WBW+FITBF

{one} have you ever been stuck in an elevator?no, never stuck. thankfully, because i'm still haunted by an elevator scene from The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
{two} have you ever ridden on an elephant?nope.
{three} have you ever met a well known celebrity?not so much.
{four} do you have any food allergies?no.
{five} do you know how to sew?kinda. if i absolutely had to, i could.
{six} did you get an allowance when you were young?i don't really think so. i mean, we pretty much got whatever we wanted.
{seven} how often do you fill up your gas tank?every week.
{eight} have you ever been stung by a jelly fish?no.
{nine} have you ever been robbed?yes! aside from cds being stolen from my car (twice)... our storage pod was broken into while we were waiting for our house to be built. every box had been gone through. 
{ten} what is the worst haircut you’ve ever had?when i was preggers with my son, i had a really short (cute) bob... the bigger i got, the less attractive the haircut was. lol.

1.   I am looking forward to       taking a cruise with the hubs later this year .

2.  Something kind of embarassing that I still love anyway is    Disney movies. i love them so much, and watch them (with or without my kids) pretty much all the time .

3.  My favorite car is    my lexi. i love my car waaay too much. lol .

4.  If I could pick one type of weather to live with for the rest of my life it would be    warm (not Hot) and dry... the kind of weather where it feels like you could float through the air because it's so light at comfortable (think spring day in AZ with all the doors open and a soft breeze) .

5.  My favorite thing to do after a bad/stressful day is     crawl in bed and watch a crybaby movie .

6.  This weekend       I have dinner plans, have a training session, have a mani-pedi at the salon, get to visit with family friends, and maybe get in a day at the water park... we'll see .

7.  If I were a color, I'd be       pink     because,       it's fun and flirty and girly and soft. 

officially royal

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Yes. I woke up at 3am to watch the royal wedding. 

Yes. I cried. It was so beautiful. It's such a beautiful story.

Yes. I am nothing but giddy smiles. Today is a happy joyful day.

Yes. I am exhausted and will require loads of coffee.

Congratulations to England's future king and his wife... 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Prince William and Princess Catherine

Loves!!

fill in the blank friday

1.   Fridays are     fun! I get to go to Lorrie's spin class (my fav instructor) AND end the week with some Gentle Yoga! Seriously, this has become a staple in my life! I absolutely adore our instructor (I think you call her a yogi?) Shannon.. amazing!  

2.    My family, Chocolate, FOOT RUBS (hehe), and craft time   make me terribly happy.

3.  Something that inspires me is     people. Motivating people, especially.

4.  If I had the day off today I would    drive up to Sedona and maybe go for a nice hike and breathe in that beautiful clean air! Sigh....

5.  If I had to put a label on my home decor style, I would say my style is   um, I guess a little country, a little girly, a little big-mansize-tv, and a little everything. lol

6.  Concerning politics I would say I'm    not suppose to talk politics, its rude .

7.  I'd like to go to   England      so I could       visit my beautiful friends whom I miss deeply (miss you My Matt, James, and Jo!!!). 

sharing is caring

hello folks! it's been a while, but better late than never... ever... right??? hehe

He Proposed!! (found at OnceWed)

she has the sweetest butterfly headpiece and I pretty much want to look as cute as her!

LA Natural History Museum (found at Green Wedding Shoes)

seriously! how great are these wedding pics! love them!

Charming Paris-Inspired Party (found at Hostess With The Mostess)

hey ma... let's have a party like this! just for s&g's... soooo pretty!

Flower Garden Party (found at Hostess With The Mostess)

i know this is a 'birthday party' but this totally screams Spring / Easter party to me! if we were having a party, i would have totally gone after this theme! there's always next year.

Yosemite Wedding (found on Green Wedding Shoes)

although i am so not an outdoors girl, i think this wedding is really lovely, and earthy and it made me wish i was invited. plus... romantical quotes for the table label, you *know i'm a sucker for quotes. loves!

wee bit wednesday

{one} how often do you do laundry?every day there is laundry running in our house
{two} what is your favorite type of cookie?snickerdoodle
{three} what would you do with an extra $2000 per month?after paying off medical debt, buy a boat or a toy hauler
{four} what was/is your favorite subject in school?math
{five} have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?not yet
{six} what was your high school mascot?Cowboy
{seven} if you had the chance to go into space, would you?no
{eight} how often do you go dancing?twice a week, on tuesday and thursday nights... i Zumba
{nine} would you rather drive or fly? drive
{ten} have you ever been caught re-gifting?no

quote

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"The day we stop learning is the day we die." ~Unknown

my new obsession

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Spin Class (aka Cycle Class)

What started out as a way to get my hour of cardio in on Fridays has now become something I truly enjoy doing. I have the greatest teacher, Lorrie, who I found out also taught on Mondays. Last week I went, and felt that workout euphoria afterward (you know, that great feeling after you give it your all, sweat pouring, and you're happy you did it, got through it, survived it, endured it). Love that feeling... kinda addicting, yeah?

