Car Crash - Matt Nathanson

Anyone ever heard that song? Because I got in an accident today, and it is not as cool as he makes it sound. Haha :) I had just left work and there is a LOT of construction on University by my office and it goes to one lane. You know how sometimes you drive home from somewhere and when you get home you don't remember the drive? It was like that. I never looked away or anything, my phone and iPod were in my purse. My mind just blanked and all of a sudden traffic stopped and hard as I tried, I didn't. Or didn't in time anyway. I slammed right into the guy in front of me. I was so freaked out I called Lindsay and made her come help me because I didn't know what to do. I was still right by my work so she got there in about 2 minutes. She talked to the guy and wrote down all the information. It really wasn't that big of a deal, my car doesn't even look bad. It just totally freaked me out because I've never been in an accident as a passenger, let alone as the driver. Thankfully the guy didn't want to call the cops so I didn't get cited.

His car, the worse of the two.


Mine


The only real damage to my car was the front bumper by the lights. The lights are loose and there is a small scratch on the bottom of the car. That's really it. That little dent in the middle was already there.

Yeah, I know it wasn't terrible, but it was scary for me. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. I have a slight headache but that's about it. And now, my insurance goes up. Joy.

Whole Lotta Love

Summer plans are slowly coming together.
It shall (so far) consist of this:
(just pretend I'm laying next to it/in it with iPod/book in hand)


This:

But more importantly:
(told you I was obsessed)


This:

With:


This:



With hopefully a trip to:



NOT PICTURED (mostly because they're on the "hopefully" list):
--A new car (at the VERY end of summer, closer to fall actually. And by new, I mean new to me ;) BUT it will also by purchased by me, so I will OWN my very own car. So, still something to be excited about)
--Bedroom furniture (depending on a) if my dad will give me Lindsay's room when she moves out (not likely, but I refuse to give up), b) in the event that he does not, if I can convince him that it is a good idea to put furniture that doesn't fit in my tiny bedroom, even though I have no suggestions as to what he should do with the furniture currently in there and c) how big of a dent I want to put in my car money)

And many more things that I cannot think of because I just looked at the clock and remembered I have work at 8am, causing me to therefore forget the rest of my summer happiness.

All I can say is, I LOVE Arizona. I love the heat (even though I question my sanity almost every time I get in my car- why again did I choose black?) and everything that goes with it.

HAPPY SUMMER!

"Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride

Nobody gonna slow me down. Oh no, I got to keep on movin'"
Thank you Matthew Wilder for providing for me my theme song last week.

WELL. Lots of things to blog about.

First is my birthday! Last Tuesday I turned the ripe old age of 19. Which means next year I will be in my 20's. Ew. Since my birthday was on the American Idol finale, we decided to go to dinner on Wednesday instead (no worries, we DVR'd it and were able to catch up so we we're watching Arizona's version of live to find out who won). After American Idol I went to Mill Ave with Bethanie and Rachel and we just walked around. Since I was turning 19 on the 19th, we were going to take pictures with 19 random guys (stolen from Gilmore Girls), but quickly remembered that all the guys on Mill Ave are creepy and that it was sort of a lost cause. So we went into American Apparel and dressed up weird and took pictures of that. And we got ice cream :) We did get one picture with these 3 random guys, but only because they approached us. I can't remember why they came up to us but we asked for a picture and one of them looked at me and said, "uh, can I sign your butt?" Yes, seriously. I told him no, and then he asked if I would sign his. I said no again, so they settled for the picture. It made for a great story.

In case anyone forgot, I love Adam Lambert. Like really. He is amazing. So you all can imagine my reaction to Kris winning. Don't get me wrong, I like Kris and I'm starting to think it was better that he won so that Adam won't have to release that ridiculous "No Boundaries" as his first single (anyone else notice it was a little too high for both of them? and why can't they do a song that doesn't have the theme of 'I can do anything'), and so he will have a little more freedom with his debut album. But I am still bummed. Seriously, I could go on and on about this but I'll spare you. Congrats to Kris. Adam is still my favorite (really... I've found my new obsession).

