Blast from the past

A client of mine just got back from Italy a couple of days ago, and talking with her about her trip made me remember my own trip with the family to Europe. I decided to do some digging and I found my old journal from aforementioned trip. This is where we were today back in 2000:

(and I apologize in advance for the teenybopper style of writing. I was a 14 year old boy crazy, N'SYNC loving, drama queen.... read on if you dare. And I have included all the original grammar.)

"We are in Denmark now. Our hotel smells like smoke and it's small. Aunty Judy, Grandma, and Grandpa are here in Denmark too. When we went to look for them we were walking to their hotel and we saw them walking a ways in front of us! Katie and I kept calling, "Grandpa!" and he never turned around! We ran up to them and Grandpa thought he was just hearing things! Their hotel is really nice. We talked to them for a while, then we went to bed.

In Denmark, we've gone to LegoLand and Tivoli. First off: LegoLand was a hit! It was so fun! We all loved it! We first went to Mini land. Every little things was made out of Legos! There was an airport, and also the planes moved, there was a village, a Buddah place, the wonders of the world, and so much more. We are going again on Saturday or Sunday. Tivoli, secondly, was a little on the downside. Katie and I went on a ride that was sorta like Puff, but then, it started to pour. Joe found a roller coaster that I could go on, so I did and it was fun. I went on two roller coasters, and a spooky house with Joe which I closed my eyes all the was through. I actually want to go home. I don't want to stay here for 4 more weeks.

Well, gotta turn in, oh, we went to the Viking version of Hamlet tonight, which we could not understand a word of 'cuz it was in Danish. At intermission we went down by the water and found a huge amount of dead jellyfish! We picked them up with sticks and threw them into the ocean. It was fun. Today we also saw the statue of the Little Mermaid. We took pics. G'night!"

A few things:

I do remember most of this. I remember our hotel was small and smelled like smoke. I remember meeting my grandparents and Aunt Judy. I also remember Lego Land and Tivoli. Lego Land was pretty cool, even though everything was in Danish. We couldn't understand a single thing there except the pictures. But we were kids and the lego-made scenery was more than enough to send us into kiddy convulsions. It was a pretty cool place.

Tivoli was more like your US Six Flags. Roller coasters, bumper cars, carousels, and ghost houses. I've never been a huge amusement park person. I'm the awkward one that stands on the sidelines saying, "No, it's okay, really! I'll just hold the cameras! Someone has to!" for fear that the roller coaster will send my heart into my throat. Tivoli was huge, and had a lot to offer, but it did start to pour when we got there, so we were limited. My brother, Joe, talked me into going on that spook house, saying that it wouldn't be so bad.

We were sitting in an actual cage, completely shut inside. I don't remember much about the beginning except two animatronic men sitting in wheelchairs chatting with one another. (Don't ask me what that was about) Things got creepier and more disturbing until we saw that we were about to go through some big doors, and something told me that whatever was beyond those doors, I didn't want to see. Call it the Holy Ghost, or call it my own weakness, I knew I needed to keep my eyes closed. I distinctly remember Joe mumbling, "Wow, gross," under his breath at some point behind those doors, so I DEFINITELY didn't open my eyes after that.

And "Puff" that is mentioned, is a ride at Utah's Lagoon that is a small childlike roller coaster of Puff the Magic Dragon. Riding in Puff's hindquarters amusement park goers go around in a small circle going slightly up and down until the ride is over. Not much to it.

Viking Hamlet! That was so great! We really didn't understand a thing, but the fighting was sure fun to watch. Merely because it was so incredibly rehearsed that even my sister who was nine years old at the time noticed. We got bored because we couldn't understand anything, and that's when we found the dead jellyfish. I know I have a picture somewhere around here of Joe holding one up on a stick.