So tonight I head straight over after work, and I can't wait! I'm already super pumped!!

Whats even greater is that I was able to get my aunt (whom I work with) try the spin class at the gym (here by the office)  on Wednesdays and she love it!! We plan on going to this weeks class together again. Exciting when I can share something I enjoy doing. 

What's your latest obsession??

fill in the blank friday (on sunday)

1.   My favorite daily responsibility is,      getting my kids up and dressed and fed and on the bus. when not hectic or running late, our mornings are quite enjoyable  .

2.  My least favorite daily responsibility is,   cleaning of any kind. lol   .

3.  My favorite cuisine to eat when going out is    sushi!

4.  My favorite cuisine to prepare at home is     dessert! lol. I love to bake (especially with my daughter).

5.  Andy Warhol said that everyone is famous for 15 minutes. My claim to fame is     I guess being in the newspaper as a kid, like three times. lol. celeb status... right here. lol.

6.  If I could have 3 wishes I would wish      to bring back my dad, for my family to have good health, world peace  .

7.  My biggest pet peeve is     the timer not being cleared on the microwave! my ears are ringing right now just thinking about it! grrrr!

wee bit wednesday

{one} have you ever fainted?yes... looong time ago. it was hot, and I had just broken my wrist.then I nearly fainted in the hospital room when my then 5 year old son got out of surgery on his broken arm. 
{two} what is your favorite casino game?video poker at the bar! lol. I always joke that I'm gonna be one of those 'blue hairs' (aka old people) sippin my oj and vodka in Laughlin, NV at the Edgewater. Of course, I'll have pink hair... gotta change it up! lol
{three} do you have a good sense of direction?sure do. I can usually get someplace after only being there once. I do, however, still have to run through the 'Never-Eat-Shredded-Wheat' to figure out which is East and which is West. lol
{four} laptop or desktop?desktop... iIdon't have a laptop. whaaa.
{five} what is your go-to hair style when having a bad hair day?Pigtails! Or half up half down. lol.
{six} do you read the newspaper on a daily basis?Does anybody anymore?? (That's me saying... uh, no.)
{seven} do you have a favorite celebrity chef?Hands down Bobby Flay!
{eight} what tv show would you like to make a guest appearance on?Oh geez, I have no clue. I don't watch a lot of tv. I guess Chopped.
{nine} do you have satellite radio in your car?No, boo.
{ten} what was the last movie that made you cry?The Fighter.
Link Up At Leigh Ashley

embarrassment

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soooo... we don't have a door to our bathroom upstairs in my office. why? well, because it would have to be an "L" shaped custom-made door (because our office is a contemporary guest house) and because it's just me and my aunt in the office and it's really no big deal. we have a full bathroom (toilet, sink and shower) downstairs that has a door and a lock. 

the weather has been nothing short of beautiful here in AZ so naturally, we keep the windows and doors open (I forgot to mention that we have a huge glass window, that doesn't open... next to the toilet in our upstairs bathroom). 

now, because it's just us (me and my aunt... just girls) we always use the bathroom up here to pee and the occasional numero dos. like i said, it's really no big deal for us. if we have 'company' we use the downstairs bathroom. 

so... i sitting there, on the toilet... no big deal. i hear the door from the garage open downstairs. no big deal... must be the hubs or my uncle (they both are used to the no-door bathroom rules as well). but an unfamiliar head starts to climb up the stairs... it's an out of town guest!! one who doesn't exactly know the no-door bathroom rules!

he's embarrassed... i'm embarrassed!!

but seriously... everyone's gotta use the bathroom!

someone please tell me your embarrassing story!!! 

up in the gym just workin' on my fitness...

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yeah... i did just bust out a Fergie song for my title... cuz thats how i roll. lol

so, my absence from the blogsphere can largely be blamed on my presence in the gym. i'm sure you all remember last year's goals which largely pertained to getting my oversized-self into the gym and getting healthy.
Note: I did not say skinny or thin or buff or hot or any of these terms. 
The main goal was to feel good, and look good. I set a date to my goal... my  30th birthday (on August 21) and followed through. I can honestly say that I felt I achieved my goal. If we had to put numbers on it (as in pounds on a scale) I would say that I was at 95% on my birthday and still full of drive to continue my new 'clean' lifestyle.
Of course the deep dark hole of death and grief and mourning swallowed me up and chewed on me for a while before spitting me back out at right about the same time I started my journey last year, and damn near the same (over)size.
Talk about discouragement.
I really felt like 'why try', like maybe I was just destined to be stuck in a 'larger-sized' and 'unhealthy' me. Essentially, I was already giving up before even starting. I was quitting before I even committed. I was just soooo loooow (and those that know me well, know how low I was).
Weird as this sounds, I woke up one day and literally yelled at myself. Why would I give up on something that I know I can do, on something I've already done, on something that I knew worked for me, that brought me empowerment and joy and health and glow and strength... (strength was exactly what I kept praying for). Most of all, why would I give up when my Dad never did. In honest-to-God sickness and pain, through surgeries, testing, chemo... HE NEVER GAVE UP... even at the end he didn't give up. He fought.... and he fought HARD for us, for Mom, and Sista and Me, and our family!
I will forever have engraved in my memory Daddy leaning against the counter in my kitchen and he said 'All I Want To Do Is Live'.
There was the fire inside... I would get out of bed... put down the box(es) of chocolate... and take my first step back to where I was. Back to working hard and LIVING a healthy life. I can feel the fire of my Dad in my heart, pushing me harder when I feel like I can't finish the last five minutes, urging me to make better choices in what I eat and what I prepare for my family and the ones I love, and encouraging me to slow down and appreciate the simple breeze on a warm day or the soft supple petals of the white flowers Mom buys Daddy every week.
It's funny how death changes life.

