Blogging Break

I am taking a break to blog...I have been hard at work all day- sort of.  I have been doing work, but not specifically my "work".  See there are many great things about working from home- ability to take breaks, go to the pool, or run errands whenever I please; ability to work in my pajamas, bathing suit, or bathrobe; ability to sleep in, do how much and what I feel like, and listen to music and sing aloud.  There are many more benefits, however there are also some drawbacks- I get lonely and sometimes stir-crazy all day alone in my apartment, I am in a sedentary position staring at a computer, and the worst one of all...I am at home!  This means I am more tempted to take a Home Improvement break, eat more snacks, and talk on the phone while I should be working.  My biggest frustration and temptation while working at home though is cleanliness.  

I pride myself on the fact that most people that come to our apartment comment on how clean it is and how nice it smells.  I try to have live plants, tablecloths/runners, decorations, air fresheners, ambient lighting- anything to make it feel more like a home than a college apartment.  However sometimes I feel defeated because I can not keep up with the messes that always seem to appear.  

Now first I need to note that I recognize that I am imperfect- I can sleep with my shirt on the back of my chair, I get spots on the mirror, and I am fine to let a crumb drop here or there.  Just to make it clear again, I am not exempting myself from this problem...sometimes I just feel as though I am the only one looking for a solution to this problem.  

Anywho, I know that this is a quirk (but there are worse ones out there I know for sure) but I just function best in a clean and orderly environment.  This makes working from home so difficult because I have a hard time focusing on work sometimes...like this morning.  I could not do anything until I swept and mopped the floor in bathroom.  Of course I couldn't stop there.  Since the mop was out I had to do the kitchen as well.  And everyone knows that mopping the kitchen floor is the last thing you do, so I had to clean off the counters and then all the appliances and scrub out the sink.  This also required that I load and start the dishwasher so I had a sink to use for such cleaning.  It is my dream to not run a full load in the dishwasher every single day- but that isn't happening any time soon so back to the real story.  The kitchen started to look nice so I felt satisfied and was walking back to my room to work...this requires me to walk past the bathroom, which while it had a clean floor, was a still a mess.  So then I started in on the bathroom.  I cleaned the toilet and shower a few days ago in one of these fits, so I really just had to clean the mirrors and counter and sinks.  And now I have made it back to my room...ready to work again but in need of a break and thus the blogging.  

I make this sound like it was an event when in actuality this happens multiple times a week...I really do not know how it gets so dirty so fast in my apartment.  It makes me so ecstatic and terrified to leave in a few weeks- what will become of this place?  But it will no longer be my problem...but the apartment just got remodeled and I feel bad when it gets so disgusting.  

I am forcing myself to do work for another hour or two and then I will take a break to clean out the utility closet that won't even really shut because so much crap is shoved in there- the thing is that it all fits if it would just be put away nicely.

Ah woe is me...the lessons we have to learn in order to grow up a proper adult.  At least my home will be evidence that I care for the things I have...I am thankful that Nicholas and I are largely on the same page as far as cleanliness goes.  He values a clean environment just like me...one more way we fit :)

fat-free wednesday

well, maybe.  i had my first velashape treatment today...it was kind of weird.  they put lots of cool gel on and then use what kind of looks like a vacuum hose on your fat...it sends radio frequencies and infared lightwaves in to your lower layer of fat and shrinks the cells so they can melt away.  it did heat up my legs, but mostly just felt like a pretty intensive massage.  we'll see how it works!

i obviously messed with my blog a bit today...i needed a change and a break from working.  do you like it?  

i ate entirely too much popcorn tonight while i was watching nick's ultimate frisbee game, but i did walk with the group this morning and then went and ran also on my own afterwards.  i really just want swedish fish though! 

What an eventful Tuesday!

I slept in just a tiny bit this morning...little did I know that I would desperately need that time! I have been very busy today...very busy. I worked a lot on DanceBeat- working a lot on photos and trying to place articles and such. I also baked homemade bread...it was pretty good but nothing ever turns out as great when I decide to be creative and not follow recipes exactly. I also had a few errands to run today which I did while I was out going to my health-spa consultation. Apparently it isn't that hard to win things at a bridal fair! I won a strand a pearls from a jeweler that I picked up yesterday and won a treatment at this center. I met with them and talked about all my options...and after carefully considering each one, I decided against the laser hair removal and microdermabrasion and went with the body contouring...a process called Velashape or something like that. I decided to get it on my thighs- even though I could really use it on my tummy and that area would probably actually make a difference in my wedding dress, my thighs are always the hardest part for me to work off and even when I was at my smallest my thighs were the largest part of me. Anywho, in case any of you see me in a bathing suit in the next little while (which is doubtful) notice my legs :)

me and my mac mini :)

I have officially set up my new Mac!  I am still very much getting used to it and all, but it is going to be very nice and I am excited to work on it!  It wasn't too hard to set up either, which was really nice...it makes me not dread packing it up and setting it up again in about a month when I go home to Houston...and then again when I move out of my parent's home and into an apartment in Houston in a few more months, after the wedding.  I am not extremely excited that I had to set it up in my room though- I used to always have my laptop in my room but at the beginning of this year I started leaving it in the living room and it has been so nice to not always feel like I am so accessible- I mean I would check email before I even got up in the morning when it was right there on my desk!  As I am sharing with roommates I did not think it fair to set up a desktop in the living room- not to mention that there isn't really a desk or anywhere to put it out there.  Oh well, I kind of like having my new "toy" close for a little while at least!

