Birthday Splurge!

So... This post may be a bit on the TMI side... but I'm really excited and happy about it, so I'm sharing. Brace yourselves.

For years and years, I've wanted an epilator. Why? Because, I have translucent skin, and I don't have the blonde hair on my legs that I once did as a kid. It's pretty much dark brown. That with my see-through skin makes my legs hideous, not to mention all the veins that are visible, but you can literally see the roots of my leg hairs. Its yucky. So, to remedy this situation, I've been doing some research, and the best resolution I've found, is laser hair removal, I can't afford that, so the next best thing is an epilator.

I ordered one from target.com last week, and it arrived yesterday. So, I took some advil (which is highly recommended, especially if you have a low pain tollerance), waited an hour, and epilated my leg hairs away. I'm not going to lie to you. It was painful. BUT, after the irritation and redness goes away, my legs are much better looking than they were before. :) I'm rather pleased with this early B-day gift to myself... Plus it was only $19.99, I could have spent $80 or more. It took a while, especially because I got the "Emjoi EPI Slim Hair Removal System", but I must say, the time and efford and $20 bux is well worth it.

I really hope I don't get ingrown hairs as a result, but so far I'm loving this little contraption. It is battery-powered, but I use rechargables anyway, so I'm thankfully already hooked-up in that department. If I weren't, I probably would have opted for a more expensive, rechargeable one. But I like this little one. It's cute.



This little part is for Holly... I used this on my underarms, and while the pain there was even more excruciating than my legs, I'm so so so happy with the results. I have such smooth pits now. I'm so loving it! lol I know... TMI... but, you were warned. ;)

I think what I'll be loving more, is the fact that I won't have to shave for 4-6 weeks! I HATE HATE HATE shaving. HATE IT! So, Happy Birthday to me. :) It's the gift that keeps on giving! (4-6 weeks baby!)

Shelley 101

My turn to school you all in the kooky ways of Shelley.

