So, last year, I was a bit saddened that I could not be around my parents and brothers for Christmas. Andrew and I had only been married about 2 weeks before we spent Thanksgiving with his parents locally in Mesa. The only thing that really surprised me was that his dad made me a gluten-free PUMPKIN PIE. I couldn't believe how good it tasted.
We decided this year that making a gluten free pumpkin pie the night before Thanksgiving was going to be a tradition for us. After much trial, and 2 stores later, we found the "Libby's" brand P. pie can filling and I made it at home at about 10pm! However, since the crust was going to be super tough & time consuming to make, We bought "tartlet" aluminum holders (They look like the aluminum pie holders, but they are like 4" across and tiny). I made 7 tiny pies w/o crusts. However, I decided to get original. On 4 of them I decided to crush pecans and placed that on the bottom of the pie. It actually turned out SUPER good! So, we will now have baby pumpkin-pecan pies every year for Thanksgiving :)
I know the holidays are supposed to be "merry & bright", but I always feel that at the end of another year, a little down. For some reason, money always has to be tight by Thanksgiving, it is not variable-- it is a definite. All I want to do is buy my husband, family, and friends wonderful gifts, but as the dollars add up, my guilt drives home too. I know it doesn't matter how much things cost, it's "the thought" and all that crap that counts. lol. IDK, I guess it's just 'cause the holidays remind me of all the things I can't have anymore. But, I also have more now: I.E. Andrew :)
Oh yes, and I am also so proud of my friends and friendly.
Jessica, just got back from a trip to Miami with her current work (They had some kind of meeting or something). She is also working super hard in order to earn a trip to Brazil next year! I know she can do it; she hasn't missed an 'earned' trip yet! Talking to her made me a little jealous: A few years ago that would of been my dream to travel the world like she does! Europe, Ireland, Miami, Brazil... how cool is that? I'm so proud of her!
Christy,
Even though her Thanksgiving went to heck and fell through the morning of: She still remembered what Thanksgiving is all about: She called and talked to us individually that day, seeing what we were up to. She also made the best of it and took her beautiful family to 'Cracker Barrel' for a turkey dinner! Go Christy!
April,
She and Drew have worked really hard and after many attempts, have finally gotten a beautiful home that they and they're 2 amazing children get to live in. I am so happy for them. They will be so much happier in a big house instead of a cramped apartment! I'm also super proud of her because of how she raises her kids. Autumn can sing and recognize letter of the alphabet. She is barely over 2! She just takes so much time with them and not only has fun, but teaches them as well! I hope I can be like that when my time comes.
There are so many others that are doing amazing things right now! If I wrote them, No one would finish reading! It just makes me wonder what I'm doing to help others around me as well.
On a NEWS UPDATE:
Andrew and I stole a great deal for a 2 bed 2 bath apartment, 1130 spacious square feet of perfection! (haha, now if only the woman who lived above us would get rid of her 70 lb. dog-- It WOULD be perfect!!) The amount of room is just perfect for what we have :) The apartment is brand new, never been lived in. It has great freeway access and parking. It's great. We are still trying to finish hanging up all our photos and art on the walls, and also arranging everything. WE are almost done! Hopefully we will sometime soon!
I've also quit the security guard post that I've been working for the past month. I have never quit a job so quickly, but jeeze it was terrible! It is a part of my life that I would like the forget instead of dwell on. My NEW job is with Bryan. His chiropractic office is a little hectic right now, and he has asked me to come work full time with him! His office is only 15 minutes from the apartment, and I could sleep in till 8 every morning (Instead of 5:30 with a 45 minute drive!) I would also have Friday, Saturday, and Sundays off! 3 day weekend EVERY weekend?? SWEET! I'll take it!
So, Monday, I start full time. My old schedule was horrific: Wake up @ 5:30, get to work by 7. Work till 3, then go straight to Bryan's to work till 7. haha--fun right?? No.
