Stop and Stare

Sometimes when I feel like someone is staring at me too long, I say "What?" in my head... especially when it's strangers.

Today I kept running into this lady at Target who kept staring at me down every single aisle... like STARING. After the 5th time, I exclaim "What?" in my head... but it accidentally came out of my mouth too. I felt like such a jerk.

Happy Birthday, Alissa

Today my sweet sister turns... one year older! I wish I was with her to celebrate... but I'm not. Instead she is with her incredible husband, Greg, and the cutest little 1 year old boy in the world, Luke... and they are with... drumroll, please... the little peanut inside her belly! That's right, my sister is preggers again! She is nearing the end of her first trimester, so please keep her in your prayers. It's hard to believe that Luke is going to be a big brother! We are all very happy!

Anyway... Alissa, in honor of your birthday - this blog's for you!


When Alissa was a baby, I... was jealous that she had blond hair and that she was a baby and I was a "big girl." (yes i remember that even though i'm only 1 year older.)
I was told that I... potty-trained Alissa. Mom says that I would make her go to the potty when I had to go and "showed" her how to potty. Then when she went, I made sure I was in there to sing the "Hooray for Going Potty" song. I still know it.
One of my favorite things about Alissa from our childhood... was sharing a bed with her... for 16 years!!! Her hands are so soft and every night when she would fall asleep (it seemed like she always fell asleep before me) I used to love to hold her soft hand while I fell asleep. Then as we got older, we would sometimes lay awake for hours talking. And then we would fall asleep and she would spend her time stealing covers, kicking me, hitting me and breathing in my face.
Alissa, I'm sorry... that I was the one that told you about Santa. And for making you lift me in all of our synchronize swimming routines. And for being bossy. And for pulling your hair to the ground for stealing my bubbles. And for hitting you when you wore my scrunchie in the ocean. And for making fun of you when you made your angry face (you know... the one with the tongue). And for discouraging you in times when I should have been encouraging. And for being selfish. And for being judgmental. And for not listening well when we were younger. And for not accepting responsibility. And that I live so far away. And that I didn't say "I'm sorry" enough.
That was funny when... mom would tell us a thousand times to stop talking and go to sleep, then she would finally come in and spank us with our face buried in the pillow pretending to cry when we were really laughing. Dad would tie our hands together when we weren't getting along so we were forced to deal with one another (thanks for passing the toilet paper). When you held your claws in Jason's face and said "you want me to do it to you too?" When you fell down the stairs as you were trying to impress that really serious guy. When your prom date picked you up in that 1985 limo.
I really like that... I have a sister that everyone loves and respects. Seriously! She is one of the sweetest, most gentle persons you will ever meet (but knows how to be feisty). She strives to be the best woman, wife and mom she can be (and succeeds!). I don't know a single soul that does not like my sister. And she is worth every ounce of love that people have for her.
By now, I hope you know... that I can still beat you up. That I really don't know it all. That you are a fantastic mommy! That you are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! How much I look up to you. That I am always here for you. That I consider you one of my best friends. That I wish we lived closer to one another. That you have a great husband and the sweetest little boy. That you are a great wife. That I love you SO SO SO SO much! Oh, and that I will always beat you in Phase 10 ('cause it's about strategy).

I hope that you have a wonderful birthday and I know that this is going to be a GREAT year for you!!

a letter to my pedicurist

Dear Julie,

Ummm... my toe does not bend that way; it actually hurts. Could you please stop forcing it? Oh, and I'd also appreciate it if you stop laughing when I wince from the pain... it's not funny.

Other than that I am very pleased with my experience with you.

Your faithful customer,
Andrea

Brotherly Love

My brother, Jason, and I went to Disneyland after work the other day and had a blast. His favorite was the Casey Jr. Circus Train and the churro; my favorite was watching the middle-aged man nonchalantly sing in the Tiki Room and of course the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters:



As you can see, I dominated. And as you can see, I was really intense. Way to go, Space Ranger!