My friend Bethanie graduated from Highland this year! Since the majority of my friends are younger than me (plus the fact that the ones my age moved away or are on missions) we decided to just pretend I was graduating. She was senior class president so she got to speak at Baccalaureate (by default, the student body president is an idiot and planned a senior prank that got a little out of hand, therefore forfeiting his speaking rights) AND at graduation and she did awesome both times! I went to her Baccalaureate, seminary graduation (which she sang at) and the graduation at Highland. I didn't go to my Baccalaureate last year and only stayed at seminary graduation long enough to get my diploma (certificate? do they call it a diploma just for seminary?) because Jeremy was leaving (that part coming later) so I was a little preoccupied. I was glad I went, it was all really cool. And of course it rained at the graduation. And we all sat through it. It made it kind of cool, but my hair + rain = weird wavy/curly mess that doesn't look good no matter how you fix it. It was fun though and it was fun to sit at the graduation and cheer for all my friends without having to worry about myself and walking/tripping, etc.






As mentioned before (kind of), Jeremy has been out for a YEAR! He is doing really well and was able to baptize a woman not too long ago. They have some investigators that he isn't sure are too promising, but something is better than nothing. It's crazy to me that its been a year and I keep thinking "oh sweet I'm half way done" and then I think "ugh, I have to do that all over again." But all is well :)

And you call yourself lucky...

19 (one for every year I've been alive) reasons I love my mom.

She chats with me on google while we’re both at work.

She got me addicted to reading (though I’m not as bad as her yet).

I had to explain to her the concept of the “that’s what she said” joke.

I laugh more with her than I do with most people.

She tells it like it is, and doesn’t beat-around-the-bush or sugar-coat things. And she passed that on to all of her children.

She lets me listen to the music I want in the car, even though I know she doesn’t like some of it.

She is just as obsessed with Twilight as I am.

She’s my friend as well as my mother.

She’s always just let me be me.

She helps take care of her own mother, even though she works and has 6 people living in her house she has to take care of.

She loves sports and isn’t a “girly-girl.”

She listens to all my ridiculous goals and ideas and doesn’t tell me I’m crazy or that I can’t do it.

She has the ability to accept people for who they are.

She makes friends at the grocery store.

She decided what she wants her grandchildren to call her based off of a child that has no relation to us.

She makes up phrases such as “serial hair stroker” and “surrogate grandchild.”

She pretends to not like the t.v. shows I watch but then starts asking questions when I’m watching them.

She actually said “uh, the American Idol finale is on your birthday… so do you want to go to dinner Monday night or do an early dinner?” to me the other day.

She’s the best mom, end of story.

Happy Mothers Day, Mom! I love you :)

Let's Hear It For The Boy

Well, I am a miracle worker. I know, I know, big shocker. Tell you something you don't know. What I did may not seem like a big deal, but I am very proud of myself and I even got a "thanks for helping" from my dad. I am claiming all credit too. So, what happened? Connor decided to quit football. He has been telling us for weeks that he is not playing and we all told him he has to and that is dumb but he refused. Summer football (or Spring. I don't actually know but some form of it) started today and he went! Why? Because I convinced him that he should. When I told my dad he said "what did you say to him that I didn't?" Well, first of all, I am not his parent which automatically means he is more willing to listen to me. Second, I covered all the angles. He didn't have a real reason for quitting, he just didn't want to get up early all summer long and he wanted to be lazy. I told him that I went through 4 years of high school and didn't participate in one extra curricular activity and that I regretted it. He said he was still playing baseball. I told him baseball won't give him the body that football will. He laughed, but he knows I am right. He said his friend Hunter wasn't playing. I told him that was a ridiculous reason and that his other friend, Jesse still was so he wouldn't be alone. I told him my dad would be more lenient on him because if he sits on his butt all summer long that won't go over too well with either of my parents. He wanted to get a job. I explained that if my parents were willing to let him not work, then he should do it as long as he could and if next summer he wanted a job then he could get a summer job. (I also told him working sucks.) I told him he would regret quitting. Maybe not this year and maybe not next, but by his senior year he would have wished he had kept playing. I told him that if he could give me a legit reason for not wanting to play that had nothing to do with laziness then I would leave him alone and I would tell everyone else to leave him alone. And he couldn't come up with one. And I know what you're thinking, "what's the big deal?" The big deal is that our family waited 15 years and nine months for this kid to start high school football and no way was I going to let him quit after one year so he could sleep in this summer. So, no worries. Come September we will all enjoy seeing this againon the football field of Mesquite High School.