1. My legal name isn't Shelley.
2. My legal last name is still Smith.
3. Canada hates me.
4. I'm 4th out of 6 children.
5. I'm also the youngest girl.
6. I love being Auntie Shelley, can ya blame me? My nieces & nephews are adorable!
7. I'm a major computer geek.
8. My shoe size has shrunk over the past 4-5 years. I was an 8 before moving to Canada, now I'm like a 7.5 or even a 7 Wide. There may be something in the water up there eh!
9. All of my teeth are sweet teeth. (My mom has dentist bills to prove it.)
10. I don't know if I have one favorite sweet/dessert thing to eat. I could possibly come up with a top ten if forced to though.
11. I love my husband's cooking.
12. I don't love the mess left over afterwards though.
13. Who am I kidding... I hate all messes, but 9 times out of 10 I'm the queen mess-maker in the house. I don't know why cleaning is such a chore for me.
14. I skipped Kindergarten. (Ok, i didn't *really* skip it. I was 5 when the fam moved to Hawaii from Utah, and I was placed in 1st grade, because of my age, not my smarts... but I still never went to Kindergarten... Pre-school to 1st grade yo.)
15. I want a pet fish. The beta fishies kind.
16. My favorite ethnicity in the foodage arena is Mexican.
17. I actually LIKE Taco Bell.
18. Mighty Taco is good too. I'm getting hooked.
19. I drive a 1997 Jeep Cherokee that has been lifted 3 inches.
20. Soon, very soon, this vehicle will have been safety checked and registered in 3 different states over the course of my owning it. (CA, CT, & now NY).
21. Crossing the US/Canada border either way, makes me so nervous I could vomit.
22. My passport expires in 2012.
23. This is my favorite number.
24. From 1995 to 2002, I dyed my hair. It has been every shade of brown, red/orange (oops) and black you could imagine. I'm so happy its all natural again. :)
25. I hate nylons. Any and all lengths.
26. I will wear tights instead though. Or trouser socks, if I can get away with it.
27. Target = Euphoria to me. I walk through the doors, and my troubles melt away. I don't even have to make a purchase. Just being there makes me feel better about being me.
28. I didn't have my first kiss till I was 18.
29. This is how old I'll be next Saturday.
30. I like mini things.
31. I've always been a little on the selfish side.
32. I miss Hawaii (I'm not Miss Hawaii, I'm just homesick).
33. I adore Third Eye Blind.
34. Actually, I adore most music from the late 90's. That's MY kind of music.
35. I'm nutty about the color Orange. So nutty that I (well we... Nicole too) call it "Buck Bailey". If you ever hear me say it, it means "Orange".
36. I'm borderline anemic.
37. Because of this, I've been denied when donating blood before.
38. I am also fanatical about donating blood. I do it whenever I can. The Red Cross commercials make me cry.
39. I'm also a bit crazy about recycling. I guess its just me, doing what I can. I've been this way since SPEBE 1995. I went to Hilo, HI for 5 weeks, and we learned about Environmental Studies. It was a blast.
40. I've been contemplating some major life decisions lately.
41. I love popcorn.
42. I hate the snow.
43. I don't like being stuck in Buffalo.
44. But I do like my job. I wish I could have this same job, and be closer to my husband. :(
45. Sometimes, I really hate food.
46. I hate eating sometimes.
47. And I really really despise doing dishes.
48. I'd rather clean the toilet than do dishes.
49. If it wasn't so bad for the Environment, I'd use paper plates, forks etc. every day. :-s
50. I cried in the bathroom at work yesterday.
51. I love makeup.
52. I love Hot Chocolate.
53. I really love Crunchy Cheeto's (They taste AWESOME, plus, they're orange! double bonus!)
54. I like the rain.
55. Thunder is thrilling. I like it when it sets my car alarm off.
56. Normal boots don't fit me, I blame my calf(s).
57. I don't like working too closely with other women.
58. Maybe that's why I like my job so much. I'm just one of the guys, with a little sister type feel to it. It's comforting.
59. I love potatoes. (Boil 'em, mash 'em, put 'em in a stew!) And I could eat them in every form, for a good long time.
60. Same goes for the above, but with Chocolate. The only chocolate I don't likey is the alcohol-filled kind.
61. Speaking of, I've never consumed any alcoholic beverage. I accidentally ate a brandy chocolate, but i hated it and spit it out immediately.
62. I've also never smoked anything either. Drugs, cigarettes, no thank you.
63. ER is my favorite tv show. I just love it. I cried when Carter left.
64. I believe crying is therapeutic.
65. I love John Grisham books. The movies aren't half bad either. Tom Cruise was good in "The Firm".
66. I used to seriously stalk Tom Cruise. Just ask Hayley. The stalking was at its peak in College.
67. I was fully licensed the August before I was 16.
68. I love driving. I once considered a NASCAR career...
69. Realized I wasn't white-trashy enough for that, so I didn't pursue that career.
70. I'm good at cooking Chicken Parmesan (that's what the Desrosiers tell me anyway).
71. I miss my long hair.
72. I hate taking showers in the winter.
73. The reason is that when I hop out of the shower, I hate HATE being cold! It makes me so stabby.
74. I have issues.
75. Deep seeded, get me some counseling issues.
76. My favorite movie is probably Garden State, with Hope Floats following soonly after.
77. I love a good sale.
78. The shirt I'm wearing is orange, v-necked, and cost me $2.98 from Target. I love.
79. I love my husband.
80. I also love ice cream, but not as much as I love the hubby.
81. The stars have always intrigued me, but I've never learned the constellations (other than the dippers, and orion anyway...)
82. Actually, come to think of it, most of God's creations intrigue me. I'm totally blessed to be able to live on this earth.
83. When I was young, I used to pretend I had a large chest... Now I wish I didn't.
84. I love my Young Women. They are amazing girls. I really miss them too.
85. We were told to dress up for Halloween for work, but I don't know what to go as.
86. The first car I drove on my own was a Mitsubishi Precis, 1989.
87. I miss that car. LOTS of HS, and College memories with that baby.
88. I took AP classes in HS, and never scored higher than an "AP C" which was like a normal people's B. I don't know why I bothered with them. I would have done better in general classes.
89. I love Gerber Daisies. They make me happy. (Especially if they're Orange).
90. We had a trampoline growing up.
91. We used to jump off the roof onto it when mom and dad weren't watching. :)
92. I "broke" my fourth toe on my right foot when I was like 7 or 8... I was riding my bike barefoot (Hey man, no one wears shoes in Hawaii), couldn't decide if I wanted to go up the curb onto the sidewalk, or stay on the road... at the last minute I decided, and it was too late, I crashed, and the jagged/metal bike pedal sliced my toe off like 95%.
93. I don't think its *quite* sewn on straight. (Hayley is cringing reading this... She hates feet, let alone imperfect icky ones... although she said she didn't "hate" my feet in college... And heck... they're smaller now than they were then. (see #8)
94. I still don't make good decisions. (or quick ones).
95. My earliest memory, is probably when my siblings were burying me in the snow (My last winter in Utah, I had *just* turned 5, so it was a while ago)... They buried me with a metal snow shovel. I got the snow shovel between the eyes, on the bridge of my nose. I also got Popsicles all weekend, and my older siblings got punished.
96. To this day, the fact that I got Popsicles, and they got punished brings me a little bit of joy. :)
97. This experience also taught me a LOT about keeping the Sabbath Day Holy... Yep, I was buried alive in the snow on a Sunday! :-o
98. I don't like the sticky feeling the ocean leaves between my fingers after swimming. Unless there's a shower *right there* I'd rather not get in the ocean.
99. I really like Turtles' Chex Mix.
100. I love my Friends
101. I love my Family

