Chapters

Life is fickle. You finish a chapter, learn from what you've read and are ready to dive into the next one. You don't know where the next chapter will take you but you've allowed enough time to pass to become excited about the unknown. You start to emerge yourself and are finding it very pleasing. But all of a sudden the pages turn backwards and you find yourself in the previous chapter. You don't know why you're there or what it means and you keep trying to get back to the new chapter. But life's persistent. Now you find yourself with one eye skimming the previous chapter trying to figure out why you're back here while allowing your other eye to forge ahead in the new chapter. Suddenly you're very confused and you're not sure what to do or where to go. If only someone could tell you which chapter to read. Which chapter will bring you the greatest happiness. But alas...you have to figure it out on your own. And there aren't any cliff notes to speed up the process. You have to take it one line at a time and hope you figure out where you want to be before the book ends.

Christmas Goodies

For neighbor gifts this year I made cocoa stirring spoons.

I dipped plastic spoons in chocolate then crushed candy canes...

or put marshmallow snowmen on the chocolate...

or dipped Reeses peanut butter chips with chocolate chips

Then packaged them with some Stephen's cocoa  YUM!

I decided to try some new things for our Christmas Eve treats

Some worked out...like my peanut brittle

Some didn't...like these wreath cookies. They looked good until they came out of the oven :(

The peanut brittle was actually much easier than I imagined it would be...this may become a tradition

I also made a caramel chex mix

It makes a ton...but it tastes good!

Christmas Fun

I don't know what it is, but this Christmas I have been a little Martha Stewart making Christmas decorations and now making homemade Christmas gifts. I made this cute little hat for my niece ( I hope she likes it.)

I've never knitted anything before in my life, but this was actually very easy. I used a knitting loom, popped in a movie and a couple hours later, tada!

Next on my list is to make some homemade treats. I'm feeling adventurous so we'll see what I end up doing. Stay tuned!

Projects 1 & 2 Complete

It was so nice having a room where I could leave my crafts out while I worked on them. I'm sure there will be more to follow.

Craft Bug

The craft bug has bitten me...

Favorite Time of Year

Fall, I love you...you bring me my favorite past time. Who wouldn't want to watch a bunch of guys tackling each other? You're filled with sweet smells of pumpkin baking in my oven, the sound of leaves crunching beneath my boots, sweaters to keep me warm in the cool, crisp air and the start of the holiday season. Why oh why is it that you do not like me? Summer gives me a gift of joy and hope for the future only for you to snatch it away. I never understood the ability to love and hate something all at the same time but now I'm starting to.

Recent Projects

I've quit the blog challenge...the post questions were silly so instead I'll update you on some recent projects I've been doing in my house.

I felt the taupe paint color that is all throughout the house was a little drab, so I decided to spice things up a bit!

I'm not afraid of color...as you can see :)

I love it when people first see my living room and their instance reaction is "OH!"

I figure go bold or go home!

I painted the living room by myself which was a great idea in theory. But in reality my timing could have been better. I unfortunately was not my usual peppy self at the time and it took me several weeks to recover. But it looks great!

This is my FAVORITE! If you know me and my love for green then you know this was a no brainer ;) My parents were kind enough to help me with this room and it went like a breeze.

100% Stacey's Kitchen!

Post 3: Ideal Perfect First Date

My idea of the perfect first date would be a handsome man picking me up and taking me to a football or basketball game. Something energetic and fun where we could laugh and have a great time while still being able to talk to get to know each other better. I'm not a fan of blind dates because they are extremely awkward and it is hard for me to be comfortable with someone I just barely met. (I'm not knocking blind dates because I know they can work since that is how my parents met, it's just not the ideal date situation for me). So in this ideal situation we would already be friends or acquaintances where we both were comfortable in our own skin. Afterwards we would go get ice cream and sit in a park eating, laughing and talking. Then the night would end with a very sweet kiss and the promise of a second date.

