Staying!

Well hello, blog! It's been a long time. Last time I posted here, we were planning on heading to California for a few weeks of visiting, but now it's early August and our plans have really changed. Long story short, a job in Idaho didn't end up working out, so we made a quick decision to see if Lars was able to get his old job back here in So Cal. When we found out that his old employer was more than happy to hire him back, we decided to settle ourselves down here until school starts again in January. You might think this sudden change of plans would stress us out....

NO WAY! Well, initially Lars was pretty upset about losing the job he had been promised, and we were concerned about keeping our apartment and our living situation down here. But it's all worked out. We'll keep paying for our apartment and leave all of our things there and be able to live virtually rent free with Lars' parents in Glendora. I am on the lookout for a good job. So everything works out, we'll be making more money, and we will be in our favorite place in the world, California, with out family and friends. We'll be home for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas without any struggle, and (not-so-secretly), I couldn't be happier about it. So, so long Idaho! See you next year! (Phew!)

I'll post some updates about the fun we've been having, but for now here's a little quiz I stole from Sarah's blog.

your favorites:
COLOR:: hmm, green and red, currently.
SPORT:: Baseball is the best. Go Dodgers!
HOLIDAY:: Christmas and 4th of July.
FOOD:: Pasta, carne asada tacos, avocados, bacon, hot wings, bananas, gold bell peppers.

this or that:
HUGS OR KISSES:: depends on the other person involved, i suppose.
PEPSI OR COKE:: I really love an ice cold coke from time to time, but Pepsi is yucky.
MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING::heartburn central...but Burger King, if I have my Tums handy...
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA:: chocolate, naturally.
LOVER OR FIGHTER:: a healthy mix.
LOVE OR MONEY:: the older I get, the more I realize you need both.

LISTEN TO SOMEONE TALK OR TALKING:: I feel so awkward sometimes listening to someone when it's a one on one situation...where should I look? Should I nod or smile?

PERSONALITY OR LOOKS:: I'll take both.

love:
ARE YOU IN LOVE:: Sure am!
DO U BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT:: Mehh...
IN TWO WORDS WHY DID YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP END: What the heck was my last relationship? I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
WOULD YOU GO OUT WITH SOMEONE JUST FOR THEIR MONEY:: I'll admit if I was bored, I might call the guy with the job over the guy who watched Family Guy in his PJ's all day.
DO YOU GO ON "PITY DATES":: honestly, I think most dates I went on were pretty decent, excepting one or two, most dudes are pretty nice.
EVER CHEATED ON SOMEONE:: Nay.

who is the last person:
YOU HUGGED:: Larsy
TOLD YOU THEY LOVED YOU:: ditto
YELLED AT YOU:: Gosh, probably my mother.
YOU SAID YOU HATED: I'm fairly certain it was Glenn Beck.
BROKE YOUR HEART:: oh, you know, whomever.
MESSAGED YOU:: Luciano or Phil.
YOU SENT A FRIENDS REQUEST TO:: I honestly have no clue.

random:
DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:: I do what I can.
DO YOU THINK UR ATTRACTIVE:: I'm pretty loverly...why not?
WHAT STAR/CELEBRITY DO MOST PEOPLE SAY YOU RESEMBLE:: oh my, people used to tell me Michelle Branch in high school.
MOVIE YOU SAW IN THE THEATER:: Funny People, it was probably 85 % funny.
CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH:: come again?
BIGGEST FEAR:: sharks and heights top the list.
MOST MISSED MEMORY:: dancing around in the living room with my family when I was a wee lass.
FIRST THOUGHT WAKING UP:: Already?
IF YOU DONT RECOGNIZE THE NUMBER ON YOUR CALLER ID, DO YOU ANSWER:: generally no, I hate talking on the phone.
BEST FRIEND:: Larsy and my brother.
FRIEND WHO THINKS THE MOST LIKE YOU:: Lars does and that's what matters...but we find that we gravitate towards a more open minded crowd.

I tag: All of you, try it out!

My Nerdiest Post

Being the old timer that I now am, there are few movies indeed that would entice me enough to drag my carcass to a midnight showing. Half an hour drive away. On a schoolnight. That I can think of, these would include: A Christopher Nolan Batman film, another (God help us) Star Wars installment, or, the magnificent Harry Potter. That is just what I did last Tuesday night/Wednesday morning with Lars, and I think my sleeping schedule is still readjusting. That said...it was SO worth it! Disclaimer: Harry Potter brings out the most annoying squeals of nerdy glee from me, so if you're not into that kind of thing, brace yourself, sister.

