#DIYQUEEN

Time to catch up on some blogging folks. As some of you might know, I am now referred to as "mrs. manzanares" since I was married to my best friend in June. Awww mrs. manzarares.. how sweet that sounds :) ANYWHO... Chance & I are the typical "poor married students" and we've been living in this adorable apartment in cedar city as of late. I've always had a dream to become an interior designer so I've been waiting for the day to decorate my own home for as long as I can remember. Since our wallets are thin I've had to come up with my own ways of decorating our house. It's been so much fun! My family gives me a lot of crap because I recently did a lot of diy for our wedding. It was a LOT of work but it did save us some money! I don't really mind getting made fun of as long as my house looks cute :) I've done a lot more crafts then the ones I've posted, but I'm too lazy haha. I will post my quilt before and after when it's finally finished! oh and I am kicking myself in the butt for not taking before and after pictures of all of my projects.... shucks.

DIY project #1

Mr. & Mrs. sharpie paint mugs

*as promised miss sam askerlund ;)
estimated cost: around 10$ depending on mug cost (mine were 50 cents each!)

Now mine don't look near as pretty as my "pinspiration" mugs, but I think they're pretty darn cute! Oh and I also made one for my dad because it was fathers day!
1. I went to the D.I. and found some plain white mugs.
2. I dropped by the craft store and picked up some red and black oil-pased paint sharpies! Did you know there is such thing?! I was so excited about it! I also bought some clear coat water-resistant spray. (most sharpie mug tutorials don't say much about it so I think it's optional)
3. When I got home I drew up my best immitation of the mugs. One side had words and the other side just had lips and a mustache so it looks like you are wearing them while you drink haha
4. I placed the mugs in the oven and let the mugs heat up WITH the oven so they didn't crack. I baked them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees
5. let the oven cool down while the mugs are still inside.
6. water-resistant spray coat and let dry
VIOLA! All finished! We use them all the time for milk and cookies :)

Pinspiration

My Creation

DIY project #2
Burlap Bow & door Wreath
estimated cost: around 12$ depending on DIY grape vine wreath or store bought

1. Craft store trip! I bought an oval sized grapevine wreath and some polka-dot burlap ribbon! it was so cute I couldn't resist!
2. If you don't already have a glue gun and glue sticks you'll need to get some of those also
3. I made a medium sized circle of burlap ribbon and glued it shut (this was to make the "bow" part)
4. I cut a little strip of burlap and wrapped/glued it around my loop in the middle to create the "pinch"
5. for the tails of the bow I folded the ribbon in half (you could cut it but it does fray a lot) and I glued them to the backside of the bow.
6. I cut little snippits from the bottom of the tails ( to create a V shape at the bottom)

Pinspiration

My creation

DIY project #3

D.I. painted vase (I made mine aqua and red to match our bedspread)

Estimated cost: $3 dollars (seriously my vase was 1$, the ugly bouquet was 1$, and the paint was a whopping 80 cents)

I liked this one a lot because rather than spray-painting over the vase and making it loose it's "glassy look" you just pour the paint inside! It makes it look really cute and fancy!

1. pick up any cute glass vase from D.I. 

2. 80 cent acrylic paint from craft store

3. pour in paint and spin the vase around a little bit. after a while you can just flip the vase upside down and let the paint drip down the sides. it will seem like you need more paint, but trust me... it just goes REALLY slow haha I used way too much and ended up with a pool of paint dried in the bottom when I flipped it back up for a day. 

4. I also found an ugly red-rose bouquet at D.I. which I'm thinking some bride made on her own for her wedding? haha it was ugly... lots of little sparkly thinks poking out and stuff. I just snipped them off

Pinspiration

My creation

DIY project #4
Painting and Distressing D.I. furniture finds
estimated cost: $75 for D.I. furniture $30 for paint, primer, paintbrush

This was a lot of fun for me! my friend Tati helped me out a lot on it. I found some bedside tables and a dresser with "potential" at D.I. for our house and decided I would make them look great! haha so after months of sitting in the garage I started this project.

