Catching Up.

Firstly,

I'm sorry.

For the lack of posts over the last..... four months. I will admit that I was in denial about it having been that long since my last post. "I'll do it tomorrow!" I kept telling myself. But, we all know how that works with me- tomorrow turns into three weeks later and I have done NOTHING. I happened to be checking a friends blog she had recently updated and saw my name on her blog roll stating "four months ago..." as my last post date.

My jaw dropped.

I am making a resolution! From today, November 22, 2011, I will be making the utmost effort to post daily. There is so much AWESOME stuff going on in my life that I tend to forget about because I don't write it down. My daily journal has been neglected as well, so that's another thing I need to make an effort with. But never fear, I will make a colossally awesome return to the blog-world, starting here.

You might ask yourself,

"What have you been doing if you haven't been blogging for three months?"

Well, the easy and honest answer to that would be: School started up and I have been lost among mountains of homework, dance and disgusting financial aid stipulations, I am working two jobs and saving all of my pennies, spending time with my boyfriend and best friends, and SLEEPING.

BUT.

You didn't want the honest answer. And to be honest, I didn't want to give it to you. I would rather have you think I have been so busy fighting crime and protecting the city one rogue citizen at a time that I simply didn't have time to blog.

So instead of boring you with the truth, or lying to you, here is what I have been doing for the past three months. In photo form.


I have been busy:

Boating with The Skipper

Tending Leonardo

Being a brunette, then having more fun as a blonde, then returning to being a brunette...

Attending the First Annual "Buns & Huns" event

Baking                                              Baking                                             Baking...

Becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Enjoying quality family time

 Crafting it up.

Geeking out.

 Breaking rules.

Being the best photographer's assistant I can be.

 Moonlighting as Jessie in my spare time with my partner in crime, Woody.

Having a blast with Foreigner, Night Ranger and JOURNEY.

Trying to get back into the ballroom swing of things.  

AND THIS:

When My Words Aren't Enough.

I will always have song lyrics to turn to.

Sometimes, it's uncanny how well certain songs mesh with life events.

Who knew, right?

Please Forgive me if I seem forward,
But I've never been in front of anything like you,
It's the last place I ever thought I'd be when I woke up this morning,
Is it true that you are always this breathtaking?,
And you're smart and you're willing,
And my god this is killing me,

Tell me all the things you never said,
We can lie here and talk for hours in my bed,
I don't have anything to hide,
I don't have anything everything is not for certain,
I don't have anything to hide,
I don't have anything everything is not for certain,

You started to see right through me,
And I'm loving every minute of it,
It's like I'm born again every time I breathe in so,
If you're curious my favorite color's blue,
And I like to sing in the shower,
If you like I'll sing to you,

Tell me all the things you never said,
We can lie here and talk for hours in my bed,
I don't have anything to hide,
I don't have anything everything is not for certain,
I don't have anything to hide,
I don't have anything everything is not for certain,

Tell me all of your hopes,
All of your dreams,
I want you to take me there (take me there),
Tell me all of your hopes,
All of your dreams,
I want to take you there (take you there),
Tell me everything,
Every breath,
I want you to know I'll be there (know I'll be there),
There's just one more thing,
One request,
I want you to take me with you,

Take me with you,
I will never let you down,
I will love you now and forever (now and forever)


--Take Me With You: Secondhand Serenade

First Time.

Tonight, I did something I never thought I would do.

I rode a motorcycle for the first time.

Although to be fair, I am pretty sure he sweet talked me with snow cones and french fries first.

I've been feeling a little weird today. Weirder than usual, if you can actually believe that. I debated whether or not I should even leave my room this morning. But I did, and that is how we ended up with this beautiful story.

We drove to Wal-Mart to pick up my 'brain bucket' so my insides weren't tempted to spill on my outsides in the event of a wreck. A very sweet old man told me I was 

"Lookin' good!"

And I smiled.

Brady seemed to know something was up as we headed to the station. I don't know how to explain it, but today I have been in one of the strangest moods. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I feel...... off. And he knew.

After strapping me into my stylish new headgear, we were ready to go. Actually, HE was ready to go. I had to re-tie my scarf so I wouldn't lose it on our little adventure. I'm pretty sure I told him I wasn't nervous as I climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. I'm also pretty sure that was a lie.

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before? 

If so, you may understand the feeling of the warm wind against your face in the summer evening, caressing your cheeks like whispers. You understand the tears streaming from my eyes into my helmet, creating the illusion of my weeping, which was the complete opposite of how I felt. My mind was free to wander as need be, and surprisingly enough this was exactly what I needed. It was an amazingly freeing and wonderfully beautiful experience. The exhilaration I felt, flying through the canyon with one hand holding tight to my helmet, the other wrapped snugly around Brady cannot be accurately described in words. In short, it was simply lovely.

