Real Life Adventures

wonder woman wednesday

2011-10-12T20:41:00.003-07:00

If I were a superhero I'd like to be the Caffeine Countess. I could hand out really cool looking re-usable travel cups of coffee/tea. Of course I'd be conscious of those who shouldn't have it like growing children and pregnant mommas. College kids would be alert in class, business people would be active participants in their meetings, loud obnoxious people would have something to put in their mouths to save the ears of others on the train. Perhaps even light rail conductors would become better drivers. Riders would be so energized we would probably burst into song and dance making the 6:30am train a musical scene brimming at the seems with sunshine and happiness.

If I were to become the Caffeine Countess I would be in need of a sidekick, as everyone knows coffee on an empty stomach is a preposterous idea. I would name my sidekick Pastry Person as not everyone likes one specific item like the bear claw. On second thought, who even likes bear claws? Pastry Person could make those kiddies and preggers not feel so bad about missing out on the wondrous liquid pouring from my veins sweetened with come sort of Shamrock Farms goodness. We would be an unstoppable team in the world of the over extended and under slept!

i hope you had your coffee this morning.

your. sex. is. on. fire.

2011-05-22T22:02:00.002-07:00

adventures on public transportation.

These days I've been riding the light rail quite frequently. With gas prices rising and a sweet incentives program from St. Joe's, it's hard not to. On these trips most often I get to read, however I am easily sent into fit of motion sickness when the driver of the train insists on driving like he received his permit yesterday. In that case I get to people watch. Behind the safety of my Coach sunglasses I watch college students cramming 20 more minutes of studying in before their final, the weird guy who unsuccessfully attempts to pick his nose so no one else notices, and my personal favorite the mentally unstable.

As of late I have started practicing Bikram Yoga and my studio happens to be near a light rail stop. Today I rode the rail to class and back. After class I decided to shower in the comfort of home so I could shave my legs. Despite changing, my hair was still soaking wet and I had started to perspire into the second t-shirt when I boarded the east bound train headed back to our apartment. All that laughing under my breath caught up with me this moment. I became the object to ogle. My tomato colored face was still pulsing from class adorned with frizzy hair in a messy bun on the top of my head. My scent was intensely penetrating three seats away in either direction evidenced by the homeless man looking my way with a look that seemed to say "dear Jesus, I thought I had it bad".

In order to get the car I had to pass one bus stop after disembarking the train. Looking ahead I could spot two men in their late twenties, one pacing, obviously anxious about the arrival of the next bus and the other muttering a quick jibberish under his breath. I have never actually seen anyone strung out on a drug made in a bathtub, but these two made it easy to imagine. Eyes fixed firmly ahead, the plan was not to make eye contact or any friendly gesture toward either of them thus inviting an approach. As I quickened my pace, the seated man yelled out at me. Sticking to the plan I did not look in any direction other than straight and continued in a fast walk. My capri pants were riding up giving me a wedgie, sweat covered the back of my shirt, and my face was on fire. Desperate the man yelled out "You are beautiful!". If I wasn't so terrified I may have stopped to contemplate this. I imagined the look on his companion's face after hearing his declaration, and then heard my admirer say to him "what?! she is beautiful".

and then I smiled.

After sweating and concentrating and bending and stretching I had a clear mind and a pink face.

And I felt beautiful.

you are beautiful.

magazine covered carpet

2011-05-04T09:34:00.003-07:00

the adventures of planning a wedding...

These "lover duckies" were on our engagement cake made for us by Clayton's Momma.

Who knew there was so much to plan?

i hope you're more prepared than i am.

a royal affair

2011-05-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

adventures at 3 am....

Hey Party People!

One of the most prominent memories from my childhood is my Mother's adoration for Diana Princess of Wales. She would always tell my sisters and I how she stayed up late the night she married Prince Charles to watch the wedding. When I was nine, she stayed up with my Aunt Lani to watch her funeral. For whatever reason I always wished I could have stayed up late with my Momma to watch Lady Di in her puffy wedding dress marry the man of her dreams.

Obviously we would be having a shin-dig for Prince William's union to miss Kate Middleton. We went all out. Momma bought champagne, my Aunt Lani brought the wedding cake, and I provided tiara's for everyone in attendance. We Tivoed it for good measure, but still were assembled in my Momma's living room at 3 am to watch history in the making.

It was refreshing to see the bride utter the word "wow" after stepping out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace. It's like she almost forgot she just became an icon for an entire country.

For the record, I loved her dress. Classic.

I love corny photos, even at 4:30 in the morning.

This one is better because of my face.

Abbey did not want to wear a crown...

My sweet boy came to help eat cake and make sure I didn't fall asleep while driving to Mom's.

Surprise raspberry filling.
Yum.

Apparently she thought she was the only one without makeup on.

I love that my family gets up in the middle of the night (despite recording technology) to watch history in the making so we can tell our kids we did it.

i hope you still get excited for true love.

easter dinner

2011-05-01T20:52:00.002-07:00

Easter adventures...

Hello all! I hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday with your families/loved ones! I had the pleasure of spending mine with my Dad, my littlest sisters, my step brother, and my new family <3. I'm going to be honest, I was super nervous it would be awkward and our families wouldn't mesh. After about 2 drinks each it was clear that we will be spending all of our holidays with our new big, happy, and intoxicated families. How lucky am I?

Devyn, my stepbrother being his super cool self.

Clayton's Dad.
Sweetest man. Ever.

My Dad with Clayton's Mom and Aunt Kris.
Yeah, my Dad was totally doing the dishes.

The handsome Nelson boys.
:)

I cannot believe how mature my sisters are becoming.

Yet again, we totally did not mean to match but it looks pretty awesome.

Abbey is the only one on her game here.

I love my sisters.

The best part of the night for me was my Dad pouring sips of champagne for everyone and proposing a toast to Clayton and I. I can't remember word for word what he said, but the line that has stuck with me is this:

"To Aimee and Clayton for bringing our families together."

Cheers!

i hope your easter was wonderful.

job offer

2011-04-14T17:03:00.002-07:00

(big girl) job adventures...

So this last week has kept me busy, since I got a job offer from St. Joe's to work as a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist! That's right folks, I am quitting my day job to work part time as a therapist in both in and out patient neuro-rehab. I couldn't be more excited! I am still in the transition process, but feel very blessed to have the opportunity to use my education and help others in their healing process.

i hope you love what you do.

besties and brunch

2011-04-11T09:08:00.006-07:00

This last Sunday I attended the Elusinian Brunch hosted every year by both the Psi Epsilon Chapter of Chi Omega and the Phoenix Valley Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter in celebration of Chi Omega's Founders Day.

You can read about last year's brunch here.

I loved getting to see familiar faces, the best part is looking back at photos taken from last year and comparing them to this year's.

I can't believe it has been an entire year since I lived with these girls!
They are amazingly entertaining and wonderful secret keepers :)

Miss Lane and I

This is my little Chi O family, my little sis and her two littles!

Haleigh has a few cute ones of her and I on her camera, but it seems she isn't very good at working email otherwise I'd have them to post for you. Anyways...

One of the best parts of Elusinian is showing off the pictures... undoubtedly someone will ask "where were you guys, Hawaii?" duh.

i hope you're enjoying the sunshine.

to whom it may concern

2011-04-07T14:12:00.003-07:00

Dear friends, family, and all other individuals in my life,

Yes, Clayton and I have made the decision to share the rest of our lives with each other. I will be the girl that gets married at 23. People will either be happy for us or whisper about us and talk about all the things we are "giving up" by getting married so young.

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that if you are of the whispering camp you can keep it to yourself.

I will not allow you to ruin my happiness because you do not have your own.

love,

aimee

hoping for happy thoughts and wishes.

the story of how i officially came off the market

2011-04-01T13:15:00.010-07:00

adventures of the luckiest girl in the world...

So this weekend after Clayton and I attended the fabio-mueller wedding, we decided to end our trip with sunset on the beach before the treacherous drive home. Clayton took me to Crystal Cove where we walked along the ocean and explored caves and man made waterfalls.

Of course we rolled up our jeans, and proceeded to leave them rolled the rest of the trip.

I thought I should cut out the sign that read "danger! drain water keep children away".
I read that and realized I was standing barefoot in the drain water. eww.

I swear we didn't coordinate the matching colors before hand...

We finally found a spot to lay our towels out and enjoy the ocean view for a little while and bask in the sunshine.

There I was, drawing in the sand with my fingers and taking pictures of the ocean minding my own business.
aimee: why are you being so restless? it's like you can't stop moving
clayton: i dunno... just trying to get comfortable. we are on sand.
.....
....
...
..
.
clayton: hey watch out, i saw a piece of glass by your towel. i don't want you to hurt yourself.
aimee: okay. (sweet to warn me)
clayton: just be careful, it looks sharp.
aimee: (i'm not moving around like you spaz, i'll be fine)...o-kay.
...
..
.
clayton: okay, can you just move it? i really don't want you to cut yourself.
i huff, but reluctantly get off of my belly and start to search for some dangerous glass in the sand.
i find it. it's slightly buried. actually, i'm surprised he even noticed it since it's barely peeking out of the sand. i pick it up.

**i would like to note that at this moment all my Nancy Drew instincts escape me**

aimee: OH MY GOD! its a bottle, it has a note in it!!! i bet its from the ocean, it looks so old!
clayton: open it!

here i am clamoring on about how this is the coolest thing and in my head i'm dreaming of who sent this and what european land it came from.

i finally get the note out of the bottle and start to read out loud. about halfway through it is apparent that the author of this note has had his heart broken, as a matter of fact he hasn't seen his true love in quite awhile. the bottom is signed "who am i? i used to be her boyfriend".

the note makes me confused and sad. but then i notice the handwriting kinda looks like clayton's. i turn to him to try and get to the bottom of this mystery.

and there is clayton holding a box with a pretty little diamond ring in it.

clayton: i don't want to be your boyfriend anymore. i want to spend the rest of my life with you. will you marry me?

aimee:.... are you being serious?!?!
YES!!!

yes ladies and gents, that's how it really happened.

so i guess i'm engaged now :)

For your viewing pleasure I took a picture of exactly where he asked me.
(right where the coast starts to curve!)

I'm currently floating on cloud 9.

i hope you're as weightless as i am.

fabio-mueller wedding

2011-03-30T09:07:00.004-07:00

a wedding adventure...

This past weekend I spent three whole days in Cali with my fabulous traveling partner Clayton. We were visiting for the wedding of a close friend of Clayton's (he was in the wedding!) The ceremony and reception were held at the Houdini Mansion, and it was absolutely stunning. Of course I took photos of the grounds and tried to capture a few of us too.

The forties themed wedding was set perfectly in the Hollywood hills.
I snapped a quick shot of the bride and groom as they were posing for the photographer.

Since it has been raining a ton there the grounds were lush and green.
So pretty!

The bride is Italian so to honor her family two Bocci ball sets were placed in the grass for guests to play before the ceremony started.

I know this one isn't very clear, but I wanted to give you an idea of it anyway.

This switch back stair case served as the background as the couple read their vows beneath a wrought iron arch. It leads to a hiking trail that takes you to the top of the mountain the house is built on.

And the view from the top of the stairs.

The view looking out from the reception area.

Where they made history.

It had rained on my hair twice before the ceremony started, otherwise there would be no excuse for frizzy hair at a wedding.

The tables before the delicious food was served.

One of my favorite things about the wedding was the cake, the bride hand painted their cake topper and the carrot cake cupcakes melted in your mouth.

My prince in his wedding clothes- so very handsome.

How lucky am I?

i hope you count your blessings.

uh oh

2011-03-22T14:04:00.002-07:00

adventure before the adventure...

Remember the time Clayton and I were very excited to go on a California adventure to participate in the wedding festivities of great friends? Remember how excited we were that we were staying at a swanky downtown hotel with FREE breakfast? and remember when I told Clayton to double check the hotel confirmation we received, just in case?

All of that made me remember the time Clayton did check the confirmation only to find I booked the hotel for the wrong weekend. And then I remembered that hotels.com has an awful policy that confused, and very apologetic girlfriends do not get refunds on accommodations made by accident.

So.

That was my Monday.

i hope tuesday is better.

i could live in my jean jacket

2011-03-18T14:04:00.002-07:00

hello friday!

Friday= casual day at work.
And i heart this.
It means i get to wear my jean jacket and flip flops guilt-free.

it also means that it's my last day of office work for two days.
can i get a napoleon dynamite yesss!?!?

however it does NOT mean i should skip the hair straightening process of getting ready unless i am putting my hair in a pony.

In other really awesome news: Clayton and I are going to California next week for a wedding! Yes folks, a week from now I will be beach side lounging in the sun. Okay, in reality we'll probably be helping set up for the wedding since Clayton is one of the groomsmen.
I'll still be in the sun :)

The count down has officially commenced! We are less than a week out!!!

i hope you get to make fish faces at work.

why, hello 90 degree weather

2011-03-17T09:21:00.003-07:00

work place adventures...

Today I got up at an ungodly hour to do my hair and makeup so I could post a non-hideous photo of myself at work. And also because I realized that prancing around with a messy pony and no makeup is only okay after working out and swimming.

this is a test shot, to make sure i'm actually in the frame.
of course i am sending love bbm-notes to Clayton.

Yes people, the sundress is now in full swing. If you live here you already feel summer creeping up with the temperature in the 90's already.

But in case you were wondering, i LOVE the wrap dress.
this one happens to be from the Gap.

Also, i've been working on my use of Velcro rollers. It's coming along. Very slowly, but it's getting there.

Growing up i always recognized the fact that my father has a roman nose, but i always convinced myself that (thankfully) this trait is one of his that was not passed down to me. However after flipping through several photos and taking a serious look at my side profile it has come to my attention that my entire life i've been wrong. hmm... will work on coming to terms with that later.

The card reads "I am willing to let go".
Everyone at my work gets a card on Monday, and that is the thought that stares back at you all week long. The other side expounds on this good thought:

"I release others to experience whatever is meaningful to them, and I am free to create that which is meaningful to me."

These cards always impart some sort of wisdom on me, and like a horoscope, never address the current happenings in my life.

i hope you bust out your favorite sun dress this week.

wearing coffee

2011-03-16T14:04:00.004-07:00

caffeine adventures...

I'm going to be honest, I haven't been waking up near as early as I should be in order to take photos of myself. I can barely pull myself out of bed before 6am to get to work on time. So today I decided to take a picture of a very important part of my Wednesday.

I have yet another confession. Despite my love for grande skinny white chocolate mocha's with no whip cream, I really miss Fairtrade Cafe. Normally, I would protest the corporate coffee scene however there is no local coffee shop within a short drive of my office. There isn't even one in driving distance of my house. Okay, I haven't done in depth research on the topic but I will get to the bottom of this. I know the bring-your-own-grocery-bags-to-the-market and downtown-loving part of my soul dies a little bit when I make a purchase from Starbucks, but the functional side of me becomes, well, more functional.

Ah, me sans makeup and a ponytail. It would be awesome if it wasn't the third time this week.
Good thing I sit in the corner.

i hope you support your local coffee shop.

hap-bee birthday

2011-03-11T09:08:00.002-07:00

birthday adventures...

Today 20 years ago one of the most amazing women I know was brought into this world.

