adventures in candiland

uprising

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

after getting cleaned up from the color run i got dressed back in white and headed out to uprising: the paint fight with some friends in gilbert.

it was a mixture between a large paint fight complete with squirt guns and a rave with balloons and confetti.

it was the perfect way to end a colorful day.

i still can't decide which paint was better.

color my world

2012-01-31T15:52:00.001-07:00

jacie and i signed up for the color run. a coworker, my roommate and some of her friends tagged along as well. we wore all white and tutus too :)

jacie and i dropped the rest of the group as soon as we had room to run. i was surprised with the amount of people walking and dogs!

yellow

green

purple

pink

finished

the color throw

the end result.

it was a lot of fun and the run was not bad at all. jacie and i learned that the best way to go through the color zones was to run along the side, jump in, get color, jump back out. if you stayed in the whole distance it got in your eyes, mouth, nose and it was hard to breathe.

i think we need to have a porter color party... who is with me?

the downfall was anywhere you had sweat the color soaked in and it took a lot of scrubbing to get it to go away!

late night work out

2012-01-30T22:30:00.002-07:00

the end is the best i promise

with a little imagination...

2012-01-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

pvc pipes turn into a pirate ship

[these are seriously the best "toys" ever]

...that eventually gets hit by a cannon bomb

tea for one

2012-01-28T21:27:00.001-07:00

i have noticed that some nights all i need is a nice cup of hot tea and a good book to be happy.

it brings sleep to me.

lux

2012-01-27T01:46:00.002-07:00

carly introduced me to lux and i am hooked.

it is a local place to get coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and more. during the day people are siting in the different rooms with the random furniture studying or working. by night, it turns into almost a wine loft. people gathered with friends or a good book enjoying the atmosphere. i think i found my place to study when i need a change of scene.

lazy people

2012-01-26T21:43:00.002-07:00

because it would take too much energy to walk 50 more feet to return the cart to its right spot

welcome to olex.

the history of love

2012-01-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

read it.

that is all.

photobooth

2012-01-24T14:31:00.003-07:00

great time waster

couldn't be sisters...

2012-01-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

so we ended up cousins.

brittany came down this past weekend and we decided that we are slowly changing and not looking like twins as much anymore. this doesn't stop us from acting any different then we did 10+ years ago.

camera phone photo dump

2012-01-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

need for speed

2012-01-21T15:49:00.004-07:00

dad and i took off this morning for a bike ride up to the summit of south mountain. we waited till close to 10 until we left hoping it would be a little warmer. i kept up with my dad for a lot longer than i normally do. i also noticed my speed was a lot faster climbing the mountain than the past. lets hope i can keep it up.

28.5 miles, average 13.5 mph, max 34.1 mph

dead and alive

2012-01-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

my friend, sunni, used me as her canvas for a new art for she is working on.

i'm just happy it washes off with water.

true food

2012-01-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

there are lots of yummy places to eat dinner at around here and i plan to try them on. every wednesday night i plan to pick a new place and try it out. two weeks ago sunni and i made our way to true food. we started with the edamame dumplings and caramelized onion tart. i had the tlt and sunni got the wild ahi tuna. we ordered mint tea which was forgotten about till the end so we got dessert, flourless chocolate cake and banana chocolate tart, for free!

i love the starters and dessert. the tlt was ok but i am not sure i would order it again. i decided i am not a fan of tempeh.

change

2012-01-18T13:42:00.001-07:00

carly and have been feeling the need to switch things up over here.

so far we love the new look... if only we could get our hands on the table we want and get the rug here from california.

back to school

2012-01-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

school starts this week.

this is the first time i will be taking a morning class.

hopefully i can keep on top of everything.

camera phone photo dump

2012-01-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

2012-01-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

saturday i met alissa and her friend for dinner at hulas before we headed out to glendale for some dancing. alissa was able to talk our friend chris into meeting us there.

i also got to meet this fellow.

and a night is not complete without a run to filly b's where alissa still has me order for her... eve if i am in the back seat!

on the road

2012-01-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

i packed up the prom dress in my car and we headed to south mountain for a late afternoon ride.

i now know where all the black marks on back seat came from.

dogs-jealousy

2012-01-13T20:45:00.001-07:00

nema is pouting in the background because harley was getting some love

drama queen

med mob- biltmore fashion park

2012-01-12T13:20:00.004-07:00

here are the pictures from the med mob i did back in december.

i was happy to see the one for january is falling on a saturday. you better believe that is where i will be!

work it out

2012-01-11T20:13:00.003-07:00

at the seed we are holding "the biggest ~~loser~~ winner... we don't say loser at the seed"

it is mainly a weight loss competition but you also get something for logging the most minutes working out. that is what i plan on winning. i figured with the new year and the start of this competition would be the perfect time to try out p90x.

i am a week and a half into it and so far i am liking it. my muscles feel challenged without feeling like i can't keep up with them. so far i would have to say my favorite is yoga x and my least favorite is anything that has to do with the pull up bar. my bar barely fits my door and so it makes me a little nervous when i use it. i think i need to invest in a more "permanent" one so it will fit more properly.

now if i could only get on my bicycle i think i would be in good shape for tour de tucson 2012.

grey, yellow, and pink

2012-01-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

my room is pretty much done minus finishing the edges of the stencil and a diy headboard. dad came over one afternoon and hung the picture frames and put a shelf up in my closet for extra storage.

camelback mountain

2012-01-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

the weather was perfect for a hike sunday so i finally decided to do camelback. it's 3 miles round trip and there is lots of "rock climbing." the view at the top is amazing although i have to say i prefer the view from the top of picacho peak more... less houses.

