...Flowing Water...

The more and more I read and then reread some of my blog I begin to realize how completely random, retarded, and ridiculous I am... but I love it... Thats me, random, retarded, and ridiculous! Why do we make those things out to be bad?! I think its those qualities that I have that make me fun... I love life, I really do and if it weren't for me embracing my three r's then I doubt I would love it as much!

Not really sure where I was going with that, but I felt like I needed to say it... maybe just as a reminder to myself when I reread this post later on in life...
Back to what I really wanted to blog about today... that is flowing water... Today I got to go shopping with Jess and I got to get to know quality things about her... we share a lot of loves and like and dislikes... one thing that we do share is that fact that waves and flowing water relax us... I've always said that I was in love with water and that I should totally have been a mermaid, but really I just love water... I love drinking it, sitting it in, swimming in it, sitting near it, and just listening to it... I really wish I could somehow get my sustenance for life from it... What do I do when I get stresses? I shower... Weird, I know, I just do! If I could live anywhere, it would be in a tent on a beach... One of my favorite things from being a kid was running through sprinklers.... I drink water more than anything else... plus I need a rain noise maker most nights to get a good sleep...
Jess gets to have these awesome adventures on the Colorado river in the summer... she's a rafting guide (tight huh?!) and she told me this amazing story about how when she was going through this super tough time the place she wanted to be was by the river... the waves and floating water relaxed her... I hate that I don't live close enough to the beach so that I can make it happen too when I need it, but between me and all those that happen to read this, every time I go through something tough, I immediately think of the waves.... and flowing water... its awesome when you can find a friend that shares that with you...
PS... did anyone think it was awesome how I used the word sustenance? I am... I even checked the meaning to make sure I used it right and I totally did! heck yes!

...Remedy...

I am totally stealing this from Jess (my new Best Gal Pal), but here are my remedies for a salty day... just had one and I'm thankful for Jess because she was a huge remedy!

Finding a new band to listen to

Falling asleep in the bathtub

Acting retarded with my big bro

Taking genius pictures

Floating in a river

Sleeping under the stars

Spooning on a beach

Reading a travel book

Hit my knees and talk to my Father

Dream big dreams

and a hug from my dad :)

...Call Me Annie...

From now on everyone can refer to me as Annie, Tex, or Billy The Kid because I am officially a gunslinger! Yep, you heard right, I am a hardcore and dangerous with a gun! Last week a guy in my ward took me shooting in the Ocala National Forest and I had shot guns before, but not as wide of a variety as I shot this time... I got to shoot a pistol, a hunting rifle, a revolver (my favorite I truly felt like a gunslinger using that one) and an AK47... hardcore! I think I did pretty well and you can ask anyone that talked to me within the few days following, I believe if I had to, I could kill a man (not that I ever EVER want to or want to be put in that situation, but I could none-the-less)... Here is a picture of my and the man I shot... he died.... thus, I could kill a man... Mostly I was pleased with this gun trip because it redeemed me from when I went duck hunting with the Rhinehart boys and hit myself in the face with the gun... I AM Annie, Tex, AND Billy the Kid *whew* (that was me blowing the smoke off my gun, by the way).

...The Competition...

Yesterday, Jess and I had to sit at church for like HOURS after waiting for our ride to her house so while we were there we did many productive things including but not limited to: practicing our jig that she taught me, playing piano, doing yoga in the foyer, teaching the Bollywood dance workout I did a couple of days ago, AND creating a competition, or should I say BIRTHING a competition... Whats the competition you might ask? Well Jess and I both think we're awesome and that we are in fact the most normal people ever because we are so awesome and while we were relishing in our newfound awesomeness we wondered who would make the most awesome Preggo Chick? Yes, who would be the most awesome pregnant woman between the two of us.... You might think this random, but its not! Its totally normal, so don't make that face you're making now! Sooo yeah, we decided to have a competition to determine the true victor.... NO, we are not getting pregnant now for this at all! so don't freak out mom if you're reading this... We just plan on trying to have a pregnancy at the same time and see who's pregnancy goes better based on certain factors that we lay out later on and then keep a joint blog about it... I'm pretty stoked... yesterday I tried telling her I was already winning because I take prenatal vitamins, but then she informed me that she is too.... so, since I'm so competitive, I came home and started doing pregnancy yoga to help prepare... think of it as conditioning! Who's winning now Jess?!

