pennies & dimes

my very FIRST itunes purchase on my NEW MACBOOK (merry christmas to me!) is the album "pennies & dimes" by my bestest friend in the whole wide world, stacy lantz!

check her out! ...but don't be gross about it.

eva's first christmas

even though my whole family wasn't together for christmas this year, it was still pretty special because it was eva's FIRST! and while we all weren't in one room, we were all "together" on skype. i loved it. so many faces on so many screens. simply glorious.

eva certainly enjoyed herself too:

i love making her laugh and smile.
it's literally SUNSHINE for the soul.

politically correct carols

10. O Holiday Tree
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter
8. Frosty the Snowperson
7. Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Contained, Continuously Monitored, Eco-friendly, Non-toxic Outdoor Fire

(for Which I Do Have a Permit)

6. Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. Grandma Allegedly Got Run Over By an Unidentified

Non-Human Perpetrator
4. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Unendangered Foliage

(If Office Policy Permits)
3. Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings
2. I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely
Platonic Expression of Inoffensive Mutual Affection
1. I’ll Be Home for a Short Period of Time in December

shark bait

i get "the itch" every once in a while to change things up. tonight i scratched that itch and i couldn't be happier. i traded in my plain, boring white walls for a fabulous "shark" gray. i blared my mcr and 3 hours later... i was done! its amazing what you can get done when you stay FOCUSED.

before.after!

(ish)

i still have a few things left to do before my "reading/tv/art room" is completed. but don't worry, i'll keep you posted. =)

quick fix

i live in a home that needs some serious updating but i like to decorate on a dime, so i decided to add a curtain instead of requesting to remove the sliding doors, patching, painting, etc.

and since its no secret that i'm a HUGE fan of urban outfitters, when i happened upon a FABULOUS shower curtain COVERED in owls, it was no surprise that my will hadn't a chance of resisting. i immediately clicked on "add to cart" and a week later i was singing soprano vibrato as i opened my package from uo.

before:

after:

...a little definitely goes a LONG way. =)

scribble your heart out

i found a really cool site that lets you DOODLE. how cool is that!

here are a few of my cave doodles:

thanksgiving = nesting?

what is it about the thanksgiving holiday that makes my nesting instinct kick in to overdrive? i think it’s my procrastination, that’s what. i’m not a fan of being in the kitchen, so when i needed a serving platter, i all of a sudden had an overwhelming urge to haul everything out of the cabinet and reorganize it. i’m SUPPOSED to be making stuffing, but instead, i now have an organized cupboard to gaze upon. not to worry, i’ll leave the cupboard door open and perhaps that will distract everyone from the fact that THERE IS NO STUFFING! i really don't think that's gonna work though.

alright, back to the kitchen i go to ACTUALLY make some food, like my fabulous mashed potatoes. but not without first saying "happy thanksgiving to everyone!"

a $300 secret

i have a secret. an amazingly, wonderful secret that is sure to make someone i hold near and dear to my heart squeal with delight and perhaps squeeze out a tear or two. psh! who am i kidding. this person's eyes are going to be swimming for days! (giddy with de!ight)

e.l.f.

i've been trying for a month now to make this little angel smile at me. it doesn't matter that she's only a few weeks old; i want to make her smile NOW. (patience in the inward parts) i spend almost every day with my sister and eva (sorry mama!) and i love every minute of it. the day she starts to recognize me will certainly be one to remember.

i love you little elf!

the next big thing

have you ever gone completely nuts in your car when you were the only one in it? i JUST did. i heard on the radio about a concert in tampa called the next big thing with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE that will be here in LESS than a month! and guess who is going? .....ME!!!!!!

i'd like to call upon my friends from the planet kashyyyk to help me express to you my excitement in this matter:

to say that i am "stoked" is an understatement. i am psyched OUT! a&a and my chem are the two bands i've ALWAYS wanted to see in concert. they are my "must haves." and since i just saw a&a a couple months back, this december 5th will complete me.

ggggggggggggg! (most satisfying smile)

my little elf

i would like you to meet my niece, eva lynne fernandez, aka e.l.f. =) she was born in clearwater on october 19th at 10:38pm after 21 HOURS of (grueling) labor. so incredible. she was 8 lbs, 14 oz and all 20 inches of ADORABLE baby. i still can't believe she's real. sometimes, when i'm not with her, i open her photo on my phone and i just STARE at her. she's completely mesmerizing! i've seen and held TONS of babies, but her? she's.... REAL. i don't know how to explain it. it's just one of the COOLEST things ever.

whenever i get to hold her, i whisper in her ear that i'm her favorite aunt and the one (besides her parents) who loves her the most. how's THAT for subliminal messaging. =D

(she's not even a day old and she's already throwing up gang signs. she is SO the daughter of franklin. hahaha.)

...is it possible to love someone THIS much

even when that someone

has no clue you exist?