next time i want to ride my bike to the base of the mountain, hike the mountain, then bike back home.

camera phone photo dump

2012-01-08T19:03:00.001-07:00

daddy-o

2012-01-07T11:29:00.004-07:00

i came across this article and i think my dad followed every "rule" and a lot more

i remember the pancakes in the shape of a c

i remember the baths in the giant tub where my sister and i would recreate the splash in the little mermaid

i remember the swing me higher, rock me faster, spin us fasters at the park

i remember the hikes and camping trips

i remember helping me repel when i was so scared i was crying

i remember the stories before bed

i remember the million kisses a million different ways

i remember it all

life of a dog

2012-01-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

it's a hard life

stencil

2012-01-05T18:16:00.004-07:00

i ordered a stencil to paint the niche in my room and it arrived while i was in california. i ran and picked up some supplies i needed (stencil adhesive spray and paint brush things) and got to work. it is pretty easy to do just time consuming without you knowing. i started at 8 and next thing i knew it was 4 in the morning. i managed to finish all of it but the edges. i will do that another weekend. my back needs a break.

happiest place on earth

2012-01-04T18:07:00.004-07:00

i spent new years eve at disneyland/california adventure. it wasn't as crowded as last year which was nice. we were able to ride pretty much everything and the longest we had to wait in line was 45 minutes.

we rang in the official new year at elecTRONica. it was a lot more fun than trying to find a spot to watch the fireworks at disneyland.

lucky strike

2012-01-03T18:02:00.002-07:00

i spent the last few days of 2011 in california. i was able to see jenna the day i flew in. we went and got lunch at islands. sadly, no picture was taken. we made plans for me to go visit during a long weekend and for jenna to come visit during the summer. later that night carly and i met dominique and jeff for some bowling at lucky strike followed by froyo.

me and a tree

2012-01-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

speaking of my father he insisted i stand by this tree so he could take pictures of me.

i was at the temple because cy, mari, and ry were being sealed.

retro hair

2012-01-01T12:21:00.004-07:00

i rocked my sweet faux hawk for the clonts clan christmas eve party. this time i did a suicide roll with my bangs. i loved the retro"ness" and felt like i needed red lips to complete the look. maybe next time.

i am currently on my way home from california after celebrating the new year at disneyland.

my two week vacation is over and it is back to the seed life.

remember when...

2011-12-31T12:52:00.007-07:00

i moved out on my own in january?

i snuck into the penthouses in february?

i finally made it to first fridays in march?

i went and saw mumford and sons in april?

i enjoyed the olex pool parties in may?

i went to the lake many times in june (thanks nick!)?

i started cooking and then stopped cooking food in july?

i had a reunion with two great friends from high school in august?

i rode the tour de pc with all the boys in september?

i met my little sisters baby in october?

i experienced my first corn maze in november?

i got to spend 4 days with my best friend in december?

looking at pictures from the past year is a good reminder of how blessed i am.

2011 was a good year.

bring on 2012

no jeans december

2011-12-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

2012 goals-city life

2011-12-30T12:55:00.005-07:00

i have lived downtown for almost a year.

i have seen parts of the city i haven't seen before but i also know there is a lot more to see.

when i do eat out i will eat at a new place.

i will spend my saturday mornings at the farmers market.

i will ride this (in Pistachio) or this (in orange) to get from place to place... when i save up enough money.

i will walk around downtown and wonder the streets.

i will take harley for more walks around the block

i will hop on the light rail and get off on a random stop and look around.

i will know this city before i leave it.

photo source

2012 goals-shopping

2011-12-29T00:39:00.006-07:00

2012 is going to be life on a budget.

i set a budget for 2011 but was very strict with it.

2012 i will be back in school, hoa is going up, and that means i need to be strict with myself.

i will cut out the useless shopping and spending habits that have gotten out of control.

i have a dresser and two closets full of clothes and shoes.

i have things in my closet that have only been worn once and some that haven't been worn at all.

if i feel like i have nothing to wear i need to think of a way to wear it differently.

i do not need to go buy a new shirt only to get sick of it in a couple days. i do not need to buy a pair of shoes because they are on sale.

i want to work with what i have.

i know it will get old and be hard but i also know i have the ability to do it.

i want to live within my means.

photo source

2012 goals-health ii

2011-12-28T12:28:00.003-07:00

i haven't been eating as well as i hoped.

i haven't gone of the deep end of anything but i defiantly have gone off the path a bit.

i am sure part of it has to do with living on my own but that is about to change because this girl has a plan.

i have gone back and forth on being vegan and vegetarian.

i have done my research and read a lot.

i am going vegan. again. for good.

i am done with the break outs, not sleeping, and not feeling good/healthy.

i can live without dairy. i dont feel good after i eat it when i do cave into the temptation.

i am also hoping to cut back on the pointless carbs. the rolls, the pizza, the breads.

i can live without them. they are easy to eat but are not feeling.

i will cook my meals on sundays so that my lunch/snacks are ready for work. there will be no more running out of time to make lunch so i have to go buy food during lunch. my meals will be ready for when i get home from work/school. i wont have to make a quick stop and pick up something quick. i wont go out to eat with friends all the time. it gets expensive and not very good for you.

the run down.

green smoothie in the morning. sunday prepared meal for lunch. veggies for snacks. nice veggie filled protein packed salad for dinner.

yummy food makes for a happy girl

photo source

2012 goals-health i

2011-12-27T12:07:00.004-07:00

i have a gym in my building... on my same floor... less than 500 steps away.

i used it for a week and then stopped.