1. SANDING. It took a long time to sand them but it wasn't too hard. The dresser was real wood so that was lovely to work with! Since the bedside tables were the fake crap we just lightly roughed them up a bit so the paint would stick nicely
2. PRIMER. make sure you always use primer! I think it makes the paint stay on better and if you are distressing it afterwards it gives a nice little white color underneath the paint.
3. paint and distress (the fun part!) After two coats of paint we were ready to rough them up a bit. as if they weren't "rough" before haha We just took a piece of sandpaper and scuffed up the edges here and there. You can do it as little or as much as you want! it's just a matter of opinion.
4. I added new hardware so the drawers could pull in and out easily but most furniture will still be in good condition

My 2 pinspirations (bottom is pottery barn for around 300$)

My creations

I'm still searching for some cute handles for the bottom two drawers

I really wish I would have taken before and after pictures of these!
The dresser was white & had grandma floral on it! haha
and the bedside tables were ugly oak brown color

DIY project #5
Eclectic deer head
estimated cost: $8 (I already had black paint, I just paid for the wood round)

1. I went to the craft store and bought a sanded wood oval for $8
2. I printed out a silhouette of a deer head or any other kind of silhouette you'd like
3. cut out the deer from the paper keeping the paper in tact. you'll be using the paper to paint with, not the cut out.

Pinspiration: being sold on Etsy for 40$

4. tape paper to wood and paint over the empty space making sure that the paper doesn't lift up on the edges or corners
5. gently lift off paper and admire your cute creation :)

my creation

For Cody Ratjar Towse

I'd only met Cody in real life 4 or 5 times. I would still consider he & I to be close though. We would talk very often on facebook or through texts. Even after he left for Afghanistan  he would still think of me occasionally and ask me how I was doing. See that's the thing about Cody, he was ALWAYS thinking of other people. Cody taught me a lot of things about life:
1. how to longboard.... SAFELY, with a helmet. haha
2. how to treat a woman. Guys, I hope you took notes when Cody was around, because he treated every single girl with the most respect. He was a gentleman in the highest form.
3. he taught me how to be hilariously sarcastic & how to tell an inappropriate joke without worrying about what others think. He was one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life.
4. he taught me how to make a sandwich the right way. haha if there isn't mustard on it, he isn't eating it. the bread was a little dry too.
5. he taught me to always look for the good & positive in everything. The "silver lining" of the rain cloud. I don't recall him ever having a bad attitude.
6. he taught me to use urbandictionary as a resource when I couldn't figure out his ridiculous words or phrases

I remember him telling me once about the time an arm got stuck in the folding chair machine at partyland..... hahaha or the multiple times crashing on his longboard. I lived right next door to the Genola fire station so I would see him sometimes doing drills & hosing down burning cars for training. He would tell me about his dad a lot. According to Cody their relationship was solid. He loved his dad so much. They did so much together. He took me on a date once after a basketball game. The entire time we were in the car he was belting Moulin Rouge at the top of his lungs. He didn't care what I thought, and because of his carelessness to what others think about him, I learned that concept also. I learned that no matter what, people will think things about you or say rude things that aren't true, but as long as you know who you are and you know that you are a great person then who cares? Cody is a great person. He touched so many lives that he probably doesn't even realize. His affect on my family was huge & they barely knew him. My sister probably talked to him more than I did these past months. He would always joke that he & I would get married one day. That we would write each other while he was away haha and then he would return and we would have a big family. hahaha I'm sure he told all of the girls that, but he knew how to make me feel special and loved.

a little something something that cody made for me hahahahaha

I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out when I read the news article. I thought it couldn't be true. In fact many of my friends messaged me and asked me if it was a sick joke. When my old best friend Chloe called me on the phone to ask what happened we both broke down in sobbing tears. How could someone so great and loving be taken away so quickly and harshly? He was trying to save another life while he lost his own. That's honor. That's heart. That's dedication to protecting this country and fulfilling his duties. I can't help but think that Cody is in Heaven right now worrying about all of us down here on earth. He was so completely selfless. He's a hero in every sense of the meaning of the word. I will miss him very much and I will always think of him when I see a bottle of mustard, a partyland, a longboard, or anything army related. He will be in our hearts forever.

