Halloween!

In my true fashion, I waited til the absolute last minute to plan a costume for the festivities this week. And by last minute I mean 2 hours before our first Halloween party. So Cherish and I put our heads together and came up with the idea of "Toddlers in Tiara's" and set out for a sash, binki, and tiara. It didn't take long and we had our attire!

We went to three parties in one night....

...needless to say I am partied OUT!

Early Birthday.

I got an early birthday package in the mail today and...

I AM IN LOVE:

Thanks Amos!

Something about fancy new Nikes make you wanna work out a little harder at the gym so I am stoked to get these puppies nice and broken in!!!

Since when is 57 degrees cold?

I have become a softy. A HUGE softy.

I turned my car around today to get a jacked AND I turned my

seat warmers on in my car. The leather seats couldn't get hot enough!!!

Hawaii spoiled me beyond belief.

HOWEVER it makes me grateful to be somewhere WARM right now!

Me and the sun have a love like no other! :)

Love/hate Starbucks.

Sometimes (most of the time) I am very frustrated with my job. 

But when I can step outside and see the sky full of pinks and blues and purples and oranges, I can remember I need to be grateful for a job, especially one that has let me transfer, worked with my school schedule, gives me health care, and a paycheck. 

THAT being said, this will be my LAST Christmas season with the Bux. 

The last.

Certified: ridiculous!

Yes, the photo featured above is intentional. I had to go and get my food handlers card and become certified in the state of Arizona. Before I went, a co-worker challenged me to snake passed the photo lady and sneak a funny picture in. (They made her re-take hers!) So I accepted the challenge and PASSED! (The written test and the photo test.)

I even made the lady at the counter laugh...hard. 

My job was clearly done there!

Halloween Celebrations.

 My roommates and some friends went out to Schnepf Farms tonight for some holiday festivities pertaining to my birthday..I mean Halloween! HA! It was so much fun...so many activities!

This was the amazing sunset on the drive out:

Roxanne and I went back to our childhood and got our faces painted:

 Here was one of the many pig races we watched. 

It makes me want a pet pig!!!!!

 This was at the petting zoo:

A man and his steed...

I love that I was out celebrating Halloween in October wearing tshirt and slippers!

Nothing better than WARM fall weather!!!

Excited for Halloween...

I am a 3 year old.

I woke up at about 5am with what felt like a bad case of strep throat. It hurt to swallow, my head was killing me, etc. I went back to sleep and woke up with sweats, aches, and chills, accompanied by an even bigger headache. I called into work informing my boss I had strep and made an appointment to see a doctor. Good thing I am not a professional because I would have misdiagnosed myself!

Turns out...all my sickness was the result of ear infections!

The PA who saw me was surprised I wasn't in more pain but attributed all my signs and symptoms to a few messed up ears. I thought only kids got those?! 

Who knew. 

I got some drugs, OJ, and water so hoping that will do the trick!

I guess you have to pay to play...

Back to the grind.

Everyone is back to their home...or work...and life is forced to go back to "normal"!

I wish every weekend could be like last weekend!!

Sometimes I wish I had chosen Oregon...just be be closer to home!

(and then I remember it's getting cold there and I love Arizona all over again!!!)

Girls AZ Weekend.

My mom and Emma came into town for my fall break (aka long weekend, Thanks ASU) and we had such a fun girls weekend! We laughed and cried and traveled and took millions of pictures. It was such a fun weekend and I thank my mom for making it all happen!!!!

We rented a Camaro convertible (ironically randomly selected!) and we headed north! It felt so good to be in the mountains again!!! I forget how much I do love being outdoors and away from the city.

 We had a hotel in Flagstaff for the night but took the long way so we could check out Sedona. HELLO gorgeous! It was so beautiful up there!! The back roads drive to Flagstaff was beautiful and we took our time stopping and look outs and bridges and scenic points.

We got to Flagstaff, unloaded, and had dinner in Old Town Flagstaff where we were surrounded with people in scarves, gloves, and winter coats. Us, on the other hand, had only sandals and light sweatshirts! We were definitely unprepared. But it was still a fun night and the hotel hot tub warmed us right up after dinner!

We got up Saturday morning and headed to the Grand Canyon which was absolutely breathtaking. It is definitely something everyone needs to see once in their life time!!

THEN on Sunday night we surprised Emma with concert tickets to Common Kings and JBoog!!! It was one of the sickest concerts EVER! We were about 2 bodies from the front of the stage and we rocked it all night long. It was so amazing! We screamed, we sang, we danced, and had such a good time! My mom even stuck it out for the whole entire time!! She's a trooper :)

 My mom was flying out Monday morning so we stayed at a hotel near the airport so she could get right there for her flight. The only rooms they had left were suites with king sized beds so we all cuddled right up and had ourselves a little girls sleepover! 

It was seriously such a good weekend and MUCH needed after two weeks of working full time and battling my way through midterms. I love my mom SO much and am so grateful for all that she does for myself and for Emma. I am so thankful for all she did for our girls weekend!!! It was much needed, much appreciated, and exactly what this girl needed!!!

Tonight, tonight, toniiiiiiiiight, OH OH...

The two on the top with be joining me on the bottom TONIGHT!!!!

My mom gets in at 9pm and Emma gets in at 11pm!

I am so excited!!

I NEED A GIRLS WEEKEND WITH MY MA AND SIS!!!

Healing hands.

The Arizona air is, to no surprise, very dry. And a combo of that and the chemicals we use at work, my hands are cracked and pained! I remember my mom having this same problem in the winter in Montana and she would sleep with wool mittens on her hands with cow udder cream. WELL I am fresh out of that, but I do have vasaline so this is my attempt at healing my nubbins:

Back pains.

This is the edge of my MacBook.

It wasn't dented today when I left for school.

I placed my backpack on the hook in the stall in the bathroom and school and...

BOOM.

It fell. 

Perhaps a sign that my back is WAY too full?

I think so. 

Finals = mind lost.

This week is so crazy. Not only is my lunatic boss having me work 37 hours while in school but it's also midterms week and I have three looking down on me with intimidation. I often get overwhelmed in my thoughts and just have to plug in my headphones and try not to think about it all. AND it's almost always my man Ray that helps ease the pain and the edge of it all. 

Hope.

Wacky weather.

How is this even possible???!!!!!

Trading Bucks.

I filled in at a drive-thru store down the road from my house and I was reminded how much fun work can and should be and I realized how much I hate my Starbucks here. I mean, I knew it already, but it reminded me how work CAN BE fun and shouldn't have to be such a torture chamber!

I worked with a girl named Chelsea and she was a crack up. 

Seriously.

It was my first time ever working at a drive thru store so it felt so weird to 

have a head set on at all times. I literally felt like I was working

at McDonalds. If you think about it, Starbucks is nothing but the coffee

version of McD's!! 

I NEED A NEW JOB. 

Package lovin'.

I got a package in the mail today with some back to school love inside. 

A metal mustache full of mints being one of my most favorite items.

Thank you Aunt Cass!

Sunset.

Clearly...I am obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. I have been known to chase a sunset until I can find a clear opening to take a decent picture. THIS was no such exception. I drove and drove until the street opened up, the buildings went away, and the sky lit up. It makes me miss Hawaii and being able to see these colors reflected over the ocean. 

Still, it was pretty incredible and I am grateful for each and every one no matter where it is that I get to see it...it's always a blessing!