i want to use it. i should use it.

i also have some sweet running shoes

i ran 3-7 miles every night for about a week and then stopped.

i have a really pretty bike

i ride it when i can get out of bed but not as much as i should.

i have a yoga mat.

i was going to yoga pretty regularly than got off schedule and stopped.

notice a pattern?

because i do.

i will go to the gym the nights i dont have class. that means every monday, wednesday, friday, saturday i will be pumping iron. if i have a lot of homework i can make it a quick gym sessions. there is no excuse not to go. it is easy enough to stay up watching tv or looking at facebook when i could be spending that time improving my health.

i will get in a couple good runs a week depending on what i have on my plate. i enjoy running even if i trip over cracks in the sidewalk or run into fire hydrants. i have always enjoyed running. i am still hoping to find time to afford a half marathon and eventually a full.

i will ride my bikes the mornings i dont have class. that means every tuesday, thursday, saturday i will be pedaling my heart out. i can ride with my dad, around south mountain, or find a nice loop downtown. riding my bike regularly will allow me to do the longer rides and maybe just maybe keep up with my dad and brothers.

i have fallen in love with sumits yoga as well as the yin yang class at inner vision yoga. i would love to make it to the yin yang class once a week and sumits when i can. yoga is pretty expensive so i was planning on using my babysitting money to take classes here and there when i can. i love the stretch and relaxation that goes into it. plus when i was doing it regularly i was sleeping better... imagine that

photo source

face lift

2011-12-27T11:11:00.009-07:00

i bought this dresser back in 2010 while i was visiting nate in kingman. i found it in a vintage store and fell in love. i called nate to see if he would be willing to drive it down to phoenix for me in his trailer and he agreed.

i moved it into the garage so i could give it a makeover.

here is it mostly done. i liked it but a couple months later and i was ready to redo the whole thing and not skip the gloss finish... but that was going to have to wait till i had more time.

when carly and i decided it was time to paint our unit i figured i would paint the dresser then too. well i painted my room but never got around to the dresser until now!

here is the new and improved dresser. it has to cure for 72 hours before i can put the handles back on and set things on top of it. i am so glad i took the extra step and time to add the gloss finish.

my room is almost there!

switch it change it... rearrange it

2011-12-27T01:14:00.005-07:00

i didn't have to babysit today so i decided to finally repaint my dresser. i vacuumed up the dog hair, emptied out the dresser, layed down protection, moved the dresser into the living room and got to work.

harley was ready for a nap and the painting hadn't even started yet. notice his ball is never out of his reach.

while i was waiting for the paint to dry on the drawers i made a trip to ikea for some frames. i am planning on hanging them up on the wall opposite of the big windowns. this is when i text my dad to see if he is free to help me hang them, and by help i mean he does all the work and i watch.

the drawers have had 2-3 coats of pink paint and 1 coat of finish. i have to wait 2 hours to put on the next coat of finish. i am going to do that in the morning before dad comes over to hang frames.

my mess is making its way into the kitchen now.

once the last coat is on the dresser i have to wait at least 72 hours before putting the thing back together. which means i will put everything back together sunday when i get home from california. after that all i have left to do is fill a couple frames with pictures and stencil my little nook.

2012 goals-school

2011-12-26T11:55:00.005-07:00

i am going back to school in january

16 credit hours to be exact

math, bio, chem, and humanities.

i want to pass the classes.

i would love an a but will be more realistic and be happy with a b/high c

i have a morning class, lectures online, and labs in the evening.

i will still be working full time so i know it will get stressful.

i am hoping that if i get a routine down and stay on top of things i will survive.

these classes are the building blocks for the rest of the classes i need to take,

i am also planning on taking a couple classes in the summer before heading into fall semester.

wish me luck... i know i will need that and a box of tissues for my meltdowns.

photo source

holiday in paradise

2011-12-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

merry christmas from one lex

a different christmas

2011-12-24T14:05:00.004-07:00

it's going to be a small christmas this year with most of my siblings staying home with their little families. i always enjoy the holidays with my family... maybe it's because we have been doing the same thing since before i can remember and i love that is hasn't changed.

we still find ways to have competitions

santa still comes

the christmas tree still has homemade ornaments and my sister and i still wear matching pjs to bed

i love that we still open presents youngest to oldest even though our family has tripled in size and still eat christmas nut logs

and the crazy clonts clan still gets together every christmas eve.

it's going to be a change but not all change is bad... right?

flash mob with a twist

2011-12-23T16:17:00.003-07:00

today i participated in my first medmob at biltmore fashion park.

i thought it would be hard to sit still for a full hour in meditation. it was hard, my body was sore, but i made it. the phoenix group has only been doing it for the last couple of months. there were 10 of us to start it off and a few christmas shoppers came and joined for part of it. it felt like peace among the chaos of christmas shoppers.