...A Few Simple Rules...

Since I've moved to Orlando I've had, I guess, the pleasure of getting asked on a few dates... I was always taught this rule by my Young Women leaders that if a boy ever asks you to dance then you always say yes the first time because he's worked up courage to ask you and it’s the least you can do... if you don't want to dance with him after then you don't have to... well as I grew up they translated that to dating, so I've always had that rule... if a guy asks me I say yes (within reason of knowing the guy) and then if I hate it then I can say no to any further options after... wellllll after this last date, I've set up some new rules (with help from my brother and awesome roommate Tommy!) they are as follow:

1. I can say no if I have a really good feeling that nothing will go from there and it would be a waste of both of our time... This last date was the perfect example... I didn't even spend more than 5 min. getting ready for the poor guy... in that case I could have saved him money and I definitely got out of it what I put in....

2. Take a car to the first date... even if you kind of know the guy, do you really know him well enough to trust him with your life!? so yeah.... this last date, I ended up driving around with the guy for like hours after dinner because I was stuck in his car at his leisure!!! Nope, no more... I'm driving to and from for now on!

3. The guy is totally paying for whatever he's asked me on! I mean seriously... If you ask me to dinner, then you are paying! and if you actually make the conversation good and not basically let me have a conversation with myself, or if you don't hinder me from eating my food by asking me too many questions, I'll front the tip! I think that’s a fair deal right?

4. Have some good questions to ask me, not the basics... I seriously am sooo tired of guys interviewing me to be their "eternal companion!" I had a guy recently ask me on a date, "where would you like to live one day," which is a reasonable question, but after I gave my answer, he said, "Well that’s seriously the stupidest place to live! I want to live..." Thanks for calling me stupid jerk! Thank goodness I know now that you definitely don't think I am the one for YOU!

5. Please pretty please DO NOT trick me into follow up dates! This last date the guy asked, "Do you like canoeing?" to which I said, "Yeah! I love it." Then he says, "Well since you love it so much, can I take you?" Ok, seriously, what am I supposed to say to that? "Sorry, but since this date sucked so much, no you cannot take me to do something I love." Then after that one, he asked me a couple of minutes later if I liked movies... I told him yes and now I'm pretty sure I'm stuck going to the movies with this guy later.... NO MORE TRICKS!!! I seriously feel like guys do that because they know I cannot say no to their face!

Ok so if you're going to tell me not to complain and that I should be lucky that I even got asked, well let me tell you, I'd rather have stayed at home eating EasyMac on these two nights instead of getting what they offered me for dinner... I am grateful for dates, just the ones that I am really interested in! Future hubby, please come sweep me off of my feet and save me from these chumps! Much love, your sexy and totally awesome future Eternal Companion!

...Ride Together, Die Together...

Ahhhh yes... living in the south means that we do things like Hootenannies and Hoe Downs and Rodeos... well The Hootenanny has already happened and the Rodeo is this weekend and last weekend, well it was the Hoe Down... Some might wonder where people get the name Hoe Down, well I tried finding out and no luck came up sooooo yep still a mystery... but yeah this last weekend was the Cocoa Stake YSA's annual Hoe Down at the Church Rodeo grounds... Kimmy and Brandon Russ and I went together... When we got there we came up with this motto of: Ride together, stay together because we didn't want to get separated... well Brandon turned out motto into: We ride together, We die together... sounded more cowboy like... We got to learn to how to crack whips, which I got pretty good at, rope things, which I also got pretty good at, and we played games... Kimmy and I cheated during the egg toss game and lets just say, cheaters never prosper... As she tossed the egg and we got like 40ish yards apart I saw it descending towards my and knew it was a bad idea.... the egg cracked all over me... in my hair, down my shirt, on my pants, and all over my face and hands... Lets just say I had really shiny hair the next day... It was a great activity and I had tons of fun being a cowgirl for a night!

