looked amazing for climbing:

And then last week, we went back to Pure. Well, it was John's first time. And I think it's safe to say he liked it.
And, lastly, a trip to the restaurant "The Breakfast Club" where I had Eggs Benedict for the first time. And they were delicious. Not my favorite type of eggs. But very yummy. And maybe the most beautiful breakfast ever.





Whew! I'm full now!

Mind if I "quiche" you?

This morning John came over for brunch. Whoo-hoo!! Party time! I've been trying to eat more eggs, so we tried a recipe in Women's Health from this month (the recipe is on Candice's and my dinner blog). I used pepper jack instead of cheddar and canadian bacon/ham for the meat. And I lost my big muffin tin so I had to use the mini one (who has ramekins anyway?) But they were so so delicious and so fun to make. A little toast, a little OJ, then John went to go move (2 more miles away) and I went to go get acupunctured again. An excellent Saturday. And we're just getting started...

The Lord Sent Me an Apostle

Last night I went to a fireside that Elder Richard G. Scott spoke at. This is a man whose voice never fails to lull me right to sleep, but I was excited to go nonetheless. I just want to say that what followed was one of the more powerful spiritual experiences of my life. His message on letting the Holy Ghost speak to you was exactly what I needed to hear in so many ways. I truly felt like the Lord sent this apostle to me. I am humbled and amazed. And grateful.

Dazed and Confused...and Amused

Wednesday night I worked. And it was rough. I had been up most of the day before with the car situation, and woke up early on Wednesday to get a bunch of stuff done. Determined to not succumb to my Rock*Star crutch, I stumbled through the night. When I got home, this is what greeted me:

All I could think of was that Ariana must have gotten bored and drawn a picture of me surfing on Inch Beach. But I was so confused. I texted. She denied. I took a shower. I went back into the living room to detective this one out. At which time I realized, I had actually stepped OVER two notes and a CD from my home teachers without even noticing.


You see, last week I told my home teachers that I was feeling a little stressed out. This was their way of helping me relax. What followed was a ten minute CD/ recording of Phil and Travis making beach noises and walking me down a beach and to a beach party. It was more than a little crazy, but I was laughing so much. I am so lucky to have such great home teachers. Thanks guys!!

Afternoon Delight

My friend and yoga buddy Kristine works at Twirl, a bridesmaid shop in Scottsdale that I have never been to but plan to go to soon. Next to it is a cupcake shop. Close to both of these places is John's work. So I asked John to pick us up some cupcakes on his way home. Here's our cute little snack! So fun and So delicious. (Red Velvet is "Hollywood"; Chocolate Chip is "The New Yorker") Yay!

Grown

If you look closely at this pan, you will notice the remnants of a name. Sometime around my third birthday, I imagine, the name "Carbiener" was written on the side of this pan in an effort to protect it from all the people who might accidentally mistake it for their own. This pan, you see, has been to more Relief Society and ward functions than you could possibly imagine. It has held endless birthday cakes for cousins and probably more than a few of my own. This pan embodies love and service and a dedication to others that my mom has exhibited every day of her life.
So the other day when I got it out to bake a cake for one of my co-workers on her last day of work, I felt truly grown. And I only hope someday I can serve as many people with it as my mom has.

I Say Good-bye I Say Hello

Today I was originally supposed to work. But it's taken me over a month now to get the Bel Air on its way to Alabama and pick up day was today. Also, Brad's car is fixed (stinkin' timing belt), but was still an hour away and I needed it. Because eventually John needed his car back. As in yesterday. 

So my supervisor Bridgette, whom I love to DEATH, let me switch my days around. So on very little sleep, this is what today looked like:

After work, Ariana and Tyler and I hauled to Casa Grande and picked up a Camry. THANK YOU SO MUCH. 

Next, I attempted to sleep while trying to figure out how someone could possibly take six hours to get here from Kingman (a 3 1/2 hour drive). But that's how long it took the auto transport guy to get here. And finally he did. And then the Bel Air ran out of gas. 

But the point being, the Bel Air is no longer mine. On one hand, I get to pay less in car insurance. On the other, no more Sinatra in a 1960's car on Sundays, no more "WOW! You can fit like 20 people back here!", no more parades to see me at the car wash, no more beautiful red doors....I love you my little Bel Air! Good-bye! Enjoy your new garage in Alabama!

Next...

I set to cleaning Brad's car. This Camry has been through a lot in the last year. It drove from Jersey, it got rejected by my sister Candice, it needed new axles and a new starter, and of course, a new timing belt. It's been forsaken often, left alone in our parking lot, while other better-running cars have been driven. But today it got a little pampered. 