Although I didn't talk about it much in the journal entry, I remember seeing the Little Mermaid statue out in the water. Apparently the little mermaid didn't have a happy ending with her prince Eric. She got her legs and then spent the rest of her life mourning over the fact that she could never go home. Nothing like the real version of fairy tales to ruin a Disney movie forever.

I'll post more of my journal entries as the summer moves on. I love remembering where we were on certain dates, and we definitely had a fantastic trip. Although in the entry above I apparently felt like I wanted to come home. Oh well... 14 year old angst.

A lot of hard work = Cake Pops

After hours of hard work, determination, and a completely destroyed kitchen, I finally finished these babies:

Watermelon Cake Pops!

Ultimately they looked kind of lumpy... it's amazing how difficult it is to dip those things and get them smooth. Man, these things were kind of a nightmare to make, but they ended up so cute! I am very proud. I'll tell you now though... they are little sugarbombs. Just one will do you in for sure. But they look adorable!

Official

I am an OFFICIAL Lash Lounge Lash Stylist.

I am an OFFICIAL Lash Lounge Lash Stylist.

Oh, and we've sold 258 Groupons so far... one more day to go!

Virgin Islands part 2!

Well, I got these pictures a little while ago from pops-in-law but in all honesty I've been too lazy to post them. Our computer struggles slightly when it comes to uploading photos from iPhoto so when I upload a bunch onto a post I need to have ample amounts of time and other things to do.

This is the villa we stayed in. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room, kitchen, and dining room. I thought it was pretty snazzy. And since it was the Westin, we got to sleep in Westin Heavenly Beds. I thought I was sleeping on a cloud. Best night's sleep I've had in a long time.

Hey Joel!

Hey.

Sunbathing. My legs look huge. This is when the sun literally burned an outline of my cross necklace into my skin. It was pretty great.

Hannah and Ander making their sand fish

Cool guy. Can you believe he got the least amount of sun out of all of us?

This restaurant was called La Tapa, where you definitely pay for how your food looks instead of the portion. I tried Tuna Tartar, and it was amazing.

All the kids gathered to watch How to Train Your Dragon on HBO one night. It's one of my favorite movies, and we had just recently told Joel he needed to see it. Apparently it was divine intervention because it came on TV the next night and we watched the whole thing, while eating take out dinner.

This restaurant was the one that had tiny condiments and the little baby sunhat for it's hot sauce. It was located at Caneel Bay. 14$ for a turkey wrap. Mmmm mmmm.

Mongoose!

The beginnings of our sea critter adventures.

This, my friends, is what a conch looks like. I had no idea that these were the things living in those shells. It even had a little eyeball!

Look at the man go!

The end of our critter tour. For the life of me I can't remember our tour guide's name. But she was great. She was a lot braver than I am.

The end of our trip. We're all pretty burned (except Joel), and we're all tired, but it was a lot of fun.

And now for fishy pictures! I picked the very best ones. These giant sea urchins were everywhere! One ever got Kelly on the foot. They are pretty scary looking.

Crush.

Well there you have it. The Virgin Islands part 2. It was a blast and we wish we could go again sooner. St. John's was beautiful, and hopefully someday we'll make it back there.

A father and his daughter

Today is Father's Day and I miss my dad.

It's interesting because when I look back on my life, we were alway butting heads. I literally emerged from the womb being boy crazy and destined to line my walls with pictures of N*SYNC and Backstreet Boys, so he naturally had reason to worry about me.

When I was sixteen years old my parents separated and I chose to live with my mother. I did this because I felt as though my father would never understand the desires of my teenage girl heart, and my mother had BEEN where I had was and had FELT the way I felt, so therefore me living with him was out of the question. So I lived with my mother and my brother and sister lived with my dad. He never said this to me, but I think my decision hurt his feelings slightly, and I think deep down I always knew that. I lived with my mom for a while and put those feelings behind me. We had some great times together and I helped her through a very difficult time in her life. I was proud to be there with her, and I've never regretted my decision to live with her.