My Favorite Movie

Post 2 - My Favorite Movie

People look at me crazy when I tell them my favorite movie...but it makes me laugh every time I see it and it is just the BEST MOVIE EVER! My favorite movie is Rat Race. There is just something about the characters and the crazy stunts they pull that have me laughing in stitches. I can be watching it completely alone and I've seen it a million times but every time I'm full on belly laughing. I'll never forget the first time I saw this movie...I was with my friend Mad and I think we almost wet our pants, we were laughing so hard. Those are the greatest times; laughing uncontrollably at something so goofy. But this is my kind of humor. A lot of people don't get it and think it is "stupid" (as my mom would say), but I love it!

Joining the Bandwagon

For the past couple of months I've seen all of these blog challenge posts everywhere and thought that would be fun to do one but A. do I really want to look like a follower and copy everyone else and B. would I actually post something everyday? Since I don't seem to do much on the week nights and I'm trying to find something constructive to do I've decided I don't care if I'm a follower...whatever. And I'm going to promise from the beginning that mine will NOT be a 30 day challenge. I'm not going to put a time limit on it. I will just call it a 30 post blog challenge. I've been thinking I should post more often and this gives me ideas on what to blog about...so here goes:

Post 1 - Your Favorite Song

I LOVE music and am addicted to iTunes. I'm pretty sure I download new music every week. So it is really hard for me to pick one favorite song. So instead I am going to pick my current favorite artist, which isn't really an artist per say, it's a compilation of several talented people...it's the cast from GLEE. I absolutely love their music and am an avid viewer of the show. My favorite night of the week is Tuesday because I can't wait to hear what songs and renditions they are going to do. They can take old and new songs, mash them up or put a modern spin on them and I love that aspect. Of course there are songs that don't suit my fancy, but 9 times out of 10 I am downloading at least 1 song from every episode. I find myself counting the weeks until Glee is back on the air; pathetic I know. But I just can't get enough of it!

Soap Box

Summer is approaching which means swimsuit season. I know that modesty is shot with society and that it is harder and harder for teen girls and women to stay fashionable and still maintain a modest style. But it really makes me sad when I see women who share my faith throw their modesty card out the window when they put on that bathing suit. Just because you have the body to wear the bikini doesn't mean you should...I'm just sayin'.

My Next 30 Years

It's the eve to my big 3 0 birthday. I'm not sad or depressed about turning 30; it feels surreal. I don't feel old enough to be 30. But I can honestly say I'm actually looking forward to it. Not the getting older part, but ever since I was little my mom would tell me how much she loved her thirties because she finally had a sense of who she was, where she was going and what she wanted to do (to some degree) with her life. She wasn't struggling financially like her twenties; she had a sense of purpose. And I agree; I feel the same.

I did a lot of things in my twenties (both good and bad); experienced things I never thought I would do (again both good and bad) and had a lot of heartache and tears along the way. Whoever said growing up was easy was definitely mistaken. I've learned a lot of life's lessons and I'm ready for my next 30 years. The biggest one has been that life definitely does not work out the way you plan; which is so difficult in the moment but when you are able to finally look back you can see that it turns out so much better. It's amazing how much I thought I knew only to realize I didn't know anything. I'm so much more appreciative of the things I have and how I've gotten here. Struggle is one of the hardest things in life but it is so needed to become the person you want to be.

I'm not a woman with many words; I'm not eloquent and have a hard time expressing my emotions through speech. I better relate to music and often express my feelings through talented artists who are able to write down similar emotions through song. I can't get Tim McGraw's 'My Next 30 Years' out of my head. I'm not one for new years resolutions. I think you're just putting yourself up for failure telling yourself you're going to break bad habits because a new year has rolled around. Come on, how many times do you tell yourself you're going to do the same thing each year and for about a month you work on it and then nothing. I'd rather work on life resolutions. There are a few lines in Tim's song that have really hit a special note with me:

"Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years"

"My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more"

I've let fear lead my life way too much these past 30 years. The fear of disappointment, rejection, failure. Why do I do this? Well, no more! I've learned that the best things in life are worth the risk and I need kick fear to the curb. For so many years I was scared to go upside down on a roller coaster. Making up excuses because of a scarring car accident. Truth is I was just chicken and thought I would be better off sitting on the sidelines while everyone else enjoyed the ride than actually face my fear. Finally one day I let someone talk me into going and it was the greatest feeling ever. I couldn't believe I had wasted so much time being scared. Now I'm a coaster junkie. This will be my next 30 years. No more sidelines for me. I know what I want and I'm not going to let fear stop me from getting there.