To complete the evening, we decided to head back down the canyon to grab a few things for a night of marshmallow roasting. Oh, and Brady could not resist purchasing a few of those wooden snakes...

nerd.

We returned to the canyon, this time accompanied by Mr. Allred, and I informed him that I would waste him in a roasting competition. Which I did, thank you very much.

(Daddy didn't teach me how to toast the perfect marshmallow for nothing, you know. 

Boys dig girls who can make a good mallow.)

And then we left the park, ourselves a little more marshmallow-y than before.

It was a beautiful night.

And just what I needed.

I'm so glad I decided to get out of bed this morning.

Summer Style

I can easily say that Heather and Jensen made my night last night.

Jackie, Baby Gurl and I tore it up at the good ol' Provo Towne Center, bringing back memories of past summers. Taco Bell, too many pictures, and out of control last minute adventures that always left us laughing.

I have missed this.

There will be more nights like this to come.

May or May Not.

I May or May Not have decided to put my own bed together.

Just so you know, the screws are mandatory in the attendance of this building party.

I apparently did not feel the same way.

Brady will fix it for me later, he says.

Hopefully before I die.

I should not be allowed to put things together unless under heavy supervision.

I May or May Not freelance for the IKEA catalog.

They asked me to photograph the 2012 catalog, but I couldn't move to Sweden.

How unfortunate for all you IKEA shoppers.

Recently, I took a field trip there to gather some supplies for my room re-do.

This is basically all I have set up so far, besides that blasted bookshelf.

Details to come.

Untouched, taken by yours truly. Be impressed.

I May or May Not ignore instruction manuals.

I don't.

Jenna does, that's for sure.

But.

Waited all day for another human to build my bookshelf with me

because that's what the instructions said, of course.

Little did I know it was a plot.

Even my furniture is trying to get me to procrastinate.

It's inevitable.

Explicit instructions to put my life on hold until a friend can come help me stare at a pile of bookshelf pieces.

I May or May Not drive.

Thank you, Angela

for trusting me to:

not kill a pedestrian

not kill your car

not kill you

not kill anything at all 

except for maybe a few insects

whilst in your car.

Concrete proof that I manned a vehicle.

I May or May Not attempt to eat healthy.

I do try, actually.

But ultimately the cheeseburger gets the best of me.

However, brown bagged lunches at the office are rather health-conscious.

'A' for effort, right?

Complete with name, so that lunch snatchers keep their distance.

I May or May Not have a betta from outer space.

Took this one last night.

Won't tell you how.

They might be watching us.

Right.

Now.

One thing is for sure:

Leo knows something I don't.

Altogether, this is a pretty sweet picture I must admit. Untouched.

I May or May Not be sitting in my room on the floor in my pajamas, drinking apple juice and writing a blog post instead of cleaning my room.

Which would you rather do?

Campsocks.

Just as a friendly reminder: do something once and you may never live it down.

You Look So Good; I Love Your Dress.

This was yelled to me by two boys longboarding Provo Canyon this afternoon.

What nerds.

Although I will say, I was flattered.

I fell in love with the canyon again today.

The afternoon was balmy and the sky was clear against the emerging greens. I smelled others starting campfires and yearned for a night like last summer, where we loaded the car with blankets and supplies from Days and lost ourselves in the heart of the canyon. As I walked up the trail by myself, I found myself lost in thought again and my mind racing about nothing in particular. Whenever this happens, I seem to work out my thoughts and resolve any issues I have been struggling with. I am amazed with the feeling I leave there with. It simplifies so much in my life, I cannot believe how wonderful the outdoors can be.

I find myself at peace when I am there.

It's funny to me how a simple walk can help make a difference in the way I feel, think and act. My mind is clearer; my thoughts more rational; my self more at ease. Someday, I will own property up that canyon.

This weekend has been incredible, to say the very least.

I have found myself lost in thought upon waking up Saturday morning and have not been able to stop myself since. It is a beautiful thing, this mood I am in.

I have a feeling that this will be a life-changing summer, and it's only just beginning.

I hope I am up for the ride. 

Chivalry Is Not Dead.

A perfect night.


With a perfect gentleman.




This basically sums up my Friday night.
What about yours?

Company Outing.

Sometimes, the people in the office decide it's a good idea for us to leave our boxes.

They also decide somewhere along the line that Boondocks is where we need to go.

This is what happens:

--Ryan and I shut off our brains around 2:00 PM (1:00 PM PDT, 3:00 PM CDT, and 4:00 PM EDT)

--I warn Brady that if he pukes I will be seriously grossed out.

--Jimmy Dean is played against my will.

--I am mocked for lack of license.

--Dillon lets me lose with my dignity at air hockey.

--We discover that I cannot function without my glasses.

--Laser tag: another thing I can't do.

--I have an unhealthy love for tickets.

--My driving abilities are, in fact, there. At least where go-karts are concerned.

