Christmas Comes but Once a Year

Merry Christmas… 3 days late. 

My Christmas was wonderful! I hope yours was as well! 

My sister and her family came and it was a blast with three crazy kids running around. I loved every second of it! 

We all got spoiled this year. 

I got 2 pairs of Steve Madden boots. Talk about amazing.

These are the two pairs I got and I couldn't love them any more. They're ah-mazing! 

I wanted a streamer garland for my office. I've been eyeing them for quite some time now but never bit the bullet and ordered one. My sister was amazing and made me one. I'm so excited about it. It's similar to this one below. I'll definitely post pics once I'm all moved into my new place. It's been a slow process moving but it's shaping up! 

I also got stuff for my fire place. A screen, the tools, logs, etc. 

It will look fabulous -- it matches perfect!

I also got quite a bit of other stuff for my house. Gift cards to home stores, kitchen stuff. 

And of course clothes.

I am so grateful for all that I have. I am so lucky and blessed. I'm so grateful for all the people I have in my life and for all those who have helped me lately, especially with getting my house move-in ready. 

I will never be able to repay any of those people (especially my mom and dad) and I wish so badly that I could even return a fraction of the favor. Hopefully someday I will be able to! 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! 

How did you guys spend your break? and did you get anything exciting?

I'd love to hear! 

Oh! One last random thought! 

If you have never heard of this game, you need to get it. Or at least play it. It is SO great! 

It's called Telestrations and in short it's like pictionary and telephone combined. 

you can get it here, here, or here.

Lots of other places have it as well. 

The 12 days of Christmas: ring and run

This year I decided to do the twelve days of Christmas for a friend. I didn't want to do the typical 4 calling birds, 3 french hens, 2 turtle doves, and 1 over-rated Christmas song. 

That just screams boring to me and let's face it… The Twelve Days of Christmas is basically the Christmas version of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. 

So I decided to mix it up and do it in true Kylie fashion.

I spent a ton of time on it and to be quite honest, I think I overdid it for this "friend" 

(more on that later) 

You can find the tags I used here. 

(Sorry the first couple of pictures aren't that great. I grabbed the pictures as I was running out the door to go deliver them.)

On the first day I attached a note that said 

"This glad Christmas season is so full of fun. 

I'm happy to share it with you and then run.

How grateful I am that you're playing my game.

You'll now find that Christmas won't be the same.

The song that we sing twelve days in a row

Won't get tiresome with treats from someone you know.

But to keep up the mystery and the fun,

you won't know who I am until I'm all done! 

Each night I'll bring something 

Please don't watch for me coming.

If you catch me too soon, 

It will spoil the fun that's coming!"

On the 1st day of Christmas 

your secret elf brings a surprise

1 brand new game

for you to play tonight. 

On the 2nd day of Christmas

I leave outside your door

2 puzzles for your fun

now who could ask for more?

On the 3rd day of Christmas

we're hoping for a storm 

but with these 3 pairs of socks

your toes will sure be warm.

On the 4th day of Christmas 

I bring a special treat 

4 bags of Hershey's kisses

because I think you're neat. 

On the 5th day of Christmas 

again I come your way

this time with 5 boxes of goldfish

please won't you let them stay? 

 On the 6th day of Christmas 

with 6 more left to go 

take some time and trim the tree and hang some mistletoe 

I'm sure by now you need a break so have a nice cool drink

6 cans of fizz is sure to help, at least that's what I think. 

On the 7th day of Christmas 

I hope I don't get caught 

I know 7 pieces of candy 

might really hit the spot!

On the 8th day of Christmas 

the rushing never stops 

so stop and sit a little while

with these 8 lollipops. 

On the 9th day of Christmas 

It was getting hard to choose

but with 9 tubes of Chapstick

I felt I could not lose. 

On the 10th day of Christmas 

with Santa coming soon

I've brought you 10 nice bright

 balloons to decorate your room. 

(These were intended to be filled with helium but my 12 days got cut short… more on that later) 

On the 11th day of Christmas

well, well, how time does fly

so here are 11 pencils 

that you'll use by and by.