Not only is my (big) little sister one of my best friends, she's 2/3 of the way to a fashion icon and has the most beautiful smile. This lucky lady is spending her birthday in Disneyland courtesy of Dad (too bad he didn't send us as a pair!). Haleigh is currently in her sophomore year at Arizona State studying social work. Her heart is as kind as her eyes and I thank my lucky stars I get to be part of her world. With her laid back, easy going personality its hard for anyone not to fall completely in love with her.

Happy Birthday Baby Sister!

i hope this year is the best one yet.

the wedding dance

2011-03-10T14:03:00.001-07:00

Music is a powerful thing. It can make us jump up and dance, feeling on top of the world or touch our hearts and make us cry. It can reminisce forgotten memories and worn out fads. Living within a predominately female environment for my entire life (until a few months ago) I have found how quickly I learn which melodies breathe life into the ghosts of old boyfriends and which spark tales of the past. Some songs find themselves on the forbidden list, never to be played or listened to for the rest of eternity usually do to its attachment to a painful memory.

Two notable songs that have been outlawed from singing are my parent’s and my Aunt Lani’s wedding songs. More specifically, the song they spent months listening to, weighing it against other options, and memorizing the lyrics to make sure it was the perfect choice to dance to for the very first time of their married lives. While playing each will bring out different reactions in these women, both will sufficiently ruin a good mood.

After learning to use lightening fingers to change the radio station while riding along with the women that so heavily shaped my world, I find myself dumbstruck when one of these dreaded songs works its way into my Pandora station at work. I quickly scan my office and find that I do not have to change the song. Out of curiosity I let the song swirl around me and it quickly envelopes my thoughts.

I cannot help but see photographs flash through my mind. The classic poses come first- mom and dad cutting the cake, momma walking down the aisle with my grandpa, and both my mom and my aunt arranged with various family members. Then there are the photos of the actual first dance in which you see the young innocent faces looking longingly into the eyes of their future.

“…baby you’re all that I want, when you’re lyin here in my arms…”

These young women could only dream what those songs would come to represent and mean to them. Because of that first dance children and dogs and homes ensued. That first song became number one on the soundtrack to the new life they would come to build with the lanky and slightly awkward men leading them around the dance floor.

Suddenly I am in their dyed-to-match shoes and taffeta gowns being twirled across a ballroom floor with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Having my hand in his with our eyes locked, both of us brandished with blissful smiles gives me goose bumps.

Quite suddenly my daydream is interrupted by my bleary eyes, for they have seen the aftermath of this dance and the dismantled hopes and dreams that lay in its wake. The image of sharing my life with someone only to be left with the pieces of what used to be my heart makes my chest ache. Suddenly the importance of the forbidden list is clearer than ever.

Next song please.

i hope for healed hearts.

another morning edition

2011-03-09T09:16:00.003-07:00

adventures bright and early...

early morning necessity: early grey tea with a splash of milk
p.s. did my mom ever teach me how to stand in a skirt? obviously not...

awkward arm photo....

literally gulping the caffeine down

I have to be honest when I first bought this little black skirt from Forever 21 I was extremely hesitant to debut it, but it has quickly become my favorite thing to wear to the office. It is made out of the same material as leggings, so its slimming (which is always awesome) yet comfy. I can put it beneath short dresses or long tops to make it work appropriate. Plus I've always loved the look of a pencil skirt. This $7.00 piece of clothing is the read deal, baby.

Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" just came on in my office... I work in paradise.

i hope pandora fills your office.

break time

2011-03-08T20:29:00.002-07:00

self portrait adventures...

Since I cannot seem to get myself out of bed an extra five minutes early to have assistance with my outfit posts I am learning to take photos of myself, well, myself. Here are some of the better ones from the 9:00am break.

the owl mug is key to my early mornings

wearing out the last bit of sweater weather while it is still cool enough to in the mornings

(and in my office)

comfy black flats perfect for a busy Tuesday

i hope your morning was wonderful.

the life of a house girlfriend

2011-03-08T12:44:00.008-07:00

growing up adventures...

Warning- halfway through this blog post it became an essay.

There are events your Mother sits you down and talks to you about before they happen. These life-altering changes are thus expected, and when able to brace for them they never seem as bad. For instance, my Momma had to explain all the lovelies that come along with becoming a woman and a changing teenage body. Although freaked out about the radical changes I would be encountering during my awkward junior high and high school years, I was prepared. Something has happened to me that my Momma never mentioned. No aunt or grandmother let on to this major event.

I have recently moved into an apartment with my boyfriend Clayton. I couldn't be happier. Along with the amazing things that come from living with your significant other there also come chores- laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming, and paying bills. In addition to playing house girlfriend (you can't be a house wife if you're only dating) I am working at least 40 hours a week. And I (attempt to) cook dinner at least five nights a week.

My girlfriend who recently graduated and started her full time job one day described herself as boring during conversation. I shrugged this comment off because this particular friend is not boring. The exchange I had with her reminded me of a girls night sleepover I had with my cousins before a wedding just a few months prior. The married/engaged ones expressed themselves as boring, that they had hardly any friends and no time for themselves.

How these strong, wonderful women with fulfilling careers and homes could describe their lives as boring was beyond me. I didn't quite understand what they meant, but I was quick to suggest new topics to distract them from their odd thought processes. But now that I am living similar lives to them I am finally understanding the frustration each of them tried to express to me in their own way, all using the same dreaded word.

The last few weeks I have developed a pattern: Monday I grocery shop and cook after work, Tuesday I clean (both bathrooms, sweep and mop, vacuum, and dust) and make dinner, Wednesday is the ONLY night Clayton is not in class until 8:30 so we usually watch a movie or run errands and make dinner, Thursday and Friday always become filled with family dinners and errands. By the time I realize it the weekend is upon me, of which I spend almost all of Sunday doing laundry. I am in bed at night by 10:00pm, but am exhausted no matter how much sleep I seem to get or miss.

I am slowly losing touch with my girlfriends, I do not have the energy to visit the gym. I am thankful I have not yet made the commitment to an animal or a child, as I cannot imagine the never ending list of To Do's. I barely blog as it is. My life has become boring. There is a fine line between happiness in the mundane and losing touch of my self identity and I'm walking it. In college, if I happened upon a stressful/busy/tiring schedule it was easy to get through as the semester would end soon enough and spring break would provide reprieve. Now that I'm a grown up, real life doesn't have summer break.

I want to take this opportunity to assure you that I am not unhappy with the choice I made to share a bathroom with one boy for the rest of time. Thinking about designing our apartment, futures, and lives together makes me giddy. I enjoy cooking and nights spent staying in. Despite the new excitement of weaving our lives together, I can't help but wonder in the back of my mind if this is how it will be forever.

The thing I am most concerned about is not my ability to stay out late partying, but to retain my personality quirks and traits while attempting to fit into my version of the domestic goddess mold. I don't want to forget my dreams in the swirl of saving for a house and continually planning for tomorrow. For if my spontaneity and stubbornness diminish I will no longer be the girl Clayton fell in love with. Could my attempts at keeping a well run home while simultaneously working a full time job compromise one of the best relationships of my life?

While this may be a phase, I look to the women who tried to warn me of this epidemic. Do they still describe themselves as boring after becoming more efficient in the house wife/girlfriend role? It may be a matter of creating a better routine, re-examining my priorities, or just plain acceptance of my present state. I hold hope that the reason my older female generations have not shared this rite of passage with me has nothing to do with their fear of my settling down but is because it is not a lasting feeling. Unfortunately, all I can feel right now are the creases in my brow deepening, sure to spell out my fate across my forehead: boring.

weekend outing

2011-03-06T21:11:00.003-07:00

dressing for adventure, take two....

Saturday night Clayton and I went to dinner with my Dad and his wife to celebrate a promotion my Dad received this last week. After a few minutes of debate, Clayton decided that we should take them to Boulders on Broadway (a sports/divish bar and the site of Clayton and I's very first unofficial date) in Tempe.

Not only does Boulders have a TON of beers to choose from on tap, their food is awesome. Since it was a casual atmosphere I went with jeans and dressed it up with a fab necklace gifted to me from my Aunt Lani for graduation last December.

the necklace reads "Love is moonlight in the darkness"
*swoon*

after running late I decided to rock the "beach hair" look

i hope your weekend was wonderful.

following the trend

2011-03-03T20:43:00.003-07:00

I've noticed a popular thing to do lately is take pictures of the outfit you sport at least 5x a week and post it on your blog. I want to be totally up front about this: I am NOT a fashion blogger. I in no way claim to be fashionable, I usually strive to match and look semi-put together. Let's be honest, I was raised on the Gap and since then I've been addicted to jeans/khakis and a white tee. However, I did come across one blog in which there was a "daily outfit" post that the blogger did for herself. I wish I would've bookmarked it, cause I would link her right now. Anyway she said the best part of posting outfits on her blog was learning how to dress herself, what looked good on her and what she should donate.

I'm always up for new ideas! In lieu of learning (and possibly actually becoming more fashionable) I have decided I will start photographing my outfits and posting them. I apologize in advance for all the white v-necks you may encounter.

Here goes it.... my first attempt!

I was so nervous someone was going to walk up the window and think, "what the heck"?

And just in case my boss is reading this, I took these photos on my 9am break!

i hope this works.

training wheels

2011-02-26T11:36:00.005-07:00

this is the beginning

i hope i'm coordinated.

mortifying monday

2011-02-21T12:04:00.002-07:00

the adventures you get up for in the morning...

what's the only thing more embarrassing than accidentally leaving your bright orange thong underwear on the floor of your boyfriend's parent's laundry room after hauling all your clean clothes home?

Walking into Best Buy and asking the sales associate where I can find a tetrisbite, only to find the external hard drive I was looking for is called a TERAbyte.

i hope your face isn't as red as mine was.

roller derby girl

2011-02-20T11:22:00.003-07:00

groupon adventure....

I'm not going to lie, I shamelessly await the email from Groupon each morning to see what fantastic deal they are tempting me with. Last week when I saw tickets to the Derby Dames bout for Saturday I jumped on that action and bought three tickets. My sister, cousin, and I headed to Veteran's Memorial Coliseum to watch the Runaway Brides take on the Brutal Beauties.

Way back in the day (I think it was sophomore year of high school) my sister used to watch an A&E television show/documentary about roller derby in Austin, Texas. Ever since Haleigh has been kind of obsessed with becoming a roller derby girl. She showed my cousin the documentary show and recruited her to pine for the thrill of left hand turns on roller skates.

After attending last night's bout, I too am a wannabe roller derby girl. We got the info- tryouts are in October leaving me about seven and a half months to figure out how to function on roller skates.

This should be interesting.

i hope i get the hang of it soon.

working girl

2011-02-15T12:46:00.003-07:00

jobby job adventures...

So I got a job. Woot! Wanna know some of the best parts of my new job?

1. We get free purified water. You can bet your bottom I've had about eight cups and visited the bathroom five times already and it's not even one yet.

2. The Jimmy John's delivery guy came to work today and gave out FREE SAMPLES!!!!

3. Unlimited coffee. Enough said.

4. My boss wears red suits and purple sparkly ties for no other reason than that its Tuesday.

5. Friday is themed day. Theme: nerd.

I know you cannot wait to see those photos :)

i hope your work is as fun as mine.

the before

2011-01-28T14:17:00.004-07:00

morning

2011-01-25T19:44:00.003-07:00

couldn't be making this adventure up....

I woke up this morning to Clayton rubbing my arm.

me: what time is it?
Clayton: early. the alarm hasn't gone off yet.
me: what's wrong?
Clayton: i've been waking up all night long.
me: i'm sorry my love, why can't you sleep?
Clayton: (in his very pouty voice) cause i keep on farting and it smells so bad that it keeps waking me up.
me: ....
Clayton: (precedes to fart and waft it over the bed so i can smell, just in case i thought he was lying)
me: okay, i won't make chili anymore!

i hope your wake up call was rosier than mine.

lost

2011-01-24T09:55:00.002-07:00

adventures temporarily on hold...

I know exactly what you're thinking. These last few posts have been a little lack luster and my blog is in need of a serious face lift. While I'll openly admit I have not even attempted to figure out HTML coding I will say that the lack of photos on my blog is due to the move. Not that moving is making me tired and I cannot document the weird things that are happening with a camera, it is solely because the move has eaten my camera battery charger. I have unpacked and repacked boxes to try and find the camera charger. Meanwhile life is passing me by totally unrecorded leaving me with only memories.

My next step is to dismantle the neatly placed boxes beneath the bed to try and find it.

i hope the move throws it up soon

sunday ritual

2011-01-23T18:21:00.002-07:00

adventure in the mundane...

I have developed this little routine with myself on Sunday afternoons. For the last few weeks I have taken the afternoon to wash laundry, clean the bathroom, and clean the kitchen. My first reaction was unexpected. I questioned my throne of domesticity telling myself I needed to get a job and a hobby. I told myself and several others I would not be procreating for at least another decade. This was quite shocking, as I always found refuge in scrubbing the shower deep in thought. Today, just as I have done for the last few weeks I started the laundry, cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen before starting on my small list of errands. Surprisingly I found solace in the routine I developed for myself. I was comforted to know I would have a purpose for the afternoon and be alone to think and sing and dance.

One of my errands was to use part of my birthday gift card to Borders. I know, you're thinking how did I resist spending my Borders gift card for eight months? Honestly I stuck it in my wallet and became swallowed by my Fair Trade coffee punch card. I found it a few weeks ago and decided to treat myself to a novel. My pick was the infamous English story Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

I cannot wait to delve into it!

i hope you spend your gift cards on you.

the end of the duffle bag era

2011-01-16T20:37:00.004-07:00

just beyond the horizon awaits the biggest adventure of all...

I have done the thing I always swore I would never do. I am moving in with my boyfriend. I always told myself I would live alone before moving in with any guy, most likely I would wait until we were married or at the very least engaged before I committed to sharing a bathroom with another human being potentially for the rest of my life.

Looking back now I cannot remember how it all got started, but here I am squeezed into one bedroom with the boy I have fallen head over heels weak in the knees to the moon and back in love with while our apartment is being made ready for us. And by that I mean we are currently apartment searching. My independent self image has been reduced to storing all of her belongings into boxes unless it was absolutely necessary to have unpacked. These necessities include almost every piece of clothing I own, my owl blanket, and my bag of crafts.

If you google the question "should I move in with my boy/girlfriend?" a gamut of results come up with some extreme opinions from burned lovers and the strictly moral. (I know because I actually did it.) The other results all say the same thing: do what is right for you and your potential roommate. I suppose I never felt I would be ready to move in with anyone without a major commitment is because I have never been in such a secure relationship. I'm ecstatic that I've found someone that can agree with me on candle scents and towel colors.

Until the big date (we have until February 1st to get it together) we are sharing a bedroom. Here's a few pics of the beginning of the end :)

My television and DVD player are not hooked up so I haven't' seen Sleepless in Seattle in over a week.

I don't know if I'm going to make it.

And yes, that beautiful Homer poster gets to live in my new home.
I just don't know where yet...

Always creative, Clayton wedged a shower curtain bar in his existing closet to capitalize on the most space possible. Originally we had two shower bars, however the one on the right fell on me last week when I was attempting to retrieve my white cardigan.

Due to my excellent packing strategies almost everything fits under our bed. Unfortunately I forgot to label the boxes as I packed them so it will be like Christmas when we get into our new place.