Yesterday I got to wake up @ 3:45 to be at my mom's by 4:30AM! Mom, Adam, and I went shopping to Walmart and Then Target! It was way nuts! Adam stayed by me to keep from getting trampled, we got a lot of cool stuff at a sweet price! Whew! Then I went to Bryan's office to help reorganize a few things, mainly his inventory and front desk. I don't really believe in "Fungshui" or however you spell it, but there is something about having clear desk space and thigns in alphabetical order that really let me relax!
Talk to y'all later, I've spent a little too much time on here!
11.28.2009
10.06.2009
Lust for Furrr
I just thought I would share how I think it is very interesting that people have such a desire to care for animals. I thought we wanted a puppy, got the terror, then got rid of that screeching nightmare within a month. I'm already begging for a kitten for Christmas... what if it's nuts?? My mom and I went to Petco today to buy dogfood and there I was, staring at guinea pigs... then ferrets (the ones with the little face masks are soSoooo cute)...
and then I was thinking about buying an iguana (only $30!!) but then I realized they live FOREVER and they emanate some kind of bacteria that can be seriously harmful to small children.
Then I saw the bearded dragons... you guessed it, I've wanted one of those for years... I walked past the fish and saw some cute TINY aquatic frogs (like an inch long) and thought they were sooo cute (ONLY $2.50!!). I realized I should just buy another beta fish.... but I couldn't think of where my fishbowl is among the masses of boxes.
Then I realized Behr (my cockatiel) was sitting at home... alone. "But he's not very playful" I justified.
Does that much turnaround happen to anyone else? Maybe my need to care for something is going off the charts.
I need a job, lol.
and then I was thinking about buying an iguana (only $30!!) but then I realized they live FOREVER and they emanate some kind of bacteria that can be seriously harmful to small children.
Then I saw the bearded dragons... you guessed it, I've wanted one of those for years... I walked past the fish and saw some cute TINY aquatic frogs (like an inch long) and thought they were sooo cute (ONLY $2.50!!). I realized I should just buy another beta fish.... but I couldn't think of where my fishbowl is among the masses of boxes.
Then I realized Behr (my cockatiel) was sitting at home... alone. "But he's not very playful" I justified.
Does that much turnaround happen to anyone else? Maybe my need to care for something is going off the charts.
I need a job, lol.
9.23.2009
So True, yet so sad, Yet so funny
I stole this from my friends facebook notes and had to share cause they made me laugh and cry at the same time... (I, Staci, tried to edit most of the bad words out, hopefully I didn't miss any :/)
1. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think
about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own
story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize
you're wrong.
3. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be
going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction
from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch
or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that
no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching
directions on the sidewalk.
4. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.
5. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This
recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be
ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
6. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix
the problem. Every kid in in the country did that, but how did we all know
how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's.
We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
7. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
8. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the crap was going on when I first saw
it.
9. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90
minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at
the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a
millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really,
really gets it.
10. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
11. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
12. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.
13. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to
finish a text.
14. Was learning cursive really necessary?
15. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to
say".
16. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and
hunger
17. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
18. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a prick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
19. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each
other?
20. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart!!
21. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.
22. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.
23. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.
25. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
26. Bad decisions make good stories
27. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the
Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
28. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every
year?
29. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a
problem....
30. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.
31. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.
32. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
33. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I
did not make any changes to.
34. While watching the Olympics, I found myself cheering equally for China
and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that
when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.
35. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes
to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away?
36. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing
anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
37. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
38. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...
39. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. (Me: Don't discriminate!)
40. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not
know what time it is.
41. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.
42. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey -
but I'd bet my butt everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3
feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
43. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.
44. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
45. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone
at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and
then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require
such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's
nothing like being made to feel like a fat beast before dinner.
1. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think
about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own
story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize
you're wrong.
3. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be
going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction
from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch
or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that
no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching
directions on the sidewalk.
4. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.
5. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This
recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be
ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
6. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix
the problem. Every kid in in the country did that, but how did we all know
how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's.
We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
7. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
8. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the crap was going on when I first saw
it.
9. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90
minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at
the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a
millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really,
really gets it.
10. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
11. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
12. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.
13. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to
finish a text.
14. Was learning cursive really necessary?
15. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to
say".
16. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and
hunger
17. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
18. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a prick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
19. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each
other?
20. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart!!
21. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.
22. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.
23. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.
25. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
26. Bad decisions make good stories
27. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the
Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
28. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every
year?
29. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a
problem....
30. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.
31. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.
32. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
33. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I
did not make any changes to.
34. While watching the Olympics, I found myself cheering equally for China
and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that
when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.
35. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes
to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away?
36. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing
anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
37. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
38. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...
39. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. (Me: Don't discriminate!)
40. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not
know what time it is.
41. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.
42. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey -
but I'd bet my butt everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3
feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
43. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.
44. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
45. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone
at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and
then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require
such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's
nothing like being made to feel like a fat beast before dinner.
9.22.2009
New Pic for Header!
Well, Thanks to Ky & Lynaya, we did receive the cd with all the family photos form the Sanders Family Reunion... I was excited. Everyone took a lot of cute photos :) This was the one I liked of Andrew and I. The others all put me in "bad lighting", though, of course, Andrew looks ridiculously good looking in all of them!
I took this one, riched up the color a little, and added the blur edging.
No news yet :(
I took this one, riched up the color a little, and added the blur edging.
No news yet :(
9.18.2009
Crafts by Boredom
Okay, So, as most know, I am still trying to get a job here. Still searching, even though I've had quite a few interviews. So, my mom was showing me these crafty-scrapbooky items. A welcome sign was the only one that really caught my eye. Even though it looks nothing like the original, I like it better. It's got my taste of earth tones and stars that I love. I also enjoy the "O" (made from a Winnie the Pooh honeypot!)
Frame: $20 on sale
Scrapbook paper book: $10 ( I only used 5 pages out of the 36 in there... that means there is plenty left for more projects!)
Time: 5 hours of Mom time (Her's took 6.5 hours though!)
The real reason it was so cheap is because my mom has a surplus of scrapbooking supplies, and a cricket, and at least a dozen cartridges... :) But I liked it: Here you GO!
Frame: $20 on sale
Scrapbook paper book: $10 ( I only used 5 pages out of the 36 in there... that means there is plenty left for more projects!)
Time: 5 hours of Mom time (Her's took 6.5 hours though!)
The real reason it was so cheap is because my mom has a surplus of scrapbooking supplies, and a cricket, and at least a dozen cartridges... :) But I liked it: Here you GO!
9.09.2009
Hum-Drum
It's been... a rough week. A couple of weeks actually. No job=no fun. I constantly stress about not being able to pull my own way to help with finances. Luckily, we are not paying our normal $700 rent for a teeny tiny apartment... which definitely helps the situation. However, I have not quite felt like myself. I need to find work so that I can feel accomplished, and also, so that Andrew and I can get our own place. I love my parent's house. It's nice, cozy, decorated nicely, full of wonderful people... but it's not full of our things... our decorations... our furniture... our bed... our dresser... our tv... our pots and pans. It's slightly uncomfortable. I definitely felt as though we were going to have an easy time sliding right into the transition here. However, with my numskull Staples idiots... I wasn't able to transfer (This in NO WAY reflects my staples). But I did know that I was not planning on staying with the company forever. It's just not what I want to do.
I don't want to be the begger who turns away cold soup or anything... but I just got my degree, and I want to do something with it. I don't want to be the girl who gets a CJ degree then goes into real estate!?! That's ridiculous. Enough about me. As we can all see I'm under a lot of pressure from... myself. On happier and brighter notes. I have a few pictures to share.
April: I thought this was a hilarious scene as all three of them (+ ROCKY) are trying to view you guys on Skype. I thought it was funnny but also really sweet. Adam (+ME) really miss Autumn & Weston a lot. I miss you too :(
Andrew went with Adam and Bryan's kiddos to a canal to go fishing. Apparently as soon as you throw your line in you catch something. However, Andrew was strangely fond of his crowning achievement:
I thought it was adorable...
After the fishing expedition Andrew displayed his babysitting skillZ....
How he got ALL THREE of them to lay down at the same time is unimaginable! haha. But it was adorable that they all wanted to be like him and take a nap... even though they were faking!
