BLEH!

So, today has NOT been the happiest day in my life. It's just one of those days... one of THOSE days. To cheer myself up I'm thinking about things that have made me HAPPY. :) Good idea, yeah?

1. Today I found out that there is a web site that'll show you movies for FREE! FOR FREE!! And not just any movies... movies that are in the theater RIGHT NOW! Here's the link. http://tvshack.net/. It's not the best quality, but free is free, right?

2. I am remembering my trip to Hawaii a few years ago, and one of my favorite things was laying on the beach reading the Twilight books. Maui... GOOD! Twilight... GOOD! Sunburned armpits... NOT GOOD!

3. Summer days at the pool. Every Saturday you can find me at the pool with my floatation device. AHHHHH!

4. Hiking the Narrows. That is the funnest hike I've ever done. EVER. Whenever I do that hike I keep thinking about it over and over... excited for the next time I can go. I love being in the water and being active and camping. This is the best combo since...

5. SWIMMING! I used to hate swimming. But now I can't get enough. I love it! As you may know, I'm training for a sprint tri so I've been swimming 3 times a week. I just love that I can see some improvements. I started out barely able to swim the length of the pool, now I can swim far... the new Michael Phelps (minus the pot). I love looking at the bottom of the pool (for some reason), I love that I don't get hot and sweaty, and I love that I can get a good workout without the stress on my body.

6. There is one memory I have that ALWAYS makes me smile. It was a few years ago, my friend slash roommate, Shannon, invited me to go to Island Park with her and her family and they rented wave runners! So fun! I love love LOVE water sports. So I was driving us and I like to go fast, maybe a little too fast. But I hit a wave and I felt Shannon let go of me, and when I looked behind me, all I saw was her body flying... FLYING off the wave runner. She airborne going sideways and so far away from the machine. I'm not sure how she didn't get hurt because it was a really hard crash. But that mental picture is one of my favorites.

7. Getting letters in the mail. Thanks to my good friend Robyn!! I'm horrible at sending letters in the mail, but getting them are my favorite!

8. Watching Gilmore Girls. I just love those two! I love the song too. They always cheer me up! It reminds me of when Kim and I drove across the country when she bought her new car. We drove all the way from Boston to Idaho Falls... that's 2,437 miles. One day and 13 hours of driving. Needless to say, we watched several seasons over those few days! So much fun though. We talked and giggled the whole time. :)

9. I really like painting my nails lately. I like to chose a fun new color. Yesterday they were a dark grape-y color. Today bright red. YIKES! But fun.

10. U-Swirl. MMMM!!!! Yogurt is such an amazing creation.

Reflections

So, it's a new year and as I was reflecting back on 2008, I realized that so many memories and experiences of mine have been embedded with the music I was listening to. There are some songs that will always let me remember what I was doing during that time in my life. So I decided to make a list of the 20 most listened to songs of last year. The interesting/sad thing is that some of these songs I can't even listen to anymore... I've over-listened to them and now I can't stand them anymore... but that's not the point. The point is these songs were a big part of my life in 2008. So here is the soundtrack to my life... 2008 edition:

1. WHEN WATER COMES TO LIFE by Cloud Cult
2. CAVES by Jack's Mannequin
3. I'M YOURS by Jason Mraz
4. FOUNDATIONS by Kate Nash
5. COLD DECEMBER by Matt Costa
6. MR. PITIFUL by Matt Costa
7. THE FUTURE FREAKS ME OUT by Motion City Soundtrack
8. FAKE EMPIRE by The National
9. MY RIGHTS VERSUS YOURS by The New Pornographers
10. CHALLENGERS by The New Pornographers
11. VERY LOUD by Shout Out Louds
12. STAY by Small Sins
13. CRACK THE SHUTTERS by Snow Patrol
14. COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING by Sufjan Stevens
15. M79 by Vampire Weekend
16. I STAND CORRECTED by Vampire Weekend
17. WALCOTT by Vampire Weekend
18. CAPE COD KWASSA KWASSA by Vampire Weekend
19. NEW SOUL by Yael Naim
20. THE RESOLUTION by Jack's Mannequin

I'm going to try to put these on here as a playlist for y'all... It might take some time though because I'm CLUELESS about how to do it.