Yet another under-the-bed shot.

I can't wait to build a home with one of the most amazing people I have ever met.

i hope you love your roomie.

happy new year!

2011-01-14T15:51:00.007-07:00

Happy Holidays from the Williams Family...

1. Starting the New Year off right.

2. Yes, that thermometer reads 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yes, I was in Arizona.

3. My father and aunt ringing in the New Year the "cool" way.

4. Of course there were fireworks.

5. The pyro crew.

6. Family <3

7. Christmas in my owl jammies

8. Man, those Mormons really know how to decorate for Christmas!

9. Hoping I was on the "nice" list this year...

10. I did it!

Currently: Reaching for the stars

and running late for happy hour!

i hope you spent the holidays with the ones you love.

the small things

2010-12-01T20:53:00.003-07:00

adventureland in my own backyard...

So there I was clacking away on the keyboard working on my final project for college letting Pandora stream along in the background when Speechwriters LLC filled my room with beautiful music...

Southeast Asia

Classic cars and
outdoor bars and
movie stars

It sounds like California, hey I tried to warn you
Living any place is hard
When blood is pumped by a lonely heart

So I followed you
To Southeast Asia
The weather is grey here
They look at us strange here

It brings us close together, and things have been better
Than they've ever been before

This is love
Can't say it much different than that
Sing this song to someone you love
And you tell them
That if this is the end
You couldn't complain

and it made me happy.

i hope music makes you happy.

the great gatsby

2010-11-19T22:31:00.005-07:00

a great adventure....

Just arrived home from Friday night date night with my best friend, Sara. We spent the evening in the courtyard area of the Biltmore in awe of the lives on the screen before us. On Friday evenings the Biltmore Fashion Park has hosted movies in their center court allowing families, couples, and friends to picnic on the lawn and enjoy a classic American film. This week in the park The Great Gatsby captured the audience and onlookers alike.

Previously, I had never seen the movie so I was delighted to see the beaded gowns, sequined headbands, and the romanticized way of life. As a matter of fact, I may just make my own Great Gatsby inspired headband and wear it the unneccarily lavish accesory to the market.

While I must report the experience was a bit chilly (I literally tried on my winter coat before leaving the house, but decided I looked silly at the last minute and went with a thinner sweater- something I started to regret around 8:45) it made the experience that much more. I was transported into winter with the store fronts decorated in red and green, trees adorned with white twinkle lights, and the crowd of movie goers bundled in scarves and blankets.

It made for an absolutely gorgeous Friday night.

i hope to see you at my table.

we're actually a visa family

2010-11-14T09:39:00.002-07:00

another adventure just beyond the horizon....

Instate Tuition at ASU for 4.5 years: $18,258.00

Sitting for the NCTRC Exam: $425.00

Overnighting 2 transcripts to New York: $82.23

Knowing your daughter will stay in Arizona for the next three years: Priceless

Thanks Momma and Mike!!! I would never have been able to get through without you!

i hope you follow your dreams.

warm fuzzies

2010-11-12T23:42:00.005-07:00

an adventure in my own backyard...

Last year my sister and I got these fuzzy scented socks for Christmas. At the time we thought they were totally weird and agreed that we would most likely never use them.

Fast forward eleven months....
The couple who gifted us these are genius!!! I was sitting in my house freezing thinking of ways to stay warm when the fuzzy sock popped into my head.
It took me a minute to dig them out, but it was so worth it.
My piggies will be nice and warm this winter :)

Thank you Bruce and Jamie!

Also note my favorite thing, my owl blanket from Target.
I <3 it!

i hope your socks are scented this holiday season.

coming soon: the real world

2010-11-08T21:11:00.003-07:00

Put your cowgirl boots on and hang on for yet another adventure...

My vanilla bean candle is lit and the scent over-powers my room in the best way. Pandora is doing a wonderful job swirling the musical talents of The Format, Dave Matthews Band, Speechwriters LLC, Mason Jennings, Ingrid Michaelson, Joshua Radin, and many others. I'm wearing my paper crown for nostalgia, hoping it will help me craft a somewhat interesting post. My window is open to Willow, but the weather isn't as cool as November should feel.

I'm feeling rather homesick. The feeling came about yesterday afternoon and has only been welling up inside, slowly consuming all I am. I know it is partly here because a big wonderful chapter in my life is concluding and will soon introduce a new slightly scary and uncertain page in my book. Graduation is literally five weeks away, I'm moving out of the Willow house in eight, and I have no clue what my future holds. On top of everything else Christmas is just round the bend and I am sad because while I know this year will bring new traditions and memories it also means moving away from and all too soon forgetting the old ones.

It is unnerving to me to crave a home that does not exist. I want to live and be in a safe place that smells good, creates a warm calm, and is full of happiness. I want to see my family healthy and joyful. I want to sleep in the same bed every night. I am tired of living out of a duffel bag, tired of worrying.

I hope I find where it is I'm supposed to be. I know who I am supposed to spend the rest of my adventure-filled existence with, but I seem to have lost the directions to the corner of "financially stable" and "organized".

Take a deep breath. Last time I was overwhelmed with adult worries about my internship the stars lined up and everything has turned out to be amazingly lovely. I'm headed for big things, I just have to have faith.

i hope my lucky star is still up there.

weekend whipping by

2010-11-08T20:50:00.004-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Dear weekend,

Why did you go by so fast?

Please stay longer next time.

Aimee

Dear Momma,

Thank you for spending your Saturday with me trying to replace the car battery.

I love you!

Aimee

Dear Clayton,

Sometimes it is hard to kiss you because loving you makes me smile.

My heart is yours.

Aimee

i hope your weekend was fantastic.

all grown up

2010-10-28T17:34:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Despite being 22 and a half I still feel like I'm fifteen most days, and let's be honest I'm often confused for a high school student. Even though I drive, am in college, and having the most amazing internship experience I call my parents all the time and ask their advice on life issues, similar to asking for permission to stay out late. Despite my youthful mindset, every once in a while something will happen that reminds me I am a full fledged adult with big girl responsibilities and real world consequences.

For instance, after work I checked a voicemail asking me to call my Dad back when I had the chance. After hanging up from our two minute conversation I had gathered that my Dad had been experiencing chest pain and was in the hospital overnight for monitoring, but that I should not be alarmed only informed.

While I'm glad this little event can be chalked up to anxiety and stress I started thinking about the scenario had my Dad actually had a heart attack. It was a quick whip across the face for thinking I could be young forever. No more are the days of Mom and Dad taking me to the doctor, but checking in with them to make sure they are managing their blood pressure and cholesterol.

For now I am praying for health and new lives, instead saying goodbye to the ones already here.

hoping for happy things.

pumpkin king

2010-10-23T09:05:00.006-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a Halloween adventure...

Happy Fall everyone!!!

Pumpkin carving 2010 took place in my Momma's and Mike's backyard.

Not only was it a chance for the entire family to become completely slimed in pumpkin guts, but it was also the day the Williams (Aunt Lani and Kaylee included) met Mike's family. An afternoon of chili, cutting things open, and pie it was like we had been family all along.

A few shots of us getting festive :)

Sadly enough, the pumpkins you see here didn't last very long.

Not quite sure if it was the rain we had this week or my awful carving skills (most likely a combination of both) but mold ended up covering my owl pumpkin.

We had to toss it last night.

I hope your pumpkin lives to light fright night!

let them eat cake

2010-07-19T09:25:00.005-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Good morning! I am currently putting of writing an essay for my abnormal psychology summer school class about the types of treatment used for pedophiles and their success rates. Gross.

I hear back this week from a couple of the places I interviewed to find out where I may end up this time next month. Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

Last night I had dinner with the darling Nelson family. We were celebrating a neighbor friend's birthday. The best part of dinner? When Clayton's Momma sent me home with the left over lemon cake. My Aunt Lani and I broke into the savory treat this morning with a cup of Earl Grey tea. I'm pretty sure I could make it in Europe. I mean, if I HAD to.

I would post of picture of our scrumptious breakfast, but my camera is still with the Geek Squad being worked on. I'm also crossing my fingers that those guys will call back this week with some good news.

In light of this tragedy I'm posting pictures from earlier this summer, but they're some of my favorites.

I can tell he's jealous of my sweet air guitar.

I love him

Here's to a great week!!!

I hope you eat cake for breakfast.

memo to self

2010-07-18T13:56:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Dear Blogger.com,

Please stop allowing weirdo Asian accounts to post porn links in my comments section.

Thanks.

Aimee

Dear Dad,

Please do not worry about the time you dropped my camera on the concrete driveway on the fourth of July while taking a ridiculously cute pic of Clayton and I (I would post it but....). Apparently the camera had a warranty and Best Buy is gonna fix it or something.

Love you.

Aimee

Dear Mom,

Stop being a crazy face and get back together with Mike already.

Thanks.

Aimee

Dear Self,

Please post more blogs. It's really lame when you don't.

Thanks.

Aimee

I hope your camera is under warranty.

Ken, she's over here!

2010-07-10T10:25:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

So in case you didn't know, or just forgot, my sisters happen to look just like Barbie.

I'm so lucky to share their gene pool.

Here's to getting taller and blonder.

glitterachi fan club

2010-05-28T11:56:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Yesterday I officially became a member of the glitterachi after having my toes done and buying a new pair of shoes! (The shoes are actually for my cousin's wedding next weekend, but I love them so much I'm going to attempt to wear them with everything.) I'm not usually one to brag or freak out over a pair of shoes, but these are fabulous.

Don't they take your breath away?

The glitter on my toes is so shiny in the light.

My shoes are so sparkly.

And my tattoo looks cute too!

Even the Willow house carpet looks good next to my shoes.

Thank you Steve Madden for making these beautifully crafted sandals you named Vegaas.

Thank you Momma and Mike and Emily and Abbey for the Nordstrom gift card for my birthday.
Without it I would not be the proud owner of a shimmery pair of sandals.

I walked around the house in them yesterday to try and break them in.

Vegaas and I are a perfect match.

I hope you're finding cute sandals for summer.

my five

2010-05-27T10:09:00.011-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

A few weeks ago I agreed to participate in something my boyfriend and his lovely roommates conjured up. They decided that we all should make a list of 5 things we want to accomplish this summer. They could be outlandish or realistic, but the other three pledged to help in every way to make it come true.

Here are my five:

1. Take Abnormal Psych (so I can graduate college)

2. Volunteer at Hospice

3. Swim a mile a day

4. Take a creative writing class

Well at least I have four. One of Clayton's roommates Jon wanted to hike a trail in Sedona. So last weekend I decided we would cross one of his five off the list and we picked that one. Tuesday we woke up ridiculously early (6 am folks) and made the hour and a half drive to Sedona. We hiked for about two and a half miles and took some amazing pictures.

Clayton and Jon at the beginning of our hike.

We must have crossed that little creek 8 or 9 times throughout the hike. It was fun to try and balance on the stones and trees that served as bridges.

Every time I turned around there was a view to take my breath away.

The sky was so clear and blue.

The scariest part was trying to balance on a small tree while I made my way out to the middle to take a picture.

I didn't fall in :)

During the adventure we ran into a few insects inhabiting the trail.
This is a stink bug, but I wouldn't know because Clayton took the picture.

I didn't want to be anywhere near it.

This is a picture of a bunch of caterpillars cocooning to become butterflies and moths.
I also think this is gross.

Clayton and Jon intent on their granola bars.
And then the granola bars in their mouths.

Jon, our knowledgeable tour guide.

One of the last views on our hike.

I hope you get to cross off your five this summer.

growing up too fast

2010-05-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I just realized that when I created my photo diary the other day I forgot all about my sister Emily's prom! Since Emily attends a smaller high school, freshman and sophomores are also allowed to attend prom. Since Em started high school this year she was allowed to go to the dance. Of course Bee and I jumped at the opportunity to help our baby sister get ready.

The pre-show. Em is munchin' a delicious turkey sandwich and I am curling her hair.

My Momma's boyfriend bought Emily a corsage since she didn't have a date.

Let me clarify. Emily wasn't allowed to have a date since she's only 13.

Posing by the tree outside Momma's house.

She made me do it, so I made Emily do it.

Emily was in a knee brace because a few weeks before she popped her knee out of socket (gross) so she had to wear it, especially since she was going to be boogey-ing the night away.

Haleigh looking fly.

(And probably secretly wishing she was posing for prom.)

I helped her do her make up too.

It is amazing to me that I remember the day she was born, when she hid every set of car keys in the house and we had to follow her around and watch her play for 20 minutes before we found them, her first day of Kindergarten, helping her get ready for elementary school and now here she is in high school. Whew, now I know how Mom and Dad feel.

I hope I look like her when I grow up.

Beautiful Baby Sisters.

Emmy and I.

This picture reminds me that she still has my black clutch!

I hope you live in every moment.

who do you love?

2010-05-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Last Thursday Clayton, Jon (Clayton's best friend/roommate), and I met Clayton's parents for dinner. The restaurant was located near the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. After dinner we walked around and took a few photos.

I actually took this one of myself at the restaurant.

The ENTIRE bathroom was covered in mirrors. Even the stalls!

Here I am in one.

This was in the park afterward.

The Love sculpture made for some cute/cheesy pics of Clayton and I.

Gazing into each others eyes.

Jon liked the candid ones :)

Thanks Jon!

What more can I say?

I love you Clayton.

Dig my vintage dress made from an old button down?

Buy one just like it at Olive in Paris.

I hope you have someone to LOVE.

an oldie but a goodie

2010-05-24T14:19:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

My love for deli sandwiches and salads exponentially increases in the summer time due to the Phoenix heat. The other day after running errands I made my sister accompany me to one of the best kept secrets in Phoenix. It is in this sandwich shop I cried to my Dad about boys teasing me in high school, had a serious talk with my Momma about my Dad remarrying, had a great 32nd date with Clayton, and fell in love with the Thursday special.

On the corner of 13th Avenue and Jefferson sits a white and red converted house. This is the Old Station. Their inexpensive yet hardy deli sandwiches entice customers while their broccoli cheddar soup keeps them coming back. The shabby little building decorated with old license plates and metal signs is cozy, but can be a little cramped during the lunch rush. The outdoor patio seating is made up of plastic chairs and tables, perfect seating for lovely weather. These amazing sandwiches can be purchased from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This is the roast beef with provolone, everything on it and a side of macaroni salad.

Personally, I like my mac salad with more mayonnaise and no carrots.

But if you like that sort of thing then you will love their macaroni salad.

I also got a 32 oz fountain Coke.

Refreshing.

The gorgeous Bee enjoying her turkey and provolone.

She's too cool for a side.

Yep, that's tap water in her 32 oz Styrofoam cup.

And she happens to be wearing on of my favorite t-shirts of all time.

ASU Go Greek Fall 2007.

Love.

I hope you try the Old Station soon.

update of my life

2010-05-23T10:39:00.014-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Happy Sunday morning! I'm already on my second cup of Irish Breakfast Tea from Twinings listening to Joshua Radin and as my little fingers are whizzing up and down on the keyboard I've realized I desperately need to remove the chipping linen colored polish off my fingers and get a manicure. Miss Aimee is on a budget (moving into the Willow house= bills) so maybe I'll get one before the wedding...

So I realized that since I've been completely MIA for the month of May I should update you on exactly what I have been doing, besides not blogging. The following is a photo diary for the last month.