(picture taken from the medmob facebook)

i hope to be able to attend more in the future. maybe one day there will be a group as large as the one pictured above.

girls night in

2011-12-22T16:30:00.003-07:00

carly and i hosted a little christmas party with the girls in our building. we provided the drinks and everyone else brought some appetizers to munch on while we talked. we also did a little gift exchange too.

new addition

2011-12-21T20:41:00.004-07:00

meet my newest baby

(which happens to be the oldest of the bunch)

i have been wanting another bike to ride around downtown phoenix since thats not really what the prom dress is for. i had my eye on a couple public bikes that i was really interested in. unfortunately, my budget wasn't allowing for the purchase of another new bike.

this is where my dad comes into the picture. he helped my grandmothers back neighbor get a bike of his functioning and as payment got to take a bike from a truckload of bikes he purchased. my dad found this little beauty and thought of me. my dad is in the process of fixing a few things and she/he should be as good as new. i am also thinking of having my friends dad paint the frame since he made my car look so pretty the last time i needed something painted.

once i decide on the color the new addition will get a proper name.

here is a link with a little more info about the bike

poo hair

2011-12-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

i am trying this out on my hair.

i bought two pretty oil bottles at cost plus and filled them with my "shampoo" and "conditioner".

we shall see how this goes

faux hawk

2011-12-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

have you heard of karmin?

they do covers of songs and she raps, rather well, and are working on their cd.

anyways... the chick always does her hair in crazy ways and i saw she had a hair tutorial. i thought the faux hawk looked pretty cool so i did my own spin on it.

my hair is too short to do the two loops through the ponytail. i just put my hair into 5 ponytails, teased the hair, and pinned the ends down with bobby pins.

it was really quick and easy and stayed put all day. i think this will be added into my hair style rotation.

i also colored my hair a shade of red. i havent made up my mind on how i feel about it. i am thinking i am going to have my hair stylist color it for me next time.

meet jerry

2011-12-18T14:06:00.003-07:00

the 3rd/4th graders have created a comic, for lack of a better word.

his name is jerry and he has a mustache.

they decided to sell their jerry comics to help raise money for their graduation trip. they set up a table in the office every afternoon and sell the comics until they get picked up from after school. the comics cost $.25 and they have made over $20.00.

its official

2011-12-17T22:58:00.004-07:00

i am on break.

no more work for two weeks.

i am however spending my break with p.

we get to hang out every day till 5.

watching one child over 50 million is still a break to me.

can you believe christmas is one week away?

this time next year

2011-12-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

my body feels better just looking at the pictures

tis the season

2011-12-15T22:07:00.002-07:00

i am currently watching this while i finish up some costumes for the winter solstice performance tomorrow night.

updated

2011-12-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

heres to a family picture where i am not married to my brother

[although it almost happened, what would we do without caleb]

it's only a matter of time until it becomes outdated.

book drunkard

2011-12-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

source

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” — Joyce Carol Oates

“I am simply a ‘book drunkard.’ Books have the same irresistible temptation for me that liquor has for its devotee. I cannot withstand them.” — L.M. Montgomery

“We read to know that we are not alone.” — C.S. Lewis

“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you’d most like not to lose.” — Neil Gaiman

“We don’t need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They’re always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.” — Lloyd Alexander

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” — Jorge Luis Borges

quote source

i'll i want for christmas is...

2011-12-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

sometimes it is still fun to make a list of things you would want for christmas. in my case it's more of a list i want to save up my money for

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

dream bed

2011-12-11T13:24:00.001-07:00

i can't wait to tackle this diy with my dad once we find the right wood

source unknown

bathroom complete

2011-12-10T10:51:00.003-07:00

i might switch out the pink towels and make a few other minor changes but i am calling it done.

the colors are mostly pinks, robin egg blue, silver, and white

the top of this cabinet was getting gross so i covered it with cork shelf liner as a quick fix. but looking at the picture below i notice that it has had some spills. if it starts looking worse i will just replace the cork with a new one.

i thought it would be nice to display what i use to wash my face since they are used regularly.

i am a bit crazy when it comes to face washing and i am finally happy with this method. i massage olive oil (middle jar) on my face to remove make up and/or wash my face. i soak a wash cloth in hot water and use that to remove the oil/make-up. it is the best feeling in the world and has become the highlight of my night. i follow that up with coconut oil (jar on left) as a moisturizer. i also bought some things to make a natural toner but i haven't gotten around to making it yet. the jar on the right is empty. i cant decide if i want to keep it, use it, or switch it out with something else. for now it will stay empty next to the olive oil.

i love this little diy my dad and i did. this use to be a mirror that was attached to my dresser i bought in kingman, which nate so kindly drove down for me. the mirror was removed and replaced with white pegboard my dad cut to size. i then organized the hooks and hung my jewelry. i love that it is on display and is a helpful reminder to wear it.

vegas: december 5

2011-12-09T13:31:00.003-07:00

we packed up, checked out, and went to the rio to enjoy their buffet. i was impressed with their food especially the dessert, yummy coconut gelato. after brunch, jenna and i were the only ones left until our flights later that night.

first stop, MGM to see the lions.

they also had cubs in another area that were WAY cute. i think that needs to be the next animal that makes its way to grandmothers farm :)

we rode the roller coaster at NYNY and watched a free 3d movie at the m&m factory.

we acted like total tourists that day and enjoyed every minute of it!

vegas: december 4

2011-12-08T12:21:00.003-07:00

the lack of sleep was catching up to us because none of us got out of bed till noon. we grabbed lunch at a mexican/chinese fusion restaurant where we ordered their veggie fried rice that was featured on the show the best thing i ever ate. it was pretty dang good. we did some more exploring before heading back to rest our feet.

lindsey thought if she clogged the shower she could feel it with hot water for everyone to soak their feet in. it kind of worked minus the whole hot water part. yes their was a window between the bed and the shower. we all promised not to open the blinds when someone was showering.

we ate our last dinner at holsteins which had an AMAZING veggie burger before making out way to xs.

we decided to head back, change, and do another night of exploring.

sadly, once we got changed and made it to the lobby we decided to go back to the room and crawl into bed.

vegas: december 3

2011-12-07T11:41:00.005-07:00

we spent the afternoon roaming the strip as much as we could with the cold. we ate yummy food and enjoyed the people watching before taking a cat nap before another night of dancing.