I guess there's more... but that's enough of my freakdom on display for you all.

I next tag Amy, Paula, Jamie, Logan, Dave, Michelle, and YOU.

Too cute not to steal!

Sorry Amy, I'm stealing your most recent post about Ella. She is way too cute to not be on my blog too. I love this girl. How could I not? Look at those big beautiful eyes!

She's 14 months old, and I am in love with this girl. :) I need to pinch her or bite her or something. (Maybe Amy could do it for me by proxy?) How could you not love this girl? She's adorable!

When in Buffalo...

Well... Thursday, it seems, is Buffalo Wild Wings day. They apparently have a sale on their Boneless Buffalo Wings today. They are delish!

They have a wide wide variety of hot sauces, and their Blue Cheese is amazing. So far I've tried their boneless buffalo wings in Asian Zing, and Spicy Garlic. I think my husband would love this stuff, especially the Caribbean Jerk sauce. I'm not too keen on bone-in wings, but these boneless ones are awesome.

We normally all order some on Thursdays. 8pcs for $5.00 bux is a pretty good deal. I likey. And this week, I'm having sinus issues, so my lunch is also providing a medical purpose too.

If you're interested, there aren't any locations in Utah yet, but there are some near Houston, Vegas, and Killeen, TX (closest to Austin I could find).

Wow. A co-worker got the Mango Habanero on the side, and asked me if I wanted to try it. I scooped some onto my to-go box with the end of my fork, and stupidly licked off the end of the fork. Wow. Tastes like Burning!



I didn't eated the purple berries... but it really tastes like burning! I don't even taste Mango in it, it is flat out, straight burning.

I need to go swallow some Blue Cheese dressing now. YIPES!

Cool Tools!

Oh man! I love October! How cool is this! I am loving http://www.tomboytools.com

The hammer is $14.95, and they will donate $3.00 of that puchase to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and they will continue to do this through next August! How cool is that?

For you hard core fix-it gals out there (like moi), they also offer a full-blown pink tool set for $69.95. The hammer is included even! It is so so cute!



The set comes with the following items:
- Standard Pliers
- Utility Knife
- Multi-Bit Ratchet Screwdriver
- 13 oz Hammer out Breast Cancer Magnetic Head Hammer
- 16' Fractionalized Tape Measure
- Torpedo Level
- Mini Hacksaw
- Latex-Grip Gloves

AND They'll donate $7.00 for each of these purchased to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Totally awesome!

I love this stuff!

My New Background Poll....