April

For our senior trip, my cohort decided to go to Las Vegas in the middle of April. We spent two nights reeking havoc on the strip.

We stayed at the Trump Hotel, right off the strip.

It was super nice. There was a TV in the bathroom mirror.

The first night we went to Lavo. Don't we look fly?

The next day at Tao Beach.

I think that girl should've gotten a medium instead of a small.

Just sayin.

This is my wrist after the first 24 hours in Vegas.

Love it.

In Devils' Advocates we have a tradition. During your last tour while at the SRC you have to jump into the pool. Of course I did it. I wasn't going to miss out on one of the greatest traditions at ASU.

Soaking wet and loving it.

May

Chi Omega always hosts their last date party of the spring semester on the first weekend of May. The party theme was High School Cliques. Clayton and I agreed that the cheapest and funniest costumes would be redneck/hicks. Of course we are members of the 4-H Club and active in the FFA.

When asked "what's under your shirt?" Clayton would respond in his thickest accent "Bout 7 months" or "Our love" depending on who was asking. Hilarious.

And yes I am wearing a baby blue scrunchy with matching blue glitter eye shadow.

I might not have been his first love, but he promised that I would be his last.

Mother's Day is the ultimate challenge to try and sneakily impress your Mom and make her cry. This year Clayton's Mom really wanted pictures of her guys. My Aunt Lani took awesome photos of them to be framed for their Mom.

Happy Mother's Day Lora!

The handsome Nelson boys.

Lani managed to get a few of Clayton and I.

How did I get so lucky?

For Mother's Day Clayton decided he was tired of looking at my Momma's yard, so he got his best friend/roommate Jon to help along with Bee's boy David to clean it up.

This is the backyard BEFORE the boys went to work.

4 1/2 hours later. Amazing.

Happy Mother's Day Momma!

The handsome men who made the backyard transformation possible.

Among other things, the month of May yields one of my most favorite days of the year. May 13 is my birthday, this year I turned 22. For those of you who are not familiar with my upbringing you will be astonished to know that this was my 6th birthday.

Happy Birthday Me!!!

The beautiful cake my lil sis Lane brought to me.

After the boys and I got into it. Yes, that is strawberry filling- yum!

My WONDERFUL boyfriend and GREAT friends went through the trouble of planning me a surprise birthday party. Unfortunately, it was a surprise party so none of the pictures from the party are on my camera. I'm still trying to track them down.

In short, it was a complete surprise. The dinner party was perfectly understated.

I'm telling you, I'm the luckiest girl on the planet.

The Williams Family was very fortunate enough to have all settled in the glorious Phoenix Metropolitan area. This means that I got to grow up with my cousins as my best friends. I can't believe how old we've gotten. One of the girls I'm closest to, Katie, got engaged last year and is getting married this June. Congratulations Katie!!! Of course we took her out and showed her the time of her life for one of the last times as a single gal!

My cousin Katie's Bachelorette Party. The bridal party minus one.

Heather, Katie, and I- ridiculous as always :)

The last two weeks I have slowly moved all my belongings from the Chi Omega house (aka Adelphi) at Arizona State to the gorgeous Willow district. Moving and unpacking has taken me awhile. Especially since every time I get to it I end up turning on music and dancing around like a crazy person instead of getting anything done.

This is me finally getting around to unpacking my room in the Willow house. Kind of.

That wraps up the last four weeks or so. Despite being busy and trying to split my life between Phoenix and Tempe, I will try to be more current with posting.

Now I have to go shower because I was supposed to that a half hour ago.

I hope you're staying busy.

breathe in, breathe out

2010-05-20T13:58:00.002-07:00

Hello, my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I'm not going to panic.

I have to complete an internship to fulfill my graduation requirements. It has to be at least 480 hours, but preferably 560. That works out to 40 hours a week for about 15 weeks. I have to work directly beneath a CTRS. I have to do it in the fall.

I REALLY want to stay in Phoenix, since I just spent almost 2 weeks of my life moving and unpacking. Since my ENTIRE family is in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Since the love of my life is 35 minutes away on the light rail. If I get desperate I would be willing to travel up north (Prescott, Showlow, Flagstaff, etc) or down south (Tucson, disgusting) to do one. If I don't find one somewhere in Arizona I will have to apply to camps in Utah and Alaska. Eeek!

My advisor said I need to have an internship solidified by June 1st.

I'm really going to try not to panic.

I hope I find an internship in Phoenix.

give away winner

2010-05-14T13:20:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

The winner of a fabulous set of pillows is the one and only... Haleigh!

Congratulations Bee!

In other news, moving + my cousin's bachelorette party + life in general has given me some sort of sore throat, head pounding thing. I feel awful. Plus my new room isn't anywhere near unpacked :(

I'm going to go make another cup of chamomile tea and take a nap.

I hope I start to feel better.

willow house

2010-05-10T20:05:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I'm sitting at the desk in my new room typing on a Macintosh computer. I'm not officially moved in yet, but I'm periodically dropping things off between last week and this week to try and get everything over here without killing myself. A few things at a time doesn't seem so bad.

By the way, I hate that this computer underlines my name as if it's spelled wrong. Dinosaur never did that.

My new room is completely barren save for the boxes and duffle bags I have littered the floor with. The only furniture in the room is the desk which the computer I am working on sits atop and a twin sized bed with an old window pane serving as a head board. It will take some getting used to. The noises of the house, the sounds outside, and the new smell will all take time to adjust to, but I know its the right thing for now.

I would post pictures, but my scatterbrained self has left my camera at Clayton's house. I think it's on the shelf in the front room. At least, I hope it is.

Things to do:

1. Find my camera

2. Get tea for the Willow House (that's what I just named my new home)

3. Blog about the AMAZING surprise birthday party my boyfriend and sisters threw for me this past weekend. Not only is he charming and good looking, he is considerate and sneaky.

4. Call Clayton and tell him how charming, good looking, considerate, and sneaky he is.

5. Remind everyone about the free giveaway

Don't forget to comment to win the FABULOUS pillows before this Wednesday at noon!

I hope I get my to do list done.

goodbye chi omega

2010-05-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

In my last post I promised to expand on what I meant about leaving my student organizations. In Chi Omega in December and in May we do what is called "Senior Wills". They happen at the last meeting of every semester and provide outgoing seniors with the chance to pass on trinkets, wisdom, and memories. I gave a ton of stuff away, but I also had something to say. Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to saying it for fear of crying. So here's what I wrote and wish I had the strength to say:

I didn’t live on campus and knew no one at Arizona State my freshman year, so in an attempt to make friends I went through recruitment. Honestly, how I made it into Chi Omega is still a mystery to me, but I couldn’t be more grateful that fate had dealt me such an amazing hand.

After almost dropping, I was initiated in January of 2007 and fought with my parents about moving into Adelphi. My Dad assured me that spending money to live on campus, or worse a sorority house, was simply a waste of money. He couldn’t have been more wrong. I moved into Adelphi my sophomore year in an attempt to get to know more girls and become closer with the house. It was that year I accepted the New Member Educator position within the house. My sophomore year also marked another huge accomplishment: in a command decision Kelley P. decided to take me to Sigma Pi for the first time of my college career. I am forever grateful to Kelley for this memory. I remember thinking if anyone other than Charlie’s Angels could pull off a denim jumpsuit it was Kelley.

Although I had already been active within the organization for two years, my Chi Omega experience didn’t really start until my junior year. In August I broke up with my long time high school boyfriend. After the breakup I thought I had lost my best friend, but Chi O proved me wrong. I just hadn’t met her yet. I lived in Adelphi again my junior year and made the best memories. With my two closest friends we stole fraternity composites, snuck into bars, and had the time of our lives.

After crying in her room for an entire afternoon Allison confided that in her opinion I was the most improved out of our entire pledge class. At first the comment seemed like an insult, but the more I thought about it I realized it was the biggest compliment anyone could receive.

Before I knew it senior year was upon us and for the life of me I have no idea where it went. It feels like we just finished with recruitment and here I am saying goodbye.

After arbitrarily ending up in Chi Omega because of ennie-meenie-minie-mo the house took hold of me and has since not let go. I cannot imagine, my college experience or my life, without Chi Omega. It has struck me to my very core and as a result is part of my being. Being a part of this sorority has shown me how to live to my full potential and truly flourish. Without the amazing women I have met in the Psi Epsilon chapter I would have never made it through heart breaks, the deaths of family members and close friends, inheriting a wicked stepmother, and college life in general. I can’t think of a crisis my sisters cannot fix.

I know that I am getting so much more out of Chi Omega than it will ever get out of me; lifetime friends, memories that will last forever, and some of the most hilarious moments of my life all for just over $600 a semester. What a steal!

When we stand up here and tell you all how fast it goes by we really aren’t lying. Go to date parties even if you’re tired or stressed out. Skip Starbucks during January and February to go on spring break with your sisters. Console a Chi O even if you have a paper due in the morning. These women are the ones you will make the best memories with.

For My Lil Sis Lane: you are the single greatest thing I have done for Psi Epsilon. I knew you were meant to be a Chi O, even when you didn’t. I know you took a chance on me being your big sis since we only really had about a year and a half together, but I am so honored to call you my little sister. You are one of the strongest and most dedicated women I know. You are classy, discrete, and brave. I know you were sad about Personnel chair at first, but I knew you would be perfect. You have done a wonderful job thus far. I am leaving Psi Epsilon in confidence knowing you are helping lead our house to do amazing things. I know I wasn’t around near as much as either of us would have wished this past semester, but know that I am always here for you. I’m just a phone call away, even at 3:30 am. I am so glad we’re sisters. I love you.

For My Baby Sister Haleigh: I have literally been counting down the days until you were going to be a Psi Epsilon since my freshman year. After experiencing something so powerful it changed my life, I wanted to be able to share it with you. While I’m sad we only got to spend a year together, I am excited for you to experience Psi Epsilon for yourself. I cannot wait to hear your crazy Sigma Pi stories, see cute pictures from recruitment, and meet your little. Like myself, I know that you too will flourish in Chi Omega and reach your full potential. Without Chi Omega we are still sisters, but now we can share the bonds of sisterhood I have gotten to know so well. I am proud to call you my sister, and honored to call you a Chi Omega sister. I love you Bee.

For Sara: You are my very best friend. Even when we don’t go to the same parties or when we don’t see each other for five days you are still my best friend. You are the first person I want to call when I am facing personal crisis and one of the only people that can make me feel better after a bad day. I am so lucky that I got to live with you for the last year and a half. Thank you for making my college experience. I love you.

For Caitie: After my huge breakup junior year you forced me to function and helped me become human again. Thank you. While you and Sara are the reason I hate drinking sugar free red bull, I am grateful for all the times it kicked in and helped us stay up til all hours of the night. Without you I would not be the same. I will always cherish the memories we have and I cannot wait to make more. I love you.

For Heather: You were one of my first friends in Chi Omega, an accomplice at Kappa Sig, and a great drinking buddy. I know you are going to knock the socks off of the guys at J.C. Penny. Promise to stay in touch no matter how carried away your new job makes you.

For Rachel: I know moving into Adelphi this past spring was difficult to adjust to at first, but I was ecstatic you moved in. Our room became so much more interesting and lively with you here. I’m sure living with me was difficult, as I often didn’t keep clothes or dishes on my side of the room. To tell you the truth you are one of the funniest people I have ever met and I’m insanely jealous of your super model hair. When I attend Chi Omega events girls are always asking me, where’s Rachel? Where’s Sara? I’m so happy I got to live with the two most popular girls in Adelphi. Despite not being around much, I’ve gotten to know you well and will miss coming home to you on the couch watching an addicting TV show. Thank you for making this semester exciting.

I hope you're ready to say goodbye.

a real life giveaway!

2010-05-05T13:14:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Okay so I know I've been completely MIA, but for good reason. The biggest reason is its just the end of the year and assignments are becoming due and living situations are changing. I'm moving next week into an adorable house in the Willow district. Unfortunately for me the appliances are as antique as the crown molding and ceiling tiles. I've been dreaming about redoing the bathroom with one of these bathroom vanities to spruce up the place. What do you think?

In addition to craziness of moving, Friday I turned in my capstone (code for: freakin hard) project and now I'm "studying" for finals. I'm also tying up loose ends and saying goodbye to student organizations such as Devils' Advocates and Chi Omega. More on that later. With all that gearing up for summer and being excited for my birthday are taking over any free time I may have.

To make up for my extended absence I am doing another giveaway! After much deliberation I am giving these adorable pillows away!

They will look fabulous on a couch or atop a bed, not to mention I will be insanely jealous of the winner!

Rules: post a comment wishing me a happy birthday by Wednesday May 12 and I will announce the winner Thursday morning!

Good luck to all!

I hope you're feeling lucky.

shh... don't tell

2010-04-21T13:39:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I have a rather large secret. Only a few individuals know about it, and to be honest it's quite embarrassing. (So it would only make sense that I reveal what it is online for the world to know.) As you know I'm not much of a television person, but then Rachel my roommate moved in and she has completely changed that. As a result I have become addicted to the most terrible television show out there:

MTV's 16 and Pregnant.

It's awfully sad and I feel completely lousy after watching every episode, but every Tuesday night comes around and you can find me on my black futon glued to my 16" television. However, last night I was so enthralled with watching 17 again, starring Zach Efron (who is seriously a hottie, how have I not noticed!?) that I completely forgot about my favorite TV show.

This is horrible because last night was the reunion show which is similar to a "where are they now?" show. Will I ever know if Leah and Corey get back together!?

I think I'm gonna try Hulu or something....

I hope MTV plays full episodes online.

viva las vegas

2010-04-19T15:25:00.004-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Today is Monday which means I've been acting like a weirdo all day. It's really hard for me to get into the swing of things on Mondays.

This past weekend the senior girls in my sorority decided to celebrate the culmination of our undergraduate experience by spending two days in Las Vegas. It was my first time in Sin City, and although it wasn't as glamorous as I expected it to be I learned so much about myself and my friends.

1. I thought I liked to party as much as the next girl, but I guess it turns out I'm a little lower key than I knew.
2. I will never stay in a hotel room with more than one other person, unless I'm related to them.
3. I have an insanely amazing tolerance to walking around in high heels.
4. My Momma missed me more than my Dad.
5. Vomit CAN stain a wooden bed frame. Gross.

Also in Vegas my girlfriends said I looked like Posh Spice better known as Victoria Beckham. We all know my bum is much larger than hers, but I really appreciate the wonderful compliment!

Also, I got my hair cut. What is the verdict?

Among other news...

I used Clayton's washer and dryer to do laundry and apparently the heat on his dryer is much more powerful than that of Adelphi or my Momma's dryer because my favorite glow in the dark owl panties have been riding up my bottom all day :(

There is someone in our office helping out this week with our larger-than-average workload (how nice!) unfortunately she is talking so loud that I have put on headphones rented from the ASU Library (who knew you could do that?!) and turned my Pandora on, but she is louder than my music. UGH!

I probably won't post too much in the next two weeks due to several HUGE projects due next week, the last projects I will ever have to do!!!

I'm super excited for our Chi Omega meeting tonite because we are having a special ceremony for the seniors (me!). Yay for milestones!!!

I hope you like what you learn about yourself.

bittersweet brunch

2010-04-16T13:14:00.001-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

This past Sunday the Psi Epsilon Chapter of Chi Omega held a brunch which we refer to as Eleusinian to celebrate our founders day. This year Chi Omega turned 115! I thought I was old.

