Top 10 Things in my Future

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm so done with work. All I can think of are the fun things I have planned in the near future. Here are the top 10 things I'm excited for, in no particular order:

1. Family - Kyle, Megan, and Amelia are coming into town this weekend. I haven't seen them for awhile so I'm pretty excited. We shall see how big Lil' Mil' has grown.
   
   
2. Arizona - I'm going to Arizona in 10 short days. My time in Arizona is split doing one of three things - laying out and reading by the pool, going to baseball games, and watching movies. Can you think of any better ways to spend your time? I know, I can't.
   
   
3. Baseball - I know it was already covered, but it needs to be mentioned all by itself. I have desperately missed Chase Field. It's one of my favorite places on Earth. I love the people, the hot dogs, and of course, the baseball. Ten more days until I'm once again wandering the stadium's corridors. I have tickets to two upcoming games - Diamondbacks vs. The Giants. I'm way excited. I love the Diamondbacks out of loyalty, but love The Giants out of awesomeness. I'm crossing my fingers, in hopes that Lincecum is up to pitch during one of the games and that Posey hits it into the pool.
   
   
4. Europe - Nine more weeks 'til I board a plane and set off for two wonderful weeks abroad. Destination - Italy and Greece. I love Italy and Greece. They are my favorite vacation destinations!! Last time I went I spent 10 days in Italy and 4 days in Greece. This time, I'm switching it and plan on spending 4 days in Italy and 10 days in Greece. No new sites are planned for Italy (St. Peters, Sistine Chapel, Coliseum, Pompeii), but I have lots of new sites planned for Greece (most excited for Rhodes and Santorini).
   
   
5. Sleeping In and Watching TV- I love not working. Most of the days during my summer are nicely planned and scheduled, but there are quite a few that are not. On those days I sleep in and spend the entire day in my pjs lounging on the couch. I'm looking for a good TV series to watch this summer. Last summer, I re-watched all six seasons of LOST. This year I'm thinking of re-watching The X-Files or maybe something new like, Greek. Any suggestions?
   
   
6. Ruth - My annual trip to see one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world!! Spending time with her uplifts my soul. I spend the entire week laughing and have a permanent smile on my face while I'm in her presence. Plus, she's in Hershey, PA and that entire town smells like chocolate. Sweet!! (Literally)
   
   
7. Home Improvement Projects - I've been in my house for over 5 years. During that time, I've accumulated a lot of junk. This summer I want to de-junk my house, organizing my storage room, garage, office, and craft closet. Lots of work, but since I love to organize, this is going to be fun!!
   
   
8. Baseball, again. I know, I know, I already mentioned it, but my dad and I are going to this year's MLB All-Star Game!! First of all, I love that I'm going with my dad. He's the best dad and the best person to attend baseball games with. Not only does he buy me bottled water, pretzels, and sunflower seeds, but he and I get pretty worked up when we're together. Second, it's the All-Star game!! And honestly, it's not just the game, it's really an entire week of events - Fan Fest, Legends Game, Homeroom Derby. It's going to be awesome. Tickets were a little steep, but I figure it's a once in lifetime opportunity.
   
   
9. Book Club - So, I'm loving being in a book club. This month I choose the book - The Know-It-All: One man's humble quest to become the smartest man in the world by A.J. Jacobs. I'm way excited to read it and plan on doing so pool side in AZ. Last summer I lounged by the pool and read Jacobs' other book, The Year of Living Biblically: One man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible. Book club will be at my house at the end of the month. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.
   
   
10. Road Trip - Lesli, Alina, Christi, and I have a tentative road trip planned this summer. We still have to work out the details, but right now we plan on driving to Northern California to see the Redwoods, then up through the Oregon Coast to Vancouver, WA. While road tripping, we plan on doing a lot of hiking and general outdoorsy things.

Presenting . . .

Me with Short Hair!! I've been planning on cutting my hair off for awhile now. It really comes down to wanting an easy hair cut for summer, especially while I'm in Europe. Anyways, I finally did it and I'm loving it!! Although, not everyone seems to be a fan. Picture the cutest, slightly chubby, 7th grade Hispanic boy. Today he came up to me and asked, "Ms. George, why did you cut your hair? It looks more better when it is long. Don't worry, it will grow back." Thank you, Jose. Thank you, very much.

New Short Hair (Sorry, this lighting is awful).

Old Long Hair

Birthday Celebrations

On Friday, my fabulous friends took me to The Melting Pot for my birthday. I have the best friends ever and this post is part shout-out to them and part celebration of me. First of all, the shout-outs.

Lesli - Thank you, thank you to Lesli for making the reservations, driving, and paying for the valet. I also appreciate the fact that you wanted to give me a sentimental, heart-felt gift.

Christi - Thank you, thank you to Christi for picking up my portion of the tab. It was much appreciated. Also, thanks for cracking me up the best line I've heard this week, "If it weren't for you, my life would be really boring instead of just sort of boring."

Alina (I love this picture because Alina is using her fondue fork to eat her salad even though her regular fork is right next to her plate. HaHa) - Thank you, thank you to Alina for the perfect gifts. Being my oldest friend, of course, you would know that a bag of black licorice and a book titled, "The Girls' Book of Glamour: A Guide to Being a Goddess," are the perfect gifts for me.

And now, the celebration. We had a ton of fun and ate a lot of delicious food. I love The Melting Pot because you're there for a couple of hours. That gave us a lot of time to laugh. Here are a few more pics:

Me with the book Alina gave me. Seriously, perfect gift. Plus my second favorite line of the week was the inscription, "To Mandys, The Most Glamorous Girl I Know! Heart, Alina" I'm telling you, this girl knows me.