The kid will remain a stud. Crisis averted.

Judy, could anyone be loved anymore?

Well, I wouldn’t call it a vacation. I would call it a VA-walked-around-three-theme-parks-in-four-days-and-now-my-body-aches-CATION. But don’t get the wrong idea. I had a LoT of fun and it was a much needed break from life. I just think for my next trip, I’m going to the beach and doing nothing but sitting, getting tan and sleeping :)

Lindsay and I woke up early Wednesday morning and headed straight for Disneyland. Day one was spent mostly at California Adventure. We rode the same 3 rides over and over, with another thrown in the mix as well. We went to Disneyland for a couple hours too before heading home. And can I just say that (even though this makes me pathetic) it is ridiculous that they put all the good rides so far away from each other. I seriously think they are singlehandedly trying to cure obesity, minus all the people they give the scooters to. I was so tired after the first day I slept for 11 hours that night. Day two was just the opposite- most of the day spent in Disneyland with a couple hours in California Adventure and a little shopping at the end of the day. It was a good two days, though I have to admit Disneyland is not as fun when you’re not 8 or don’t have little kids to help with the excitement.

I know it's kind of hard to see, but when we were walking out after the ride to see the pictures, there were guys standing next to us and one of them saw my face, pointed and said "oh, that's pretty." Lins and I looked at each other and laughed and one of the friends looked at us and realized it was me and said "dude, she's right there." The guy apologized and asked me if I knew where the camera was and if I did it on purpose. I said yes, but seriously, who makes a face like that on accident?!

Friday we went shopping. Or planned to until we got to the mall and realized that was a total dud. There is a store called H&M we wanted to go to that they don’t have in AZ but we were sadly disappointed with the selection. I still ended up with a skirt, shoes and two pairs of earrings though so I didn’t leave empty handed. Two friends flew in that afternoon and we had time to kill before they got there since shopping was a total joke so we decided to see State of Play. It was so GOOD! I loved it. I haven’t seen a good movie like that in a while. After a little drama with the hotel ($18 a day for parking and rooms that reeked of smoke when we asked for non-smoking) Jared, Brian, Lindsay and I headed off to Hollywood!

I’ve never been in that part of California and I gotta say the people are WEIRD but it was cool. We saw the Kodak Theatre and all the stars with celebrities' names and the cement block things where they write their name and give their footprint or whatever. We all had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and went back to the hotel.

Saturday was spent at Six Flags. Jared’s mission companion JR and his wife Summer joined us in our festivities. Oh and combined with all the walking were HILLS. So my worn out legs became even more sore with all the walking up and down at Six Flags. They’re probably in on the whole curing obesity thing. Or they just don’t take into consideration all the out of shape people who haven't run a mile since their freshman year of high school and consider 10 sit ups a month exercise such as myself. Laaame.

On one of the water rides (that I voted against going on). I didn't get that wet thankfully. Mostly only from Brian splashing me.

Jared, Me, Lins, Brian

Brian, Me, Jared, Lins, Summer, JR

Anyway, we rode 7 rides which was pretty good considering it was a Saturday and the shortest line we waited in was an hour and a half.

Sunday we went up to Huntington Beach before heading home. Lindsay and I didn’t really feel well so we sat and people watched while the boys shopped. Yes, I realize how backwards that sounds. I think probably the funniest thing of the whole trip was our GPS. She was helpful when we didn’t need it and not helpful when we did need it. Judy, as Jared named her, had a tendency to change her mind. I think she was bipolar. She took us on lots of creepo side streets to get places and when you were driving she would say “turn right” so we would turn right and then she would say “sharp left” and we would have to shoot across the road. It made for an entertaining trip though!

I’m definitely glad I went and I was grateful for the break. Next time, no theme parks.