Don't take life for granted. Cherish it every single day. Live with a positive attitude. Love one another.

Everyone is a Reader

When we find the time, or rather, MAKE the time to read, we enjoy life.

Read on the beach while on vacation

Read in bed late at night when you know you should be sleeping because you've got an early morning ahead of you. Just ONE more chapter has got to be read before your brain shuts off for the night.

Read in the kitchen while your breakfast waits for you to finish a couple more pages.

Read until you find a good spot to fold over the corner of the page. start reading again from where you left off as soon as you find the opportunity.

Read on a Saturday when your room is a mess & you KNOW you should be spending your time doing homework.

Read in the car while waiting for someone.

Read the newspaper, the textbooks, the thoughts of others.

Read on the plane ride. Such an uncomfortable red eye flight soothed over with a few wonderful chapters engulfed before arrival.

Read on the couch with dogs cuddled at your feet in a blanket.

When the book is so good that you can't put it down, read between classes or during work. Read in the cracks of the time between commitments and responsibilities.

I've even found myself reading prior to the lights dimming in the movie theater.

Reading in the back of the truck shell for a long family drive.

Bringing my book into the restaurant and reading underneath the table while everyone is overlooking their menus.

Reading is so important. Read to improve your mind. Read to improve your dreams. Read to improve your perspective on life. Read to enter into a new world in order to escape the one you're in for a while. Read to meet new people that only exist in perfectly crafted words on pages. Read to explore new places. Read to feel.

MOM Y U DO THIS 2 US?

My mom does this strange thing where she mixes things. Let's say there is a little bit of apple juice left, a little bit of grapefruit juice left, and a lot of koolaid left.... what does she do? she puts it all in the koolaid. Do we notice? yes. I swear one time she mixed milk into it. It makes my little brothers so mad hahaha okay & this morning she put out a bowl of cereal for me since I was running late and in my head I was like "sweet! lucky charms!" then I realized it was lucky charms WITH fruity pebbles. haha YUM....? When she puts away leftovers from dinner she won't put the veggies, meat, potatoes or pasta in separate containers...why would she do a silly thing like that? No, she'll put them all in the same Tupperware because she can. I don't know if anyone else's mothers do this.... but Anne Marie sure does! haha she's so funny!

Diet December

Okay, so it's not really a "diet" exactly. It's more of a change of diet. I consume soooo much sugar/carbs every day because, well duh, because it's delicious! I have the worst sweet tooth. I could eat a gallon of ice cream a day & be just happy as can be. My new goal is to exchange sweets for healthy, naturally sweet alternatives. I am also trying to cut back on white breads and add more veggies to my diet. It's been hard already since it's December and there are yummy treats EVERYWHERE! I will admit, I haven't been perfect haha but I have done pretty good so far! Plus my mom is ALWAYS buying treats. I'm also working out everyday and trying to drink LOTS of water! I feel really good and it's only the start! I hope that I can continue this change of diet past December and stick with it! Healthy = happy! :) oh & I've also taken up doing zumba in the office! Don't tell my dad! I'm on the clock!

P.S. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT I'M GOING TO HAWAII SOON.....

Skinny Berry smoothie: Kale, wheat grass, berries, and apple juice!

Drinking Healthy @ work LOL thanks Breeanna!