(i LOVE you eva!)

cherry red speakers

my little sister and i have an... understanding of sorts. we both LOVE getting stuff in the mail: letters from loved ones, just-because-cards, and now... GIFTS! it all started out small; i mailed her sweet little nothings scribbled onto pieces of paper, she bought me a hat. i bought her a sock coin purse and so on. we NEVER had any intention of making it a "big deal" until she decided to amp up on me. and boy was i GLAD! she mailed me a package and inside was a wicked-SWEET pair of bright red head phones! ...for me to wear at the GYM she says. (gulp.) since she was sweet enough to see them, think of me, AND purchase them, its the least i can do. so that's just what i'm gonna do. i'm gonna wear those FABULOUSLY vibrant red (and large) head phones with PRIDE. i even told her i'd even buy a pair of rainbow leg warmers to make the "look" complete. i think.... =)

a gentile feline

i've got myself a "gentleman" living with me. =)

konnichiha!

remember when i said that i've never eaten japanese food? well NOW i can say that i have! i went to kazu's sushi the other night and tried my hand at a BUNCH of foods i never knew existed. i had a bento (a japanese word for a boxed lunch with individual portions of food), some deep fried vegetables, and white rice, of course. i ate ALL of it with chopsticks. i was SO proud of myself. i EVEN ate the sushi! (also never had that before.)

(my bento.)
(sushi packed with some FABULOUSLY hot wasabe.)
(saki... that sorta, kinda, maybe affected me. hahaha.)
(all done! and boy was i STUFFED!)

200+

i can't believe it.

i've had over 200 posts within the last year and a half.
me! the haters of all things "blog."

i certainly was never one who desired to blog about my opinions. i simply wanted an easier way to stay in contact with my peoples from home. when you're with someone everyday, its easy to share all the meaningless and trivial things that happen to you during the course of a day. and its simply out of the question to call up everyone and say "hey! an old man just zipped through here on a motorized scooter!" i may love talking on the phone but come on! i'd rather just put it out there and if someone wants to read it, they can. and i think it has worked. my "blog" is more of an extention to my 140-character-limit tweets. i can only say so much about an old man scooting through the parking lot in 140 characters.

i hope you have enjoyed reading this

just as much as i've loved writing it. =)

"flying animal metropolis"

this isn't news to any i'm sure but I LOVE OWL CITY. i first stumbled across them on my pandora account and my irrisitable draw to them took off. their music is light and fluffy and no matter how bad a mood i may be in, their music always manages to get me to smile as i sing along and i find my shoulders hopping to the beat. its infectious! i love it. =D

my favorite song...?
fireflies.
hands down.

here's the music video:

i even got to see them in CONCERT! franklin and natalie went to a jack johnson concert in tampa and they were selling john mayer and OWL CITY tickets for TWENTY BUCKS! an opportunity made in heaven. =)

guilty as charged

i understand that my absence has caused "MANY" people, such as yourself, a LOT of grief for not being able to laugh at someone who is MORE ridiculous(ly good looking) than themselves and for that i SINCERELY apologize. who am i to take such a gift away from you?

while i have been without a computer for a couple months now, i would NEVER dream of insulting you with such a pathetic excuse... FALSE! yes, i truly have been without a computer, but i know that it is NO excuse in this day and age. instead, i will simply list out my activities over the last two months as PROOF to you JUST HOW BUSY i have been:

this summer i’ve been so busy with...

eating,
sleeping,
working!
graduations,

baby showers,
shower singing,

alligator chasing,
office relocations,
home renovations,
chipotle shopping,

game director duties,

wicked sweet concerts,
bedroom redecorating,

urban outfitters oogling,
baby supplies shopping,
starbucks mug soliciting,
updating essential documents,
freaking out over being an AUNT!
learning IMPORTANT life lessons,

and..... shoot. i know there's more but i just can't rembmer it all!

UPDATE: 10/12/10 how could i FORGET!?! "assembling puzzling puzzles" that make you want to SWEAR. (scratch that last part....) =)

ode to burt reynolds

chelsey and i went to pf changs last night. we got a LITTLE carried away. i was mooing like an english COW and she was sticking lemon SEEDS up her NOSE. and somewhere along the way, we thought we'd make an ode to burt reynolds with NOODLES. hahaha.

and somehow i'm still single...
how can that be! i might
as well have fun while
i still am. hahaha.

25

by now, you all know about my SICK HABBIT that i'm TOTALLY obsessed over. well..... i've added several mugs and i'm now up to TWENTY FIVE MUGS! (screaming wildly)

two of my most recent additions:

portland, oregon (thank you jason & galilee!)

and one of my FAVORITES from a city i CAN'T wait to visit, new york! (thank you mr. f!!)

going home

there's nothing quite like being home. walking into your parent's house after not living there for years and yet knowing you still belong; entering the kitchen, seeing your mama cooking like a maniac because her babies are home; the love, the excitement... its really something else. THAT'S what i get to experience EVERY time i come home. i pray that i never have to live without it. i love my home and i wouldn't trade it for the world. =)

this past weekend, my family went to my baby brother's COLLEGE graduation. he FINALLY did it! we are SO VERY PROUD of him! my mom, dad, and grandma pilled into one car (the BORING car) while jeffrey, allyson, and i went in our own car (the SUPER COOL car with LOUD music) and drove three hours to see jonathan.