Didn't quite work as well as I wanted it to... Only one other person voted for the one I liked too. So I'm still confused, because the three that got 2 votes, I like too. Maybe I'll surprise you all and change it weekly, who knows.

*sigh*

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is My Dad's birthday! Its barely past 9am in Utah, but I'm sure he's been up for a while... He's always been an early riser.

A few of my favorite memories of my dad would have to be on the night before the first day of school each year, we would have a family home evening of sorts, where we'd all get blessings, he did this before each of us left home on our own as well. I'm glad I have him as my Dad. He's such a great example to me of love and kindness.

He had a stroke in 2002 I think it was... I went to Utah to visit in April of 2002, and I taught my dad how to re-sign his signature. I don't know how or why, but his signature always intrigued me. I practiced it so hard, I got pretty good when I was younger. I never used it for evil purposes though. Don't you worry. I think my purpose in learning it was so that I could teach my dad how to sign it again. It's now more than 5 years later, and he's doing well. The stroke wasn't as bad as it could have been, thank goodness, but his right side isn't as good as it was before.

I'm so happy I have the dad I do. I wouldn't trade him for a million bucks! The picture below was taken at the Manti Temple, we were all waiting for Dave and Logan, we must have been waiting for like 15-20 minutes or so... Very anxious to see them come out. Just then my dad walks out of the temple, and acts all surprised, like we were all there to see HIM! It was too funny! He threw his arms up and acted all surprised, the photographer got this shot right after that. It was cute. I love my daddy. Happy Birthday Dad!



Here's another cute picture, My Parents. :)



I love them both.

My Ohana

So, Logan and Dave got their pics back from their photographer, and they're all online. They're in "crappy" small proof quality, but the purpose of these pictures isn't to save (hence the annoying watermark) if we want high quality, we have to pay more... Ah well. Here's the most updated pic of my immediate family, minus my hubby, of course.



I also like this one of My Grandma (Mom's mom) and the great grandkids.



This one is just plain fun... I miss all the wit-o's we had so much fun the week we were all there! Sometimes I hate being so far from them.



These were just a few of my favorites. With 5 siblings, and 8 nieces and nephews, we had such a blast. :)

Look at this cuteness

No, not me... Baby Courtney!

This is Paula's daughter, she was born this past June, and she was kind of my date for Dave's wedding 2 and a half months ago. Everyone else was getting family pictures, and since I was there, without the hubby, I took pictures with the wit-o Courtney. She was a lovely date, and I think we're both kinda cute in that picture. :)

Sick of it...

Ok, so after seeing Jan's beautiful blog, I think I want to change mine again.

I've found royalty-free type stock photos that I could use for my background, and I'm kind of thrilled with one particular artist's work, her name is Olga Telnova I seriously dig her style, but I don't know what to choose from. I don't know if I want a 100% revamp (again) or just to change this background from the orange drip blah-ness.

Let me know what you think. Click on them to see them in their true color format, the pyzam thing I have right now makes all the pictures a little see-through, and hence lighter than the actual photos really are. :)

Here are my favorites:

1


2


3


4


5


6


7


Wow, there's more than I thought there'd be...

Keep in mind that I can get these at full screen size.

I think the ones with the solid orange background will be harder to integrate to my existing design, the white backgrounded ones would be much easier to give this boring blog a breath of life. Comment please. Even you non-commenting readers. :) Thanks!

Vote please! I added a poll to the right! :)

New background (at least!) coming soon!

My New Pants!

Here are my new pants. :)

These are allegedly from Chadwicks. They cost me $0.01 + $6.50 for shipping.


These are Calvin Klein khakis, they were $1.04, (not .99 cents like I thought) + $3.00 for shipping.



And I got BOTH of these for $3.33 + $6.95 for shipping. :)


Not too bad for a grand total of $20.83 :) Have I mentioned that I love eBay? Because I do. LOVE it.

Oh, and I got my first paycheck yesterday, and I'm taking the Desrosiers to Salsarita's for an early dinner around 4:30 or so, There's a church activity at 6 so we wanted to make sure we made it to that. Fun fun!