UM YEAH. hahaha

Anytime I crave ice cream or fro-yo, I'll go for this instead! TRU-berry all healthy, organic yogurt! There was even spinach in this!

with the Sound of Music

Music fills the cracks of the soul. Bored, sad, mad, confused, hurt, in love, in need of inspiration, in need of comfort, or just about any other emotion you can think of, music can fix. I guess fix is the wrong word, emotions should not be looked at as a bad thing. Emotions are good. We need to feel every now and then. Don't let yourself become numb to emotions. I guess the word I could have used is "aid". Music aids us. It doesn't even matter what genre you listen to, what unknown artist you found, or where you are when you listen. Music in general helps our emotions flow & even out. It's like plopping half of the tub of icing on the cake and then taking a knife and spreading it all over to make it look pretty. My anger is just piled up in one place and it's all I can think about, until I turn on music. While listening my mind wonders, thus spreading the emotion thinner, making my angry emotion pretty. Anger can't be pretty? I think it can. Music helps the soul realize what really matters. Sometimes songs without lyrics can be even more enriching. Whether you are curled up in a ball in bed, hunched over a steering wheel in the car at night, or shaving your legs in the shower, listening to music is always a release. A release from stressing an emotion too much. a "break" from how you feel. Listen to music often. Even better, create it. My little brother sings in the shower daily. It's hilarious, he's awful. I love to hear it though. Music makes us dance. From sheepishly tapping your foot to booty clappin' in the kitchen, music creates the mood. Over Thanksgiving break my cousins and I were hanging out at my grandparents house. It was getting late and we were getting bored. In n out was closed. My grandpa offered to make his famous "papa pancakes." hahaha it was so funny, we were all stoked. My cousin threw her ipod into the speakers & the house turned into an all out dance party. A Pancake-Dance Party! Everyone was dancing and laughing, even grandma and grandpa. My grandpa went over to the light switch and started flickering it on and off yelling, "STROBE LIGHT!" hahaha It was awesome. Music created a memory. Music creates many memories in our lives. I think God gave us music in order for us to be able to explore our minds. I know when I hear church music I feel the spirit. Music aids our feelings. Use music to your advantage.

Vanilla Coke. What is... happiness?

If you understood that my blog title was meant to be read like a jeopardy question, good job. I haven't posted in a while & I've lost my mojo a little bit... so here's a post about all the things that make me happy & keep me sane lately...


- obviously vanilla coke
- people who buy me vanilla coke (thank you...)
- Breeanna Gibson. no she does not have a middle name.
- Chance Manzanares.
- cute dates
- the fact that LisaFrank stuff is coming back in style via urban outfitters
- the leather pants I got from target
- studs (the ones you put on clothes and shoes, not the human kind)
- my frumpy, ugly, worn out Roxy slippers
- NOT doing anything with my hair. (wavy, poofy hair is sexy... right?)
- funny people. oh what would I do without funny people?
- Thoughtful blog posts written by my friends/twitter friends. THANK YOU.
- Grey hair. it's cool & I think I might do it. YO ella bella, if you do it, I'll do it. no joke.
- Skulls & sugar skulls (I'm a poser, I know.)
- The movie Wreck it Ralph. haha seriously go watch it. It's so cute.
- Rock of Ages and the soundtrack. um hello?! I LOVE THE 80'S OKAY?!
- My banana suit (for obvious reasons)
- Pumpkin, chocolate chip anything
- the fact that I somewhat cleaned my room & I can see the floor now
- NOT shaving
- my gymnasts. holy cow. I love them so much.
- HOLIDAYS
- my second job as a hiking instructor. It's been awesome.
- Zumba is cool I guess
- the fact that I will be going to school & socializing next semester
- Jedi when he wears his where's waldo outfit. & when he gets mad about others having the same one.

There are probably a lot more that I can't think of at the moment... but yeah. I'm HAPPY RIGHT NOW. I haven't really been myself for the past little while & I'm finally starting to get back in the groove of life again.I love you all. thank you.

Who am I living for?

