October 27th is not Halloween

Although it was according to our ward.

We had our ward Trunk or Treat last night at a park nearby our apartment, and it was so much fun! I love going to these things to see all the darling little children with they're darling little costumes. I saw bumblebees and pumpkins, Thing 1 and Thing 2, a whole family circus, zombie pirates, and of course all the most famous characters from the Hunger Games. I was so glad we were able to attend and see everyone. Even our bishop dressed up as a knight. It was so fun all around!! Ander and I went as a guitar hero and a peacock. I borrowed a stunning peacock costume from a client/friend of mine and it was a big hit. It was complete with a tail, a hair plume, tutu and corset. I don't think I've ever had such an easy time acquiring a Halloween costume.

We brought May-May along as well since the whole party was outside. Of course she was either terrified by all the small children that were screaming, "DOGGY!" while pointing at her, or completely stoked when being loved by all the adults. It's not that May-May doesn't like little kids, they just make her very nervous. Little hands usually equal pain.

I also decided to make our car trunk a gaping maw of a mouth. That was really fun. I found that idea on Pinterest.

After the party started winding down, we were asked to perform our now famous Thriller that we had done at the youth dance we had chaperoned a week prior. With my car volume cranked to the max we busted out MJ's moves in the parking lot much to the delight of all the kids (and adults) around us. And this was wonderful because one of my friends got a great video of the performance, which I will acquire shortly, so you will actually be able to see us this time!

But our wonderful evening did not end with the goodbyes at the Trunk or Treat. After we took our furry child home we headed to downtown Austin to spend time with my sweet cousin Eliza and he beau Rick. They had been busy at the Austin Comi-con all day long, so we all ordered in Chinese food and shot the breeze in their little hotel suite. 

It. Was. So. Fabulous. I hadn't seen Eliza in so long!! She was radiant and happy, albeit she was as sore as ever from her personal trainer. She and Rick are so happy together and I was so proud. They are a hilarious couple, and we were cracking up all night. Eliza and Rick told us all about their "boring" lives in LA, awesome Comi-con moments of the day, Eliza's sweet Golden Retriever and the hoops both Eliza and Rick jump through to get their eyebrows waxed with the "Star Plucker" Anastasia. According to Eliza, she's a magician. She even worked wonders on my Auntie Judy's tiny little eyebrows!! Eliza seemed incredibly interested in my eyelash extensions until she found out I can't use oil on them. Oil breaks down the glue on the lashes, so her magic cleansing oil would be out, and she would have none of it. Apparently Rick also likes to use emoticons in his text messages, which is something I never would have guessed. We really had so much fun. Rick is a total cornball and Eliza is as animated as ever. She and I are a lot alike... it's awesome.

My favorite thing all night long was when Eliza told me she thought that May-May was a Shih Tzu named "Doodles." Priceless.

When Ander and I got home we were sooooo tired. We slept like babies. But I just can't get over what a wonderful evening we had last night. And a big thanks to Eliza and Rick for having us over and chatting with us all night. I really appreciated it. Sometimes a night comes around when you can't believe how perfect everything is. Well, that night was October 27th, 2012. Such a refresher from the mundane lives we've been leading here in Austin lately.

And I want to send you all off with the fortune that Rick got last night from his fortune cookie. "Good thing are being said about you." See y'all next time!!

This very moment

There was something on my mind today.

I couldn't quite think of what it was until one of the clients I saw today asked me where I was from and how long we'd lived here in Austin. I had to pause.

Four years ago at this very time my brother Joseph, my husband Ander, and I all drove into Austin Texas. Joe came to leave, and Ander and I came to stay. The next four years have brought us some amazing and some not-so-amazing times.

I miss my family greatly. I wish every day that I could see their faces and feel their arms around me. Moving here was one of the biggest decisions I've ever made in my life, but it was also one of the best. Being here in Austin just makes our visits home to see family all the more important and memorable. Austin has offered us some amazing opportunities, and who could forget that we got our adorable May-May here too!? Yes, Austin has treated us very well over the last four years... from giant bugs to giant bass, I think we can finally call ourselves Texans.