True, Brad fixed it. But somewhere in my childhood my dad grilled it into me that cars deserve to look nice. Really nice. I loved that people thought my truck in high school (ok, his truck) was 3 years old, not 11. I like to see the potential of every car. So some fantastik, a lot of ArmorAll, a good vacuum (I love my 100 ft extension cord), a good wash, a some Febreze later, this car may still not have windshield wipers or sun visors, but it does look good enough for me to actually drive.  :o) (Unfortunately, I did not take a before picture of the rusted car parts, empty oil bottles, and dirty car seats, but I think Bridget, Ariana, Brad, Candice, and my dad can all attest to the transformation.)

Creativity

I know we all have our own talents. And I know all too often we become more aware of the ones we don't have than the ones we do. At times, I think my life is so exciting. And then other times.... well, for example. I just stumbled upon this blog:

Katie www.colormekatie.blogspot.com

I'm glad I've been to New York and that I know I feel claustrophobic there. But there is a part of me that wants to live in Greenwich Village in a tiny little apartment and remodel it to be the coolest most artistic sexy place on earth. I love this girls' blog. I'm sure she has some very hard times, and that her life is not all roses, but, wow, it looks fun to be a freelance photographer, doesn't it? And to have your job be to stroll around NYC and find all the pretty things? And how many people sit on wet paint in a coat, turn it inside out, sew cute buttons on it, and call it fixed? This personality fascinates me. 

Here's about her:

Hi, I'm Katie! I'm a freelance photographer living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with my boyfriend Matty and my silly cat Moo. I like to keep life fun and exciting by seeing, doing, and creating new things every day. Feel free to contact me at colormekatie@gmail.com.

And my 2 favorite posts of hers are:

April 1 (which almost made me cry)

and

March 27th

And April 28th's shadow project is just cool. 

I've also just posted a few of my favorite pictures of hers. I hope she doesn't mind.

p.s. I visit taught a girl who just moved to Buffalo ? to be in the only Masters of Creativity program in the U.S. How cool is that?

The Art of Sharing

Saturday night, Brad headed to Dallas, where he will be working for three weeks. He had worked very hard to get his Camry in working order, fixing the axles and the starter all by himself. He was so proud. And he made it all of two hours before his car broke down.

So what was I to do? I called John, who thankfully had the time, and we drove down and gave Brad my Altima. And then had Brad's car towed 97 of the 100 miles John had available through AAA to my friend Valerie's house in Casa Grande (thank you).

This however, left me with no car. But I figured I would make it work. Somehow. The Bel Air was getting re-upholstered and was on its way to Alabama come Monday. So John and I decided to share. 

Now, a car to me is the epitome of independence. It completely blows my mind when people get married and give up a car. Do you have half as many places to go now? Really? (I understand there are financial reasons, but I am always amazed at this decision.) Luckily, John works very early, and, well, I haven't been working at all, but as of today I will work for the next three. 

I have woken up earlier than ever in my life to go take John to work, but it has been kind of fun this whole sharing thing. Plus, I got it washed and got the tire filled up, and the best part of all..... BECAUSE I AM SO SO THANKFUL TO HIM FOR DOING THIS FOR ME AND MAKING THIS SO SO MUCH EASIER THAN IT WOULD OTHERWISE BE.

(Sorry this entry's getting a little long, BUT)

The console lid of John's car has been broken for 3 years. It drives me out of my ever-loving mind. I want to throw it in the back seat every time it falls off when I rest my elbow on it. So, yesterday, when he was gone, I went to the junkyard and found the part and screwed it all back together and dude, he was almost as excited as I was. 

p.s. I LOVE being a girl at the auto junkyard. Seriously, do your hair, pull out your pink screwdriver, and watch what the guys at the junkyard will find/do for you. It's a wonderful thrill, because, let me tell you, I've been to a few junkyards and I think I'm one of the ONLY girls who has been there a lot. They don't see a lot of females. And it's kind of fun to be such a novelty.

Restoring Life's Vital Forces

Today was a "me" day. Truth be told, I have a lot of these, but today especially. At least for a few hours. 

Today I got acupunctured. I've been acupunctured before, but that was about 10 years ago when I thought I needed to lose weight, mostly because I was in high school and I think most people in high school think they need to lose weight. This time was a little different. I think everybody has a baseline happiness level, and I just wasn't feeling mine. Things that should be awe-inspiring have seemed a lot less so lately, and how else are you supposed to restore your vital life forces than through acupuncture? 