I used to be insecure & shy. I wasn't cute or "hot" or beautiful. I was the dorky girl who everyone felt obligated to be nice to or they thought I might burst into tears. The girl who got upset when people would pick on the weird kids. (I WAS one of the weird kids though) I was 4'9 until 9th grade & skinny enough to fit inside of my half-locker. (of course I tried... I was curious. & hopefully my old friends who were with me are reading this & remember hahaha) I was completely afraid of boys, but I was crazy about them... secretly. I was that girl that the popular jerks thought was really smart, so they would ask to copy my homework, only to realize that I sucked just as bad as they did at math. I mean come on people... just because I had super thick lens glasses didn't mean I was a super brain! It just means I had/have terrible eye-sight. My pants never fit me. I was always envious of the girls with filled out butts or "apple bottom jeans" in jr. high. I was barely holding up my double 0 hollister pants with a DIY "extra belt holed" belt. "just make another belt hole with a knife!" -my mother would always say... which always led to high-waters as well. & although you might be wondering why I'm complaining about being skinny when I was younger, I do have a point... just let me get to it. I was picked on a lot in my younger years. I have a hard time writing this because it really wasn't the best time of my life. I'm actually in tears just thinking about it. haha which seems totally ridiculous I realize... but it could be that it's almost 5 in the morning & I've been up all night for no reason at all. I wouldn't talk in class unless I was tattle-tailing to the teacher about Dillon Simmons or Sage Durango. haha or unless I was with my best friends. (in that case you couldn't shut me up!) I got this brand new hello kitty purse stolen in the 6th grade once. It was full of Christmas money, new perfume, and other little gifts. I knew exactly where I left it, came back, noticed the "popular girl" had it underneath her bottom on her chair, and I couldn't stand up for myself. So I turned around and left... in pure fear that she might think I was a loser for asking for my purse back. The "cool girls" would make fun of me often. I wouldn't say much because I feared that saying something back would make me look like even more of a dork. The boys were the worst though. When the boys would make fun of me I felt so stupid. I would act like they were immature & it didn't affect me... but it sure did. I would walk the halls with my head down. I would stare at shoes and carpet all day long just because I feared humiliation. I was always picked last in p.e. classes for sports teams. haha sounds like a sad movie or something. When I liked a boy, I would tell one of my friends that THEY should like him. I was so nervous that he wasn't going to like me, so I made sure that my friends would take advantage of the situation instead. I was insecure. I was in band. hahaha I played the flute. I had wonderful friends though. If it weren't for them I don't know where my life would be right now, honestly. From first grade until now I have always had amazing friends influence my life. I am sooo grateful. I remember when I was a sophomore & I had just quit gymnastics. My mom informed me that I would either try out for cheer or get back into gym. So I decided to try out for the Payson high cheer team. It was so out of my ordinary that it scared me. I remember all of my friends telling me that if I became a "cheerleader" I would change & they wouldn't like it. Sure enough I changed my group of friends and became a whole different person. I sat in jock hall, I dated "jocks", & I acted snotty. I was not myself. Sure, I would still be friendly to everyone when I passed them & make sure to say hi often to others... but I was not the same. A sense of confidence, no.... Pride grew inside of me. I became "popular". Don't get me wrong, I loved cheering & I loved all of my new friends, they were really great! (the popular kids actually weren't as mean as I thought once I started to fit in with them) I guess that's just how it works though. You have to fit in to be accepted. You have to fit a certain mold to get noticed. It's such a joke. Still to this day I find myself waking up & wondering what I can do or wear to impress people. I find myself asking if someone will think I am dumb or weird for doing this or that. Why must we conform in order to feel normal? Who are we living for? Ourselves? or everyone around us? The constant pressure to be someone that we aren't is a daily challenge for everyone. Being your true self is one of the hardest things to do, but if you can accomplish that, you are headed to happiness. If it is possible to realize that WE dictate our own lives, and not others, we can achieve joy.