After a while I finally got my life together and found myself head-over-heels for a wonderful man, and we married. We also lived in Saint George, Utah, which I believed was the bane of my very existence. How was I supposed to live in a city that shut down at 9pm? What if I needed a midnight taco? Or desperately needed Pepto Bismol at 3am because I had eaten aforementioned midnight taco? No, this was not going to work. So after many pleadings with my husband, and a gracious offer from my dad to let us live in his basement apartment for wickedly cheap, we set off to go back to my home.

It was there that I then began Esthetician school and Ander started school at Utah Valley State College, now known as Utah Valley University. I worked a few nights a week at PF Chang's and Ander worked almost every night at Outback.

I got very lonely.

I spent time with my mom, who I adore and would spend the rest of my life with if I could, and my brother and sister on occasions, but most of the time I was alone in that basement. I remember one evening I was watching television and heard my dad walking around upstairs and I decided to go and spend time with him. Thus began a tradition that lasted as long as we lived with my father. We would play video games, watch TV, chat, or sometimes we did our own things but did them in each other's company.

My dad also left for school at the same time I did, so he met me outside every morning and told me how much he loved me, wished me a good day, and always said, "Be good, be strong, be smart!" This happened almost every morning.

When Ander and I decided to leave Utah for good and come here to Austin I realized my time with my family was dwindling quickly and I needed to say the things that needed to be said, and do the things that needed to be done. So I sat down with my dad and told him how much the last year had meant to me, being able to spend time with him. "It's almost as if I made up for the time we lost when I wasn't living with you," I said, "I feel caught up now, and that's a really great feeling. I got a rare opportunity, I believe, to be a big part of your life again." My dad told me he loved me and thanked me for spending time with him. Eventually we both moved to different locations. I, to blistering hot Texas with a splash of giant bugs, him to a darling house with his sweetheart wife Colleen. I think he got the better deal, to be honest, but that's okay. Austin suits us just fine.

I'm so thankful for the time my dad and I had to just be father and daughter, and grow closer every day.

My dad is messy, and unorganized. He makes fun of everyone and plays Halo... but he also is a strong, worthy priesthood holder, has the ability to make anyone laugh, and loves his wife and family dearly. He can imitate any accent, he always has wise words of advice to offer, and he never raises his voice. This Father's Day I am proud to call him my dad and I'm filled with love and admiration for him. Tonight we'll chat about how much fun he had today with the trafillion grand-babies of Colleen's and all the food that was eaten and the games that were played, but I hope he knows how much I truly appreciate him and all he's done for me. Thanks Dad, happy Father's Day.

Zebras with chopsticks

Normally when it comes to my hair I have about the same talent as a zebra using chopsticks. I usually wear it back every day to keep it out of my face, and when I wear it down I don't do anything different than just flat ironing. But my coworker the other day decided to finally teach my how to french braid my hair, and I must say, I finally feel like an adult woman.

^ Adult hair ^

How to make Oreos even more awesome and tasty

Oreos are basically God's cookie gift to the world, and everyone loves them. I don't buy them very often because I would eat the entire package, feel incredible remorse for what I'd done, and spend the next couple of days spiraling downward into a sweet-induced state of despair. I can always feel my hips and love-handles expanding while I eat them. So of course I decided to find a way to make Oreos even better and more addicting! And here's how!

You're going to need a couple of things: I used Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark, Mint Oreo Cookies, lollipop sticks, lollipop bags, and Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark. The lollipop sticks and bags you can find at a craft store, everything else you can find at a drugstore.

Melt your Vanilla (or chocolate, whichever you want your Oreos in) Almond bark to a nice smooth consistency. You'll need some shortening to smooth it out. I just heated mine up in the microwave for about 90 seconds or so.