On the 12th day of Christmas 

there's 12 months in a year 

please make sure each one

is filled with lots of cheer. 

(it's a calendar) 

here are a couple links where you can find more ideas for different rhymes and gift ideas 

here and here 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's the end of the crafty show and tell…. now comes my 12 days of Christmas saga. 

Buckle up. 

I met this "friend" about a month ago. We hit it off and things were going surprisingly well. I didn't initiate anything and he was taking the lead, which was fine by me. He hasn't had the best circumstances this past month and so I decided that maybe doing the 12 days of Christmas would be a good idea. The night before I was supposed to start I decided I wasn't going to do it. I got talked into doing it and decided that yeah, it would be a good idea. I'm telling you… listen to your gut instincts people. Just do it. It will save you in the end. 

The first three days went fairly well. Then I got home from delivering on the 3rd night and had a lovely conversation with said boy. Readers digest version… he was leading me on and admitted it. Jerk. I'm sorry that I got the wrong impression but holding hands and cuddling usually isn't a "just friends" type of deal. He blamed it on the fact that he had had a serious relationship before that didn't end well and he was hesitant about relationships now. WELCOME TO THE FREAKING WORLD!!! That's how everyone is! and do you know why? It's because of guys like him that lead people on that make people hesitant! So way to fuel your own fire bud! 

I decided after that that I was done wasting my time and energy on someone who didn't care about me and was only playing games. He didn't acknowledge the fact that I have feelings and I was done spending the time and effort trying to show him I cared. I barely got a half-assed thank you outta him. 

I wanted to quit right then and there… I honestly didn't feel it was worth my effort with those last 9 days. If it were up to me and my crazy ways it would've gone something like this…. 

"On the 4th day of Christmas you're a jerk so I quit" 

No matter how bad I really wanted to say that, I knew it would make me look like a complete idiot and I didn't want to treat him the way he treated me. And I'm sorry, but I could not just stop after day 3. It's like only closing the garage door 1/4 of the way and calling it good. 

So I ventured out and got one of those really large Christmas gift bags. You know the kind. The kind that are so large that when you walk by you think why on earth would anyone need a gift bag the size of Texas. I'll tell you why. To deliver a mass amount of gifts all at once because quite frankly you just don't give a ish anymore and you're done wasting your time delivering them. 

The dude lives a good 20 minutes away from me, which meant that one trip out there ended up being close to an hour with traffic. That kind of time each day times 12 days. You do the math… it just wasn't worth it anymore. I would rather be enjoying my Christmas break hanging out with people who care about me and dating guys that take things seriously. I packed the 9 remaining days up in my woolly mammoth sized gift bag and ditched it at his door. (hence why the 10 balloons were not blown up) 

So that's my saga. It was a total bust and totally not worth it. I did have fun putting it all together I just wish it would've turned out differently. Who knew that trying to do something kind could end a friendship in a nano second.

This is the bag full of all the crap. The first bag because oh yeah... did I mention the first one ripped so I had to go find another gargantuan gift bag. I'm telling you. I waste too much time on guys. You think I'd learn. 

Wednesday's Wish List

Jumpin' on the bandwagon with a Wednesday Wishlist. 

Even though Wednesday is almost over... it's never too late, right? 

1/  This scarf. I love it. It's way more than I would ever spend on a scarf and so in the not too distant future I'm going to attempt to make my own. 

2/ Naked 3 Palette - I have the 2 and love it. This one has more blush colors. It looks awesome. It hasn't even come out yet. 

3/ I'm So Tired. Yes, please. This is their Black Friday special and I so want it. I would totally love it and I mean it's even in gold! 

4/ Free People socks. I just think they're adorable. 

5/ A fur vest. I've looked everywhere and I can't find one that is exactly what I want. So I'll admire from afar. 

6/ Camp Brand patch. I would so love to put this on a beanie! 

7/ Tassel garland. I'd love to put this in my office. 

8/ and last but definitely not least... I have a burning desire to own a hat just like Kevin McCallister's and I would totally rock it. 

Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving. Wear your fat pants! 

A Confession Session!

- I dislike Snapchat. I just don't understand it. I don't mind getting them but I just don't send them very often at all. Isn't it just texting and picture messaging in an app?

- I have a new appreciation for balloons. Especially this one...

- I was way too excited for Daughtry's new album thanks to the song "Waiting for Superman". Perk of living in the west? Albums hit iTunes at 10 pm my time... Midnight back east. That's like a whole day earlier in my book!

- My car desperately desperately needs to be cleaned. Like bad. But I don't see the point when it rains every other day.

- I hate admitting this, hate it, but I like Miley's new wrecking ball song. Hence why this is s confession. Someone smack me. Puh-lease!

- I usually am one of those sticklers who is against all things Christmas until after thanksgiving, but this year that has gone straight out the window. I blame my number 4 preset that started playing Christmas music at the beginning of November.

- I'll admit it. I teared up when I watched this. It's less than 3 minutes long.

- I've been having some serious excruciating back pain since the beginning of this month. I tried to ignore it and let it go because I was more concerned about my dad. After multiple trips to the chiropractor and no relief I ended up at a back specialist. I have a torn disc. Ouch. I got a steroid shot in my butt and the doctor basically told me to not to go to my classes. Too bad that's more unrealistic than living on the moon.

- I've had 2 Slurpees in less than 24 hours. Yikes. Sugar central. Talk about diabetes in a cup.

- I have to read 100 pages in the next day and a half. I'm pretty sure my 7 year old nephew reads faster than me. 

-I like when guys use smiley faces in their text.

Happy almost weekend! 

Things I've Learned After 10+ Days at the Hospital

    Well, after a week and a half at the hospital my dad is finally home! I'm happy he's all safe and sound.    

                      He still has a little ways to go before he's completely better but he'll get there. 

When you spend that much time at the hospital you learn a few things. 

like....

•     The chairs are uncomfortable.
•         The blankets are the equivalent of sandpaper.
•         If something isn’t beeping in the room at least every ten minutes, the world probably ended.

•         If you get to park within a half mile of the hospital you got lucky.
•         The “small” ice cream in the cafeteria is larger than a pint of good ol’ Ben & Jerry’s.
•         Ten laps around the floor equals a mile.
•         37.7 degrees celsius = 99.8 degrees fahrenheit.
•         The elevators are basically a clown car. You think it’s full and then 10 more people pile in.
•         Nightly entertainment includes what I’m assuming is something like the nurse version of the changing of the guards and watching the Jazz keep up that awesome losing streak.
•         They do what Buddy the Elf refers to as a “finger prick” every 2 hours to find out his blood sugar level.
•         The cute x-ray tech, David, is single and about 27-28.
•         The free internet is extremely slow. If I get to see 10 pins in an hour, I’m gettin’ lucky.
•         There is no level 3 or 13 in the patient tower. 3s = death.

•         Puffy eyes are the norm.
•         If you go to the cafeteria around lunchtime it’s what we like to call combat dining.
•         The hospital is busier on weekends.
•         I can see my brother’s house from the room we’re in.
•         The minutes here are even longer than a treadmill minute or a microwave minute.
•         “You’ll be going home tomorrow” means nothing.
•         The “sips and chips” diet translates directly to prescribed anorexia.
•         “Code Trauma: Alert 1” means somebody is bleeding to death and the surgeon needs to meet them at the door with the operating table.
•         There’s no such thing as TMI.
•         Dad can score us anything they have available on the floor… water, soda, Italian ices. I’m sure they’d even bring us some broth if we asked.
•         When all else fails, call 33333.  

goin' home! 

A Post About Everything and Nothing

If you're looking for a funny or entertaining post, this isn't it. I don't even know where to begin and all I can do is just let my fingers run on this keyboard. There won't be any formal thought process behind this and I doubt I will proofread it. I don't have the energy.

A week ago if you asked me what I thought my life would be like right now I would have told you the EXACT opposite. It started a week ago. Sunday night he got really sick. It came on in the blink of an eye. We thought it was just a really bad stomach flu. An emergency room and 7 days in the hospital later, here we are.