Who am I living For? Katy Perry

I can feel a phoenix inside of me

As I march alone to a different beat

Slowly swallowing down my fear, yeah yeah

I am ready for the road less traveled

Suiting up for my crowning battle

This test is my own cross to bear

But I will get there

It's never easy to be chosen, never easy to be called

Standing on the front-line when the bombs start to fall

I can see the heavens but I still hear the flames

Calling out my name

I can see the writing on the wall

I can't ignore this war

At the end of it all

Who am I living for?

I can feel this lightness inside of me

Growing fast into a bolt of lightning

I know one spark will shock the world, yeah yeah

So I pray for a favor like Esther

I need your strength to handle the pressure

I know there will be sacrifice

But that's the price

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

Don't let the greatness get you down

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

Don't let the greatness get you down, oh, oh yeah

I can see the writing on the wall

I can't ignore this war

At the eh-end of it all

Who am I living for?

At the end, at the end

Who am I living for?

At the end, at the end

Who am I living for?

FUN FACT: you know the "don't laugh at me, don't call me names, don't get your troubles from my pain" song? hahaha I had to sing that in elementary school on stage & hold a poster that said 'the little girl with glasses, the one they call a geek.' so basically my school was trying to enforce a no bullying rule by bullying kids to hold labeling signs. but it's okay, I just laugh about it now. at the time I just thought it was so cool to be involved in an assembly hahaha

RUN. run your heart out.

"You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. so get on you way." -Dr. Suess

Everyone has a mountain... or twelve. You can do one of two things: sit at the bottom & complain about it, or get off your sorry bottom & climb it with a smile on your face. I can't run. that's a fact known to all mankind mmmk? Like I'm pretty sure I know of 80 year olds that can run better than I can. Lately I've been trying to run at least one mile each day. Some days I run 4, some days I can barely run 1. & some nights, when the weight of the world is on my shoulders & I feel like I hate everyone, I can run 6 or 7. haha It just depends. (sometimes we end up just running to maverick for sodas... but hey at least we tried.) For some reason when I'm running through frustrated tears murmuring to myself the entire way, I seem to do better...? I guess I feel like I am multi-tasking while I'm running... you know? getting over a couple "mountains" at the same time? When I'm running I have time to clear my mind. I think about the things that are going on in my life. I think about where I would like my life to go, why I'm not good enough & where I went wrong. I have time to think about the problems in my own life that need to be solved. They say running is cheaper than therapy. Now that's a statement I live by. We all have our problems. How we solve them is up to us. & our attitude towards them is up to US. No, we aren't all perfect. Sometimes I throw fits & act like a 2 year old girl when faced with a problem... (alright, most of the time..) but I know how I could & should handle things. It's just a matter of what we do. It's a matter of how we react to a certain text message, fight with a friend, less than happy news, or menstrual cramps. We all have our mountains. How will we chose to climb them? How will we decide to handle the many curve balls life throws at us? What will you do with your mountain? How will you climb it? It's all up to you.
oh p.s. conference was WONDERFUL. hearing the words of our church leaders is always a comforting event.

What you know about RETAIL THERAPY?

I think it's safe to say that both male and females have used retail therapy to cope with their problems. I think I have spent $300 shopping & $140 online shopping in the past month. EEK! someone stop me. take away my credit card! no actually, don't. because honestly, I feel so much better about life when I fill my closet up with stupid crap that I'll never wear. it's so fulfilling! But then I have days like today where I'm at the D.I. just for kicks looking for overalls for my Mario costume. & it hits me that I should be buying these cheap clothes & giving them to poor people! I'm just like, wow I love D.I.! I want this ugly sweater! and these awesome grandma kicks! & then I realize that some people don't have anything at all.... & it breaks my heart. Here I am asking the lady at the register if she can take down my phone number & call me when the next pair of sweet overalls come in... when I realize how terribly awful I am! I need to be more hospitable & wise with my money. I need to be less selfish & more caring. I need to think about others more! gosh dangit. what is my problem? I spent 200 dollars at Pacsun yesterday because I wanted to look good & make my sorrows disappear while there are people living on the streets starving & freezing at night. I mean, of course I believe in working for your own right to live & earning your place in this world, but sometimes you just have to take a step back & realize that what you are doing probably isn't necessary. My paycheck could have been spent in a much better way, or saved for something more important. So... the moral of the story is: those awesome colored skinnies I bought might fill my closet, but they won't fill the cracks of my heart. I thought spending tons of money on myself would make me feel better but it actually made me feel worse. On that note, it's time to get ready for work. (grateful to have a job!!!)  so I love you all. I hope you do something great & make a difference in the world today! (even if it's something small like saying hi to a stranger or telling someone that you appreciate them)