Everyone loves this event because we get to dress up really fancy, listen to amazing speakers, recognize our seniors (actually, not as cool when you are the senior), and take pictures outside in front of the gorgeous landscape. Every year people ask us when we went to Hawaii.

Psi Epsilon's Senior Class of 2010

Executive Board 2009

I'm not sure who we asked, but they took a terrible roommate pic.
There are bodies in the background!

Big-Sis Lil-Sis Pic

The Williams Sisters
That's right, she's a legacy.

Didn't I tell you it looked like Hawaii!?

Besties :)

My heinous attempt at a supermodel pose.
Good thing I'm going to school to be a therapist!

Breakfast was delicious and the speaker was good. She didn't tell us a fluffy story of a "happily-ever-after" life, she told us the truth. She talked about how hard life really is once you get out of college. She acknowledged all the bad things that will happen to us, but she pointed out that the only way she got through all of it was with the support of her Chi Omega sisters.

Afterward, Lindsay our alumni advisor recognized every senior by announcing our accomplishments and our future plans. We were all given a classy business card holder with words from our symphony engraved on it:

"to be womanly always, and discouraged never"

Lastly, Frances recognized three seniors who went above and beyond as a member during her time as an active Chi Omega. I was one of them! I was gifted a red towel with the words Chi Omega embroidered on it. They also gave out the Symphony Award. This recognizes a woman that embodied our Symphony during her entire active membership. My suite mate and best friend Sara ended up receiving it. Yay Sara!!!

I haven't been thinking about being a senior lately, I've just been trying to get through my last semester. This past Sunday reminded me of what I will be leaving behind.

I hope you can reflect with happiness.

lunch at fair trade

2010-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Clayton and I are big fans of lunch. We like to eat it together. Just last Tuesday (or was it Wednesday...?) we decided to grab sandwiches at the absolutely fabulous Fair Trade Cafe across from UCENT.

I got the turkey sandwich with a side of chips and a raspberry hibiscus iced tea.

Clayton got the veggie hummus with a side of chips and an iced coffee (not pictured)
which he doctored with liquid sugar and cream.

He's so freakin' cute.
I'm so lucky I get to sit opposite him at lunch time.

Overall, Fair Trade Cafe was an AWESOME lunch experience. Both sandwiches were delicious (we switched halves so we could both try the two sandwiches) but I liked the veggie hummus the best. I really loved the iced tea.

Consensus: We will be returning, but not too often because the food was a little pricey for the amount we got.

Thanks for the yummy and healthy lunch option Fair Trade!

I hope you try Fair Trade soon.

easter bunny

2010-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I was scrolling through the many pictures I have and I realized, I never posted about my actual Easter. Here goes:

The Nelson Family invited the Williams Family to dinner. I thought this was a mere formality, but my Mom actually went for it. My parents aren't usually the type to meet boyfriend's families so I was shocked. My mother, ever so gracefully, dressed in a navy sundress from Olive Annie and brought a strawberry and spinach salad in addition to the most wonderful green beans you'll ever taste.

The whole thing went really well. I was surprised. Everyone laughed, smiled, and made polite conversation. Unfortunately, Hoss and Tilly (the Nelson's dogs) made my Momma's allergies go crazy so she took Emily and Haleigh home early with her. Other than that it was a smashing success!

I think Haleigh thought we were making funny faces in the picture on the right.

At least that's what I hope.

I love Easter because not only is Lent over, but everyone gets to wear pretty sundresses and eat delicious food. Do you like my Easter dress? My Momma made it. She is wonderful.

I hope your Easter was filled with Family.

my 6th birthday party

2010-04-13T12:39:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I was just scheduling when my next blog post will go out (it's seriously an amazing feature- those blogger guys are on top of it!) when I realized today's date.

It's official people.

I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my 21st Birthday in exactly one month. That's right, I'm turning 22 (gasp!). While I will be wallowing in exactly how old I am getting (my first wrinkles are on the horizon) I will also be planning the birthday dinner I am throwing for myself.

I decided I would like to remember this birthday, so I am making my closest friends and their dates some sort of pasta-with-a-sauce dish with hors d'oeuvres and wine. Clayton has graciously offered up his home as the venue (right after I asked him if that was okay...). So far the plan is to throw some Christmas lights in the trees, drag a few tables outback, and play Frank Sinatra in the background.

I guess you could say I'm throwing my first dinner party. I hope it turns out like Julie's in Julie & Julia.

Have any other ideas?

I hope this will be the best birthday yet.

the first of the last

2010-04-13T11:51:00.007-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Sorry I haven't been posting... I've been super busy with Chi Omega and working on my Working Plan of Operation for the dreaded PRM 406.

Being a senior is harder than everyone makes it sound.

We had formal on Friday night, here's a quick photo recap (in no particular order) of the event:

My beautiful little sis Lane and I

I'm not sure why, but I have at least 15 pictures like this on my memory card...

My pillars of strength :)
Chi Omega Man

My favorite picture from formal
I won "Most Likely to be Frances" because of my passion for Chi O and following the rules.
I was also captured on film making an extremely attractive face.

Me and my boy

I think they were in the middle of something serious when I insisted on taking a photo

Me and my biological sister
Frances in the flesh!

Friends since Freshman year
We're so cute we took two
Last, but not least me and my grand little (Lane's little sis).
my goodness i'm old

So much more to come....

I hope you're loving the purple dress as much as I was.

bad hair day

2010-04-07T13:00:00.005-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Lately I've been having a love-hate relationship with my hair. I like that it's long enough to put in a ponytail without the use of bobby pins to hold up the stray short hairs underneath, but I dislike the fact that it has no body or volume and looks terrible down. I've been on the fence about cutting it again for the entire semester. I'm not sure if I should grow it out or keep up the short hair. My roommate and I have this discussion every other week. She is of the opinion that I should cut my hair into a bob. Clayton saw an old senior photo from high school and was resolved I let it grow until he saw a Facebook picture with much shorter hair. Now he thinks I should cut it. Most everyone else comments on the sophistication of short hair. The Internet suggests that individuals with round faces (I think that's what I have) have shorter hair. So I guess now the question is, how short? I've done some celebrity research and came up with a few of these photos.

Please comment and tell me what you HONESTLY think!

Here we have Katie Holmes. Love the cut, but is it too short?

Kelly Clarkson, love the length in the front. It doesn't make her face look too round.

Paris Hilton mesmerizes me with her blond hair. Can I pull off the bangs?
Random chick, cute top! I like the layers of this look.
Victoria Beckham, queen bee and bad ass for being able to pull off that back tattoo. Would stacked hair look just as cute on a bare back?
Also these people have pointier chins. Is that an optical illusion from their awesome hair?

This is me and my little sis in Chi Omega Lane (she's gorgeous).
Just a refresher of what I looked like with semi-short hair.
I hope you comment on what you think!

leap of faith

2010-04-05T17:14:00.008-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

This Easter weekend was terribly festive. Mostly because my younger sister Bee was baptized on Saturday during the Easter Vigil service at her parish. Her big sis in our sorority, and one of my best friends Caitie came in addition to Clayton, Emily, Abbey, and myself.The service started with a procession from the basketball courts and playground from the school next door. We each received a candle and one by one they were lit from a holy fire. We walked with them into the parish and to our seats. The effect was almost mesmerizing and magical.

After a few bible readings Father Gary got into the baptismal font.
The large candle was what led the procession into the parish.My sister's baptism! I was so grateful we were in the 5th row to capture it! I made Clayton scoot all the way down so he could get the best shot (thank you hunny). p.s. you may have to tilt your head sideways when watching.

Bee is practically glowing after she changed into her all white garb. David was her sponsor. They are so cute :)

When it is all said and done I am very proud of my little sister. Through the ceremony I was having flashbacks to Easter 2009 when Haleigh announced to our family that she wanted to get baptized the following year. I never thought we would get there, but we did.

I love you baby sister!

I hope you have faith in something.

great fridays

2010-04-05T16:14:00.009-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

This weekend I celebrated Easter to the fullest. After helping set up an event at work on Friday I went to a beautiful Good Friday service at The Casa, a Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Between the two Clayton and I had an itch to get some food. I guess it was more of a hunger pain, but anyway. We didn't really think about it until we ended up at Bethany Home Road and the 51 N. We got off the freeway not expecting to find much when we stumbled upon a cute little market called Luci's Healthy Marketplace.

We were super excited when we found ourselves at a coffee bar/market with roll away doors and specialty foods. We each ordered a garlic bagel with cream cheese, Clayton got his with lox cause he's weird. He also got a coffee, but I didn't because I had already had a large iced white mocha raspberry from Dutch Bros. earlier that morning.

At first we sat at the bar, but then we realized that the actual ordering counter was around the corner. I decided that I will shop at healthy marketplaces designed with cool retro signs when I grow up and make substantially more than I do now.

The delicious coffee that I wasn't allowed to order :)

The garlic bagel with lox... I tried a bite.
It wasn't THAT bad...

My bagel only had cream cheese. yum!
See how excited I was?
The sweet bar that I tried unsuccessfully to order at.

If you're ever in Phoenix or just itching for a place to have a good coffee and a wonderful conversation look no further than Luci's!

I hope your Good Friday was good.

breaking lent

2010-03-31T13:30:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

This past Monday was the end of Lent. Which means that red meat, pork, soda, and coffee are all free game. I can consume those items and not feel guilty. Needless to say I was missing coffee in my life the most so after our Chi Omega meeting my fellow sister Sara and I went to one of the best coffee places ever Dutch Bros. Not only are they awesome for their delicious coffee, but they happened to be having $1.50 off all their large coffees which made them $3.00 each. They must have known it was in need of coffee- in the worst way.

Sara, being the wonderful best friend she is, whipped out her iPhone to capture me in all my glory (apparently you have to "charge" the camera battery in order for it to work. Clayton's still trying to teach me how to work the thing...). Thank goodness for best friends.

This is a shot of me with my beloved white chocolate raspberry mocha iced.And this is me taking my first sip of coffee after what seemed like forever.
(yes, I am equating 40 days to forever.)

I was a little jittery after drinking the entire coffee in 15 minutes and my stomach hurt, but man I was flying. It felt so good to have a coffee in my hand after not having it for so long. It was like being home.

I hope you were good during Lent!

sunday funday

2010-03-28T21:44:00.004-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

LAST Sunday my sisters and I decided to exfoliate our faces and open our pores.

Afterwards our skin was glowing. It glowed and glowed all through Monday too! We thought we were going to break out hard core after a day or two, but after a whole week we haven't! We're going to have to have spa evenings more often. :)

Also, today Chi Omega had an amazing sisterhood event at Kiwanis Indoor Wave Pool put on my by wonderful little Lane. We had Jimmy John's sandwiches for lunch (delicious!) and played "never have I ever" all house style (hilarious!). I wore my J. Crew floppy beach hat, my navy blue sun dress (it has padding in the top so I don't have to wear a bra-score!), and my super cute $8.00 white sandals from Forever 21. I was standing around all nonchalant like when my little approached me and said "Aimee you look very J. Crew today."

If you know me at all you know that my life dream is to live in a J. Crew catalogue (I literally say that every time I walk by the store) so I was completely floored when I received that compliment. It made me feel really good.

I hope you're feeling good.

my magic kingdom

2010-03-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a spring break adventure...

Throughout the entire California trip all I could talk about was Clayton and I taking a picture in Disneyland with Minnie and Mickey Mouse. I wanted to stand by Mickey and Clayton was going to stand by Minnie and it was going to make the perfect Christmas card.

Clayton and I had come back to watch the fireworks show after a much needed nap after a tiring day at Disneyland. Upon re-entering the park we spotted Minnie and Mickey Mouse right by Main Street USA. How perfect! I sprinted to the end of the line only to be informed that no one else was allowed to get in line to get a timeless snapshot with the ever-popular mouse couple. Todd (the man who accompanied the mouse couple and stopped me from joining the back of the picture line) assured me that both Minnie and Mickey would be back in the same area after the fireworks.

After fireworks we wandered over to the same area and waited. and waited. and then we waited some more. Finally Mickey emerged from the magical white swinging doors that always produced idolized Disney characters. I was ecstatic. I quickly jumped third into line to take my photo. After watching a mother struggle with her two kids to stand with Mickey I realized there was one missing component to the equation. Minne Mouse was no where to be seen. As the smiling Todd approached the line I inquired about Ms. Mouse's whereabouts. He answered something vague and general like "she may be out later on in this general area". My heart began to break. It was the last night I was in Disneyland and our tram that whisked us back to the hotel was arriving in 15 minutes. It seemed I was not getting my picture with Mickey and Minnie Mouse after all.
Slowly I wandered toward Main Street USA to make my last minute tourist-y purchases. After finishing all of our shopping was almost finished I left Clayton in a crowded gift shop check out the growing Mickey line to see if by some miracle Minnie had reappeared.

Someone upstairs had been listening. I turned the corner and there standing together was the duo in flesh and blood (or fur and zippers). Again I ran to the end of the line and was allowed to join the gathering crowd for an opportunity to stand next to greatness. After a few minutes of listing off the people in my head that would be receiving a copy of the darling photo about to be taken, Clayton came up behind me and asked "Where's Minnie going?" I craned my neck to see past the group in front of us just in time to see Minnie Mouse exiting the Main Street USA through the swinging white doors leaving Mickey to attend to the crowd.

My heart sank. I knew that Minnie was definitely not coming back out and that Clayton and I had no chance of getting a picture with the enigmatic characters. I fought back tears as my boyfriend grabbed my hand and tried to console me as he walked me out of the park and towards the shuttle stop.

It was then I realized that the magic I had been looking for throughout the happiest place on earth all day was right beside me, guiding me through the darkness and making everything all better.

I hope you find magic in your everyday.

california adventures

2010-03-23T18:11:00.006-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a spring break adventure...

The second day of our trip consisted of waking up early to enjoy the free continental breakfast offered by the hotel (this wasn't just bagels and coffee- there was juice, waffles, eggs, and sausage in addition to the normal free breakfast stuff) and then scurrying to the first theme park visit of our trip: California Adventures. I made Clayton take a picture of me with my ticket before we got into the park.

If you look close you can see Minnie kissing Mickey on my ticket. :)I insisted carrying around a backpack filled with water, snacks, and things
like my nifty camera all day long.The main entrance gift shop had this John Muir quote.

I think that is pretty awesome.Upon exiting the park we took pictures next to our respective letters.

I think it's more than coincidence that the 'C' is next to the 'A'.

The highlights of the park were the California Screamin' roller coaster, the Hollywood Tower of Terror, the Maliboomer, and Soarin' Over California. Collectively we spent four or five hours in the park before becoming sunburned and nauseous from all the thrill rides. After shuttling back to the Meridian Inn we showered and headed to a local restaurant for sushi and Saki bombers.

Overall Feelings of Day 2:
First Day at the Park: awesome
Minnie and Mickey on my ticket: fate
California Screamin': breath taking
Sushi: delicious
Trying to explain to the waiter what a Saki bomb is: ironic

I hope your waiter knows the menu.

lookout california

2010-03-23T17:25:00.009-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a spring break adventure...

