"Welcome to our castle"

When I was a sophomore at BYU I lived on a street called 50 East. During my time there, I quickly befriended a spunky redhead who was incredibly talented and witty. We developed our friendship while attending ward prayer, open mic nights, and 80s classic skating. Toward the end of the year, we even double dated together (relationships which I think only lasted as long as they did because she and I had so much fun together while being “courted” by the two young men).

We both applied to study abroad in London for Fall 2004 and we had a blast traveling around Europe together with some close friends we made there. We were roommates the following semester at BYU. When I got married a couple years later, she played the piano and sang a beautiful song for our reception that she had written herself. A lot of stuff has happened since, but pretty much all you need to know is that she has truly been one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

Sometimes when I’m running up the stairs to my current apartment, I have flashbacks to when I could hear her footsteps sprinting up the hallway to my apartment from around the corner and then bursting through the door dramatically. I really miss that, especially since she’s now a big shot in New York City and the likelihood of it happening again is small. But today is her 25th birthday, so even though I won’t be bursting through her door with Taco Bell, ice cream, and a sweatshirt hug, I still want her to know how much I love and miss her! So Laura Ann Ostler, happy birthday to you: the sassiest little filth I’ve ever met (and you know I mean that in the nicest way possible). I hope all of your wishes and dreams come true!

H-ween

My siblings got the hint from my last post and sent me some Halloween pictures. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:Folsom Trunk or Treat: I was Thanks-a-lot Bear and Rob--too ashamed to dress as a care bear--decided to be simply ... a brown bear. He was a little upset when people kept thinking he was a teddy bear.

Carving the final pumpkins on Halloween day. Also, I am cutting my hair off one month from today. It is finally long enough. Hooray!The trick-or-treating party.
Good ol' Bruce and his girlz.

By the way, some of you would be interested to know that I did revive the Rainbow Brite costume for work on Friday, and it was better than ever. I love having that costume handy for such occasions. Although one girl thought I was Sailor Moon. Um... really?

Just some things on my mind

Neither Rob nor I took a single picture of our Halloween weekend, but we had a great time at our ward activity in Folsom and trick or treating with many child-relatives of ours in Danville. We dressed up as bears and were solicited for hugs multiple times. I miss Halloween already.

I'm not feeling well today so I bought some herbal tea in hopes of reviving my health. It smelled like it would be delicious but basically just tasted like hot water. Why do people drink it? Is it truly that good for you? I feel tricked and want my $2.24 plus tax back.

Don't read the book (or watch the movie) Confessions of a Shopaholic. It is a waste of time, even if you are looking for a "fluff" book.

I'm thinking about doing a "giveaway" on my blog for a custom painting done by me. What do you think... too trendy? Will I be embarrassed that not enough people enter? Probably. It would just be for funsies and to motivate me to do more art.

That's all for tonight.

More Disney shirts

... because we could all use a little more Disney in our lives.

My sister-in-law Kristen asked me to make these shirts for her 4 kids in Florida. They were really fun to make. I think Boo is my favorite; that's the one for my niece Abby who turns 2 tomorrow. Happy birthday, little Janner!

It's after midnight

For some reason I am having the hardest time feeling sleepy tonight. So, while I'm up and since I just barely took note of today's date (10/2), I might as well post a shoutout to my buddy Anne Lee who turns 25 today. Wow, we've been friends for a long time! Anne, I'm pretty sure I remember going to your 12th or 13th birthday party not long after we first met and thinking you were really hilarious. Since then, we have enjoyed many crazy and fun experiences--some involving the abnormal shoving of plastic spoons into the lawns of our neighboring peers. Thanks for helping me cope with my intense allergic reaction to shellfish in Dallas when we were 15, and for singing an amazing Aida solo senior year that I still listen to. You rule. You have so many talents and I'm grateful you're my friend. Happy birthday!

(Girl's Camp service project... things always get silly at Girl's Camp. Also, I love the background of this picture, especially Mindy.)

Furniture face lift

My husband is really cool. For my birthday this year, he put a ton of manual labor into completing a project that I really wanted done. We recently inherited my parents' old dining set (table, chairs, and hutch from the 80s, but quality, solid wood furniture). I've loved this set for a long time but we've never had the space for it until now. Fortunately my brother's family has been "storing" it for us for the past few years. My other brother was kind enough to transport everything to us and Rob took it all apart and sanded, primed, and painted it until it looked beautiful. He also replaced the hardware to freshen it up a little. It was a huge project with all the doors, windows, hinges, etc., but I love it and I love him for making it happen. And the bonus of it being free is not too shabby (besides the cost of supplies of course, but duh, we had coupons).

Before (at my brother's house):
After:

The chairs are still under construction, so stay tuned for Extreme Makeover: Chair Edition

Just some things on my mind

*We just watched this season’s premiere of “The Office” and we’re bummed about the whole Stanley thing. Seriously, I don’t think that was a good idea, writers. We’re afraid the show has hit its peak, and that’s kind of depressing.

*Turning 25 was cool. We had a lovely weekend in Danville for my nephew’s baptism and I felt special when my nieces and nephews fought over who got to sit next to me for panda birthday cake. Thanks for the princess birthday hat, Cathy!

*A few months ago I had a Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupon that would give me $10 off if I spent $30. I was only spending about twenty so I bought some Burt’s Bees shampoo and conditioner to put me just over the required amount. I’d wanted to try it for a while and my birthday was coming up so that was how I justified my spur-of-the-moment purchase. Unfortunately, so far I’m not impressed (it leaves my hair really tangled after conditioning and not very soft), but I’m going to have faith and give it at least a couple weeks. At least it smells nice.

*Also, for those who were wondering, I do love the show “Glee” (obviously). Even though the episodes feel a little scatterbrained right now, the music and dancing makes it all worth it. We watch it with some friends of ours who are in our ward and live a few apartments down. Aren’t conveniently located friends awesome? We basically invite ourselves over every week, but they like it (I think).

*And lastly (I saved this one for last because it’s the most intense), my aunt (who is in our ward) got bit by a baby RATTLESNAKE while sitting in our chapel last week. We weren’t there, but it makes me want to never go in that building again. Did I mention that we attend church on the temple grounds? Can snakes get into the temple, too? Now there is some serious irony.