Here's to another great year!

This is Thriller

Ander and I chaperoned the Stake Halloween youth dance last night... and we had a surprise in store for them...

(If for some reason the video isn't working, you can also find the video here)

I know it's kind of crappy quality. It was really dark and I had to try to lighten up the contrast with some software. But the kids got a big kick out of it. Ander and I practiced this dance for weeks before we actually performed it at this dance. It was a blast. Although one of my Mia Maids tried to do it with us at the beginning, and she kept asking me to teach it to her until I finally told her she had to just let us do our thing. I felt badly telling her to leave us alone, but if she hadn't have moved I probably would have hit her with my crazy stylish moves. Oh well. I apologized after we finished.

DIY Quiznos Mesquite Chicken Sandwiches

When I was about seventeen I worked at a Quiznos sandwich shop for about nine months. I somehow became an assistant manager, and actually had a pretty good run there. I love their sandwiches and I could still eat one every day if my stomach and wallet could handle it.

So the other day while looking for something to make for dinner, I realized I had all the ingredients to make a mesquite chicken sandwich just like I used to make at Quiznos! And I have to tell you, mine tasted almost the exact same!! So I decided to share this recipe with all of you just in case you get a hankering for Quiznos, but can't get there.

These are the things you'll need:

1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast (this can obviously be changed for how many people you're feeding.)

Mesquite seasoning

cheddar cheese

real bacon bits

tomato

onion

ranch dressing

hogie rolls

lettuce

Let's get started:

Preheat your oven to about 250-300 degrees. We don't want the sandwiches cooking to crisps, we just want them to get a little crispy and warm.

Cut your chicken into short strips and season the tar out of it with Mesquite seasoning. My favorite is McCormick's.

Remember, chicken shrinks a bit when you cook it, so choose your amount of chicken accordingly.

Cut your rolls completely in half. I find that if you cut the top completely separately from the bottom it's easier to build your sandwich, and your sandwich will be easier to close.

Put your ranch dressing on one or both sides of each sandwich. I chose to only put the dressing on the top of the sandwiches.

Tomatos and onions go on the top, chicken on the bottom side of the bread. My sandwich has tomatoes, Ander's had onions. He's such a weirdo. He doesn't even like tomatoes!!!

Put your sliced cheddar on top of the veggies

Add your bacon bits on top of your cheese

Here's what your sandwiches should look like before you put them into the oven:

Cook your sandwiches for about 10 minutes or so, or until the bread edges become crispy but the middle of the sandwich is still slightly soft.

Add your lettuce after taking your sandwiches out of the over. No one likes warm lettuce!

And finally, put your tops and bottoms together and slice down the middle. Ta dah! We ate french fries with ours but you can have whatever you like as a side.

Woo hoo! Now you can make a Mesquite Chicken sandwich like a Quiznos pro!!

That's what you get

Since moving here to Texas I feel like I've gotten stronger. In all aspects of my life, really. I feel like my testimony of the Gospel Jesus Christ has gotten stronger, my Master Lash Stylist technique is getting stronger, my personality and individuality is getting stronger...

And then this morning I cheerfully opened my front door to take May-May potty and I found this:

Oh but he was alive of course... very VERY much alive.

He was waiting for me on my welcome mat, no doubt planning his attack on my unsuspecting foot.

I screamed... I dropped May-May's leash and slammed the door. My heart was beating uncontrollably fast, those things are highly poisonous!!! I cracked the door open again, watching. He moved away from me, reaching out with those little feeler antennae of his. His head was a bright orange, obviously a warning to everyone that he was dangerous. I watched his hundreds of little yellow legs move quickly over the ground as he turned the corner. So I did what any level-headed woman would do:

I called my husband.

"There's a huge centipede outside our door! HUGE! He has the orange head and the giant pinchers on his butt! What do I DO?"

Laughs "Well, kill him!"

"How!?! If we only had a shovel!! I could chop him up into pieces!"