So goodbye twenties; you were good to me some of the time but I'm ready to move on. Hello thirties...LET'S DO THIS!

Early Christmas Present

Christmas came early this year. Here are some pics of my new house (sorry to those of you who are sick of me talking about this):

Merry Christmas!

I still can't believe it...

I am buying my first house!

Do you ever feel like things are just meant to be? I do! I have always been lead more by my heart than my head. It all started at the beginning of this year. If you've been following my blog you already know about my decision to leave a job and an industry that I've been in for my whole professional life and start a new adventure. Never in a million years would I have guessed that that decision would have lead me to this.

I knew that it was time for me to make a change in my life. I was miserable and I kept receiving promptings from the Lord that it was time to move on. I didn't know where I would go; I quit without another job locked in. I had some savings and I knew from the promptings I felt that I would be okay. I got a job doing hair, which at the time I thought would be my new career. Was I ever wrong! I was working so hard trying to make this new career work, but still found myself coming home with a paycheck that was barely minimum wage + tips. I wasn't sure what was going to happen but I still felt really good about my decision to leave JB. Then one day I was getting ready for work and I couldn't use my left arm. I was in so much pain and could not lift my arm to do my own hair let alone 8 hours of doing hair in the salon. I had no choice but to quit. I didn't know what I was going to do now. Before I had hair as an alternative career...now what!? I didn't know what I would do, or where I would go but I knew that I was going to be okay because the spirit told me so. I had to make some tough decisions regarding my finances; I knew that I could get by if I cashed in some investments I had and got completely out of debt, so I did.

Four long weeks went by with little to no interviews even though I was applying for jobs like crazy. Then my friend got me an interview with her new company. I went to the interview with little information; I didn't even know what the position was for. I had 2 interviews and could not believe how perfect the job was for me and my experience. It was in the same field as my previous JB job, but for a handbag company! I knew that this was where I was meant to be.

For the first time in my life I was debt free and had a good job. So I started thinking about how nice it would be to own my own home. It was really just a thought; I didn't think it could happen for at least a year. I would sit and talk with my brother and we would daydream about what we would do, how much we could afford and how soon we could do it. Every time we talked I would get really excited, go home and look at listings. I would then find an online mortgage calculator and have my dreams crushed when it estimated how much I could qualify for. I kept talking about it, but never put any action in place. Finally my dad told me I would never know until I tried, so he suggested I contact a mortgage broker and try to get pre-qualifed.

Weeks went by I never put my thoughts into action. I was too scared to find out the answer. Then one day I got a mailer from a realtor with a mortgage website. I was curious, so I went online to take a look. I decided I would email her with my questions. She emailed me right back, asking me to fill out an application and said "I think you'll be surprised". So I did. Next thing I know, I'm pre-qualified and looking for listings!

I figured it would take months to find something and I wasn't in any rush. My realtor told me to go online and make a list of properties I wanted to see. I made a huge list; properties all over the valley but one kept coming back to me. I knew going into this I was going to let my heart guide me. (I had a previous experience when my family moved back from CA that we were meant to live in a certain neighborhood; I knew that was where we were meant to be just by driving down the street before we even saw the house.) That's the same feeling I wanted with my house. I went on the first appointment with the realtor and looked at house after house after house and I didn't see anything that really caught my attention. Then the last house for the night was the one that kept popping into my head. And it was the only property the realtor didn't have the key box code for! We peeked through the windows and I got that feeling I had once before. We came back 2 days later with the key box code and I knew that was the house. I had been officially house hunting for 1 week and I was making an offer! (Did I mention that the day in between peeking through the windows and actually going inside that the seller lowered the price?)