*UPDATE!! I added my songs! WHOO! But there are a few that I couldn't find. Like the Jack's Mannequin songs and the new Snow Patrol songs. So you really need to look those up and listen to them on your own. You won't be disappointed!

Christmas Part-ee

Oh, man!!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! My roommates and I had a little party tonight with our friend, Ashley. I truly love getting presents... it's just the excitement of opening something. I am crazy about surprises... Someone could tell me they have a surprise for me and give me a half-eaten sandwich, and I'd be TICKLED!

At this party, we watched our new favorite TV show... REAPER. I am in love with Sam. For reals! I think we have something really special going on. He is a bounty hunter for hell, but he's a really good guy... and super brave because some of the escaped souls are really SCARY! Isn't he DREAMY!?! I think he's replacing my crush on Seth Green... and I might even choose him over Fred Savage... and Fred is one of my first loves, so you know Sam is special!

Speaking of LOVE... I am in love with my socks in this picture. Do you see them? They are the long stripe-y ones. All day I've been thinking, "Man I love these socks!" So comfy! So warm! So striped! They are called smart wool socks. Try them when you have an extra $20 to spend on socks... or just ask for them for Christmas, like I did... THANKS BRANDON!! Anyway, in this picture, we are opening one of our presents that Shannon gave us... GINORMOUS cups. Useful for hot chocolate, soup, cold cereal, ice cream, etc... All good things!

So after opening presents and a few episodses of Reaper... we had a dance party. I LOVE Ashley's dance moves... so funny!

Well, this was one of my favorite parties I've had. Maybe next year I'll have more than 3 friends? That can be another New Year's resolution. :)

Baby it's cold outside

Yesterday I was still picking tomatoes off my plant... and today this happened...

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW! The trees around here aren't very happy about it. The branches kept breaking off and we were scared they were going to crush our cars... or us. But it was super fun for me. We made snow angels and Rocco played in the snow too. I like the snow, just as long as I don't have to drive in it, be cold, or walk in slush. I DO enjoy the crunchy snow (not for eating, but for listening) and cross country skiing.

Sprint Triathlon

I decided that one of my New Year's resolutions would be to complete a sprint triathlon. I think it will be do-able... in the sprint triathlons you swim half a mile, run a 5K, and bike a 10K. I'm really nervous about it though because I have to swim in the ocean! And I can't swim, period. The last time I played in the ocean, it wouldn't give me back. It just kept taking me farther and farther out. I had to have one of my big guy friends pull me to the shallow part so I could touch. ScARy!! But I am going to start training now, so that by May 17th, I'll be ready to CONQUER! So, yesterday I started to train... not by swimming, but by running one mile. And it took me 10 minutes. And I felt like I was going to DIE! I hate running. Biking is fun though. Anyway, have any of you participated in a triathlon of any kind? Any adivice on ocean swimming? Or how to enjoy running? I need HELP! Thanks!

Foos Ball

Tonight's football game brought a lot of entertainment! We saw a guy fall over the bleachers, we found my mom's new favorite sandals, we saw a fake Orlando Bloom (or WAS it??), we saw fireworks, a note was left on Anne's car window because a stranger randomly offered to buy it, I found out that the football vendors sell churros for $4 ($4 DOLLARS!!), AND I learned not to bet on those racing cars on the jumbotron. BUT my favorite part was the band. Ok... not just the band... but the tuba players. I lol'd everytime they danced. I took pictures of it on my camera phone... but I don't know how to upload it on here. I'm just a beginner. Just imagine it for yourselves. SO FUNNY!

OH... and UNLV won the game.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

So as a last minute decision, I decided to go on a mini vay-ca. Some friends and I drove to LA and went to DISNEYLAND! I love that place! We squeezed 5 people into a corolla and made the 3 hour drive.

Here are some photos so you can feel like you were there...

Ok... so this picture isn't actually at Disneyland. It's at California Adventures, but it's also a happy place on earth.

It was THE best trip to Disneyland I've ever had... no lines, perfect weather, and good friends. But we did almost see a fight break out during the parade. It seemed so out of place for people to be angry while they're at Disneyland... you know?

So, after 16 hours of endless fun, we were pretty wiped out! And for a minute, while I was standing in a 20 minute line for kettle corn, I thought there was such thing as a $4 bill. Don't ask me why... I don't know!