The lady was really nice and, of course, wanted me to come back a few more times and take some herbs, which I will, to thank my insurance for covering me. The procedure took 20 minutes and was very relaxing until the last two minutes when my body "woke up" and was ready to go. Apparently this is pretty common. 

So basically, I feel quite great. My stomach started growling during it, so I went and had sushi and tried on clothes at Anthropologie that I did not buy (very hard to decide to buy vacation clothes or buy clothes while on vacation. I'm hoping there are fun places to shop over there...).

Anyways, fun day. Later!

It All Started with a Gondola

Once upon a time, Brad had a dream. A dream to row a gondola in Spain. Or at least live there and work for a month. In a cheap apartment off craigslist. Brad was going to spend $1000 to fly over there, but Christin thought this sounded MUCH too expensive and googled how to get there cheaply. How?
By going through Dublin, which was only $400, and then taking a RyanAir flight to Spain, which was $50.
And then Christin thought, "Going to Dublin is $400? Are you kidding me? I think I'll go to Dublin."
And then Christin got a new calling as a Family History Consultant which got her thinking about the Alsace-Lorraine valley, which is about the most quaint place on EARTH, where the Carbiener family originated. So she looked up RyanAir flights to Strasbourg, France, which were $30 (as opposed to Paris, which were $1000).
So Christin and Brad are going to Ireland and France. They will stay in Castles and Hostels and Cool Hotels and Go Surfing and Kiss the Blarney Stone and Ride Bikes and Eat Croissants. Christin will only be gone for 12 days, but Brad will stay longer. So that he can meet some hot Italians and maybe even row a gondola.

Awww!!!

Almost as cute as Ariana's:
http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2009/05/the-best-marriage-proposal-in.html
Also, you can link after this to the one about the couple who only knew each other for a week and the "G" they got for their anniversary is TOTALLY cool.

Get Ur Hair Did

For Free! Go here (yes to Boise, yes to Layton, yes to AZ, no to WA. Sorry Mindy!)
http://www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us/conso/specialoffers/our-treat.aspx

Excitement Across The Pond

I have spent the last two days planning the coolest vacation ever. Brad and I are going to Ireland and France in 26 days and I can hardly stand it. Here's a little picture I stole off flickr to help you get excited, too. Just one of my many ideas of awesome things to do for my first time over the ocean. :-)

Coming of Age

So most of you are aware that I'm a little obsessed with magazines. The obsession has mellowed in previous years, but my coffee table is still overrun with SELF, Glamour, Oprah, the Ensign, and Women's Health. I've been a loyal subscriber for years. But recently I felt a little betrayed. These are the covers from March and April:


I was offended initially when Taylor made the first appearance. And then Miley showed up. And lastly, Vanessa High School Musical Hudgens. REALLY??!!!
Since when did teenagers become my role models?

Best

Another best for you (I love returning to the roots of this blog):

These, hands down, are the best store bought cookies in the world. 

On the other hand, aren't Chewy Chips Ahoy always strangely disappointing? I mean, it sounds like such a good idea, and then you taste one, and you're like, "What chemicals, exactly, did they put in this thing to make it not dry up?" Because they taste like you're asking for stomach cancer.

Blackberries

You know why Heavenly Father made blackberries so beautiful? Because they don't actually ever taste as good as I want them to. And I would never eat them if they weren't so pretty. But this morning I mixed them with Wallaby Dulce de Leche yogurt, and they were close to delicious. And Yoplait Blackberry Pomegranate is delicious, too. 

Maybe I just need to be more creative with these things.

Booty Time!!

I caved and bought Pirate's Booty for the first time. I always thought it was popcorn. Turns out it's just really yummy styrofoam peanuts. Very odd. 

"Word" Texting

Some of you may call this "predictive text," others "T9". Others of you have iphones or blackberries and are just "cooler than everyone else and get real letters." My phone calls it "word" text, so that's what I call it, and I'm kind of developing a loathing for this program. 

Yes, I know, texting is a modern marvel. I appreciate it. It's helpful and fun and potentially exciting, but REALLY?

• "Ganging" gets used more than "hanging"?
• "Might before "night" ?
• And it's not all just alphabetical. I know. I just can't remember the ludicrous exception right now. But it's not helpful.
• Whoo-hoo. Yay. Yeah Right.
• Blogging is not a word in their dictionary.
• Neither is Dave.
• But the country of Surinam is. 