after the graduation ceremony (which surprisingly WASN'T unbearable), we all headed to texas road house where we proceeded to stuff ourselves in a way only AMERICANS know how:

i got to spend time with galilee and jonna... i have missed them BOTH so dearly. jordan tries to act like an adult but don't let him fool you with his "serious menu-reading face". two seconds into eating, he NEVER FAILS to break out a fart machine and entertain the family for HOURS. yeah... we're like that. =D

while home, i got to visit with my girls, amy and ruth. as SOON as i got off the plane, we headed STRAIGHT for the pool. they know me SO WELL! hahaha. my girl ruth truly has a heart of gold. she’s such a great listener and has always been there for me. i'm so grateful to have BOTH of them in my life. =)

she's back!

my sister galilee is THEE MOST AWESOMEST stylist EVER. she does SUCH an AMAZING job every time. she's GENTLE and STEADY and COMPLETELY capable of fixing any blunder i create for myself.

and... being the LOVING sister that i am, i called up natalie and bethany, who have been SORELY missing galilee's skills, and proceeded to GLOAT over the fact that my hair was back in the hands of a TRUE beautician. muahahahaha... =D

leaving on a jet plane

my usual flight order: coke, pretzels, and a DELICIOUS book. =)

boys will be boys

poor natty has to put up with THESE guys: i swear. boys NEVER grow up.

(but then again, i don't plan on it either. hahaha.)

to my jossy

happy
birthday
scrubbin'.

=)

birthday dinner for champions

i was gonna throw a birthday party for myself and head out to chuck-e cheese with all my "adult" friends but...... i didn't. INSTEAD, i had a nice little birthday dinner at my pastor's house. it was DELICIOUS. frank and pam are AMAZING people and i love having them in my life. =)

after dinner, the world celebrated with me as they shot of MILLIONS and BILLIONS of fireworks. ;)

twenty SIX!

i received this birthday card in the mail.

it made me smile.

because i already have those socks and shoes. =)

oh! and PROOF that i TRULY AM the favorite in my family... my dad wrote this note to me:

...OWNED. every SINGLE one of you. =D

i've got a problem...

i love putting puzzles together. its very relaxing for me after a long day at work. but you see, unfortunately for me, i have a cat who likes to LAY ON the puzzle WHILE i'm trying to put it together. it just DOESN'T work.

knight & day

don't you hate it when someone you don't like changes your mind about them based off something that is COMPLETELY fictional? yeah, me too. but that's what happened to me with tom cruise. i've never really been a huge fan but after seeing KNIGHT and DAY, i realized i laughed my head off through the whole thing and i thought, "dangit! his charming (FICTIONAL) character got under my defenses." and BAM! i was a fan.

my dearest booboo

happy birthday bethany!!!

i love you. =)

meet eva

meet my niece, eva lynne fernandez. she's the size of a PAPAYA! (mmm... sounds delicious) i am SO EXCITED and CANNOT wait for her to come. =)

i have been counting down the days and helping natalie get ready. i hope eva realizes JUST how MUCH she's loved ALREADY. =)

foil LICKER

as seen on my chipotle cup...

"you can JUDGE ME if you want to, but I DON'T CARE. the little bit of SALSA and CHEESE and SOUR CREAM HANGING OUT in the bottom of my burrito foil after i'm done eating is MINE. ITS ALL MINE! digging down into those foil crevices is my tongue's favorite part of the day. even better is that every time i eat a chipotle burrito, the little SURPRISE at the bottom if my foil is DIFFERENT. i mean, sometimes its CARNITAS, the most awesome pork ever, and sometimes its CHICKEN or STEAK... SO FINE! i guess you can go ahead and call me a "FOIL LICKER". but that foil holds that ONE LAST delicious bite that i couldn't EVER think of throwing away. its like my BURRITO FLAVOR SAVINGS ACCOUNT--but its in a bank that won't ever need a BAILOUT."

HOW'D THEY KNOW THAT ABOUT ME!?

you WILL give me a hug

i have a scrubbin' of a brother who is not keen on physical affection like myself. i try and i TRY but unless its a special occasion (which for him it NEVER is) then he'd never consider it. so... to get around his stubbornness that seems to run so vibrantly through our family, i tried the back door for a hug from him. i mailed him MONEY and put this note on the outside:

"attention! by opening this card you are accepting FULL ownership of the hug and kiss that have been applied by your loving sister. refusal to do so will result in GRAVE consequences. love you!!! =D"

all i have to say is OWNED jeffrey. and i know you love me. even if you're not a hugger. but don't worry, one day you WILL be. i'm counting on it.

i love you. =)

UPDATE (07/01/10): he opened it. =D

happy birthday mama bear!

happy birthday to an i-don't-care-what-the-world-thinks-so-i'm-gonna-do-and-say-what-i-want kind of woman. i love you mama. =)

hip hip horray!

do you ever have one of those days where EVERYTHING is going your way?

today has been MY day. =D

cumbulo nimbus

clouds are so delicious.