It's a constant roller coaster. He makes progress and then hours later it's back to where it all began. It's so hard to watch your dad, the one who is always healthy, always the strong one, never in screaming pain, lay there and be that miserable. I sit there all day and feel so helpless. I wish I could just take the pain away from him and suffer for him. It's frustrating that the doctors don't know what to do exactly. It's frustrating that I don't even understand what's going on and if you asked me what was exactly wrong, I couldn't tell you. All I know is that he's laid there for a week in pain with no relief and it's not fair. He is the person who least deserves it. He is so selfless all the time and it's not fair that he has to go through this. It's so hard to see him so weak because he hasn't had any form of nutrients in more than a week.

My dad's friend, Bruce, that we know from karting always said something that stuck in my mind. I thought about it again a week or two ago and was actually going to write a blog post about it. But I'm no good at blogging lately and so that quickly got pushed out of the picture. He said "I always thank the Lord everyday for my health, because if you don't have your health you have nothing." This quote is so true and so scary all at the same time. If you don't have your health all you can do is lay there and wait to get better and pray the minutes go faster. I know that ever since hearing him say this I have a new found appreciation for my health. It also breaks my heart at the same time because I can't help my dad get better. He lays there day in and day out and is such a trooper about it all. He is so kind and so polite to the nurses when they poke and prod him every ten minutes. I would be yelling and screaming and demanding they do this and that. He is so patient and handles everything so well. He has such amazing faith and says that it's just a trial and he's going to endure it well, which he does.

He's been at the hospital for a week and I don't know how he isn't going crazy. I know that he is to some extent but he also knows it's the only choice he's got at the current moment. The hospital is such an interesting place. It can be such a happy and exciting environment and sad and depressing the next. The days seem much longer and much shorter all at the same time. I spent 11 hours there today and it felt like maybe five or six. It is an emotionally exhausting and draining place and I don't know how people do it.

I have watched the rooms around my dad's fill up and empty out many times. The room next door has had 2 people in it come and gone. The next room down is now empty again. The people we see walking in the halls constantly change. And if we see the same people it's the cleaning people or the CNAs.

If this all wasn't enough, my jackass of an ex-boyfriend decided to grace me with his presence convincing me that a year and a half later we should try again. I, being the naive idiot that I am, decided sure, why not? Well, I wish I could say I was surprised but he hasn't changed at all and it was a waste of my time and additional emotional stress that I didn't need. He's too much of a wimp to say or do anything and that left me prying at him to finally be a man and admit that this was a joke. Ending it was a huge weight off my shoulders but it left me full of so much anger that unfortunately lasted all day.

I hate how my attitude has been and I try to change it but I just feel like I physically and mentally can't. I have never had this mix of emotions before and it's different and I don't exactly know how to handle it. I'm angry and have feelings of hatred because of people like him, I'm upset and frustrated because I can't do anything with my dad, I'm emotionally unstable because of the circumstances and the lack of sleep, I'm grateful because of all those who have been there and shown their love for my dad and our family. It's just such an array of feelings that I want to scream one minute and then ball my eyes out the next. You think with how expensive hospital stays are these days that they could afford some softer and better quality tissues.

I know it's said that trials are only a moment in our lives but while I'm just rambling about how I'm feeling lately I feel like ever since 8th grade my life has been an uphill battle. I just wish I could change things or at least gain some understanding. Thank you all for your prayers for my dad and my family. We recognize it and appreciate it so much. I love you all more than you'll ever know.

Sunset from my dad's room. 

I Believe...

I believe it’s never too early for a diet coke.

I believe in being a decent person and not screwing people over.

I believe in please and thank yous. No exceptions.

I believe in always using the correct form of your/you're. 

I believe things happen at the most unexpected times. 

I believe right now I could hold my breath for 60 seconds. Nope, 41 seconds. Man, I’m outta shape!

I believe change takes a lot of courage.

I believe we should live every week like shark week.