--My mini-golf abilities, on the other hand, are hit and miss.

--Tickets from me + tickets from Brady = 263. And this.

--All he really wanted was a blue sucker. Thanks, Lynne.

--Ryan and I should have definitely gotten the dice.

--Pizza buffets are an excellent idea. Even though I had to sit by Jeff and we are still fighting.

--Tracy instructed us on how NOT to follow up on a date. 

--Brady didn't listen.

--Our team won this:

     (Pretty sure it's because we're awesome.)

--Brady threatens to make me walk home if I don't drive.

And everyone has a pretty good time, despite over half of us debating earlier in the week whether or not we were even going to go.

Oh, and I may or may not have stolen these.

He'll get them back eventually.

Maybe.

Germ-Free Zone

This is what greeted me upon my arrival at work this morning.

Thanks, Brady.

Crexendo post-it's, quartered paper and green sharpie littered my workspace. He had taken great care to make sure not an ounce of space was wasted.

Pretty sure he was probably working on it all night.

It was surely a sight to see.

[This picture doesn't do it justice.]

Now, after seeing all of this painstakingly done, my first reaction was this:

How do I retaliate?

Jared's solution was genius.

Ryan and I took everything down, hid it at the bottom of Shane's garbage can and covered the hand sanitizer with folders in my desk drawer.

After all, what makes a guy more bothered than when he spent forever devising a brilliant prank, only to have it not be acknowledged?

So I waited until two, until he came in.

And acted like nothing had happened.

And it was beautiful. At first, he tried to tell me I was playing stupid and had taken it all down.

He searched the trash cans.

I opened my desk drawers.

He walked away, dejected.

Secretly, I laughed. But just a little.

But Brady was too smart for me.

Whilst in the middle of a call, he came up with another hand sanitizer container.

(Also, where was he getting all of these? They are HUGE.)

"I found it!"

"Where did you get that??!"

"It's the same one!""

"......"

He knew. He knew that by introducing a new one under the facade of the old, I would know it wasn't true. And, he devised, the only way I would know that is if I knew where the original was.

Which, I did.

I had been caught. Found out. Weighed, measured and found wanting.

I took it back and left it on his desk, with a mean post-it attached. (Not pictured due to content.)

It now hangs proudly on his wall.

Sooner or later, though- I will get him back.

I'm a Hater.

Sometimes, people are mean to me at work.

This lovely little number began as just the 'Melissa', printed out by the adorable Judy across from me and artistically designed by yours truly. I may or may not have added the 'is awesome'. But it's true.

It all started when Jantzen came over and desecrated my beautiful nameplate with a ballpoint pen and a nasty word. I told him I was no such thing.

Jantzen, thinking I just didn't understand the definition of said word, was more than happy to oblige with a detailed description (See above.)


Pretty sure Jantzen is just jealous of how awesome I am.



But oh, don't worry. It's not just Jantzen that gets to have fun. Brady joins in sometimes, too.

Cute, right?

This little number has been passed back and forth between us a few times over the past couple of days.

Still not quite sure where he got it from.

He thought it was the perfect gift:

-necessary

-thoughtful

-sanitary...

'He was looking out for my wellbeing', I was assured.

However, I was not allowed to reciprocate and look out for HIS wellbeing, I suppose.

Brady absolutely refuses to take his gift back.

I'll get him back eventually...

Needless to say, I'm a hater.

But at least I'm sanitary.

Disappointed.

That's all.

Va Va Voom.

It has been changed!
It has been altered!
It is lovely.


I decided it was time for a little update on the blog front.
The beautiful weather outside today sparked something inside of me- a need for change.
So I began here.



There are still several things I need to tweak before it is where I'd like it to be, but I figured I would share it with you as it is now.

This summer I am determined to change for the better.
I have a lot of things on my Hopes, Dreams and Goals list to accomplish.



We'll see where things go from here.

Thoughts.

There are certain conversations that you don't want to have.


Plain and simple, that's how it is. Many of them are uncomfortable, some could be catastrophic, and often times you put off having these conversations out of fear. Fear of what? Change.

I will be the first to admit that I have a fear of change. Most times I am very complacent to sit and watch things pass by, knowing I should say something but being afraid of what might happen if I do. Things aren't necessarily where I want them to be, but I will sit by in silence out of fear that my words could cause things to take a turn for the worse, and then where would I be?

This must change.

There are so many things I need to say to so many people right now.
And so many different words.

It wasn't right.

What do you need from me?

Can we start over?

I love that we can do this.

What do you think of me?

This should be you.

Please stop.

I miss you.

You aren't what I want.

Do you love me?

I think I am falling for you.

Sadly, I cannot bring myself to say any of these things to any of the people that need to hear them.
And I don't understand what it is that is holding me back.

Except for my fear.

Insomnia Leads To This.

Buy Me Things.

Like this.

And this.

And these.

Thank you.