What changes have you made recently??

shut the door... SHUT THE DOOOOR!

Um, hello... Do you see this... DO YOU SEE THIS!!!

April 10, 2011

The winners of the giveaway are…

The winner of a spot in Get It Together, Keep It Together with Molly Newman is:

The winners of their choice of any five of my templates are:

Ladies, contact me at czdesign@comcast.net to claim your prizes! Thanks everyone, and have a great rest of your weekend.

I... Me.... JenCoen... I am a WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER from one of my all time favorite famous scrapbooker of-all-time! Seriously... pinch me cause I'm hopped up on being in the (virtual) presence of greatness (which is sooo next to godliness in the scrapbooking world). I haven't been this excited since I got a candid shot of Heidi Swapp at the CK Convention in 1999! eek!

Okay, now to email the woman herself!!! Wish me luck... hope I don't embarrass myself (virtually, you know. hehe).

xoxo

i hear you Daddy...

so, i'm gonna get a little personal right quick.

every family has their issues, and ours is no different. it just feels different now that Daddy isn't with us. so yesterday, i was frustrated and irritated, and about ready to break down in tears (in the parking lot of Costco) when I decided to take a minute and relax. I turned up the radio, and this song started playing.

Let's say we're sorry before it's too late
Give forgiveness a chance
Turn the anger into water
Let it slip through our hands

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
We all fall down lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red

If we're fighting we're both losing
We're just wasting our time
Because my scars they are your scars
And your world is mine
You and I

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
We all fall down lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red
Sometimes we're strong
Sometimes we're weak
Sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life breath to breath
We're all the same
We all bleed red

Let's say we're sorry before it's too late

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
We all fall down lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red
Sometimes we're strong
Sometimes we're weak
Sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life breath to breath
We're all the same
We all bleed red

I knew right away that it was Daddy. Listen to the song. Read the words, and soften your heart. I love you.

fill in the blank friday

1.   Something that makes me a great friend is,      I like to listen, I like to help, and I like to make ya el-oh-el.

2.  I am    the funniest person I know. hehe  .

3.  I am not     a loser... I'm #winning (lol, had to say it)  .

4.  If I had to describe myself in 3 words, they would be     silly, loving, and girly .

5.  Something I'm really cheap about is     clothes... not in a cheap and trashy way, but I really don't shop for clothes (for myself) alot and when I do, I hit the clearance rack first thing, unless I find something that I absolutely can not live without then I'll pay full price (and honestly, that is usually shoes. haha)  .

6.  Something I'm willing to splurge on is      shoes! haha. and groceries... and (lets be honest) chocolate  .

7.  I would trade       everything I own      for       one real hug from my dad  in a heartbeat.

Link Up At Laurens!

wee bit wednesday

 {one} what is one food that, as an adult you love, but as a child you said you’d never touch?brussel sprouts
{two} did you go to college? if yes, what was your major?nope
{three} what’s the most wild animal you’ve seen in real life (not counting the zoo)?cow elk
{four} have you ever been to a fortune teller?no way
{five} can you juggle?not so much
{six} hardwood floors or carpet?carpet
{seven} is it called “soda” or “pop”?soda
{eight} what was your first car?1991 Nissan Maxima
{nine} what is the most decadent dessert you’ve ever eaten?Creme Brulee or Chocolate Lava Cake
{ten} how often do you rearrange your furniture?Just about never. haha

5.4.08 038, originally uploaded by azscrappinjen.

"Other Things May Change Us, But We Start And End With Family" - Anthony Brandt

fill in the blank friday

1.   The best prank I ever pulled was       probably on my sister, when we were younger. back in my youthful days. lol .

2.  The best prank ever pulled on me was    my cousins magically appearing in my bedroom (again when I was much younger... like 6)  .

3.  A day without     family    is a day wasted.

4.  The most important things in life are     the people you love. Don't sweat the small stuff or hold grudges - it's just not worth it. Life's too short! (I like this answer, so I'm borrowing it from Lauren)  .

5.  I dream of     my dad, and vacation with my family .

6.  I dread      being sick or in pain (specifically back and neck pain)  .

7.  A discovery I made this week was       that I don't HAVE to have coffee in the morning to give me a boost... my multi vitamin gives me enough to get me through my day  .

Link Up at Lauren's!