Dip the tip of your lollipop stick into the candy coating

Carefully open an Oreo and press the lollipop stick inside the stuffing

Gently press the Oreo cookie sides together

Lay Oreo pops on wax paper and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes

Make sure your candy coating is nice and smooth once again, and after Oreo pops are nice and cold dip the pop into the candy coating on both sides

Lay Oreo pops onto wax paper once again, and place in the freezer for another 10 minutes

I decided to drizzle milk chocolate candy coating over the tops of them, so I put some candy coating in a bag, heated it up, and snipped off the tip

Let the pops harden and...

Slip those bad boys into little treat bags and viola! Oreo pops!

These things are so amazing, your taste buds with throw parties in your mouth. Even Ander, who never really likes sweets, has developed an uncontrollable urge to eat Oreo pops all day and every day. He even takes them to lunch every day with him, since I am a super nice wife and make them for him. These are super tasty, and super easy to make. They'll be a hit with everyone, trust me.

Awkward dog lady

Just a few moments ago I was driving home from Wal-mart where I was smiling at everyone, and preparing myself to make dipped Oreos and treats for our Sunday School party tomorrow night. As I pull into my parking space I see Dog Lady sitting on the ground surrounded by her two massive dogs. This lady walks said massive dogs around the complex about once a day, and I've never spoken to her but I had decided to call her the Dog Lady. One of these behemoths was wearing cone around it's neck and naturally I felt sorry for it. Instantly I begin thinking, "I've never talked to this woman. This is a great opportunity for me to talk to the dog lady and be a nice neighbor. Her poor dog has a cone around it's neck, how unfortunate," here's how it played in my head:

Me: "Oh you poor thing! You have a cone around your neck! What on earth happened?"

Dog Lady: "Oh she just had an operation not too long ago,"

Me: "Well, she'll be better in no time."

Dogs lay in grass like good pets and I pet them and they love me

Me: "What sweet dogs. You're lucky to have them. My name is Susie and I live right there" points to building

Dog Lady: "Oh! My name is so-and-so. Nice to meet you! Well, we better be on our way. Have a good day!"

Me: "You too! Bye!"

What really happened:

Stepping down from husband's huge truck

Me: "Oh you poor thing!-"

Massive dogs start barking at me

Dog Lady: "..."

Dogs get up and start walking towards me still barking... I get nervous

Me: "...H-hi doggies..."

Dog Lady: "...." Being dragged by her two large dogs on their leashes

Cone dog sniffs me, then proceeds to bark incessantly at me

Dog #2 completely jumps on me while barking. JUMPS.

Me: nervous laughing as if it's nothing, even though inside I'm terrified this dog that jumped on me will eat my eyes out.

Dog Lady: "...." slowly pulls on both leashes

Me: more nervous laughter and I begin backing away at the huge barking dogs

Dog Lady: to dogs "Come on, you can bark, you can walk,"

Me: try to maintain composure as I walk up the incline to my apartment.

I'm no longer going to try to talk to Dog lady.

All smiles

Lately I've been challenging myself to smile at everyone that passes me by during the day. Everyone. Not just my clients or the crazy looking girl who rings me up at Wal-mart, but everyone. And I've come to find that most people do not want to be smiled at. When I smile at most people they look at me like I am wearing a dead gazelle carcass. Or, they simply act as though I never smiled and them and actually they weren't looking at me at all, even though I know they were looking at me. Why is this? I don't understand. Here I am trying to be a nice person who isn't socially awkward and I get these strange looks in return. Are there really that many people in the world that don't smile, that when they are smiled at they think it's odd? Am I really socially awkward and am wrong to think that smiling might help someone's day out? I don't know. But I will continue to smile at everyone, because it gives me warm fuzzies inside, and maybe eventually mankind will catch on.

Lovebug

My salon owner, Teresa, wish miss Lucy Lashes our Lash Lounge mascot

"If Susie told me to put squished bugs on my face I would do it. She has beautiful skin, I'll do anything she tells me to."

-Lori Golden, past co-worker