The lines to all the fun rides were way too long. But then Jason informed me that he is more of a "hanger-outer" at D-land anyway, while I seem to be more of a "rider" so we compromised and rode rides with short lines that facilitated his need to "hang out." And we had a photo session while riding The Casey Jr Circus Train and the Dumbo ride:


This is a GREAT picure of Jason. Too bad I look like I'm a freak.


If you know Jason at all - you will appreciate the awesomeness of him here.


At first my favorite part of this was his eyes; now I think I'm going to go with the tongue.



We're so chill... well, he looks like he has a string pulling up his lip.


The Dumbo Ride is so scary!


Aww...

Love you, Jason! (even though I don't think you ever read this...)

First Time for Everything

This is my nephew,Luke, during his first trip to Disneyland about a month ago. We were watching the parade and he was SOO freaking cute... he didn't know what to do with all the big floats and dancers. This was my favorite pic - he was clapping.












And this was him right after he took a nap with me...
another favorite.

That Did NOT Just Happen...

That is what I was saying to myself over and over in my head for about 15 minutes in a dressing room on Saturday. The reality is - it DID just happen. Now that I have (somewhat) recovered, I will share with you.

On Saturday I had some "Andrea-time" (which is very fun, by the way) and decided to stop in at a little boutique. I stepped behind the dressing room curtain in the middle of the store to try on some clothes. As I was stepping into a pair of pants, I lost my balance and had to step back to catch myself. I'm not sure what happened next; I think I stepped onto my jeans, or my belt, or my shoes (maybe all three). All I know is that I tripped, falling backwards, through the curtains and ended up sprawled out. On the storeroom floor. In just my bra and underwear. And I mean I was sprawled! I screamed on my down which attracted more attention. I saw at least six pairs of eyes looking at me... one of which was a male. Nobody knew what to do except gasp, say "oh my god" over and over and/or quietly giggle. I sat, no I layed sprawled not knowing what to do. The store manager started walking toward me and said "Are you okay?" (she was trying her best to hide a smile, bless her heart). I thought in that moment that standing was the worst thing I could do being that I was NAKED and didn't want to attract more attention... so I quickly scooted/crab-crawled back behind the curtains. I regret that decision - the scooting part. Then I sat in the stool in the dressing room for the next 15 minutes with my face in my hands. Once I had the courage, I stepped out, waved, bought a few items and walked out with my head held high. At least I had on cute panties.

I've Got Nothin

There have been no posts because I've been busy... and uninspired. But I think I'm uninspired because I'm busy. I had an event last weekend that 25,000+ people attended. It was fun... for the participants... but for the planner (me) it was stressful. Especially considering we were expecting 12,000ish. So, ALL of my creative energy went into that event and the next big one I'm working on. I'm still exhausted. And I need to be inspired. Then I will post a "real" post. For now, I've got nothin.

ps- I actually have really good pictures from when I went to Alaska, but I can't find my dang USB cord. I will find it or buy a new one... ugh, one more thing to do.

I've Been Thinking...

- My room is a DISASTER. It should be seriously recorded in the Book of Disasters. I don't think it's EVER looked like this... EVER. I have my excuses, but I won't bore you with those. And I would take a picture to prove it, but I have too much pride. It will be spotless before this weekend.

- In case you don't know, American Idol's Jason Castro is from my hometown of Rockwall, TX and grew up in the same church I did. I don't remember him (he's a bit younger too), but his family came out here over Easter and had lunch with my family (minus me)... they remembered each other. Then Jason (my brother) got to go to the results show a couple of weeks ago as one of his "friends." Yes, he was on tv. I wasn't invited and I pouted for a little bit. SO, keep voting for him not only because he's really talented, but also because he's a great guy - great character... and then you can say "I know someone who knows the new American Idol." And then you'll be cool.

