So,...I need to get on this blog again

So, I've decided that blogging is good for me and that I should work harder to continue it (BTW, Skyping my mom right now, HI MOM!!!). Things in life are going pretty good, and here's why:

• Getting along great with the family
• I'm doing pretty well in school (woot!)
• I got a summer internship at Living History Farms, where I used to volunteer.
• I have bedding...with owls on it! ( (o) v (o) )
• Taking tons of pictures and painting a lot.
• I'm a successful co-social chair of my dorm floor
• and in general, I'm awesome

So seeing as things are becoming pretty stable, I figure might as well try and fit in some fun extras and get my twitter and this blog going again, as the have been neglected for too long. So I'll be back with more playlists, photos and random tangent posts and hopeful this'll be just as fun as I remember, i'm sure it will!

In Arizona!!

So I'm back in Arizona visiting with my mom and having a great time. April was crazy with getting ready for move out and finals. This vacation is well deserved. We're riding bikes and swimming and driving around in mom's Miada. Life doesn't suck. Also been having the opportunity to take photos around the area. Here's a couple:

These are my turtle friends in their fountain in my mom's  neighborhood. I love their coloring and their calm attitude.

These next ones were taken at the local desert botanical center, which me and my mom adore. Very much worth the trip!(link to their website here!)

Halloween series Part 3: Happy Halloween to Mine

So I prepared these cute little pics as e-cards for my family and friends for Halloween! Hope you enjoy!

Check in tomorrow for list of movies perfect family time after trick or treating!!

Summer playlist

So while cleaning and packing and hanging out with people, my ipod has been listening central, so I thought I'd let you in on what songs have been most frequented this summer.

1. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World- Israel Kamakawiwo'ole(Cause who doesn't like this mash up? Sung Beautifully, plus love the uke)


2. Double Vision- 3OH!3 (You know those songs that make you wanna get up and dance around?? Yeah, this is one of those, fairly tame for 3OH!3 too)


3. You Can't Always Get What You Want- The Rolling Stones(Classic!!!!! starts with a boys choir, is epic all the way through and best of all?? It's given thousands of people a saying to live by)


4. Mean- Taylor Swift (This is tied with Enchanted [both are off Speak Now] and it's only listened to slightly more cause we love the video as well so we listen to it even without the ipod)


5. Drops of Jupiter- Train(Ok, this has been on several of my other lists but we love it. funky lyrics, mass appeal[only one person we know doesn't like it] and a string section??? sign us up)


6. Whoever She Is- The Maine (This song had been on my ipod for about a month or so before I listened to it. It's a great slow song to break up the album and is one of my fav's to sleep to)


7. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane(Dear Winnie the Pooh Trailer, You nailed it when you picked this song. Again this is one of my relaxing/sleeping songs)


8. Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield(Oh God,.....where to start?? Ok, 80's #1 hit? check. Cute singer? (back in the day) check. Makes you wanna be the girl in the song? big, fat, CHECK.)


9. Don't Stop Believin'- Journey(Classic!!!! once again, mass appeal, great vocals, inspiring message, perfect for singing along)


10. As Tears Go By- The Rolling Stones (this one is alittle off beat, but we love House. And the season 5 finale(where he checks into the mental institute) features this song going from strings at Cam and Chase's wedding to the RS version as House checks in so we love it.)


11. Come Sail Away- Styx (Classic! We love the different movements and lyrics. Plus, I have the live version so when they're about to sing, "to CARRRRRRY ON" they hand the lyrics off the audience which is epic and makes you feel epic to sing with.)


12. Foreplay/Long Time- Boston(Epic/ super long opening, great riff for the chorus, awesome lyrics)


13. We Didn't Start the Fire- Billy Joel(History lesson, great beat, and watching people try and sing the lyrics, failing and then regrouping at the chorus?? count me in)


14. Still Alive-GLaDOS & Jonathan Coulton.(This song is a Triumph....nuff said)


15. Big Yellow Taxi- Counting Crows(Love this for bike rides, walks, playground trips, hiking.....any physical activity basically)

Totally Awesome Weekend

So this weekend went swimmingly, I mean just amazingly perfect. Got to spend Friday night with my BF, Daniel, which was oodles of fun. Then Saturday, my mom and I went up to ISU for the B-Ball game. The best part of the game was we bought an extra ticket and I got to bring Chad with me!!! We had a great time catching up and watching the game,it was a real nail-biter between ISU and Kansas. Kansas won : 86-85 :( Afterward Chad, mom and I went to Olde Main Brewery for lunch/ dinner. YUMM! Afterward we dropped Chadillac at his drom and went to visit my oldest brother,TK, at work.
Sunday was alot more low key. I spent most the day at home with mom, watching Netflix(love the Flix) and playing MySims on Wii. We went out and got my hair cut, they took off 6 friggin' inches and I feel like my head is 10lbs lighter, hahah :D. I'll post a pic as soon as I can get one I can live with. TTFN

Arizona

So recently I went on a trip to Arizona, which I must say is a nice change from the cold Iowa winter. My mom and me went to the pool alot, took long walks, wore shorts and ate out. Admittedly some parts of the trip were not as nice as the above, but the thing that made the whole trip worth while was a trip to the botanical garden and a trip to Tortilla Flatts. Both gorgous and full of scenery. Don't believe me? Check out these pics I took:

My Mommy (you can guess the relationship)

(My beautiful momma is on the left, I'm on the right)

Mom is the best, hands down. She is a great role model for me and an amazing mother to all 4 of her kids. She recently received her Masters in Educational Technology from BSU. She has plans to go to Arizona to work on her PHD after I graduate. Her accomplishments thus far along with her goals for the future give me a strong basis on which to look toward my own future.

Mom has many passions: music (she's an excellent trumpet player), photography, nature, traveling, computers, and people. I love how she can combine these passions, especially nature and photography. She takes these wonderful shots of flowers and budding trees and cacti ("Texture shot!") She has justy an extraordinary eye for the natural beauty of this world. (Mom and Alex looking for Petoskies in Michigan) ------>

Mom has a great sense of humor as well and we've had many fun times together, especially on the awesome vacations she's planned(i.e. Toronto, Denver/Colorado Springs, North Carolina). For instance:

• being the only non-Amish people in the Amtrak dining car on our way to Buffalo,NY


• ordering pizza and eating it around the campfire in Toronto


• wandering endlessly around downtown(Denver &Toronto)


• Climbing the Dunes in Michigan(Mom and Alex know what I mean)

• Tubing/rafting in North Carolina

She also has had many great quotes during our events together, from traveling to concerts to so much more. Like:

• "I swear to God, I will get you kicked out of this campground"


• "Good music, Purple sweater"


• Mom:"4 more hours?!" MOT: "MOOOOO(indicating we're over the speed limit)" Mom:"That's not helping!"
  
  Mom has always been there for me, which isn't the easiest of tasks. I'm not very open, so she has to pry out what's troubling me, which helps cuz I've learned to open up a little more. She always has the perspective I need to see in order to better handle things that scurry around in my mind. She understands how sometimes its easier to cry then explain and how a chocolate bar can cure all woes when necessary. She takes care of me and that's all I want, someone that I can depend on to be there, if I should need them.

The New Series.....

SO....I've decided to create a running series on the important people in my life. You're probably thinking, "I don't want to hear about these people, I just like the random nonsense posts she puts up." Well lucky for you, these people are interesting plus random posts will probably go up inbetween the posts in this series. SO....keep watching. =)