The house was a flip. The seller had purchased the home from the bank and completely renovated the place; new roof, windows, appliances, paint and flooring. Since it was a bank owned home, my realtor suggested we do a meth test. Which was a good thing because it came back positive. Extremely low, but still positive. So we went back to the seller and said that we would only proceed if he replaced the furnace, sterilized the duct work and took the necessary steps to make the home certified safe and clean by the state of Utah. He agreed so we proceeded with the home inspection and appraisal. We got back the results yesterday and except for a few minor corrections, the house passed with flying colors!

All of this has happened in 3 weeks! As long as nothing major occurs, I will be closing on the home the first part of November. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father; I definitely would not be here if he had not lead me to this job and this house. I don't know what lies in store for me in this new home, neighborhood and ward but I know that if this is where I am meant to be everything will work out.

New Hobby

I've always liked taking pictures and actually always have my camera with me. But it wasn't until recently when I purchased an iMac that I fell in love with editing photos. It's my new favorite thing! (I was warned by friends that I would fall in love.)

Here are some shots I took this weekend with my cute little niece:

July 4th Weekend

I LOVE having a 3 day holiday weekend! My fun adventures actually started the weekend before when I went to Lagoon with my brother for his work Lagoon day. At lunch time they played bingo and his friend's dad won a free pass on the catapult. They weren't going to use it so she gave it to us. My brother didn't want to use it but my younger brother did. He actually had done the catapult before but had never done the sky coaster, so they got someone to buy the ticket from him so he could buy a ticket for the sky coaster. I thought it would be fun to go but didn't want to pay, so I took my nephew on the bumper cars while he got in line. I got off the ride and the next thing I know my brother had purchased me a ticket and I was going with him. I was so scared! But he didn't give me a chance to back out...so there I was, being strapped into a safety harnesh ready to freefall through the sky!Talk about a thrill ride! It was exhilarating! I have never felt anything like it before. I have never thought about skydiving (I've always been too scared), but after this adrenaline rush I think I could do it (strapped to a cute instructor, of course.) tee hee

For the 4th of July weekend I refused to stay home and do nothing. The last couple of years had been pretty dull, so I refused to let that happen again. Especially since this was a 3 day event. On Saturday, my mom had a great idea to go up to Park City, walk around Main Street and go to Park City Resort and go down the alpine slide. The last time I had gone on the alpine slide I think I was 9 when my dad's family went up together. My how things change in 20 years. Not only do they have the alpine slide, now they have the alpine coaster (basically the slide on a track above the ground), a zip line, mini golf and tons more.
We had a great time. My dad, brother and I did the slide and the coaster. I was a little apprehensive around the corners on the slide. My brother told me the last time he rode it he ran over a gopher and fell off his slide! I don't like to get hurt so I went a little slow. But not too slow that I was holding people up behind me.

The alpine coaster was great. You're on a track so you can't fall off but you still manage the speed. I held down the bar as far as it would go. Even though it felt like I was going to fly off around the turns I refused to let the boys make fun of me. You do get a little whip lash (just a warning).

After, we decided to go to Main Street and have dinner. I'll be honest, this was my first time walking Main Street. Not sure why I've never done it before even though I've lived here most of my life. But it was great. It definitely has a small resort town feel. I kept thinking I was on vacation shopping.

That night we went to my brother's and watch the Sugarhouse fireworks. They live right by the park so we were able to watch the fireworks from his backyard. On Sunday night my older brother and I, with his 5 yr old son camped out for the Provo parade. I LOVE camping out for parades. I've been doing it since I was little. My dad's family would camp out for the 24th of July parade downtown. As we got older, people camped out less and less until there really wasn't anyone left. I'm so glad my brother still likes to camp out because it is a blast!