saturday evening, adriana, another of jenna's friends, joined us for the rest of the weekend. we got ready and headed out for round two of dancing.

we hit tryst first after a quick dinner.

there were these two goofy boys that were doing whatever it took to dance with us. they provided us with some great entertainment for a while.

after tryst we made our way to surrender for some more dancing. jenna and adriana called it and night early and lindsey, alyssa, kelly, and i stayed for more dancing. eventually, we headed back to the cosmopolitan. we took some pictures in front of the cool chandelier bar which is suppose to look like a giant chandelier that you can sit inside of before going to the room.

once we got to the room we decided to go back out, this time in better shoes and jackets.

we ended the night at new york new york with more pizza. we also met two older cowboy couples from nashville, they were in town for the rodeo. they kept us entertained until we were ready to head back out in the cold and call it a night.

vegas: december 2

2011-12-06T22:51:00.004-07:00

i landed in vegas around 9 pm and the rest of the group followed about an hour later. we checked into our hotel, the cosmopolitan, got ready and headed to marquee to celebrate jenna's birthday.

after a long night of dancing we headed to the secret pizza place for a yummy veggie pizza. that pizza was almost as good as the pizza from san fran and hit the spot.

then it was off to dream land to get ready for another day in vegas

hair problems

2011-12-05T09:15:00.005-07:00

i am once again bored with my hair and want to switch it up... i just can't decide when there are so many choices

red hair with bangs?

or just red hair?

brown with bangs?

or just brown?

with emma stone going blonde for a movie i have had a couple people suggest blonde... i always said no to being a blonde... but i have to admit it has grown on me a bit.

i could always jump on the ombre hair train

i still love this whole adding color to your hair... i could go bright...

or keep it more subtle with the peachy color tips

book review: light on snow

2011-12-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

i really enjoy anita shreve novels. i have read a handful of them and have a handful more to go. i picked up this particular book on sale at barnes and noble added it to my collection and moved on with life. it finally made its way to my nightstand a week or two ago.

the story is about a father and daughter who end up in a small town after a tragedy strikes their family. the father and daughter go for a walk in the woods behind their house and happen upon a baby left to die in the snow. they quickly take the baby to the hospital and their life is once again changed. the daughter cant help but to think about the baby and what will happen to it. then a young lady appears at their house and another layer is added to the story.

the story alters between past, present, and a little of the future. it gives good insight into how death can separate a family and new life can bring them back together again. i really enjoyed it and wanted the story continue even after i finished it.

thankful

2011-12-03T10:43:00.004-07:00

while i am off having some fun i thought i would leave with you some of the things i am thankful for.

i wanted to share these around thanksgiving but what fun would it be to do it when everyone is doing it.

I am thankful for...

my family

this past thanksgiving was the first time in a long time we have all been together in one spot. sometimes, i forget how much i love them and enjoy their company. we have conversations about teeth, drugs, and bodily functions. we can turn anything into a competition and board games can get pretty intense.

my job

while most people get to sit behind a desk i get to play. the kids i teach are amazing. they have amazing dance moves, lovely singing voices, and have perfected the art of tattle tailing. my job is to teach them socially. They learn how to solve a problem on their own, to use brave talk, to include others. i know i am doing my job when i heard "i don't like when you do _____. it makes me feel ________." or "you can't say you can't play." i love hearing them use their language skills to communicate their needs/feelings to each other instead of hearing, "i'm telling the teacher on you." my person favorite is when they love and logic their friends and say, "i play with friends who are safe" or "that's so sad, you can play with me when you are ready." kids are capable of doing a lot.

my home

i love the building i live in and all the people in it. i enjoy our sunday dinners by the pool that provide me with enough leftovers for the week. i have met a fun group of girls and we enjoy our nights together playing games and talking. i love the summer days at the pool after a long day. i enjoy the fact that even though its getting cold i can still go swimming thanks to the heated pool. it's nice knowing that harley has lots of little doggie friends to play with. i enjoy leaving dance videos on the security cameras for the concierge and facility manager to enjoy.

my body

i have put my body through a lot between dance, cheer, gymnastics, running, cycling, hiking, and more. my knees may swell up to the size of a watermelon but at least they get me to where i want to go. there are others out their who are suffering much worse than me. i am glad i have an able body and that i can use and abuse it and it still keeps going.

and lots more

weekend getaway

2011-12-02T09:07:00.002-07:00

after this

i am going here

to see her

for four days

:]]

coconut

2011-12-01T07:58:00.004-07:00

my guilty pleasure when i think i want dairy but know i really dont want it.

so delicious dairy free coconut ice "cream"

not as good as the stuff you get at a thai restaurant but close enough

no jeans november

2011-11-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

[i did cheat once but i wore my nice wide leg jeans]

deck the halls condo

2011-11-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

we would deck the halls but the HOA will send us a lovely fine in the mail once they notice. and they will notice because they do hall checks. that is right, ladies and gentlemen, our building manager person checks the halls to make sure everyone is in compliance.

the HOA also doesn't allow christmas decor to go up until the day after thanksgiving and has to be down shortly after the new year.

this year we are celebrating with a white tree (thanks to carly and i's mad hunting skills) and brightly colored ornaments/owls (thank to carly's mom).

we turned on christmas music, made hot chocolate, turned the self timer on, and got to work!

in order to see the tree from outside, we had to set it on top of a nightstand.

we need one more stand of lights to cover the last 2 rows on the tree.

we decided to go all bright and girly while we still can.

we also decorated a smaller tree in the hallway with the more natural colored ornaments carly's mom had bought.

we managed to break 2 balls and are hoping to go back for some more crazy shaped ornaments to fill the back of the tree a little better. we still need to invest in some stockings and stocking holders... one purchase at a time.