We got to the theater a few hours early but happened to be retrieving our tickets just as they were letting in the people who had been standing in line outside for hours and hours. One slip under the velvet rope and we were straight into the theater. We sat around with our iPods and my Entertainment Weekly with HP on the cover, snacked on refillable popcorn and sodas, and waited for the big show.

To give credit where it is due, Lars has always really liked the HP movies. But he has never had the pleasure of reading the series, so he can't really know what makes me such a psycho hose beast fanatic. So, as excited as he was to see the film and be part of the experience with all 3,000 people at the theater that night, he was really there because I was so excited about it. He would have been fine waiting a week, I'm sure, but hell, I've waited for 2 years for this thing to come out!

ANYWAY. Can I express my jealousy at the fact that some people really took the time to concoct amazing costumes and I did not? I saw a Dobby, Bellatrix, Professor Trelawney, Dumbledore, and of course millions of Harry's. I was really wishing I had thrown some fake purple dye in my hair and came as Tonks, although that would have made school the next day awkward. But as you can see from the pics, I clung to my magazine, face-out, and sort of held it in front of my face whenever anyone walked by to show that I was, indeed, a true super fan and not a poser.

So, despite the fact that the theater got all screwed up and the movie started almost an hour late, and the lady in front of us had the gall to bring her freaking baby (WTF, people), and I started getting suuuuper cranky, once the lights went down and that twinkling John Williams score began, I was able to fully immerse myself for the next 2 1/2 hours in one of the most visionary imaginary worlds of our time, and a story that is as timeless as it is brilliant. This one was great: at times scary, dark, and hopeless (it ends on a bit of an "Empire Strikes Back" note), as well as funny, charming, and romantic, it really encompassed the changing concerns and responsibilities that are being heaped on our hero and his friends. It was so fun.

So, getting home at 4 AM when I have a class at 9 isn't something I typically want to try my hand at again, but you better believe that when the first half of HP and the Deathly Hallows comes out next year, I will be there, probably in costume this time around.

Farmers Market

Yesterday after Lars got off work we went to the weekly Farmers Market here in Rexburg. We got to help the lady create this delightful bouquet of roses, peonies, and assorted lovelies for 10 bucks.

I must admit that I never really got out to many Farmers Markets in LA, although when I did, they were fantastic. They are just starting this tradition here, so it's still on the small side, held in a parking lot downtown. Lars interviewed the mayor about it for I-News, and he said that eventually they want to expand to a larger area, if enough people sign up for booths. I assume this will happen fairly quickly, because from 2 weeks ago until now, the amount of booths seem to have almost doubled. There are plenty of food booths, including sno-cones, which we enjoyed, as well as produce, arts and crafts, and various handmade items. Lars and I are trying to decide what we could sell at a booth, because we really want to participate, but we only have, like, 4 paintings between us, and we certainly don't have a garden with which to grow attractive greenery, so we'll see what we come up with. Cheers to supporting local commerce!

Seriously little Puggies...

...could you be any cuter? No way Jose. I want.

I Know It's Late.

But so long, Thriller.

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
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The Fourth

4th of July is such a relaxing holiday with a free, sunny, party atmosphere. This year, our plan was to switch it up a little and join my aunt Jenn and her family for a camping trip in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Those who know me will attest to the fact that I am no camper, happy or otherwise. But, with the prospect of meeting up with family and enjoying a campsite near a river as well as a shopping center, I was well on my way to actually spending a weekend of decently enjoyable camping. On our first day at a local 'adventure park', we explored some caverns, rode some rides, climbed rock walls, and dug for gold.

We even went on a bungee trampoline. Lars' acrobatics were pretty impressive.

Alas, it seems that camping and I will never, ever be on good terms. It just isn't meant to be. On our second night there, I woke up around 3 in the morning with the urge to...how can I say this delicately...be ill. In the wee small hours of the morning there in the camp's restroom facilities, huddled in the stall, I decided to admit defeat-I will truly never, ever understand the joy that some people get from camping. As Vicky from the Parent Trap once said, "Get me out of this stinkin' fresh air!"

All in all, I loved seeing Jenn, Pete, and Dakota, the gorgeous mountains of Colorado, and spending fun time with Lars. But next time I plan a weekend getaway, I'll look up a local motel.

My Sentiments Exactly

The print on this is small, but it reads "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art" - Oscar Wilde.