"Naw, just use a shoe,"

"Not one of mine! Mine are too small! I'll grab one of yours"

I brought Ander's shoe down onto the unsuspecting spawn of Satan at my doorstep. Again and again I smashed him, cracking his head and pinchers, anywhere I could hit him.

He stopped squirming.

He was dead.

I took a deep breath. "What to do now?" I thought, "well, May-May has to pee, so I'll take her and come back."

May-May was a very good girl. She peed for me very quickly, for I had to come and dispose of the body... the body... 

It was gone.

"Where did it go!? It was just here!!"

Then I saw him... crouched underneath the ridge of the wall where it meets the cement. He was still alive!!

"Oh no you don't!" I cried.

So I called Ander again:

"He's still alive!!!!"

"How alive?"

"I don't know!"

"I mean, is he alive alive? Or just barely alive?"

"Well, he's pretty sad... not moving a whole lot... I really rained on his parade."

"Just hit him some more"

"What do I do with him when he's finally dead?"

"Throw him out into the grass"

"With what?!"

"A piece of paper or something..."

"Can I flush him?"

"Yes, you can flush him"

Then I get an idea.

I came running out of the apartment saying "DIE!" while spraying Raid hornet spray all over the cement. He never knew what hit him, he was already pretty badly damaged.

I nudged him with Ander's shoe...nothing. He was really dead. Really and truly dead. Dead as a doornail.

I thought about disposing of him in my toilet... or throwing him out into the grass. I just couldn't do it. He was too big, too wet, and too scary. I just couldn't do it.

As I walked into my apartment with my giant shoe and can of Raid I turned and took one last look at it lying there in it's pool of poison. "That's what you get, sucker," I said to myself as I walked inside.

Up and at them!!!

Nope.

I don't feel like getting "up" or "at" anything.

About six months or so ago I was on fire. I worked out every night, I ate healthy, I enjoyed the workouts that I was doing and I was really please with the way I was beginning to look and feel. I got that wonderful question, "Have you lost weight?" more often than not, and my clothes all started to fit better. I could walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded, and I could load and unload groceries without batting an extended eyelash...

Fast forward to July 2012:

Now I have none of that going for me at all. I just looked at myself in the mirror today and saw some serious pudge going on in my midsection. Actually, it has never really been my middle that had needed work, it's my hips/love handles. Or as I call them, my hate handles.

I can't really figure it out. Why was I so on the ball back then? What changed? I still work just as much as before, I still love my job, I still have the same amount of stuff to do regarding my church calling, but why am I such a slug?

I really wish I could find some sort of cardio activity that I just love. I've never been a runner, swimming gets boring, I suck at any sport, and my dancing is still super fun but there are only so many times I can dance to the same song on my dance games and feel satisfied. I think back to my gymnastic days when I was little and remember how fit I was. I loved that stuff! But what sort of future is there in gymnastics? No... it was never practical to keep that up.

Walking I can do. Uphill, downhill, with May-May, with Ander, by myself, on a treadmill... I can do that. The problem is that it is SO HOT here in Austin I feel like my brain is melting when I'm outside.

My other problem is Pinterest. I LOOOOOOOVE Pinterest as much as the next crafty girl, but my problem with Pinterest is this: that website is so full of awesome inspirational pictures, quotes, recipes, and workouts for women. But on the other hand Pinterest is chock full of recipes that are basically guaranteed to put the pound ON. What sense does that make? It's incredibly irritating, and what's even more irritating is that there is no way to fix it.

Forgive me for my rant, but I am bummed that I lost that fire under my little behind. I was so good at it for a while! People even noticed! But now all I want to do is lay on the couch with my hubby and my puppy and watch a movie. OR even worse, I want to just read or play a video game. This is a problem, because my job is completely sedentary, so my home life shouldn't be. I have got to get active again, but it's so hard. Being fit is a decision and it's a lifestyle. It can't really be something that you just do every once in a while. I guess I just have to suck it up and do it one of these days... the first step is always the hardest.

So I guess I'll start tomorrow... or the next day... or the next day... or the next...

I told her to wait for me because I'd be right back from getting the mail. Apparently she did.