DISCLAIMER:

NO FAKE SNOW STUFF WILL BE SPRAYED ON THE WINDOWS THIS YEAR! THAT WAS A DISASTER TIMES TEN LAST YEAR.

here is a picture in case you forgot about that mess.

my rooms current state

2011-11-28T09:54:00.002-07:00

i have managed to paint the wall yellow, which turned out a little lighter/brighter than i wanted. i cant decide if i want to leave it or go for darker/duller color. the room has also been put back together but not for long. the dresser and nightstands are WAY to matchy matchy with the walls now and NEED to be painted ASAP. i just happen to have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks. if i cant squeeze the time in during the week i will be tackling these over winter break.

HOT PINK HERE THEY COME!

thanksgiving feast

2011-11-26T12:00:00.002-07:00

look who stopped by the seed to enjoy some food at the all school thanksgiving feast on wednesday

dad, donita, jacie, and farrah were also present just not pictured :]]

just another night

2011-11-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

chaos

2011-11-23T00:00:00.002-07:00

my room currently looks like this

I have most of the painting finished. I need a ladder to finish areas close to the ceiling.

I am planning on putting my room back together tomorrow night.

tour de tucson

2011-11-22T21:19:00.003-07:00

tour de tucson was this past saturday.

micah, nick, nate, and tyler rode 111 miles while dad, jacie, mari, and i rode 42 miles.

we all seemed to be a little off our game mostly because we were fighting some sort of illness. i wanted to finish in 2 hours 30 minutes but ended up finishing just shy of 3 hours. i guess i have another shot next year.

my results for the ride

 place-273  #1210 CANDICE PORTER  F   23  time- 02:59:06 average speed- 14.1

mondays

2011-11-21T21:26:00.002-07:00

I will be spending the next couple Monday's with this little guy.

He is P.

He has some sweet dance moves, amazing karate moves (when he wears his "karate" pants), and loves to make up songs this he promises are actual songs. He also likes to torture me by watching Johnny and the Sprits and Santa Paws (Which I think is a rip off of Annie).

painting teaser

2011-11-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

I started painting my bathroom earlier this week. It is going to look a little something like this.

Today I should finish my bathroom, start and finish my room, and hopefully start of my dresser. Carly is also working on painting her room. There are some fun changes happening over here!

wizarding world of harry potter

2011-11-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Phil, the same Phil who invited me to Blue Man Group, just got back from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I was so jealous to find out he was going and was trying to figure out how to get my body into his suitcase without him noticing. I was never able to find a way but Phil brought a little bit of that magical world back to me. I got some salt water taffy from Honeydukes, the candy store in Hogsmeade as well as a time turner key chain. I love that Phil thought of me on his trip.

Now I really need to find a way to get there soon!

shopping spree

2011-11-18T09:41:00.002-07:00

Here is a quick picture from my shopping trip this past weekend.

I should be all set for a year of no shopping, my goal for 2012!

[hopefully the next time you see a picture of my room it will look a lot different]

book review: If I Am Missing or Dead

2011-11-16T10:00:00.004-07:00

I would see this book at stores (mainly Target) pick it up, read the back, contemplate buying it, then place it back on the shelf . Eventually, I came across it at Goodwill where I bought it for a buck or two. From there, it made its way into my row of books to read. Upon finishing , In The Woods, I picked it up as my next read. I have been reading it for a week or two and managed to finish it Saturday afternoon in Norco.

It is mostly about Janine's life and that of her sister, Amy's. Their father objectifies woman and has no sensor when it comes to things. He would often call them out on their weight, looks, and role in life. This sort of abuse effected the woman down the road. Janine gets out of one physical abusive relationship with a boyfriend and ends up marrying another abusive one, although he is more emotionally abuse. To the outside world they looked like the perfect couple.

She often talked to her younger sister, Amy on the phone. Amy married an alcoholic at a young age. Eventually, she got out of the relationship. She spent many years alone and gained a lot of weight. She felt worthless when she finally met a man online who seemed to make her happy. It turns out that man was using her for money and possibly more.

The sister's afraid to open their mouths and betray their husband/boyfriend and the worry of being alone only share the positives with each other unable to discuss the real issues. While one sister finally gets up the courage to leave her awful marriage the other ends up dead and missing.

As sad as the story was; I really enjoyed the read. It allows you to see what is going on in someones mind when they are in that situation and how dangerous it can be. It allows you to understand in a way how someone can feel trapped and as if they deserved it or if it was something they deserved. I do wish we were able to know more about Amy's story. Unfortunately, because she never discussed the real issues with anyone we can only assume what was going one behind closed doors.

out of town

2011-11-13T22:46:00.007-07:00

Carly and I took off to Norco, CA after she got off work and I got done with a bike ride.

Please note the difference in how we pack.

I think dad would agree that I have become more of a reasonable packer.

We arrived just in time to go out to dinner with her mom before heading home to watch some ID Channel before calling it a night.

We were hoping to go horseback riding the next night but because of rain we had to change our plans. We ended up picking out paint for the condo, purple for Carly's room, pink for my bathroom, and grey for my room. Next we hit up the tile store where we got a better idea on how we want to fix the dirty wall under the counter. We will have no more jeans/shoes marks once we put up some frost glass. And when I say "we" I mean my lovely father? And lastly, we made out way to H&M where we were treated to new clothes as a belated birthday present.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing on the farm before meeting Carly's dad for dinner.