I believe in making wishes. 

I believe in always having my toenails painted. 

I believe in hoping for the best. 

I believe online shopping is the best form of retail therapy.

I believe that over thinking can be dangerous. 

I believe in laughing till your abs hurt.

I believe that someday all my "why?" questions will be answered. 

I believe in being a die-hard sports fan.

I believe Rachel & Ross were on a break.

I believe in doing what makes you happy. Regardless of what others think. 

I believe in driving around with the radio blasting and singing your guts out. 

I believe in forgiving people. 

I believe that Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake have the best bromance in the history of bromances.

I believe in skipping dinner and just eating dessert.

I believe in naps.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. No matter how much I don't understand things, this is one thing that I will always believe. 

I believe that sometimes the only thing you need to make yourself feel better is a genuine, good cry. 

I believe Steve Madden boots are the best investment a girl can make. 

I believe in new beginnings.

I believe I can hold my breath now for 60 seconds. Dang it! Only 43. 

I believe people can change and grow. 

I believe in giving people compliments. 

I believe the more I learn the less I know.

I believe Cory & Topanga are the best couple ever and someday I hope to find my Cory. 

I believe it doesn’t matter what you say, it’s what you do.

I believe in making mistakes.

I believe everyone is weird in his or her own way.

I believe running away up in the mountains is the best way to clear your mind. 

I believe this is the coolest sign I have ever found while out exploring on my own.

 Cheesy that I love it so much, but it's my last name. 

What I Learned at the 2013 Holy War

Disclaimer: if you're a Y fan, you probably shouldn't read this because this post just "isn't fair". Or you can read it and complain after. The choice is yours. 

If you've ever been to Utah you know that there is a massive rivalry between us Utah Utes and those so called Cougars aka the "Team Down South". This year was a big deal because it will be the last rivalry game for 3 years. That means the winner will be entitled to massive bragging rights. I was lucky enough to go to the game but unfortunately it was on their turf. I mean grass. So, while I was down in Provo, I learned a thing or two...

• First and foremost would definitely be that this war is no where near holy. 
• Nothing is fair. 
• "Defense" is too long of a word. We must say "D". "Let's go D" "We got this D" ... because you know, 2 syllables is way too much to handle.
• Caffeine is not allowed within 3 square miles of BYU. We wouldn't want to make our student section too loud and exciting. 
• Nothing is fair.

• The Y "fans" have no clue what the words to their fight song are. 
• Dropping the F-bomb is a-okay at a school that prides themselves on their "high" standards. Y fans will defend each other when throwing this word around. But, if this happens at the U it's totally unacceptable. Even though our school has no such "honor" code that we should be representing. Oh by the way... Where was Hadley tonight? 
• The Ute fans will always be classless. The Y is always super classy. 

It's okay Max, we hate you too. 

Can we all just admit that when it comes to this "holy" war there is no class present anywhere. 

• The fact that we are part of the Pac 12 really pisses off every Y fan. Even though they can't tell you why. 
• Nothing is fair.

• The BYU student section is pitiful... easily 3 times larger than the MUSS and about 30 times quieter.
• The guy behind me wants to know where in the scriptures it says you can't say the F-word. 
• Bitter is an understatement 

• The refs are so unfair, unless of course they rule in BYU's favor, then they're suddenly amazing. 
• The U is paying the refs under the table to rule in our favor. Yup, 20 grand each time. 
• Nothing is fair.

This was seen multiple times throughout the game. It just wasn't fair. 

• The fact that the score board accidentally got messed up when resetting the clock and showed the Utes had 6 more points than we really did, is our fault. Even though it was at their stadium and they had control of the score board. It's all the Utes' fault.

• The MUSS alone can be louder than the whole BYU stadium combined. Sad but true. 
• Y fans are total whiners. If something doesn't go their way it is nothing but complaining and excuses. Man up. We do... we got a penalty for illegal substitution... dang it, we screwed up, let's move on with the game. 
• It is only the Ute fans who are rude. The Y fans can do no wrong. 

And oh yeah, did I mention that nothing is fair?