Yesterday for the 24th we went to the parade in Spanish Fork and then went to Uncle Charlie's for the family barbeque...it was nice.  Then we came home and went swimming and then headed out to the new Batman movie.  It was quite dark and kind of creepy, but I enjoyed it.  Nick boiled me some frozen veggies for dinner and we watched the results show for So You Think You Can Dance...I can not believe that Will got kicked off!  I mean Comfort was fun enough, but every week they would say the same thing- "that wasn't good enough but your hiphop is great."  But Will- man he was the best dancer on the show for sure...or should I say IV Real!  I don't know what that "for real" thing is about on the show, but I do know that Nick and I were very upset about the results.  It is rediculous to think Mark is going to be on but not Will!  

Tomorrow afternoon Nicholas and I are taking our engagement photos...so think good thoughts in our direction and pray I don't look chubby or greasy! :)

the 24th is coming! the 24th is coming!

Me and Nick on the 4th of July in Breckenridge and me in snow on the 4th at Loveland Pass.

Me at the Lehi rodeo and Me and Nick a mile high at the Denver capital building.

Me at Coco Walk in Miami and me and Betsy with Ingrid Michaelson after one of her concerts.

Me on South Beach in Florida.

Nick's first day at Woodbury Corp. and Nick's backpacking trip with Spencer last weekend. This of course means nothing...unless you are a resident in Utah! I am rarely here for the big 24th of July celebration and am looking forward to the parade in Spanish Fork tomorrow!

Here are a few catch up pictures...I haven't been posting pictures lately simply because I am too impatient to wait for blogger to load!

an uneventful weekend

It seems that there should have been a lot going on this weekend- hot and sunny days perfect for the pool, a bridal fair, and the opening of two big movies that I am dying to see. However, this weekend was quite a disappointment. I didn't get to go see either movie I wanted...even though I did eventually rent The Jane Austen Book Club from Redbox. The bridal fair was too hot and too long of a drive to enjoy...espeically since I was alone and all it did was make me second guess every decision that I have made up to this point. And I had hopes that my weekend would be more than just lounging at the pool...so I didn't even get to do that since I was running and waiting around for something fun that never came along. Such is the life of an engaged girl. It seems no one is interested in being my friend now that I am engaged...which is fine I guess because I would rather spend my time with Nicholas anyway. The only problem is that he is not available all of the time; he works full-time and has lots of other activities that keep him busy. For some reason it is a lot easier for a guy to stay normal- engage in normal activities with normal friends- than it is for a girl when they are "engaged"...it is starting to sound like a bad word...like a disease that you hope not to get.
I suppose the highlight of my weekend was last night as I was cleaning out my toiletries. No, it wasn't the terrible cramps I have had this weekend- it was five ladies that knocked on my door. At about 8pm five ladies who used to live in my apartment 37 years ago stopped in. They were having a reunion of some sorts and wanted to come back and see the place. They came in and looked around for awhile, told me stories, and asked about myself. Then I took a picture of them in the kitchen and they were off. I almost wanted to ask if I could tag along...just so I didn't have to be home all alone anymore. I restrained myself though and returned to deciding which eyeshadow to throw away next. Please don't be jealous of my fabulous weekend!

Less than 3 months now!

Yesterday was 3 months exactly until Nicholas and I are getting married...so we are definitely on the countdown now! Time seems to be flying!
Today I got our matching wedding bands- they are very classy and I am really quite happy with them. I have been working on lots of other wedding stuff...making sign in pages, meeting with florists, finding centerpiece decorations, checking on food, etc. I am excited to think that it is mostly going to be done soon and I won't have to be working on much other than the invitations for the next few months.
I have had a couple of busy weeks, but I am still busy running errands today and will blog about it all later!

viva la denver

and we're off! nicholas and i are heading to denver this weekend to celebrate the fourth as well as show me around his ole' stompin' ground. i have only been to casa bonita in denver as we have only really ever driven through, so i am excited to get to explore colorado. i am also looking forward to driving with nick...we love driving together :)
things are finally coming together for the wedding too, which has really made a lot of stress just melt away. there is much to blog about as our plans are kind of unconventional, so more to come on that later...right now i have got to pack!

is there a florist in the house?

i am moving on to flowers for the wedding and wondering if anyone has recommendations of florists here in the valley. it looks like the ceremony will be in salt lake and the reception (hopefull) in lehi- family from spanish fork to salt lake...so really anywhere in the area i guess. let me know any big "do's" or "don'ts"!