Carly's mom had a chicken coop built since I was last there. It is a smaller version of the farm house.

Carly's mom shows dogs. They go out to trials where the dogs have to sort/heard sheep, cows, whatever, depending on the trail. The dogs are so freaking smart. You tell the dog to step and the dog steps back. You tail the dog bring it and it brings whatever it has to you. My favorite is when you are done working with the dog, or in my case playing fetch, you simply say "that will do" and the dogs stops. I try these tricks on harley and he ignores me.

[Brenna creeping up on the chicken]

[playing fetch with the dogs while using all my awesome phrases]

Even though we were unable to ride the horses we still found time to love on them.

We went to a friend of their's mexican food restaurant for dinner. Carly was such a good sport when I placed these lovely horns on her head for a picture.

Dinner was lots of fun with her mom and dad. We enjoyed yummy food and laughed the whole time. Her dad said we needed to come up more often and we think we are going to find a way to make that happen.

The last day we made a breakfast for champions and watched the ID Channel all morning.

Eventually we loaded our treasures into the car and headed back to the desert.

See you at the end of December Norco!

BANG

2011-11-09T21:08:00.006-07:00

As I was looking at my schedule I realized the year is almost over and a new one is going to start. I am happy I am going out with a

BANG

too.

Nothing sends the end of the year like 2 vegas trips, 2 california trips, tour de tucson, thanksgiving, christmas, and a family sealing... not to mention two weeks paid vacation from work.

Eight more weeks and it's time to start all over again.

while the building sleeps...

2011-11-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

... we dance

dog bite

2011-11-06T14:26:00.001-07:00

Sunni was dog sitting out in PV Friday night and asked if I would stay the night. Apparently, one of the dogs got spooked and decided to bite Sunni and I. It got her once in both legs and me in the butt pretty good. He felt bad after and took himself to his room. It took him a good hour to come out and then all he wanted to do was cuddle. I would jump any time his head got close to my butt. I have never been scared of a dog like this before. I think I had a good reason to be though.

The dog managed to rip my jeans and then some.

The damage

It has bruised since then...

I think I should just tell people vampire bit me.

blue man group

2011-11-05T23:30:00.002-07:00

A friend in the building has season tickets to Gammage. He had two extra tickets for Blue Man Group and invited Carly and I to attend with him.

The only thing we knew about the group was this

We had no idea it would lead up to this

Here are a couple cool youtube videos of the group.

The show was AMAZING. I loved the whole thing from beginning to end.

If you ever get the chance to see them GO!

a first for me

2011-11-02T23:07:00.004-07:00

Carly and I finally made it out to a corn maze.

It is something I have never done but have always wanted to do.

After finishing the maze we enjoyed the extreme air pillow. It is like a giant bounce house but it doesn't have the walls.

Eventually, we made our way to the other activities that were available.

We pretty much had the place to ourselves. There was another family there and it seemed like it was their family home evening night.

After all the fun I made Carly stop at Bahama Bucks. She had never been and now she is hooked.

The party wasn't over yet... We made our way home and ended up on the top of the parking garage for a little dance party

Have I mentioned that I love where I am at in my life?

Sometimes it's fun to act like a little kid for once instead of the teacher in the middle of the week

no jeans october

2011-10-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

doppelganger

2011-10-31T19:56:00.003-07:00

For Halloween at work I thought it would be fun to dress up as another teacher I work with often. We enjoy teasing each other every day. I knew she would find it very funny that I dressed just like her.

To complete the look I:

bought a pink PINK shirt

borrowed bling miss me jeans from Carly

borrowed a coach head scarf from Jenna

bought bling flip flops

Here is her reaction when I walked in the door.

And here we are standing next to each other.

I realized I should have worn a pair of shorts I have that look just like hers and it would have been better but I know how much she loves her jean pants.

all hallows eve

2011-10-30T22:50:00.002-07:00

The plan was to go to Flagstaff for Halloween with Alissa. Unfortunately, she ended up getting pretty sick and grandmother was in the hospital.

I ended up going out with Sunni and Gretchen to Chandler Air Field for an AZ Clean Party.

[puss in boots, gold, and blondie]

Sunni and I have a habit of ending every late night with Filibertos, a nasty habit I hate to admit. While waiting for our food we had a little photoshoot. They were really slow on getting the food to us.

battle of the sexes

2011-10-26T22:37:00.003-07:00

Carly is on the board for the voices of the desert choir. She is in charge of fundraising for the choir.

She had planned a battle of the sexes event at bliss/rebar.

I stopped by after work to eat dinner and see how the event was going.

It was a pretty fun event and everyone was getting really into it.

They made close to $2,00o.

I would call the event a success.

another day in tie dye paradise

2011-10-21T23:07:00.007-07:00

toddler made train complete with sound effects

pipe cleaner bubble wands

the little things in life make all the difference

makeover

2011-10-21T08:13:00.003-07:00

i have been wanting to switch things up in the room and go a new direction.

my room use to look something like this

then last night when I had way too much time on my hands i got to shuffling

(and not the carly sort of shuffling)

and i ended up with something like this. as you can tell, the dogs put in a lot of work and were very pooped when it was done.

and this is my inspiration for the room now.

-I got a really pretty duvet cover from anthropology on clearance for a really good deal.

-I am thinking of painting the walls a light grey instead of the off white color they are now. I figured the light grey will balance the darker cement in the room.

-I would like to paint my dresser and side tables a bold purple to add a pop of fun color.

-I want to bring mustard yellow into the room by painting the build in shelving area (where the jewelry display is now)

-Then I want to do a fun stencil on that wall in greys or mustard yellows (second picture on left is the stencil I am thinking of using)

-Since my duvet is a neutral color I want some fun sheets like the stripes or purple flowers.

-I want a simple iron/metal bed but without a head/footboad. I dont like the look of my bedskirt and want to get rid of it but I have a very basic frame right now.

-I want to move my jewelry display into the bathroom. This is where my dad comes into the picture to see if it will be able to hang in their like I am hoping.

-Lastly, I want to add some cool art, light, and nightstand.

late night entertainment

2011-10-18T22:19:00.004-07:00

Farrah Jeannette

2011-10-17T22:28:00.003-07:00

This past sunday we had another baby blessing in the family. I would say the last one but we still have Ry left. After that I am hoping this Aunt can take a break. The family trekked down to the Tucson area to Nick and Jacie's house for Farrah.

In the picture below, Cy and I are trying to convince Nixon that Ry is his sibling not Elle.

This makes him really upset! I think we almost had him convinced when we showed him that Ry had the same color hair as him.

And a porter get together wouldn't be the same without a little sibling competition. It started out with having to hold you hard in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes and ended with who could jump the farthest out of the swings.

THE WINNER!

I love this crazy family of mine!

skt

2011-10-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

"little brother" adam and his band, shopping kart tragedies, had their cd release show last night at the marquee theater. i went with my friends sunni (adam's sister) and gretchen along with the rest of the paredes family.

[waiting for them to start their set]

[adam john]

[the band]

they got off to a rough start due to technical issues but ended up having an amazing show. they have improved so much since they started this band a couple years ago. the lead singer, chris, was really sick and loosing his voice earlier in the week. we were impressed how well he did given the circumstances.

their album 'on all fronts' can be bought on itunes.

i suggest you check it out.

the money they get off the cd sells will go towards their missions.

16 floors up

2011-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

We had some fun taking pictures in the penthouse. We, along with Carly's mom, were trying to convince Carly's dad it would be a good investment. We needed some good pictures to further prove our point.

He said a penthouse was out of the question but he was willing to buy us an extra storage unit. So we had to take some pictures in the cages to show how lame they were in comparison to a penthouse house.

pink

2011-10-09T19:57:00.002-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love where I live?

I have met some amazing people in the building and we have formed our own little family here. A friend in the building is a breast cancer survivor so we surprised her by forming a "OLex for Darcy" team and doing race for the cure. Carly and I went all out... pink tutus, socks, and tights.

We love our Darcy

pumpkin carving

2011-10-08T20:02:00.003-07:00

this afternoon carly and i babysat some little friends of ours.

we (more like i) carved pumpkins (4 pumpkins) and baked the pumpkin seeds to snack on.

the parents had never had baked pumpkin seeds so we made two different kinds,

we did a garlic/italian seasoning on one batch and cinnamon sugar on the second batch.

we all preferred the garlic/italian batch.

"family dinner"

2011-10-02T21:59:00.004-07:00

have i mentioned how much i love the building i live in?

we have "family dinner" down by the pool at least once a month.

carly and i look forward to the leftovers. if we are lucky we can get them to last us all week!

[the girls, minus hope and kacee]

truman don clare

2011-10-01T21:47:00.001-07:00

Dad and I drove up to Utah to attend Truman's blessing at the Clare house.

We were happy we made it there with as little trouble as we had. At one point the car kept turning off and we thought we might not make it there. We ended up arriving with time to spare and had no problems after the scare.

This was my first time meeting little (16 lbs little) Truman. It is still crazy to see my little sister not only married but as a mother.

[the clare family]

[grandma and tru]

[holding the big 3 month old boy]

[who truman is middle named after]

[all the men that participated in the blessing]

[this boy loves his food]

[sisters and a baby]

It was a quick trip but I was happy to finally get to love on Truboy.

He needed to meet his cool aunt candice.

We already know I will be his favorite :]]

asu vs usc

2011-09-24T22:05:00.003-07:00

the mini mommy, carly's "mom" while living in az away from her parents, invited us to the asu vs usc football game. we declined the tickets but said we would come to the tailgate to hang out and eat free food :]]

[i finally got a hair cut... it was the bad]

[the mini mommy and carly]

[making fun of carlys dance moves]

[the carly dance]

[trying to get a good picture of the two of us]

no worries asu beat usc... finally after many years of getting our butts kicked.

and we passed on free tickets.

we were kicking outselves for that one.

tour de puke and crash

2011-09-17T21:25:00.009-07:00

my brother and his friend put together a two day bicycle ride called the tour de porter caffall. By the end of the trip we were calling it the tour de puke and crash and the tour de biff and barf and any other funny name we could think of.

We started in Prescott and road up Mingus Mountain through Jerome and into Sedona. It was a fun challenge and even involved some heavy rain. The ride also couldnt be complete without some vomiting and crashing. Luckily, Nick and Nate took one for the team and made it happen.

My favorite part was going down Mingus Mountain at close to 50 mph.

[getting ready to go]

[the boys and me]

[top of mingus mountain]

[nick the biff/crash]

Day two we rode from happy jack towards flagstaff. We stopped at mormon lake and had lunch and headed back to happy jack to call it a weekend.

[the lone rider]

I was pretty impressed with myself. I haven't been riding as long as the rest of the group. My cousin stayed with me for most of the first and I spent a lot of the second day on my own. I hadn't been riding as much the weeks prior because I was battling a cold. I also slowed down a lot the second day because my butt hurt when I sat on my seat. I am hoping by next year I may be able to keep up with them a little better. I just have to make myself get out of bed in the morning.