For my last undergraduate spring break my boyfriend decided to take me to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland. Lucky me! We started our trip at 6:00 am on Monday morning and after a few minor set backs (we had to put air in the tires, get gas, and turn around after 20 minutes on the road when we realized Clayton forgot his swim trunks at home) we were on our way.After several hours of driving, a Starbucks stop, and a small disagreement over which CD to listen to we hit California. Woo-hoo for us!

Unfortunately we got turned around somewhere towards the end (dang Google directions) and instead of ending up on Huntington Beach we were lost. Thankfully the ever prepared Clayton used a GPS application on his Blackberry to figure where we were. Turns out we were just a few streets away from Newport Beach, so we decided to roll with it. We found parking (everything is metered next to the beach= lame) and a cool pizza shop. We decided to split the lunch combo since we had been snacking on granola bars and breakfast tea all morning.

If you're wondering, yes that is a ton of cheese for that salad. I ended up eating maybe a fourth of the super rich and delicious fresh mozzarella.

After lunch we wandered down to the beach and found an open area to lay our beach towels down. The afternoon was filled with sunbathing, Frisbee, jumping into the waves (that was just me, I found out Clayton doesn't really like the ocean), and attempting to construct a sand castle that ended up looking like a turtle in the end.

The ocean was gorgeous. We should get one in Arizona.

If anything happened, I knew the Frisbee would save me.

This last picture of us on the beach cracks me up. We were trying to get ourselves with the ocean in the background. Clearly we are not great at photographing ourselves in coordination with our setting.

After the beautiful afternoon we set off in search of our hotel. Oddly enough we found that Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are only 10 minutes apart. Thirty-five minutes later we found the Best Western Meridian Inn & Suites. After checking in we were upgraded to a suite room instead of the regular room we booked online. Holla!

Overall Feelings of Day 1
Road trip: entertaining
Lunch: super rich but delicious
Beach: amazing
Room: freakin' sweet
Meeting Clayton's Grandma: a cool yet sad experience
Watching your bf get hit on by a 250 lb. woman in a tight black tube top with painted on eyebrows and bouffant hair at the bar: hilarious

More to come tomorrow!

I hope your break was adventurous.

funky fish friday

2010-03-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

On a count that it's Lent season, and on a count that Haleigh and I wanted to go to lunch on a Friday, and on a count of Clayton's recommendation we decided to try the ever tempting Pete's Fish and Chips on Apache Boulevard near Adelphi.

Let me preface this story by saying that Haleigh and I did not grow up eating seafood. At all. First, we live in Arizona and there is no ocean nearby. Second, our father HATES seafood and thus it was never served in our household. Not even fish sticks.

So we were excited/nervous to try out Pete's, but during Lent you cannot eat any meat (except for fish, which I find kind of weird) so we decided to go for it.
The most important thing about Pete's is that the only form of payment they accept is cash. So after we got there we had to go to the ATM and then go back to Pete's. After that you get to order. You walk up to a window and order. There is no inside. There are tables under a covered patio and tables on the second story of the building. This is important to know because you will want to go when the weather is nice. Not when it's rainy, windy, or freakin' hot.

Along with our food I purchased a shiny "I'm addicted to Pete's Fish and Chips" bumper sticker for $0.50 with optimism that our food would be delicious.Clayton convinced the two of us to order Pete's special including one fish fillet, four shrimp stick things, french fries, two red cocktail sauces, and a fountain drink (we both got lemonade since we gave up soda for Lent). Our food came out pipin' hot and looking quite good.Unfortunately, Haleigh and I were both extremely disappointed with our lunches. I ate my whole plate while Bee was only able to get down half her fish, two of her shrimp sticks, and all of her fries. I really like the cocktail sauce (but who are we kidding, I love ALL sauces) but it was too spicy for my little sister. Our overall review of Pete's is to never go there.
Let me say that Haleigh and I doing a review of this establishment is like a vegan eating at McDonald's. We are not fish connoisseurs so we have no clue what we are talking about. All we know is that it made everyone extremely nauseous for the remainder of the afternoon.

There was one redeeming factor about Pete's Fish and Chips: their ranch. It was the only way we could choke down the mediocre fries served with the deep fried shapes called "fish" and "shrimp". It made us happy.
Besides the ranch the other redeeming thing was that Clayton came with :)

This is him being annoyed at the obscene number of pictures I was taking and me doing a kissy-fish face in honor of the lunch establishment.

I hope there are better options for next Friday.

look out mickey, here i come

2010-03-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

It's official! The tickets have been purchased and reservations have been made...

I AM GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!

Who: Me, duh! and Clayton :)
What: an amazing adventure
When: next week
Where: DISNEYLAND, aren't you paying attention?
Why: Spring Break of course!

Let the countdown commence! I am keeping this short and sweet so I have can print directions to the beach and check the weather!

I hope it's sunny in California!

wednesday= free art

2010-03-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Every Wednesday afternoon from 3-9 pm the Phoenix Art Museum opens their doors and invites the community to visit the museum for free although making a voluntary donation is highly encouraged. The same phenomenon happens during First Friday evenings from 6-10pm. This makes art accessible to everyone in the community. Last Wednesday my little sisters and I made a date to go visit the art museum.

One of the exhibits was this cool looking black bean. It is very similar to the instillation at Millennium Park in Chicago.

The museum happened to be featuring Ansel Adams, a famous American photographer who specialized in photographing the outdoors.

This one was Emily's favorite

Haleigh just wanted a picture with something. She chose this Ansel Adams photograph.

After about an hour of being there Haleigh and Emily were losing patience with the museum rules of being quiet, no running, and turning the flash on the camera off (I still can't figure out how to turn it back on).

We were so obnoxious that the museum had a guard dedicated to following the Williams' girls around making sure we didn't touch, break, or breath on anything.

The best part of visiting the museum (besides the free entrance) was the firefly instillation on the third floor. If you have yet to experience this please make an effort to go and visit. I won't tell you much more about the exhibit except that I happen to think it is magical.

I remember the first time I ever went to see it. Clayton made me cover my eyes and wouldn't let me open them until everything was just right. When I was allowed to open them it took my breath away.

Official Review: The Phoenix Art Museum makes for an awesome time with the absence of admission prices and spectacular displays (can you say cheap date?). Just make sure the crowd you roll with is patient with art.

I hope you take time to appreciate the arts.

advobuddy sing along

2010-03-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a karaoke adventure...

I will keep it short and simple: in order to clench victory in the advobuddy challenge Patty, Brett and I subjected ourselves to humiliation last Tuesday night at Barney's Boathouse to earn 15 points. The three of us teamed up to pull off Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much". It's not the greatest version I've ever heard, but for being dead sober at a bar we sound pretty amazing.

Check out our singing talent here.

My favorite part is the girl on the left of the screen in the blue t-shirt. She was our biggest fan, cheering the whole time and cheers-ing us with her drink.

I hope you let me live this down.

yummy burger shop du wop

2010-03-08T15:38:00.008-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Going to school in downtown Phoenix for most of my life has its perks. For instance you find really AMAZING burger places. My sisters and I have developed a little tradition. Every once and a while Haleigh and I will pick up the younger girls from where we once walked the halls and take them to Lenny's Burger Shop. This epic burger joint is a rare treat for us, but is well worth the wait. The family owned and operated 50's themed diner caters to middle and high school students looking for a treat on weekday afternoons. The fries are always crispy, the ranch is always cold, and the shakes are to die for.
We usually go for an after school snack so we order one (sometimes two depending on how hungry we are) basket of fries, a shake each, and of course tons of ranch! Bee and I love to get chocolate-peanut butter shakes while Emily and Abbey choose from assorted flavors each time. The most recent was a chocolate-strawberry ordered by Emmy. Delicious!I especially recommend trying a burger once you get there, they are unmatched and simply mouth watering! Since Haleigh and I gave up red meat for lent its been hard to resist temptation, but the shakes distract me enough to remember what I'm missing out on. Besides the yummy snack, I get to spend the afternoon with my sisters. :)

they are wonderful

I hope you try Lenny's and make your own family tradition.

you are valuable

2010-03-02T19:00:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Currently obsessed with: Stay Here Forever by Jewel

I do this thing where I start writing down my great ideas for a blog and then I push the "Save Now" button on the bottom of my screen and forget all about. So today when I was putting off working on my GIANT Working Plan of Operation (WPO) project I was scrolling through my list of unpublished blogs. I found one from a few semesters ago (a long freakin' time, I know!) when I was taking PRM 380 with Dr. Megha Budruk. It was mostly me rambling, but I did happen upon this awesome quote:

"when the end of the supply is in sight [do] we 'discover' that the thing is valuable"

-Aldo Leopold

It seems I was going to apply it to non-renewable resources, however today it strikes me a little differently. There were flowers in the office and yummy pastries in the kitchen. I thought we had won department of the week until Eddie told me they were the remnants of a memorial service held for Dr. Frank Sackton, a founder of the College of Public Programs.

Once again I was reminded at how precious life is. In conjunction with the Leopold quote I decided it was my duty to remind everyone to be thankful for the wonderful things in our lives (even if the wonderful things drive us crazy sometimes).

I am thankful for...

my family (and David even though he annoys me sometimes)

my friends

my amazing boyfriend

and among other things...

Filiberto's (cause it's freakin' delicious)

I hope you're counting your blessings.

tulips and theraflu

2010-02-22T15:26:00.005-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Even though today is Monday good things are happening. For instance I have finally hit double digits in followers! (Yay!!! Thank you for reading!) Also, I was sick last week but my symptoms appear to be lessening and vanishing all together. I wasn't sick enough to go see my physician Dr. Wright, but I was pretty miserable complete with a stuffy nose, a deep sexy voice, coughing, and body aches. Clayton was wonderful of course and brought me white tulips on Tuesday night (just as the symptoms were rearing their ugly heads) and a care package of Theraflu (the BEST medicine in the world), Zicam, and tissues on Thursday when I was utterly miserable. It seems the thoughtfulness of Mr. Nelson and a (slightly) restful weekend did the trick!

I say slightly restful weekend because we had a picnic for the members of Devils' Advocates to welcome all the newbies. After our picnic there was a scavenger hunt with the prize being 12 points in the Advobuddy competition (this is where my advobuddy and I have to complete a list of goofy things together in order to accumulate points. The team with the most points win an awesome, not yet decided, prize at the end of March.). This activity required all members of your group to solve a riddle and take a picture in front of the answer, i.e. "you won't find any potties in this old building"- Old Main.

Here's us at our first stop, Grady Gammage Auditorium. We are fired up!

My competitive team mates had us running from A Mountain to the SRC to the MU. Without a doubt we were the most ridiculous looking thing running down University Drive on Saturday afternoon: Patty at the front of the line yelling encouraging statements "Come on guys, I want to win!", Brent (who had just ran a marathon earlier that morning) jogging at the back, Zach catching all of our greatest moments on film with my camera, and me somewhere in the middle clutching onto my cup of Theraflu in one hand and my "to-go" tissues in the other. My group kept insisting that I would sweat my cold out, but I just felt like I was going to pass out.

Losing steam somewhere in the middle , with Old Main in the background.
(Notice I am chugging my Theraflu while simultaneously throwing up a pitchfork)

By the end we are completely exhausted in front of the Sun Card Office in the MU.

The good news is all our hard work payed off, we won! Brett, Patty, and I are now 12 points ahead in the Advobuddy Competition. The pains and aches were worth it, plus I slept pretty soundly that evening.

So who knows if the key to recovery is medicine, exercise, or extreme thoughtfulness. I do know that I am grateful for all three!

I hope the symptoms won't come back.

i'll take my day sunny side up please

2010-02-16T16:36:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

After a crummy day yesterday I really needed something to boost my mood. Ask and you shall receive. Clayton offered to make me breakfast this morning, so I woke up extra early (8:00am doesn't sound bad, but it feels worse) to make sure I had time to get ready before heading over to his house and then onto class. My roommate had curled my hair from the night before and somehow most of it managed to stay curled. I touched up a few pieces in the front, powdered my nose, and added a coat of mascara and voila! I was ready.

Did I mention that the weather happened to be PERFECT for sporting sundresses? Yep, it's official- I broke out my first one today and don't plan to stop until October!

Being absolutely wonderful Clayton not only offered to make breakfast, but also picked me up. We ran by Babeway to get the necessities and then headed back to his house where the cooking would commence.

We decided on omelets, but after a not-so-successful flip it turned into scrambled eggs.
Despite the small disaster, it was DELICIOUS! Here's the recipe:

3 eggs
1 dash of milk
1 dash of butter (melted)
1/4 of a green bell pepper (or as much as you desire) chopped
1/4 of a yellow onion (again based on preference) diced
1/4 of a small Roma tomato (as much as you like...) diced
1 clove of garlic minced
spinach (you know the drill... add to your taste)
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (we used Monterrey jack cheddar)
1/2 avocado sliced
splash of olive oil

1. Mix eggs, milk, and butter in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Saute onions, bell peppers, and garlic in olive oil until onions begin to brown.
3. Add onion and bell pepper mixture to eggs.
4. Over medium heat, cook egg mixture. Avoid stirring to allow the bottom of the omelet to cook.
5. Once the edges look like they are cooked add in spinach and tomato. Allow egg mixture to complete cook on bottom.
6. (This is where things went all wrong for us) Flip the egg mixture over with a spatula and cook the other side for an even amount of time.
7. Sprinkle cheese and avocado slices, fold in half, serve and enjoy!

I suggest consuming this breakfast with salsa, it's the perfect compliment. We accompanied it with buttered toast and half a banana, but bacon or potatoes would be great too!

I hope you made time for breakfast.

the road to redemption

2010-02-15T12:39:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

If you know me, you know I am somewhat of a caffeine addict. It started getting serious when my head would start off with a dull constant pain in the back of my head and work its way to my temples gaining momentum until it was a full on thrashing headache. I would wonder (almost always out loud) why I was getting these constant, inconvenient episodes. It wasn't until the oh-so-clever Clayton pointed out to me that they always came on if I didn't drink a coffee or tea to start my day. Psh... I am not THAT bad, I would assure him. Of course the pain would always subside after sipping on a mocha or an earl grey tea.

Simultaneously, my sister Bee is preparing to become baptized into the Catholic church. Before Easter comes Lent, it is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption (learn more here). In absolute awe of her faith I decided to support my little sister and observe Lent with her. We decided to give up red meat (this is because we couldn't get enough protein if we went completely vegetarian leading our college lives) and soda (in hopes to lose weight). I decided it was as good a time as ever to stop drinking coffee to rid myself of any forming caffeine addiction.

Some days are harder than others. I still wake up and crave the taste of the warm, sweet liquid against my lips. (I did however, not give up tea in the event of an emergency. Only emergencies.) My coffee maker has accumulated dust and the creamer in my fridge has expired. The only reason I use my ridiculously cute owl mug is to sip warm liquids such as Theraflu.

Right now, I REALLY want a raspberry, white chocolate mocha from Dutch Bros. I can't give in until March 29th when Lent is over.

So I'm just going to do something productive every time I crave a coffee.

I hope this works.

st. valentine stole my heart

2010-02-15T12:06:00.005-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure....

Aimee- Valentine's Day is a silly holiday. No one should spend more than $10.00 on a gift. It's supposed to be corny and funny.
Clayton- Yeah, it's about being with each other.

You have to imagine how completely surprised and absolutely floored I was when he gave me my Valentine's Day goodies comprised of two cheese sticks and one brand new Nikon Coolpix camera!!!!