There is literally almost one word per text that is not available to me. Am I really just that verbally unique? I've taken to writing short words (like "do") and then erasing the "o" to get the letters that I want. And typing half words at a time. It's ludicrous. I get random capital letters that I don't want switching back and forth between "ABC" and "Word." And it looks like I'm on crack. AND.. I use TIME a lot in my texts. And 2:30 is not a "word." AHHHGGRRR!!! And my phone, unlike some of your cooler ones, does not learn words either. Nope. My battery might last for three awesome days, but the dumb words will always show up first. 

I have Brad to thank for me switching since he made me feel like a grandma every time I texted someone letter by letter, but at least then I never wanted to throw my phone against the wall.

I used to like my little Nokia.

Yogis

I have attended yoga now 3 times at my new gym. I've had 3 different instructors and I've loved them all. They were:

- A 20-something year old guy who I couldn't quite figure out but was very alternative and his poses flowed better than any class I've ever been to.

- A very tiny Asian who disappeared when she lunged into Warrior II. With a heavy accent. So you were constantly searching for her tiny body. But I still liked it.

-Another tiny Asian who had no accent whatsoever, was very into yoga and "listening to your body" "making choices with your body and what poses you were choosing by level and why" and breathing. I came in late and people were alternating which nostrils they were breathing out of. Good thing my allergies weren't bad today. She didn't correct any of my poses, but she did probably notice I'm a crappy inhaler/exhaler and probably hold my stress in my breath, so she kind of walked her hands up and down my back while I laid there and I loved it. And we did dancer pose, which made me feel happy. And then at the very end of class she played this song, which made me feel even happier. It was the first time I said "Namaste" sincerely. Oh, happy day. 

So I went out and bought gold high heels. And a necklace. Because I'm still learning to accessorize. Candice would be so proud.

A Little Self-Deprecation

I posted this for you last time. I might as well do it this time. 

Last time it was the view from Hayden road when I ran the Altima out of gas.

This time it's the view from the Bel Air on the 101 Freeway. 

Did I mention I live less than a mile from 4 gas stations. 

And I've never run out of gas until this year? 

(Sorry; it's a phone picture and I don't know how to rotate it)

Staff Appreciation Day

For staff appreciation day, we got cheesecake and this sweet hat. Here is Agnes, from Ghana, who really worked it, I think.

Speaking of Which...

At that wedding reception, in the parking lot, was this plant. 

REALLY? 

Did this little plant cost you $1000 or what? Is it really worth this huge cage?

Wedded Bliss

I just got back from my 3rd wedding reception in as many weeks, which has obviously got me to thinking. I have realized the following:

• I have no "home ward" attendees. Florida, Texas, Idaho? No, I'm not expecting any random ward attendees from out-of-state. And this single ward of mine consists of a lot of people close to a decade younger than I. 
• My parents live in BULLHEAD CITY. Besides being a terribl[y unpretty]e place to hold a reception, I know really no one there. Because I have never lived here. 
• Most of my friends have children or child and could easily use that or distance as an excuse to not attend. 
• I have an entire household of stuff. I am a mom to everyone of my young[er] friends here.

That being said, I plan on having a very exciting and fabulous wedding. I don't know where it will be. I don't know exactly how it will go down. I don't know who exactly will be there (groom included). But I hope you all have plans to attend. I'm starting a savings account. Maybe you should, too. For the plane tickets. 'Cause I don't need a blender. 

You see,  this won't be a reception of people I barely know. I'm counting on you, my lovely friends, to dance with me into the night. (Please)

Wherever that night may find us. 

p.s. I realize that I did not attend all of your weddings, and that that could very well make me lame and even hypocritical for even posting this. However, we were all younger then. And poorer then. And I still couldn't go to the temple even if I had shown up. And most of you can. If you want to use that as your excuse, though, you can. And I guess I'll have no choice but to forgive you. 

Celine

Today I hurt my ears a little bit singing "The Power of Love" in my car and blasting it on my new awesome birthday speakers.

Resilience

There are quite a few qualities that I tend to admire: loyalty, perseverance, dedication. You know, there's something special about every living thing. One trait I really admire in this particular plant is resilience. I tend to take good care of the people in my life (generally speaking). I tend to not take very good of pets or plants. So I would like to give a little shout out to this ONE plant who has survived 7 years of inadequate attention and stuck with me no matter what.
Thanks, Little Green One.
(These pictures were taken 24 hours apart. Water is magic.)