- I just saw this guy I work with trip outside. He didn't fall, just tripped off the curb. and it was really funny. Yes, I laughed; no I'm not insensitive. I just like to chuckle at anything that's obviously overlooked. Now he's "singing" the guitar runs of Led Zeppelin... so annoying... I'm not laughing.

- I really like my roommate, Cathi. Because of our schedules, I sometimes go days without really seeing her, but then I do and I like it.

- Saying goodbye to this little guy's face is always really hard. Sad. I had such a blast with him when he and my sister visited. He is growing so much and is SO smart. I can tell he's going to be really funny too... he likes making people laugh. I miss him.


- I got a Disneyland Pass last month!! Yay! My dad bought it for me which was very sweet. I've already gone 4 times since I've had it. If you would like to go, there is about an 82% chance that I would like to join you.

- I think one of the worst pains ever is a hang-nail. Ouch!

- I was speaking with a friend who has recently been through a really tough time. She's in the "stage" of healing where it just hurts and there's nothing she can do about it. I have been through my own heartaches and healing processes, so she asked "what do you think is the most important part to healing?" Good question... and it may differ with everyone, but this is what I've learned (and am continuously learning): I think the most important thing is to just let myself hurt. Every part of my nature tries to convince me that feeling hurt, anger, sadness, confusion, etc is "bad" so I do whatever I can to "feel" happy and positive, meanwhile I'm burying my pain under the fakeness (just pretend that's a word). I have to expose the wound, let it sting as it's cleaned before it can even begin to heal... sometimes I have to expose it over and over. My suggestion? Let yourself be present with your pain - equally in head and in heart. Just be. Your heart will get rid of it when it's ready... it may not be in your timing and it may force you to deal with more, but you won't feel like this forever if you actually deal with it. Accept the fact that you're living with pain for right now, be intentional about listening to your heart and allow yourself to feel the pain. Repeat. Oh, one more thing! Find people in your life that can be present in your pain with you and let them love you there.

- What is up with spam? I hate it. I have an email address that I give out to places when I think they may sell it to others so I expect that inbox to be flooded with spam. I have another email address, however, that I ONLY give out to people with whom I will be corresponding with. So why am I starting to suddenly get spam there? It's so frustrating!

- Sometimes I wonder if I have a sign on my car that says "Your are welcome to pull out in front of me!"

- Now the guy I work with is whisper-singing Beat It... as if we can't all hear him. If he doesn't stop soon, I'm gonna beat him.

House of Many Colors

Sometimes I house-sit for people while they're on vacation. It's a great way to earn a little extra cash while taking care of dogs, watering plants, checking the mail, picking tomatoes or any other random thing they have me do. Most recently I stayed at what I call "The House of Many Colors." I had to share them (the colors) with you. (Keep in mind that their youngest child is a senior in high school and is the only one still living with mom and dad.)

DOWNSTAIRS
Entry Way and Den - Medium Tan
Formal Dining - Dark Purple
1/2 Bath - Lavendar
Kitchen - Burnt Red
Living Room - Burnt Red and White
Bedroom 1 - Olive Green (w/ Teal bedding)

Not too bad, right? But wait...

UPSTAIRS
Hallway - Light Tan w/ Dark Clay accents
Master Bedroom - Olive Green
Master Bath - Olive Green with Tan accents
Laundry Room - Pure Eggshell White
Office - Periwinkle
Bedroom 2 - Princess Purple
Bedroom 3 - Donald Duck Blue
TV Room - 80's Downtown Miami Art Deco Teal
Bathroom - I couldn't tell you because I was blinded when I walked in. Seriously. I think it had a florescent green tone... but I honestly couldn't tell you.

(ps - I changed my settings so you don't have to have a google account to comment, but you do have to enter in the handy-dandy secret security code. So, comment away!)

I Have Some Big News

I didn't want to say anything until it was confirmed, but... I'M MOVING from California to HERE!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! More details to come!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE you all!