This was my first time for the Provo parade, but it was pretty much the same. People lined the streets with their chairs, blankets, air mattresses, couches...you name it they had it! I could not believe how many blow up screens I saw with people playing games all night. I was a little jealous because one group was playing guitar hero. It was crazy! I've always had a hard time convincing friends to come with me. They just never understood why I would want to sleep out on the street. You DON'T sleep...it's just an all night party! People drag the street all night, there are police everywhere so it is safe and you just have fun. I could not believe how many pedal bikes there were. The 7-Eleven parking lot was completely packed with people and their bikes. My favorite was this guy who had two huge speakers strapped to a basket on the back of his bike and he would ride up and down the street with his posse. People would join in (even on foot) while they rode up and down blaring his music. It was hysterical!

(not the best pic...but you can sort of make out the bikes)

We were camped out across the street from a tuxedo shop. The lights were turned off, but suddently I see this teenage boy pop out of the door in a top hat and cane. Then another, and another. They pranced around the entrance of the shop. At first I wasn't sure what they were doing. I watched as they went back in the store. The next thing I see, they turned on the spotlight in the shop window, removed the jackets from the mannequins, moved the mannequins to the floor, then got up in the window and posed. It was hysterical! There had to be about 6 guys and they each took turns in the window. Some of them had just jackets and top hats on. Others were decked out in the entire tuxedo. They would stand there motionless until people would walk by then freak them out by doing some crazy move. It was great entertainment. Eventually the cops showed up, made them come out of the shop and verified that they were in there legally. I thought the cops were going to tell them to stop, but they let them go right back to what they were doing. We had a good laugh.

The parade was fun but freezing! We were cold the entire night. And it didn't help too much when the sprinklers turned on about 4am. We didn't mind though because we weren't asleep like our neighbors. We watched as this older couple sprang out of their comfy air mattress and tried to get all of their stuff off the grass before the water soaked everything. I think they had enough stuff for a small apartment! The man was SO mad. Their son actually broke the sprinkler in front of our section of grass trying to stop the water with his foot. We just laughed.

That night I went and saw Eclipse with my sister-in-law and her sister. Definitely the better movie out of the 3. I still wouldn't buy it, but it was entertaining. I crashed as soon as I got home, only having a 2 hour nap after no sleep the night before. It was hard getting up for work this morning but it was worth it! What a great weekend!

Say Cheese!

She can't smile normal with a camera in her face...

The one time she smiles nice...and I don't

This is as good as it's going to get!

Update

It has been a while since I last posted so I thought I would give everyone a quick update on what I've been up to. This year has been quite the rollercoaster so far. I'm not one that likes change; especially when it comes to jobs. In the last 10 years I've only worked at two places...with 5 year stints at each. But this year (and yes, it is only May), I have gone from job to job it seems. Not intentionally! At the beginning of this year I decided it was time to move on from the travel world and try my hand at the beauty world. But what I didn't know is that my body (arms and shoulders in particular) were not going to cooperate with me. It seems that having my arms up at a 90 degree angle for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week presented a problem. My left arm quit working in retaliation. It would go numb from my fingertips all the way up to my shoulder blade for hours on end, to the point where I couldn't even lift my arm. So...I took a nice long vacation (unpaid unfortunately) to find something that I could do without lifting my arms all day. And what did I stumble across (with the help of my wonderful friend)...Miche Bag!

Who would have thought that my beauty endeavor would lead me to the fashion world? Luckily it did and I am now working for a great company that sells interchangeable hand bags. If you know me, you know that I LOVE hand bags! What a perfect place for me to be. Now, this was only my first week on the job, but take a look at the cute bags I have already started collecting:

Currently Miche Bag offers two hand bag sizes. There is the Classic Bag and the Big Bag. The shells are magnetized so it's quick and easy to change them out.
One of the coolest things about these bags is that they store flat so they take up less room; which means you can buy more without worrying about where you're going to store them!

So that's life for now...