Duh! I passed!

I think the Immigration people required an overall score of 7.0 in order to consider me fluent or proficient in the English language. I got an 8.5. YAY ME! One more hurdle out of the way. See!



Next I wait for them to confirm receipt of these results, and send me information and requirements on my Medical test, THEN I should technically be allowed into Canada.

In other news, This past week, I've purchased like 4 pairs of pants from eBay. Costing me $0.01, $0.99 cents, and $3.33 for a lot of two. I rock at the cheapness shopping. :) I'll post pictures later. I'm just thrilled at my thrifty shopping this week. :) Yay eBay!

Work update!

Well, I've made it to week two, I've survived the training, and I'm thinking I'm on the last legs of being guided through with someone watching over me every move I make.

Today I was on phones for the first time, the past few days, I was on the ticket entry system, and today I was put on phones, tomorrow I get the fun task of putting the two together. Yayness! It'll be stressful, but I'll have someone there who's been there for a while now. I must say though, that I really REALLY like the atmosphere of working there. It's so happy-go-lucky... most of the time. If a server crashes, there's drama, but its usually short-lived. I also, today, got to watch Scott configure a Sonicwall firewall. Which is very cool. He's been at the company for 7 years or so, so he's super smart, and knows what he's doing. I want to transplant my brain with everything he knows. Seriously.

The days are going by super fast now too, which can only mean that the faster they go by, the sooner I'll be in Canada... for the weekends anyway. :) Which is of course, a good thing. I can not tell you how much I miss my family up there. Canada has its Thanksgiving on the 2nd Monday in October usually. My family all went up to Hubby's sister's house for the festivities on Sunday, and I so so so missed out. At this point, I'm just hoping I'm able to get back there by my birthday!

Anyway, dinner is ready. :) I've gotta go eat. It is a good week.... so far.

A Broken Heart & a Contrite Spirit

Having a broken heart and a contrite spirit was a phrase I heard over and over today while listening to the General Conference sessions today. I'm just going to break each of those words down and see what happens. :)

I'll bold my favorite definitions as it may apply to spiritual matters.


Definitions of broken on the Web:

-physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; "a broken mirror"; "a broken tooth"; "a broken leg"; "his neck is broken"
-not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly; "broken lines of defense"; "a broken cable transmission"; "broken sleep"; "tear off the stub above the broken line"; "a broken note"; "broken sobs"
-subdued or brought low in condition or status; "brought low"; "a broken man"; "his broken spirit"
-(especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded; "broken (or unkept) promises"; "broken contracts"
-tamed or trained to obey; "a horse broken to the saddle"; "this old nag is well broken in"
-topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged ground"
-imperfectly spoken or written; "broken English"
-thrown into a state of disarray or confusion; "troops fleeing in broken ranks"; "a confused mass of papers on the desk"; "the small disordered room"; "with everything so upset"
-weakened and infirm; "broken health resulting from alcoholism"
-destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family"
-out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken'); "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine is broken"; "the coke machine is busted"
-discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken sunshine"
-lacking a part or parts; "a broken set of encyclopedia"


Very interesting. I like how broken means weak, or subdued, which can also mean humble. Oh yeah, I think we're getting somewhere now...


Definitions of heart on the Web:

-the locus of feelings and intuitions; "in your heart you know it is true"; "her story would melt your bosom"
-the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body; "he stood still, his heart thumping wildly"
-the courage to carry on; "he kept fighting on pure spunk"; "you haven't got the heart for baseball"
-center: an area that is approximately central within some larger region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm"
-kernel: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
-an inclination or tendency of a certain kind; "he had a change of heart"
-a plane figure with rounded sides curving inward at the top and intersecting at the bottom; conventionally used on playing cards and valentines; "he drew a heart and called it a valentine"
-a firm rather dry variety meat (usually beef or veal); "a five-pound beef heart will serve six"
-affection: a positive feeling of liking; "he had trouble expressing the affection he felt"; "the child won everyone's heart"; "the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home" -a playing card in the major suit that has one or more red hearts on it; "he led the queen of hearts"; "hearts were trumps"


Wow, I like a LOT of those definitions. Probably my favorite though, would be the center. At the very center of us, should be humility. I like it.