It has a million and one features, all of which I have no idea how to use. Clayton seemed kind of annoyed that when people asked I kept saying it had 12 pixels. Apparently its 12 MEGA pixels. The point is, is that he definitely went above and beyond the $10.00 spending limit. But I am extremely thankful. He knew how much I wanted one to start documenting my life and spicing up my blog.

He is wonderful.

The camera came wrapped in paper he decorated himself. On it are love poems, hearts, and a tie-dye segment with my name embedded into it.

I'm in way over my head.

Despite being completely shocked I stuck with my (much) smaller gift, a love care package. It was filled with homemade cookies, his favorite gum, The Little Rascals movie, and a book called I Like You by Sandol Stoddard. It was wrapped in a red, white, and pink box covered in patterned hearts.

The book was my favorite part. I read it to him out loud. One of my favorite excerpts:

"I like you because
When I tell you something special
You know it's special
And you remember it
A long long time

You say
Remember when you told me
Something special

And both of us remember"

I hope St. Valentine was good to you this year.

what did he just say?!

2010-02-10T15:43:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

If you listen to the radio you've undoubtedly heard the new hit single "Bedrock" by Young Money featuring Lloyd. The song is currently in the #3 spot on the Hot 100 list according to Billboard. If you happen to know me personally, you've seen me dancing around singing the ridiculous lyrics driving everyone around me totally insane. With charming lyrics such as

"...Ooh, Baby, I Be Stuck To You, Like Glue Baby, Wanna Spend It All On You, Baby, My Room Is The G Spot, Call Me Mr. Flintstone, I Can Make Your Bed Rock..."

I can't imagine why my Mother is disgusted, my sister's annoyed, and me brain washed.

I was humming along to the radio in my head (I was making Clayton crazy) while I was doing my hair today. I stepped back to admire my work and realized I had Wilma Flintstone hair (minus the sweet bone necklace).

Shocked at how the power of my own singing took over my hair-do I vowed never to sing the inappropriate lyrics while doing anything important- especially getting ready for Chi Omega's Valentine's Date Party this weekend.

Meanwhile I can be found running around UCENT bopping along to the tune in my head rockin' my Flintstone hair.

I hope you're having a good hair day.

blog of the week: favorite class

2010-02-09T21:11:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

This week's blog topic in the office is focused on the best class each of us have ever taken at ASU. Easy. ASB 353 Death and Dying in a Cross-Cultural Prospective was one of the most enjoyable classes I have ever taken. The class pushed me to become more open and accepting while learning about the death ways of American culture as well as many others around the globe. The instructor was so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject that going to class was viewed as a reward rather than a nuisance and completing homework assignments were exciting projects to look forward to.

I remember going into the class thinking I would never survive, as it was my first upper division class I had ever taken at Arizona State and I was only in my first semester of my sophomore year. Despite my self doubt I received more points than were possible in the class (thanks to extra credit opportunities) and I earned an A+ for the course. I don't want to lie and say that the class was easy, weekly readings and essay tests kept me constantly busy however the reward and satisfaction at the end of the class was worth it. For the first time I began to realize the importance of education and it's impact on my life.

I hope you're getting your money's worth.

weekend recap

2010-02-08T15:14:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I feel as if I have bee a little MIA this week, but it's only because I've been so busy! Here's what I've been up to:

Friday:

I got to meet up with Barb Gallagher a CTRS in the field who works with the behavioral unit at St. Luke's in Phoenix. After a tour of the facility and a quick Q&A she told me her department would love it if I could come volunteer! I am so excited.

Since it was the first Friday of the month I met up with a group of friends and took the light rail downtown to participate in the Phoenix art tradition of First Friday's. We got to check out some cool local art, yummy food, and even a few small bars. One of our favorite drink spots is The Roosevelt because they specialize in beer and wine and have AMAZING panini sandwiches. We also got a chance to visit a new bar called the Lost Leaf. Similar to The Roosevelt, the Lost Leaf specializes in beers but only serves bottles. Both are converted from old homes and have a warm atmosphere. The night was a great success!

Saturday:

My Mom's boyfriend Mike offered to take her, my sisters Emily and Bee, Clayton (that's PDF's real name, p.s. he's no longer my "potential" dating future- he pretty much IS my dating future) and I to lunch. How sweet! The one drawback was (at least I thought it was) was that we went to Joe's Crab Shack. Now I know many of you are thinking "what is she complaining about?" but I've always had an aversion to seafood, some thing I attribute to three scarring seafood experiences and my Dad. On the upside they gave us super cool napkin things to wear around our neck's and neat-o contraptions to get the crab/lobster meat our of the shells.

I ended up feeling nauseous the entire meal and refused to touch the actual shellfish, but it was a great experience overall and a hilarious bonding session. Thanks Mike!!!

Sunday:

It was one of my Chi Omega sister's 21st birthday so after the Super Bowl a few of us met up to prepare for the birthday festivities. It was then when I received one of the most endearing compliments I have ever been bestowed with.
s: you look so cute!
a: thanks!
s: but seriously, every time I see you, you look adorable. you remind me of someone...
a: wow, thanks Sam!
s: TWIGGY, that's it, you remind me of her- such a fashion icon!
Samantha walked away but I was frozen with shock. I reminded someone of Twiggy?! The top model of the 1960's and amazing fashion icon?! I'm still floating on cloud nine.

I hope your weekend was wonderful.

blog of the week

2010-02-03T13:28:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Here in the StAR's office we are reviving an old tradition I like to call "Blog of the Week". This week we were posed with this question: what are you excited for/dreading most about this semester of classes?

Personally, I am excited that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is my last semester of coursework before I start my internship in the fall. I am excited for both of my therapeutic recreation classes, because I know I will be learning tons of useful information in both. However, I am also scared to death of doing a terrible job.

I will be completing 100 CFE hours this semester as well, and I am looking forward to volunteering (cross your fingers) with St. Luke's Medical Center and Hospice of the Valley. I hope that these opportunities will guide me in the right direction for internships and ultimately a career.

My roommate just got back from studying abroad in Spain, so I am looking forward to sharing a room with her and getting to know her much better!

I am not looking forward to having to say goodbye to my Chi Omega sisters at the end of the semester, or to giving my last tour for Devils' Advocates. Doing these things will be harder than any project or paper I have ever completed.

What are you excited about/dreading this semester?

I'm hoping for the best semester yet.

merried?

2010-02-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I cannot focus. My motivation has taken a hiatus. I crave to crawl in to my extra long twin bed in Adelphi and pull my softy owl blanket over my head. For me, this usually indicates something is wrong.

My heart is broken.

The perpetrator of these types of situations tend to be a younger, scrawny male. Unfortunately, I have never dealt with this type of situation before. I tried to ignore it, refused to acknowledge it, and pretended to downplay it. Nothing worked, so I'm just going to get it off my chest- this will be the only time I mention it.

My Dad and the terrible-stepmother-to-be got married. Six months ago. Apparently everyone on my Father's side of the family knew. Everyone except Aimee, Haleigh, Emily, and Abbey. I wish it was because they forgot to tell us, but it was on purpose.

I haven't talked to my Dad since my intoxicated Aunt spilled the beans at a dive bar over karaoke, except an email and text message to ask about my new insurance card.

Some people think I'm overreacting.

Others think I should try to salvage some sort of relationship.

"That's immature" my Dad's family says.

"It's not that big of a deal" my cousin assured me.

My Dad has successfully made me feel this big.

It's not even that he came to see me and tell me he is sorry. It's not even that he sent me a letter to say how sorry he is. It's not even that he left a voice mail (you wouldn't have answered the phone either) to admit he is sorry. It's that he sent me a rude, sarcastic text message:

"I already told your sisters so you don't have to worry about telling them tomorrow. I really appreciate you and Haleigh understanding and being supportive.....(sarcasm). I love you anyway."

I'm still kind of confused about how to feel. Hopefully my softy owl blanket will help.

I hope my family stops lying.

Day 13

2010-02-01T15:47:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Order of business #1:

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!!!

and now for the spring break shape update:

I've been better this week! While I haven't gotten to the Y as much as I wanted I've been choosing healthier eating options. Kind of. At the grocery store I purchased rice cakes instead of brownies and cheese instead of popcorn. Also, I haven't had any fast food since the update last week! I'm still working on either giving up coffee (gasp!) or switching to a healthier option full time (most likely tea).

After my swim this morning I couldn't help but smile as I overheard the following convo:
( and yes, these are their real names)

Ethel: (in a sassy southern accent) I could not believe Julio this mornin'!
Mary Anne: I know, he never listens. After you got out he passed out two more times.
Ethel: Well, he's not supposed to sit in that hot tub for more 'an 15 minutes. That's probably why.
Mary Anne: It's just ridiculous.
Ethel: Ridiculous? Yes. This swim suit is also ridiculous. Magda was supposed to come by with her old one this past weekend but she never came. She was gonna to give it to me seeing as how it doesn't fit her since she lost all that weight.
Ellen: (from across the room) What size are you?
Ethel: I'm usually a 20, but sometimes I can squeeze into an 18.
Mary Anne: Well you know what? I was watching a TV show this weekend and they said we should take our clothes and cut all the tags out of them. Size shouldn't matter. Just wear what fits.

A murmur of "amen" broke out among the women's locker room and the gossiping continued.

I think Mary Anne was on to something. As long as we're healthy we should love our bodies despite our tags and the number that rings up when we step on a scale. As long as it looks good, rock it!

I can't wait for the post-water aerobics gossip next week :)

I hope you're loving your body.

cheesed

2010-01-27T11:39:00.002-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

You know what really gets me? Is that every time I go to Dunkin Donuts I order a coffee and I ask for cream and sugar and it's always bitter no matter how many they add. And that when I'm getting ready in the morning and I'm clearly not dilly dallying and PDF says "we really need to leave soon..." and then I get all flustered and try to hurry when really we don't need to be in any sort of rush at all. Or when my alarm clock goes off at 6:30am so I can get up to go to the gym and instead of hitting "snooze" I hit "off" and I wake up late. That just really irritates me.

Whew! My ranting is over, I just needed to get it off my chest.

I hope I find better coffee soon.

defining real life

2010-01-26T21:09:00.012-07:00

It has come to my attention that some terms in my vocabulary are not universally used. So without further delay:

A list of terms to help define my real life adventures....

Advobuddy- this is equivalent to a little brother or little sister in Devils' Advocates. My "big" is the amazing Patty, and my "lil" bro is the fabulous Brett.

Advobuddy Challenge- various tasks Patty, Brett, and I must complete in order to win an amazing prize that is to be determined. Tasks include but are not limited to: seeing a movie together, attending Devils' Advocates events, winning a scavenger hunt, and singing karaoke.

Babeway- also known as the Safeway on the north east corner of Broadway and Rural. Every time I'm in there I spot the HOTTEST guys! Not to mention many of my comrades who live in the area also acknowledge this to be true. Everyone knows that if they want a little eye candy to go with their groceries to hit up this supermarket. Don't forget to do your hair, just in case you get the courage to ask for his number.

Bee- the nickname for my baby sister of about two and half years also referred to as Haleigh. She is awesome and beautiful. I hope to be just like her when I grow up.

CFE- a mandated 200 volunteer hours by the School of Community Resources and Development titled Career Field Exploration hours in which I (and all SCRD) students must complete before graduation.

Chi Omega- a greek organization on the ASU Campus of which I am affiliated with. I have served on the exec board for two years and lived in the house for three. My best friends are Chi Omegas and so is my baby sister!

Devils' Advocates- a paraprofessional volunteer student organization on ASU's campus committed to giving tours to prospective students. They are most often recognized as "the kids who wear white polo's and walk around backwards on campus". I have been giving tours since Fall 2007.

Dinosaur- the pet name I have given my laptop due to the length of its existence. It was manufactured in 1998 and has a Pentium processor. Yep folks, just a regular Pentium. Although he is old and somewhat slow (I can't open Internet Explorer and run Itunes at the same time) I have somehow found a patience for him.

Panhellenic- national panhellenic council. This is the council of which Chi Omega belongs to along with 11 other social sororities on ASU's campus. The council unites the many organizations and plans community events, recruitment events, as well as guidelines and rules to follow.

PDF- potential dating future. I met a boy in early December of 2009 and we've been pretty much inseperable since. He is Wonderful. :)

PRSA- parks and recreation student association. A student association on the Downtown Campus associated with my major. I was the secretary for the 2008-2009 school year and president for the fall of 2009.

Psi Epsilon- the Chi Omega Chapter name at ASU sometimes referred to as Psi Ep. With over 175 different chapters across the nation, there has to be some way to tell us apart.

Stats- statistics. It was PRM 402 that I took in the fall of 2009. The class was at 7:30am on the Downtown Campus. Needless to say there was much caffeine involved.

Terrible-Stepmother-To-Be- the name I used to refer to my Dad's fiance until my intoxicated Aunt told me that they had already gotten married. Her title has only been changed by dropping the "-to-be" part of her former name.

TR- therapeutic recreation. I am in the parks and recreation management program at ASU's Downtown Campus and I am specializing in therapeutic recreation which means I will get to help mentally and physically disabled individuals through rehabilition by means of recreation. Woot Woot!

I hope this helps.

love your loved ones

2010-01-26T13:14:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is an (unpleasant) real life adventure...

Last week I was hanging out with the beloved PDF when he received a phone call. I can't remember who called him, but one of his neighbors with whom he spent a majority of his childhood was brain dead in the hospital on life support. Apparently she had taken a bottle of pills earlier that day in an attempt to commit suicide. The family decided to discontinue the use of life support.

There would be no funeral, but a celebration of her life the following Saturday at her home next door to the Nelson (PDF's) household. I was asked to attend with the family. I decided to do the most classy Audrey Hepburn-ish thing possible. I pulled my hair back, applied waterproof mascara, dressed in black, and put a handkerchief in my handbag. Before leaving my Aunt Lani warned me not to try and make any jokes, suggest any games, or tell any stories (see birthday ruiner). "As a matter of fact, just loop your arm through his and keep your lips shut" she advised me. Good advice.

The day was a chilly, overcast one like today. I was running late (like always) and the memorial service had already started once PDF, his brother, and I walked next door. Eyes followed the three of us as we made our way across the living room to where the rest of the family had assembled. The remaining part of the service we were in attendance for was surely the most heart wrenching. The surviving brother spoke first barely choking out words to describe their childhood memories and the sudden void in his life. Her mother spoke and wondered aloud if she had been home if her daughter would have made the decision to take her own life. Her grandmother spoke about a memory from a few years before involving her grandfather. Her sister-in-law spoke about her zest for life and love of others. Lastly, her friends filled the room with her hobbies, traits, and memories.

Although I didn't know the family or the victim of her own selfish action I couldn't help but recall attending funeral services for those I did. It reminded me exactly how fragile life can be and that each day should be lived to the fullest rather than wasting it on resentment, anger, or fear. In futile attempts to avoid small talk I let my mind wander to the things I would do today if I were to die tomorrow.

1.Tell my loved ones they were loved
2. Skydive
3. Call my Dad

My list was quickly interrupted when the strong boy I was clutching on to began to tear up. My heart sank and I silently wished to never have be in this situation again.