The nasty eggage...

Me roping Blake and Brandon Russ

Me and KimmyKae!!! and our matching hair!

Check out me cracking that whip like a pro!

...Magical Week...

This last week I had to opportunity to get to go to Downtown Disney with some of my new awesome friends and then the next day go to Three of the Disney parks FOR FREE with some pretty golden old ones!

(Me and Vanesa at Magic Kingdom)

Wednesday night me, Alyssa Coles, Ian Pilcher, Chris Chevrier, Jess Oveson, and Brian Henson all got into Chris's van and drove to Downtown Disney to do some gallivanting... We ate at the Earl Of Sandwiches and just ran around having fun... Jess and I even jumped into one of the fountains to ride a dinosaur... The car ride was hilarious... all around good time! LOVE THESE KIDS!

(Vanesa, Me, and Alan at Hollywood Studios)

(Me and Jess on The Dino)

(Me and Alyssa and the Hundred Acre Wood Gang)

Then Thursday I went to three of the Disney parks with Alan Espinoza and Vanesa Lopez... Alan's best friend's mom got us into the parks for free and despite the torrential downpour, we stayed and went to most of the parks and did almost all the rides... We started at Hollywood Studios and rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster (I seriously have never felt like Jell-O after a ride until that one) then went over to EPCOT for lunch and then headed off to Magic Kingdom... lets just say we got soaked and I was sick for a week after, but it was tons of fun regardless!

...Go To Time-Out!...

This year was my first year of going to Time-Out For Women... I was super excited to get to go with my sister, Mom, Aunts, and Grandma... At first I felt like I might not get much out of it because the speakers spoke a lot about being a mother, but then I realized one day I'll be a mom and I need to pay attention to that stuff... My favorite part was the musical speakers, Mercy River... They were amazing! I got their CDs and LOVE listening to their songs... they are exactly what I need right now in my life as I make major decisions... All in all the experience was one I won't soon forget and I loved it... well except for the super gross $12 ham sandwich I bought for lunch that smelled like fermaldehyde (the stuff you embalm people with!)... THANKS GRANDMA!

...SUGAR!!!!...

So a few weeks ago I cleaned my grandparents house and Hayden helped me, so when mom came to pick us up she gave Hayden a fun dip as a treat... so as we drove to Amber's basketball game Hayden devoured it! He ate the sugar stick and told my mom and she said, "ok well give aunt KC the rest then," to which he replied, "No, I can still eat it." well he did... he drank the sugar in! Well then he started to get kinda loopy... So naturally I gave him Lemon heads..... more sugar!!! Then he started yelling things like, "Uchtdorf is a Prophet!" which isn't far from the truth... he was super silly, but I love seeing that side... its a great thing that I don't have to take care of him... I just load him full of sugar and then give him back to his mom!

...Gone Gone Gone....

My friend Katie threw me a going away party right before I left... Party started at 7, so me, being the mindful guest of honor, decided to be there on time, so people wouldn't think, "we came here on a Friday night this early and she's not even here yet?!" well lets just say I spent the first hour of my party almost in tears because no one showed... Thank goodness after the first hour and a half people slowly started to trickle in... I was seriously thinking, "I LOVE all of these people and NO ONE is going to show up?!!?!!" Plus my best guy friends, Jay and Greg Rhinehart, and I were dressing up like Germaine, Bret, and Mel from Flight of the Conchords so I was in my stupid costume with no one to get it for like two hours! All in all though, the party was tons of fun! I got to spend some great quality time with the people who really cared that I was leaving and I even got to spend some time with people I hadn't really even gotten to know yet! I miss Tallahassee a lot! but I know that I moved for a reason... I'll update you when I know exactly what that reason is....