Definitions of contrite on the Web:

-feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses
-feeling regret for a fault or offence


All of Google only found those two definitions, and it works for me. A basic feeling of sorrow for our sins.


Definitions of spirit on the Web:

-the vital principle or animating force within living things
-the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason"
-a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
-any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings
-emotional state: the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection); "his emotional state depended on her opinion"; "he was in good spirits"; "his spirit rose" -intent: the intended meaning of a communication
-liveliness: animation and energy in action or expression; "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it"
-heart: an inclination or tendency of a certain kind; "he had a change of heart"
-infuse with spirit; "The company spirited him up"


So, a contrite spirit, would be a basic emotional state of sorrow for our sin.

Very interesting. I don't know if you all learned anything, but I did. I've heard that saying over and over ALL. MY. LIFE. It has been taught and re-taught to us, but I guess I never really bothered to find out what exactly it was. I always figured that a broken heart was similar to the feelings you get when you get dumped. Not so.

I'd like to encourage and challenge us all to have an emotional state of humility and sorrow for our sins, that goes to our very core of who we are (and more importantly, who the Lord knows we are).

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I'm a huge proponent of Breast Cancer Awareness. Up until a few short weeks ago, I had a sticker/magnet thing on the back of my jeep. Some poor soul obviously needed it more than I did, so they stole it. How awful is that?

Oh well, it was a dollar fifty at wal-mart's clearance rack last November.

Anyway... I was browsing Avon's website, because they always seem to have the CUTEST stuff for BCA Month (October). Check it out... They're super affordable too. Call your Avon lady people.


Adorable Locket. I'd put a picture of my grandma in there. She's a survivor. (And she just turned 93 this past Saturday!) At $5.00 it is a steal!


I just love lip stuff. This one is a dollar fifty!

Those two are my favorite. I already have the memo pad from last year. (Thanks Linda!)

Although the Canadian version doesn't have the four bejeweled stars on it. Just the ribbon. Do I need this one too? ;) It's $7.50... Maybe I don't *neeeeed* it. But it is cute.

Anyway, go check out the rest of their stuff here.

:)

Day 3

I suppose I shouldn't complain that I'm not busy right? I'm still getting paid by the hour whether or not I sit on my tushie or if I'm being rigorously trained etc.

Tomorrow they're thinking about putting me on the phones. I guess there's nothing to lose, well, not really. I won't be all alone, NOR will I have to do the whole thing by myself. Today I did the typing into the ticket program, and my trainer was on the phone, tomorrow it'll be switched, I'll be on the phone, and he'll be typing. Should be fun.

I suppose I am more excited about the job than I was on Monday anyway. I don't have a phone, computer, or a desk yet... Hopefully I'll get one next week, after they know I'm not leaving.

Other than that, I miss all the free time I once had (not nearly enough time in the day for blogstalking as there once was!), and I hope I get a paycheck soon, my car needs some gas! lol

Things are looking up at work, but I still miss my hubby. *sigh*

First Day

So... Today was my first day of work. It was not spectacular, however I did meet a lot of people. A lot of people who tried to teach me their entire system in 8 short hours.

My head is a little bit hurty, but I just took some Advil for that.

I wish they would have given me a better orientation. I got the 5 cent tour. Someone else got the 10 cent tour, and I'm still looking for my refund...

Apparently the guy training me scared off a possible recruit last week. He showed up for one day, trained with this guy and said "sorry, I'm not coming back tomorrow, I can't handle this". I think I can handle this job, and possibly excel at it.

The client I'll be working for has a contract with us starting January 1st, so I'm not too worried about that. For security/safety purposes, I can't disclose who they are. I could, but then I'd have to kill you. ;)

Anyway, it was a rough day, and I'm so so so glad its over. My supervisor apologized like 5 times and explained that "Monday's aren't usually like this!"

So I do hope it gets better. I'd really like this to be a job I'm excited about. :)