Me & Christi with our delicious vegetables and cheese fondue.
Behold the Power of Cheese.

Lesli & Alina - Two of the Cutest Girls I Know.

What Have You Done?

I saw this on Tammy's blog and thought I'd participate. If you want to participate, just copy and paste it in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Pacific Ocean
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

So how'd you do? I had 61 out of 101. I guess there's a lot of things I still need to do.

Memories

I saw this on a Ruth's blog and thought it would be fun! Please participate. I can't wait to see what people put here!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Thanks!

I'm a Sucker For . . .

So, Alina has a bumper sticker that says, "I'm a Sucker for Guys in Eye Liner." Every time I see it, it makes me laugh and I think, "Yes, I too am a sucker for guys in eye liner." I've decided I'm a sucker for a lot of things. These are just a few:

• Comfortable Shoes - Vans and Rocket Dogs are a MUST!! Check out just a few of my favorites:
  

• Tattoo Sleeves - Love them!! Can't even express how much.

• Trashy Television - Gossip Girls, Grey's Anatomy, etc. You know the type - less plot, more sex.

• Witty, Comedic Sitcoms - Arrested Development, The Office, etc.

• Food (obviously):
• Movie Theatre Milk Duds - I never buy Milk Duds anywhere else.
  
• Crumbly Blue Cheese Salad
• Let's be honest - any kind of strong, smelly cheese.

Profiles of People We Like

I've been really lazy about posting. I'm going to be better . . . but not right now. This is just a plug for a post on another blog. My friend, TJ, writes these really funny posts on a group blog we belong to (Leonard's Lawn). They're titled, "Profiles of People We Like." Anyway, he just wrote one all about me - "Profiles of People We Like - Mandy." To read it, click HERE.

Pirate Birthday Party - Arrrr

How does one best celebrate turning 30? Why, with a pirate themed birthday party, of course. On Friday I had one of the best birthday parties ever. Here are a few pictures.

Pirate Feast

Delicious birthday cupcakes

Katrina helping with the feast.

Team Honest: Me, Mike, & Larissa

Team Cheat: Tim, Alina, & Matt

Pirate Mike - sporting his eye patch.

Pirate Alina - sporting her jewels

Happy Tim - or maybe he's mad

Me with the pirate chest

(there's treasure in there, I promise)

The First Official Celebration

So, I haven't blogged much about it, but my birthday is coming up. I love my birthdays, but because this one's a BIG one (30), I've been a little reluctant to write about it. It's not because I'm not looking forward to my birthday - I am. I'm still really excited, but I'm afraid that when it actually gets here, I might freak out. Regardless of the possibility that I might freak out, I have begun the celebrations. Wednesday night I went out with a bunch of my girl friends. Here are a few pics of our dinner celebration:

Christi, Aly, & Kari

Ali, Shelli (with Audra's baby), & Me

Kari & Audra

In other birthday news, this year I requested a pirate themed birthday party. Lesli (with my help) made these invitations for it. I think they are fabulous.

Queen of Domesticity

So I hosted a Sunday brunch at my house today. I decided to make homemade muffins. For those of you who know me, you know I hate to cook. I think it takes too long and is not worth it. I'd rather go buy something. I think it costs about the same and I love that I can save the time and the clean dishes. Regardless of this fact, I am a good cook. Here are a few pictures proving that I am a Domestic Goddess:

The Muffins

Queen of Domesticity

Profile Picture

I'm thinking of changing my profile picture to the one posted above. I really like my profile picture now, but it's almost a year old so I thought I should change it.

The above picture was taken at my Ward Christmas Party. I'm wearing Big S Glasses and plastic handcuffs. Those are the items I received during the gift exchange - can you think of a more appropriate gift for a Ward Christmas Party than plastic handcuffs? I think not.

Anyway, what do you think of the picture? Should I change it to my profile picture?

29 Pictures for 29 Years

29 Pictures to Celebrate 29 Years of Me. Sorry, some of these pictures are super blurry. My scanner wasn't working so I had to take digital pictures of my normal pictures. But even if they are blurry, I still look adorable. Enjoy!!

The Day of my Birth:

My First Birthday:

Adorable. What more can I say?

My Second Birthday:Christmas. I'm wearing a robe my mom made:

Curious, even at a young age:

I love this picture of Kyle and me:

A Young Speed Racer:

Doesn't everyone have a family photo on a turtle?

Entering the awkward years:

Getting better, but still fairly awkward:

Horrible picture, but it was my 16th birthday.

Here I am with my two favorite cousins, Carrie and Aimee.

Shadley and I looking fabulous for a dance.

Celebrating being an adult (my 18th birthday) with a road trip:Me, Emily, Shadley, & Jen at our high school graduation.

Freshman Roommates: Erin, Anna, Shadley, Jen, & Me.

19th Birthday: My mom sent me a great package.

One of my favorite pictures of Shadley & Me.

This was taken a week before we graduated from Ricks College

Me loving it in Athens:

My 21st birthday with the Hull boys.

80s Party with Alina, Camie, Ruth, Emily, & Me.

Chilling out with fellow DC interns: Scott, Mary, Susan, Me, & Matt.

BYU Graduation:

Hawaii: I'm holding a lizard I caught in Jana's house.

Lazy Lake Powell Days:

Striking it Rich in Alaska:

Yes!! I paid off my car:

Alina, Tara, Cha Cha, Me, & Kari at the Organ Stop Pizza:

Last weekend at Dinner.

Heather, Kira, Lesli, Me, & Katie: