The 1:16am Post

Technically, it's Monday morning...
Since I haven't fallen asleep, it's still Sunday, to me.

In a week's time, I will be a married lady!
MARRIED!!
Dude, I can't even wrap my head around it!

At times, I trip out. I will have a HUSBAND!!
I think I'm tripping out riiiiight now.

I wrote my vows last night.  Kinda surreal.  We read each other's vows today.  His vows were so sweet and tender (like him).  Mine....um, well, didn't quite sound like vows.  How in the world do you express your innermost feelings without sounding like a goon?!  In regards to my vows, my biggest accomplishment will be me being able to get through them without sobbing and getting choked up.  

In a week's time I will be surrounded by my most treasured loved ones.  I'm so happy for those we were able to invite.  I know not everyone we invited will be there, but it's totally understandable and we hold no ill will at all.  We're so blessed by the warm thoughts that have been sent our way.  We're so lucky!

I spoke to my childhood best friend tonight.  It's been a while since Liz & I spoke.  Sometimes life gets too busy.  I hate the distance that can happen in friendships.  I know I haven't focused on a lot of the friendships that I should, in which I feel terrible.  Anywhoo...back to Liz.  Man, I'm so thankful for those friends of mine that have been around since forever.  Friends who know me.  Those are the best types of friends.

Back to wedding freak-out stuff.  So I bought some Spanx.  Uh... I'm not super excited to be wearing it for the wedding.  Dang my stupid gym membership that I got like 3 months ago and didn't quite use.  Ugh....  Spanx, my last resort.

Oh yeah, we went by my parents' place yesterday.  We brought donuts to smooth things over and walked in to find that my Mom made teriyaki beef ribs, sausage, corn and beans. SOOOOOOOO DELISH!! Especially since we were starving....which is why we went overboard in buying a dozen donuts.  Anyways, it was such good familiar family comfort food.  I loved it.  I think I felt much like the Prodigal Son.  Since my last phone call with her ended so poorly, it was nice to be well received and smooth things over before the wedding.  As always, it was nice to see my Dad.  He looked 10x better than when we last saw him, on Father's Day.  I'm glad I'll be so blessed to see my parents, sister & kids in a week's time.  SO SOOOOOOO lucky to have all of them, in one place.

Man....what else.....  I need to start thinking about what to set aside and pack for our trip.  I'm the worst packer in the world, but I have to have everything packed a couple days prior.  Good luck to me.

Ok, I need to get some sleep.... I already know that this week is going to fly by!

"When you say you love me, know I love you more..."

This past Saturday, I had the sincere pleasure and beautiful opportunity to see my friend Eidde & his love Joe, get married.   The air was thick with elation, love and affection for this sweet couple. 

Watching Joe with his Mother, made me think of how sweet and tender he treats Eidde.

The smile on Eidde's Mom's face sums up the feelings of all those in attendance. 

Such beautiful vows were shared!

Some of my best (growing up) memories happened with these 3 people!

With the handsome grooms!

Wedding Photo Booth = A total must have!!

It was such a beautiful celebration of love.  I couldn't be any happier for my friend Eidde.  Joe is so sweet and kind, and I am ecstatic that my dear friend is on cloud #9!  They are so sweet together.  Just being surrounded by so much love and happiness made me think so much about weddings and marriages.  Listening to Eidde & Joe's vows to each other made me even more thankful for my special man...

I'm so glad that my better half always looks good for the camera!

I cannot wait to marry this man of mine.  He means the whole galaxy to me.  He makes everything 1,000,000 times better, brighter, funnier and lovelier.  I can't wait til we exchange vows and dance our first dance together.  So many great things to come...

Especially for my dear friend Eidde & Joe. I wish them the very best life has to offer and a lifetime of love & happiness!

Happy Birthday Liz!

Today is my best friend, Liz'a birthday.  

I was so lucky and blessed to live across from her for 30 years of our lives.  

I miss it.  It was like my home away from home, but yet, I could still see my home.  I miss being able to kick it with her all the time, and borrow each others movies, or go to Wal Mart together all the time.  

However, I'm grateful that we've had such a bond that even though we may not have seen each other for weeks or months, our friendship picks up right where it left off.  

I'm glad that I'll get to spend tonight with her and our other kinda/sorta best friend, Eidde.  He moved in next door when we were 9 and he was 5.  We took him in because, well because he wouldn't go away.  He'd follow us every where! He was kinda fun at first, but we thought he was too much of a baby.  Things haven't really changed much.... he still follows us around, and he's still a spoiled brat, but we love him too.  He completes our circle of friendship.  

I loved my childhood! It was everything I could have dreamt of, and more!  I owe it all to Liz............and Eidde, I guess. :) 

Happy 32nd Liz!

Today is my best friend, Liz's birthday!  

She's truly one of my oldest friends! I have no idea when our friendship started, because we grew up across the street from each other....but I'm pretty sure it started right after birth.  I have so many cherished childhood memories, with Liz in almost every single one of them.  We were like partners in crime. We played together, every single day after school.  If my parents wouldn't let me out, I'd call her to come over to ask if I could come out to play.  My parents had a hard time turning her down.  It always worked like a charm! :)  

I remember always being invited to her house for birthday parties  There were always reasons to party at her house! I think her Mom loved to throw parties, or something, but I remember first encountering a pinata, at her house.  There was always cake, at each celebration, as well as Liz's Mom with a camera in hand, ready to take photos.  We celebrated almost every holiday together.  We always went trick-or-treating together, and then later decorated and passed out candy for Halloween when we were too old to trick-or-treat.  When we started to realize how fun New Years Eve could be, we started to celebrate that too.  Usually it was just us two with her next door neighbor, Eidde, but we had the best of times together! 

I'm not exactly sure how our friendship has endured all these years.  Maybe it's because she's so easy going and didn't mind when I had a crazy idea or two.  Once while we were walking home from Jr. high, the dog at the end of the block got loose and started to run up to us.  Since I'm terrified of [unfamiliar] dogs, I started to run. So did Liz...but she had a death grip on my shirt, which was slowing me down and the dog was quickly catching up!  In that moment, it became, "every man for himself" and I pushed Liz back and off of my shirt, then ran across the street.  The dog continued chasing her, as she screamed and ran for dear life.  (This was a HUGE dog and Liz is about 5'1!) Luckily, the owner came out and called his dog back! Liz wasn't all too pleased with me for ditching her, but dang, that dog was scary! Sorry Liz.

 I'm sad that we no longer live across the street from each other. I was so blessed to have a wonderful neighbor and a loyal best friend, found right across the street, for 30 years.   Liz has been the most truest and dedicated friend anyone could ever ask for! I don't know how I got this lucky to have her in my life since we were born.  Even though we don't see each other every day now, I miss her so, SO much!   I always thought we'd forever live across the street from each other, even after we grew up and had our own places.  I know that I'll never find a neighbor like Liz again in this lifetime, but that's okay, at least I still have her as my very best friend.

Happy 32nd Birthday Liz! 

Birthdays: The Good, The Bad & Everything in Between!

Today was a rather enjoyable Labor Day!  I went to the beach with my sister, Sim & niece.  We hung out with our family friends and it was just a great day!  The weather was pleasant and it was nice to get a tan.  I haven't been to the beach in a while, so it just lovely all around! 

So I'm gearing up for my birthday weekend!! I'm really really stoked!! I'm still hoping to go out with theBaker on Saturday, but we'll have to see since he has some sort of family reunion that weekend.  I'm kinda bummed.  I think I'm not gonna get my hopes up for going out with him.  I just can't, I don't want to be disappointed, especially when my birthday's involved.  

I've mentioned before that I've had not-so-great birthdays in the past...  Lemme elaborate.

*6th or 7th bday?: drew up invites, invited half of my first grade class, no one came :(

*8th bday: I was sick, sick like a dog and getting baptized a few days later.  Where I still had a cold.

*9th bday: Woke up the next morning with TONS of mosquito bites.  

*10th bday: Wanted to have a slumber party, invited all my friends and only two came over.  Bummer.

*13th bday: I was left at home with my grandfather, all day, where I got scolded pretty badly.  I was in tears til Liz came over and gave me the game of "Life", which we ended up playing for the rest of the night.

*15th bday: Got in an argument with my oldest brother, the night before my birthday, because he wanted me to go to sleep early for seminary.  The next morning on my way [on time!] to early morning seminary, the first thing my Mom said to me was, "I think you should apologize to your brother.  You shouldn't have talked back to him like that." She didn't wish my a happy birthday, and luckily, I went to Los Angeles that day for a field trip  When I got home, no one mentioned my birthday.  However, my older brother's birthday's the next day and that was well celebrated....

*16th bday: I was horribly sick and my saliva gland was infected, thus swelling up enormously.  I went to YW mutual that evening, and was well received by friends.  I didn't have to over up the huge bump I had on my face.

*18th bday: Went out with 3 close friends, two of them got in a huge fight and ruined the evening. 

*21st bday: 9/11/2001---Need I say more?

*22nd bday: My missionary trainer was in a horrible accident (she fell from an attic onto a garage floor--SCARY!!), I was emergency transfered to another area where I was the peace keeper amongst the two sisters I was with.  You could cut the tension with a knife!!  However, we had a member dinner where she fed us salmon (MY FAVORITE!!!), rice pilaf and grilled pine nuts!! YUM!!! But I had to put up with her huge, scary dogs :(

*26th bday: Had a blind date....it sucked.  

However, my birthdays have gotten a million times better!!!  

20th bday: Went to Santa Monica & LA for Price is Right, with a group of friends.  One guy from our group ended up winning the showcase showdown! We all rushed the stage and were jumping all over the place, around Bob Barker! FUN!!

23rd.

23rd bday: I was on my mission, with Ash, serving in Bordentown, NJ.  Somehow, that WHOLE day was about food!!!  It was like cramming 10 Thanksgiving dinners into one day! Since we weren't getting along all too well, my brother told me that I should "kill her with kindness" and take her out to lunch.  I woke up early, made a huge breakfast (my favorite meal!); pancakes, eggs & sausage, with orange juice.  We tracted for a while, then I took her to lunch to one of my favorite restaurants in the area, Mastoris.  Oh man, we were stuffed.  Then later in the afternoon, we had some Italian Gelatis.  Sister Lillie Nelson had us over for lasagna, where she served us HUGE portions.  Oh man, I was still stuffed from breakfast!  Since I loved her dearly, I ate my whole piece....and I think I even had a 2nd piece because she cut it before I could stop her! I'm glad I was wearing an elastic band skirt!  One of our investigators, Meredith, had us over for cake and ice cream.  And afterwards, we had a dessert appointment with Sister Donna Parke.  Oh man, we were in a FOOD COMA when we got back to the apartment.  Seriously, we were in pain.....that night....and the next day! But it definitely helped change the spirit of our companionship.  I couldn't have been more grateful.

25th.

25th bday: Made breakfast for my two roommates, Kelly & BA, after having a great day at church.  And we danced around the house to 50Cent's "In Da Club".  Later that evening, BA's parents had us over for a wonderful dinner and dessert.  We hung out downstairs playing pool, til we took home "BrighamTheBear" and then the fun started! Brigham's a GINORMOUS bear, that we put into my backseat, and had him "wave" to people as we drove home.  People actually waved back and even tried running after my car! Crazy fun!

29th.

29th bday: It was the year that people could get in free to Disneyland on their birthday.  I took advantage of it since I hadn't been there since I was about 11 yrs old.  Oh man, BEST way to spend a birthday.  I celebrated all weekend!  The day before my awesome co-worker totally decorated our office.  The next day, I worked at the temple and then went clubbing that night.  Yeah, pretty great.

30th.

30th bday: I LOVED the dress I made the night before!! It's one of my most favorite dresses, ever.  I felt so beautiful! I was surrounded by great friends eating the most delectable dessert known to man: The Viking!  

31st. 

31st bday: This has got to be my MOST celebrated birthday!! I had a dessert date with Ras, then walked around Balboa Park.  Showered with such great love from so many AWESOME friends!! This one birthday alone made up for all the sucky birthdays growing up.  Seriously,  it was just perfect!! My dear friends, the Drapers, threw me a party and I just felt so loved.  I LOVED IT!!  PajamaPants & Mr. Red even came to church to support me as I sang a duet with Joz.  It was such a beautiful duet.  Seriously, BEST birthday to date. 

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE birthdays!! Not just my own, but others, too! I like making their day as special as possible.  Since I've had a bad string of birthdays, I try to make the day as GREAT as possible.  So let's see how this year turns out!  There is really only one thing I hope to get for my birthday, but like I already mentioned, I don't want to get my hopes up..

   

Saturday plans!

Can I just say how much I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE bike riding!!!

Or I guess it's really called, "cycling"?

Whatevers.

I LOVE IT!!!

It's just so much fun exploring & being out in the open air!

I never knew I was going to love it this much! But I do!!!

I don't know where we're going today, but we're going!

I'll take pics and we'll have show & tell later.

Happy Saturday!



Before I forget... Rain memories.

As I was walking into the house tonight, the rain was sprinkling lightly on my head.  The wind shifted and I caught a nice breeze of the scent of rain. Oh I love the way rain smells!  Immediately, memories of Liz and I playing in my garage on a rainy day came to mind. I miss my childhood.  Rainy days were the best!  We would play in my dark garage, setting up cardboard boxes to make tunnels and secret hide outs.  Sometimes her brother Cheeto would join us.  Oh I miss times like those. 

It's funny what comes to mind on a rainy evening. 

Taste of Hillcrest!

On Friday, a friend hooked me up with with some SWEET tickets to Taste of Hillcrest, for the next day. There were about 55 participating restaurants, eateries, & bars.  For $30, or in our case $Free, you could taste samples from each of these places.  I thought it was going to be small portions, but that was NOT the case! We hit about 28 spots in 4 hours.  Man, we were hurtin' in the end! Was it worth it? HELL YEAH!!! LOVED IT!! Good food & good company make for the BEST times!







 

(came across a random sign and it totally warmed my heart!)

For the record: Friendship.

I think I need to explain something quick!

This is Mr. Red:



We are ONLY and ever will be only friends.
Yes, I did like him (VERY past tense). 
But that's not the reason we're still friends.  In my last post, I mentioned that I "crave spending time with him."  I do, that's true. 
The reason why I "crave" that time hanging with him is because I can talk to him about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING, and NEVER feel judged.....and I have discussed EVERYTHING under the sun with him.  I don't have many friends that I can be so open with, like I am with him and my very best friend, Bugs.  A few friends come close and I'm grateful for them and their friendship.  Them too, do I desire spending time with.

I'm the kind of person that genuinely loves her friends. I miss them when I don't see them or talk with them for long periods of time.  I grew up with 2 best friends living right across the street from me.  I never had to experience losing a friendship due to moving.  To this day, I still live within a one mile radius of Liz & Eidde and talk to them to this day. I love my friends, I tell them that whenever we talk.  If I died tomorrow, I hope my friends know of the love I have for them, the blessing it's been for them to call me a friend and that my life has been enriched because of them. I never like saying goodbye to a friend or a friendship, and avoid it at all costs. 

So about my friendship with Mr. Red.....  I've trusted him with my deepest secrets, my craziest thoughts and my most sensitive feelings.  He knows me as well as my best friend, Bugs and my sister, Bec.  When we're hanging out, we're usually just talking. He is an intelligent individual and I'm always left with the appetite and aspiration to learn.  The fact that his gender happens to be male, sometimes strikes a nerve with the guys I date.  I've learned to not mention Mr.Red to them, anymore than I do about my female friends. 

I can only hope that the guys I date understand that when I say, "We're only friends" that they trust me completely on that fact.  Because if roles were reversed, I would understand and never ask them to stop befriending someone that makes them want to be a better person. 

Best Friends - est. 1980

I'm so grateful for my best friend Liz. This photo was taken Saturday evening at my friend Tanya's reception. She was very willing to come to a Mormon reception in which she knew no one and isn't even a member. I'm very grateful for her willingness.
Liz and I have lived across the street from each other since we were born (except for when I left for my mission and college). We attended the same schools all of our lives. She's been like the sister I never had. We’re quite different, always have been. Yet in the same aspect, we’re very similar. However in the end, we compromise which always helps. She puts up with all of my crazy antics and lame jokes, but never complains. I'm so grateful to have had her as a constant friend in my life. She has a big heart and gives beyond measure. Thanks for everything Liz.