Anyways, the search continues... I can't wait to get the photos from the Sanders Reunion so that I can put our picture as my blog header! :)
I don't want to be the begger who turns away cold soup or anything... but I just got my degree, and I want to do something with it. I don't want to be the girl who gets a CJ degree then goes into real estate!?! That's ridiculous. Enough about me. As we can all see I'm under a lot of pressure from... myself. On happier and brighter notes. I have a few pictures to share.
April: I thought this was a hilarious scene as all three of them (+ ROCKY) are trying to view you guys on Skype. I thought it was funnny but also really sweet. Adam (+ME) really miss Autumn & Weston a lot. I miss you too :(
Andrew went with Adam and Bryan's kiddos to a canal to go fishing. Apparently as soon as you throw your line in you catch something. However, Andrew was strangely fond of his crowning achievement:
I thought it was adorable...After the fishing expedition Andrew displayed his babysitting skillZ....
How he got ALL THREE of them to lay down at the same time is unimaginable! haha. But it was adorable that they all wanted to be like him and take a nap... even though they were faking!Anyways, the search continues... I can't wait to get the photos from the Sanders Reunion so that I can put our picture as my blog header! :)
8.28.2009
HOWDY Y'ALL
Hello everybody :)
We have only been here a few weeks, and already my accent is coming out. It's been busy, and slow. Last week we both had the week off (fancy that!) so we went to the Temple on Saturday. It was cool to see inside a different one other than Mesa's. We are enjoying:
and the pride of the people who live here. We have already noticed how nice the people are, and how green it is. The humidity feels WONDERFUL. It's already rained at least 3 times since we've been here (2 weeks)! IT feels like paradise here. So obviously, a lot of changes have happened, the first HAPPY one is that we got rid of this:
That couch lived in my nightmares and my reality! *Shudder* 
The good news is that we ran into this small store:
This place turned me into a pecan-lover. They had fresh turtles, roasted pecans... They were so good. The orchards we had just driven through were all (apparently) pecan trees for this store. Of course those two were FREAKIN' out because of the found memories of their pecan trees in the backyard in Duncan. They were super good, but a tad expensive.
Yes, we did get a puppy, stupidly. We named him 'Jackson'. He was CUTE, but he was trouble, may he A.I.P. (Adopt In Peace). We put him up on craigslist and gave him away on Wednesday.
The one thing I really loved about him, he was a snuggler. I miss that a little... but I also have stuffed animals that can do the same :)
We have only been here a few weeks, and already my accent is coming out. It's been busy, and slow. Last week we both had the week off (fancy that!) so we went to the Temple on Saturday. It was cool to see inside a different one other than Mesa's. We are enjoying:
and the pride of the people who live here. We have already noticed how nice the people are, and how green it is. The humidity feels WONDERFUL. It's already rained at least 3 times since we've been here (2 weeks)! IT feels like paradise here. So obviously, a lot of changes have happened, the first HAPPY one is that we got rid of this:
That couch lived in my nightmares and my reality! *Shudder*Oh yeah, short side story about our way here:
I had to go to the bathroom SO BAD! Andrew's dad said he 'knew a place' down some side road. Needless to say: WE GOT LOST.
This is the road we ended up following for some time: IT woulda been pretty if I didn't have to go so bad!
The good news is that we ran into this small store:
This place turned me into a pecan-lover. They had fresh turtles, roasted pecans... They were so good. The orchards we had just driven through were all (apparently) pecan trees for this store. Of course those two were FREAKIN' out because of the found memories of their pecan trees in the backyard in Duncan. They were super good, but a tad expensive.Yes, we did get a puppy, stupidly. We named him 'Jackson'. He was CUTE, but he was trouble, may he A.I.P. (Adopt In Peace). We put him up on craigslist and gave him away on Wednesday.
The one thing I really loved about him, he was a snuggler. I miss that a little... but I also have stuffed animals that can do the same :)Good news is, Andrew was able to transfer to another bank. I have a phone inteview on Monday for a Staples, closed-door facility in Irving. It sounds super awesome and it's "salary" based. I already have numbers in my head for what I'll accept. Otherwise, it won't be worth my time for all the toll-roads.
Hope you all are doing well . :)
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