JEDI'S FIRST DATE DAWGS!

this is so monumental. Levi (a.k.a. Jedi) went on his very first date this past weekend. Let's backtrack a little bit to last monday I think? Jed carpools with this girl named Morgan. She's way cute. anyway... he texts her & says, "hey how mad would you be on a scale of 1-10 if I asked you to the dance over text?" hahaha and she said 6. So he goes & buys sour skittles, oreos, a big ball, & a teddy bear. He places it all on her porch with a handwritten note that says, "none of these things have anything in common. will you go to homecoming with me?" hahahaha she said yes though you guyz!!! So the entire week we pestered Levi about the details. We needed to know the dress color, the date plans, what kind of flower she wanted, you know... the dance deets! Jedi was so out of his element. First dates are scary you guys! I just can't really remember because my first date was like... five years ago? haha So we ask him where they are going to dinner & he says, "can't I just take her to taco bell or something." for real though... that's what he said. After explaining to him that he needed to take her somewhere a little more 'classy' we asked him what the date plan was. "oh I'm just going to pick her up, take her dinner, go to the dance for an hour & then drop her back off." oh so you're going to end the date at 9:00 Jed? good plan. hahaha Luckily his cousin Austin showed up with a date & helped him out. He doesn't even go to Levi's school but he paid for his date & himself to get into the dance & be Jedi's wingman. such a good cousin.

Levi's view on the dance: "yeah I showed her my sick moves. we danced a few slow songs. it was good."

Austin on the dance: "hahaha well, he was a little shy at first, but once we all started dancing Jed came right out of his shell! he also tried to twirl his date during a slow dance.... but he ended up twirling himself. we tried to teach him, but he couldn't be taught."
We can only hope that dinner went well. We figure that he either ordered off the kids menu, spilled a drink or two, or asked for a new crayon when his snapped in half. If he only did one out of the three, he did a great job! Unless of course he asked Morgan to cut his meat up for him....

I am so proud of him! haha & today, I pull into the driveway and his dance date is knocking on our door!!!! SAY WHAT? yeah. she came over just to 'hang out' & 'play risk'. I must have tweeted about the situation at least 20 times... & creeped a couple pics. don't worry, I'll put them up on this post. So I think it's safe to say that Jedi's first date was a success and I think they are in love now.

Urine Adrenaline?

I am a firm believer that holding pee in your bladder for a longer amount of time then necessary builds adrenaline. Imagine a cheer team preparing to run the mile... & a blonde, out of shape girl doing the 'pee dance'. "I really have to pee.... & I really suck at running." -me "maybe you should go to the bathroom?" -addison (my ol' college cheer stunting partner) "nahh... the adrenaline from holding it will help me run." -me "so THAT'S why you always have to pee when we stunt!" (true story. this really happened. & he would always worry that I was going to pee my pants during a stunt.... I never did though. don't worry)