I hope you live each day to the fullest.

spring semester line up

2010-01-26T12:59:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

In desperate need of a 3 hour upper division credit I enrolled myself in WSH 421 Girlhood and Adolescence at the end of the week last week. It's a T/TH class so unfortunately I missed the first two class periods, but after attending today I will never miss another lecture. It was phenomenal. I really enjoy the topics we discussed and the themes and ideologies that went along with the subject. This is one textbook I cannot wait to purchase. Doing the homework for this class will in fact be exciting. I'm glad I have found at least one class to get excited about.

On a different note I am becoming more and more nervous about my final TR courses I am taking. One is a hybrid class that meets on Tuesday afternoons (I really like this) and the other is completely online. The online education system scares me. Mostly because classes I have taken online previously have not been essential to my major or challenging in any way. Last semester two of my key TR courses were online and I did moderately well in one class and just awful in the other. I am afraid of being tossed into an internship with hardly any knowledge of the subject simply because I can't navigate Blackboard.

My other class I am taking is PRM 401 with Dr. Yoshioka. This M/W afternoon class is going to be my biggest challenge in the sense of staying awake. I have established a routine of going to the gym on M/W mornings with lunch following. After sweating at the gym and filling my belly with (mostly) health foods I find myself nodding off to the incessant chatter of the instructor. I do hope the course content gets more exciting. Perhaps I will utilize this class time to write about my ridiculous adventures.....

In the meanwhile I am trying to figure out a schedule that allows for an adequate amount of time to complete my homework and readings, blog and do office hours, go to the gym, and goof off.

I guess since I am committed to these classes I should probably go ahead and buy the books.

I hope you didn't procrastinate purchasing educational literature like myself!

Day 6

2010-01-25T13:08:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

My arms are sore and my legs shake when I walk. Today's workout was successful, but I haven't been taking my exercising/eating healthier plan seriously. The last week has been spent recovering from my intense swim workout and consuming fatty foods. Today I am getting serious. I am so excited that PDF not only supports my workout plan, but actually accompanies me to the YMCA on Mondays and Wednesdays. Yay!

Exercise

I spent a half hour on the treadmill today as well as 20 minutes or so on a mat working my abs and stretching out.

5:27- I am running at 6 mph. Some morning show is on and the host has the tiniest legs I have ever seen. They are twigs. Literally. I can feel mine giggling and shaking with every step. I hate her.

5:29- (Still running at 6 mph) PDF notices my disgust for the TV Show host and comments on her legs. They are gross and too skinny he says. I love him.

10:00- I have reduced my speed to 5.5 mph for fear of a heart attack. I am completely drenched in sweat and i can hear my heart pulsing in my ears.

12:00- (Still running at 5.5 mph) I now know why everyone brings their Ipod to the gym. It's so you can tune out the sound of your own panting.

17:00- (Barely running at 5.5 mph) These stupid gym shorts keep riding up. I have found a rhythm of pull my shorts out of my butt, take three steps, and do it again.

25:00- I have reduced my speed yet again to 5.0 mph. I am starting to see black spots.

27:00- People walking by are staring. I think my face must be beat red, or I look like I'm about to pass out or something.

30:00 (Chugging along at 5.0 mph) The machine tricked me! I ran, panted, and sweat for a half hour and now it added 5 minutes for a "cool down". This is absurd. I want to speak to a manager.

31:00- The machine automatically reduced the speed to 4.5 mph. I guess this isn't so bad.

32:00- Down to 4.0 mph. I am performing a quick paced walk/awkward jog maneuver.

33:00- 3.5 mph. I am starting to hear other noises besides my heart. I think the gentlemen next to me just uttered something in my direction, but I cannot make it out.

34:00- 3.0 mph. I am comfortably walking. I can see how a cool down is effective...

35:00- 2.5 mph. PDF has come to save me from this wretched machine. Thank God.

Diet
Breakfast- I was at the gym
Lunch- Although it had Parmesan cheese, dressing, and croutons I had a chicken Caesar salad for lunch with a pita. It was delicious and healthier than the gyro I watched my counterpart eat.
Dinner- Sushi at Ra! I had a Tootsy Maki roll and half of a Viva Las Vegas roll. Yum!
Late Night Snack- Two oatmeal stouts from 4 Peaks Brewery and a 100 Grand candy bar.

Okay, so it's not great but it's better than McDonald's!

I hope you are achieving your goals.

spring break shape

2010-01-20T15:13:00.005-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

After weighing in last year at 10lbs OVER my ideal weight when Spring Break rolled around I've decided to get into shape before embarrassing myself in a bikini. I do not like the idea of crash dieting (although I did manage to lose over 10lbs in 10 days after having my tonsils removed) so I am setting out on my weight loss/toning adventure on a healthy note. This means I will achieve (let's keep our fingers crossed) my goal weight through means of exercise and healthy eating. Here goes....

Day 1

Exercise:

Went to the Downtown YMCA and had 45 minutes before class to get my heart rate above 90 beats per minute. I ended up swimming 1650 meters (about a mile). I attempted this (partially) through swimming 15 x 50m on a minute. For those of you who do not speak swim coach (don't feel bad, I just learned this past summer) that means you swim 50 meters (at the Y it's down and back) in a minute or less fifteen times in a row, or in 15 minutes. I went something like this:

1x50- Oooh... this water is chilly (this becomes apparent to the entire pool).
2x50- Warmin' up, and it feels good.
3x50- Wow! I'm making it down and back in 50 seconds this is going to be easier than I thought!
4x50- Too much warmin' up.... I think I just pulled something.
5x50- Mister Man just asked to share my lane. Of course! I say, after all I am a good sharer.
6x50- Whew! Was that four or five?
7x50- Not as fast as I thought.... gettin' kinda tired. Mister Man is literally a Swim Master. His goggles are shiny, his speedo is tiny. He makes me look dumb.
8x50- NEED AIR, I can't breathe due to my hair falling out of it's pony tail.
9x50- My thighs have turned to jello and cannot kick...I am sinking. Swim Master has moved lanes, perhaps he did not appreciate my slower pace.
10x50- Pretty sure the lifeguard almost jumped in after me.
11x50- Forget the minute mark, I'll be lucky if I make it down and back in 2 minutes.
12x50- Pain is pulsating through my body, my ears are buzzing, I am blinded by my bangs. Swim Master is making waves in the water with his speed. This makes me motion sick.
13x50- Doggy paddling counts as a stroke, right?
14x50- One more, concentrate Aimee.
15x50- Is that my bobby pin floating on the bottom of the pool?!

Diet:
Breakfast- 2 pieces of toast slathered with butter and jam on one and butter and cinammon sugar on the other. 1 cup of coffee with three cremes and two sugars.
Lunch- I was in the freakin' pool.
Mid-Afternoon Snack- Hot'n'Spicy Chicken sandwich from McDonald's w/o mayo and added Mac Sauce and some of my sister's french fries.
Dinner- A barrage of Golden State, Spicy Tuna, and California rolls from Sushi 101, along with some edamame. Water to drink.
Late-Night Snack- Medium Reese's Blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Okay, so I don't have the diet thing down but at least I hit the gym. And drank mostly water. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon.

I hope your will power is stronger than mine.

unworthy

2010-01-14T12:55:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

There I was feeling down on myself for royally screwing up my life when my close friends assured me that having less responsibility is for the best. I would have more time to focus on academia, I could enjoy my final semester at ASU, and I would be less stressed. Although I wasn't happy, things were sounding better. At least I had the support of my friends, family, and the cute boy I'm dating (PDF). I was getting a hold of the silver lining in my little rainstorm when a hurricane came and rocked my world.

As fate would have it, I am being asked to step down from my position as President because there are an abundance of other students who are looking to get involved. Additionally, I have lost my research project because there are other students who can work more effectively on a time line. Turns out "other students" is just a code word for my Potential Dating Future. That's right folks, the boy I am dating has inadvertently stolen my presidency, my research project, and my heart.

The worst part is that he isn't doing any of these things intentionally. He didn't plot to have me removed as President or menacingly steal my project. He was just himself. Intelligent, passionate, committed, honorable, and trustworthy among a million other things (No wonder I am dating him, he's a catch!). It's just hard to know that the person who is better than you is your secret-keeper and partner in crime, the one holding your hand.

With my confidence shattered and my morale completely missing I can hardly stomach being in his presence much less attempting to converse with him. All I can think about is how I am not good enough, how I directly do not measure up to him.

Have you ever walked into a party with your potluck dish of macaroni salad in your lucky tube socks all ready to win the potato sack race only to realize it's a cocktail party? It kinda feels like that.

On our way downtown this morning it was all I could do to fight back tears as feelings of inferiority and sheer stupidity washed over me. It was then I began to notice how mismatched we are. There I was waiting for the train with smudged glasses, bad breath (despite brushing my teeth 3 times), sticky-out hair, and a baggy hoody (a result of being up for a portion of the night vomiting my guts out with food poisoning) holding the hand of a boy who had undoubtedly showered and was dressed in casual business attire looking flawless. On the train he was reading Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking which Wikipedia says "popularizes research from psychology and behavioral economics on the adaptive unconscious"(what the heck does that mean, anyway?) while I was struggling to sit up straight. Checking out at Circle K I grabbed a water and strawberry-kiwi Gatorade while he purchased a USA Today and a black coffee. He talked about the hurricane in Haiti and the importance of the assistance from the American government, I have difficulty pronouncing the word Haiti correctly.

I can't tell if my thought process is at all being altered by my tendency to become irrational after little to no sleep and low blood sugar. Most likely. I wonder if the feeling of inadequacy will dispel or if I will continually harbor my inferiority of the ironic situation at hand ultimately resulting in resentment and anger ruining any relationship we may have cultivated.

I do know that I will not be able to help foster a healthy relationship if I constantly feel less sophisticated, mature, and put-together along with seeming totally incompetent. It would be like dating Audrey Hepburn.

I think I need lunch.

I hope the nausea dissipates soon.

walking disaster

2010-01-13T13:27:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Incompetent. Disappointment. Failure.

This is what I've become.

Somewhere between overachieving junior year and now I lost my grip on my grades, my level of involvement, my love life, and my sanity. Piecing me back together is going to be harder than I thought.

One of my advisors for the PRSA sent me several emails over the course of the semester last fall. It demonstrated his concern for my ability to lead the student group and in the last email I received I was asked to step down from my position as President of the club.

The boy I was seeing broke up with me via text message because he was unable to commit the time to a relationship. Also, I deserved someone better than him. Things would be different IF... and he goes on to list several things that are irrelevant and unimportant.

This morning I received an email from one of my professors informing me that we would no longer be working on our research project together. I was unable to meet a deadline which has resulted in the loss of my undergraduate research opportunity with one of the greatest educators I will ever know.

As I try to grasp what are now the shambles of my life I can't help but wonder how the hell this all happened. I'm sure senioritis had a hand in it. Taking 17 credit hours, working 2 jobs, serving on the executive board of 2 organizations and completing a research project just didn't mix in well with dating someone full time and being a Greek socialite.

I am a firm believer in fate and that everything happens for a reason, however this time I feel like a lack of effort on my part has resulted in an undesirable position. I have to own up to the fact that I was unproductive and ineffective. Not only am I disappointed that I have lost my research project and will have to step down as President, I am disheartened that I was dating someone that deemed it appropriate to end our relationship via text message. I should have more self respect than that.

I'm not quite ready to move on and discuss how much stress has been lifted from my shoulders. Or how much time I will have to focus on my studies or pick up a new hobby. Or that I will be able to enjoy my last semester at ASU worry free.

Instead I will discern what can be salvaged and stare at the remains in shock.

I hope your day is better than mine.

rules to live by

2010-01-12T14:21:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

I was just accosted by the strangest man on the light rail. He was wearing a suit and had a booger hanging out of his right nostril. He was touchy-feely and creepily flirty. He was over-confident and told contradicting stories with BIG holes.

I have spent the last year riding the light rail multiple times a week at various times of the day. Needless to say I have come across more than my fair share of homeless, insane, or just plain awkward individuals. This man, was by far both the smelliest and most persistent.

I am polite, but not dumb. I smiled my toothy grin at his lame jokes and pretended to seem impressed when he bragged about owning two businesses, being a bio-chemical engineer, and a returning student (uh-huh).

He thought he had me hooked. He thought I was going to give him my "digits" as he called it. But at the last second I whipped out the best line I could think of.

I'm sorry, I don't give my number to boys I meet on the light rail.

(This is always true, with exception to super cute boys who are not creepy.)

So he gave me his "digits" and his name with the hope that I would be friend requesting him on Facebook. Psh.

Upon exiting the train I gave myself kudos for getting out of a weird-o situation without seeming rude or lying (too much) despite the overwhelming stench of body odor and distraction of the booger.

I hope you are respecting personal boundaries.

the birthday ruiner

2010-01-12T13:35:00.003-07:00

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Since the beginning I have ALWAYS been a perfectionist. ALWAYS. If everything isn't just right my heart races, my stomach churns, and my right eye twitches. I think it has something to do with my obsessive-compulsive, controlling personality. Whatever. As a result I usually strive for over-the-top all the time. Especially for birthdays.

I have been dating my prospective dating future (PDF) for about five unofficial weeks. So it's looking pretty good. Last Friday was his birthday. I wanted to make it REALLY special so he will keep liking me. I worked really hard on designing a crossword puzzle and with the help of this sweet site I was able to make a custom crossword. (PDF and I like to do crossword puzzles together, so I thought it would be awesome if I made a puzzle about him and I.) I also spent an entire afternoon writing a really nice letter in my best cursive handwriting and doodling stars all over. I even found the book he REALLY wanted at Barnes and Noble and wrapped it pretty with a big bow for him.

*It was perfect*

But then disaster struck at dinner...

I couldn't be happy with just the *perfect* present. I curled my hair fancy and wore my favorite black cotton dress from Banana Republic. Bee's black beaded flats and Momma's black shawl made the outfit perfect. At dinner we laughed, gushed over the good food, and cheered "Happy Birthday". Everything was going great. That's when the idea popped in my head. The idea that I THOUGHT would turn out wonderfully that ended blowing up in my face. In an effort to seem charming and funny and thoughtful I suggested that each person at the table share a favorite memory of PDF. Everyone thought this was a good idea and PDF's Mom went first.

The way I saw this playing out in my head was that each person would share a funny and possibly embarrassing story (not pooped your pants embarrassing, but fell down the stairs embarrassing) and everyone would laugh. But his Mom started telling the table about the very last time PDF addressed his group in drum core (yes, PDF is a band geek- one of the many qualities I am attracted to). It was so intense that she started to cry at the table.

AND THEN HE STARTED TEARING UP TOO.

This is one of those "all downhill from here" stories. Right after that his Dad talked about the very last inning he ever coached his little league team and how proud he was. His Dad started to get bleary-eyed. In an instant we had gone from a cheery, excited setting to crying over a few coming of age tales. PDF's BFF looked across the table at me like I was a complete moron for making the parents, grandma, and the birthday boy cry. Thankfully he pulled out a hilarious story (one I was hoping everyone would share) and salvaged part of the evening.

I was last to go, and instead of being able to tell the cute story I had rehearsed in my head I was so nervous I ended up stammering something about eating my burned food. LAME. In an effort to to be cute and fun I only portrayed myself as a weird-o, birthday ruiner.

Needless to say I've been nauseated ever since.

I hope you are better at impressing possible future in-laws.