According to Saige's fun facts, Urine = adrenaline. When I'm driving by myself in the car on road trips I make myself hold it till I absolutely cannot contain myself any longer. It keeps me awake, and it keeps the trip interesting. Like how many miles can YOU go on a full bladder & an empty tank of gas? & even better, once you finally get into that nasty chevron restroom & finally relief yourself, it's like the best feeling in the world! I'm almost sure that I have the record for longest amount of time continuously peeing. but this is starting to get weird & gross.... so I'll wrap it up. I've got the bladder control of an elderly woman. but I've got the drive of an Olympic athlete to hold it in for as long as I possibly can. It's the best when everyone in the car KNOWS you have to pee & they start making water sounds & drawing attention to you, because that just makes it even more challenging! Bring it on Bladder! Do you ever remember when you were little and you would hold it forever and all of a sudden you didn't have to pee anymore? (no, I don't mean that you peed your pants.) It just like went away? the urge to release your bladder bag would just disappear? I don't even know how that happens! ok bye. hope you all had a great labor day weekend! I know I did! :) oh p.s. even when you can't hold it & you end up having to squat on the side of the road, it's still worth it because you will have another story to tell about yourself to boys when dates get awkward.

HIPSTERS.

My definition of a hipster: cats, books, better music than yours, arrogance, & great style. oh & if you are a boy you need facial hair.

urban dictionary: Hipstercrit
	One who criticizes hipsters for being hipsters even though he himself is a hipster. Just tell them to take a look at their purposefully destroyed and cut out toms & rethink the situation. No, TOMS aren't sandals, but you've done a great job ruining them & making them look like you stole them from a hobo.

hipsterception
	The realization a hipster comes to when he/she realizes that being hipster is WAY to mainstream, resulting in a paradox. "Dude, being a hipster is way to mainstream. A true hipster would have stopped being a hipster by now. It's like... hipsterception!"

Hipstercore

A combination of hardcore & hipster. Hipstercore people normally wear tight pants, band t-shirts,  and lots of contrasting colors. They listen to a wide range of music that includes alternative rock, screamo, post-hardcore, punk-pop, heavy metal, classic rock, punk-rock, and techno. They tend to be anti-mainstream, just like regular hipsters, and they LOVE triangles. why do they love triangles so much? I don't understand. Don't ever called someone who's hipstercore "ironic" because they hate that. Most of them think of themselves as just pretty chill people who like cats. Joe: Wow! Look at Melissa's tight pants and kitty cat tshirt. Sarah: It's her extremely dark makeup that really pulls the whole thing together. Melissa: Thanks, guys. Do you want to go to an Aquabat's concert? Joe&Sarah: YOU'RE SO HIPSTERCORE! [Hipster] a person who refuses to be defined by any set idea, style. one who does not like to be pigeon holed. not to be confused with poser or "scene". Hipsters, although taste is relative, generally have very good taste. they prefer films which appeal to intellect or emotion and avoid cliche, sentiment and the generic. they like bands that most people have never heard of because they actually care about music and seek it out as opposed to just swallowing the first thing which comes to them like the majority or people do. music-wise they will listen to many different stles but nothing which is too self indulgent but will listen to hip-hop and other types of "black" music, albeit underground. they like to be challenged and therefore read books deemed as difficult or "deep" to the average person. they are also often interested in contemporary art for this same reason. no true hipster will have a definitive style, choosing many different styles and will prefer to look different from one day to the next. their wardrobe will comprise of contemporary off beat cuts and various styles from past decades and adheres to ideas of post-modernity. contrary to popular opinion hipsters do not dress the same but, as mentioned above, change their style continually. the people who are being referred to are the pretentious posers who copy the look but lack the depth. they are always intelligent and creative and can hold good conversation on a wide range of subjects. they are also very fond of sarcasm and irony and often employ them when accosted by an imbecile. hipsters are one of the most tolerant types or people and openly embrace different races and sexuality.  people who do not like hipsters either  a) have no style whatsoever  or b) feel inferior because they know jack about real, intelligent music, original, thought provoking film and books and daringly different dress sense. basically many people feel ugly when around hipsters which is often true. they will know about every good band before the spoon-fed masses, and will very likely be the ones who make them popular.