My New Arizona Apartment

Hello from beautiful Arizona!

I awoke this morning to an amazing desert monsoon and and a nice cool cloudy day perfect for apartment hunting. I can hardly believe it, but its only 1:30pm and I've already signed a lease and am now officially a resident of Scottsdale Arizona! I decided on the Camden Legacy Apartments and couldn't be happier with my choice! The apartment is gorgeous and well worth the long move. Here are some photos I took of the apartment I'll be living in...

Here is my living room. My sister is showing me where things should go

My lovely (and big) kitchen

The dining room... oh and my weird brother in law John (what a goof!)

My sister playing Vana White in my Laundry room (ITS HUGE!!)

Here is one angle of the guest bathroom

The shower/tub in the guest bathroom

The guest room

My bedroom (the master bedroom)

Another angle of my bedroom

Here is the little hall to my bathroom inside my master suit :-)

Master Bath

Different angle of master bath

A girls favorite part of her home.... the walk in closet!! this closet was massive, but its hard to tell because I wasn't able to get the entire width from the angle I was standing. Regardless the closet is easily 3x bigger than what I have now :-) YAY!

Good Friday

Happy Good Friday everyone!!

And a good Friday it is indeed. I just finished packing and I'm off to Arizona for the weekend. Its gonna be a busy two days, but I'm ready to hit the ground running. Please be in prayer that God will give me a clear sign as to where I should live in Arizona. Tomorrow afternoon I will officially be a future Valley of the Sun resident. YAY!! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of the weekend to post when I get back. Have a wonderful Easter everyone!!

Watch Out!

CAN YOU SAY PMS?!?

I'm cranky, easily annoyed, impatient, emotional, exhausted, bloated, and something that rhymes with "witchy". I truly feel sorry for thoes around me who are forced to endure my oh so lovely Pre-menstrual symptoms. Now excuse me for discussing this so called "off limits" subject, but can I just ask... what in the world was God thinking when He created the menstrual cycle?? I mean expecting women to endure nearly two weeks of emotional hell is simply unreasonable. And what exactly is it men have to endure?... NOTHING! Yet they have the nerve to ask us "is this your time of the month?" when we begin to show the slightest of emotion or annoyance, as if being annoyed has nothing to do with them and everything to do with our period. RIIIIGHT!! Oh and another thing... why is it that at the exact moment our bloating begins and our jeans wont button, is the day we receive the new Victoria's Secret swim suit catalog edition?? Come on people, NO ONE LOOKS LIKE THAT! I'd like to see Gisele with no make-up, dirty hair, with an un-airbrushed body, bloated, and cranky shoved into a barely there two piece and see just how sexy she really feels. Am I right?

*SIGH*

I think I need a glass of wine... actually make that a lemon martini!

This poster cracks me up. If you cant read it, it says "PMS: Problems Men Started"

long week... Arizona here I come

UGH what an exhausting day its been!! Can anyone else relate to just how much of a pain in the butt it is to register for classes? I nearly had an anxiety attack trying to figure out my school schedule and somehow integrate it with being able to work and have a social life at the same time. Needless to say, I finally got it all figured out and am now relaxing in the shade drinking a cold glass of lemonade.

With the stress of today behind me, I now have the weekend to look forward to. Not only do I get to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord with my entire family in Arizona, I also get to finalize the papers on my new apartment :-) Yep, things are moving forward. I can hardly believe I'll be living in Scottsdale in a little over a month... crazy I know. In preparation for my new life in the desert, I've recently begun to shop for a more "summer" wardrobe. That's right, Arizona will finally break me from my jeans and anything the color black obsession. Sun dresses, shorts, and vibrant summer colors are what I'm aiming for. Any suggestions on good (cheap) places to shop??

Although I have no idea what apartment I will officially be choosing, I have a strong feeling I'll be living at the Camden Legacy in Scottsdale. Camden's rent comes in the lowest, yet they have a beautiful, private, and well tended to complex. Here is a sneak preview of the Camden Legacy

I think its easy to see why I love Camden so much... unlike many of the other complexes in Arizona, Camden's landscape bears a striking resemblance to southern California with its tall palm trees and green grass. I'll be the first to admit that while I know Arizona has MUCH to offer... its natural desert landscape is not one of them. I'm sure I'll grow to appreciate and find the beauty in the barren cactus filled land, but in the mean time its always nice to find a place as lush as Camden to be my oasis in the desert. I have no idea where God will lead me, but I trust He will place me where I'm meant to be... I'm just so excited!

Not Me Tuesday

Well it seems my frazzled life has struck again, preventing me from writing my usual Not Me Monday blog... opps! Well who says I cant write a Not Me Tuesday blog?? Hmm lets try it out and see how it goes.

1. I did NOT get up this morning and down multiple cups of coffee just to keep my eyes open long enough to shower and put a little make-up on.
2. I did NOT blast the sound tract to Chicago in my car on my way to work and mouth every word to every song.
3. I did NOT forget to turn the gas on when putting the wet clean clothes in the dryer, only to find sopping wet clothes spinning round and round in a heatless dryer.
4. I did NOT let the kids entertain themselves today with kitchen pans while I scurried to finish my homework for my class tonight.
5. I did NOT say "SHHH" about a million times to the kids this afternoon
6. I did NOT find little James wandering the back yard completely naked... no diaper or anything.
7. I did NOT wipe multiple poopy butts today... yucks thats just gross.
8. I did NOT use the sentence, "We dont eat our boogies"
9. I did NOT eat the kids lunch of tater-tots and left over pizza after they refused to.
10. I did NOT have my sister write me up my first resume simply because I had no idea what one even looked like, let alone knew how to write one myself.
11. I do NOT consider watching The Real Housewives of New York tonight with a glass of wine the highlight of my day.

My Mystery Tree... Solved!

You may remember my recent blog post about my new secret spot with the giant yellow tree in the center, well it turns out my sister recognized the tree in my photo and happened to know that the very tree I thought was so beautiful, is actually the Palo Verde Tree.... the Arizona state tree!! How weird is that?!? My sister actually took a picture of one near her house and sent it to me today....

I guess its yet another sign I was meant to live in Arizona :-)

As my sister would say.... "Go where I grow" (hee hee inside joke between sisters)

The More Boys I Meet...

While dancing in my apartment with my girlfriends during "Girls Night" on Saturday, the song "The More Boys I Meet" by Carrie Underwood began to play and it CRACKED ME UP!! The best part by far is the chorus. Any girl who's tired of dated and sick of kissing all the wrong frogs will love this song.

I dedicate this song to the love of my life... my dog Tirzah :-)

Girls Night!

After a tough week full of many ups and downs its no secret I was in desperate need of a "Girls Night". All I can say is thank goodness for my girlfriends. Becca and Lauren selflessly put their lives on hold for the night to take time out for a much need evening of martinis, food, pjs, games, gossip, and LOTS of laughs. Those who know me best, know I'm a entertainer at heart. I absolutely love to set up my apartment and have people over... and last night was by far one of the most fun I've had entertaining in a while. Here are some pictures of the evening.....

Here is my cute "Girls Night Table before I put all the food on it

The table with all the yummy food

Food Served:

1. Mini Tacos

2. Mini Pizzas

3. Fruit and cheese sicks

4. Veggies and Hummus Dip

5. Chocolate Covered Pretzels

6. Chocolate covered almonds (with rock salt! YUM!)

7. Mocha chip chocolate bars

8. 5 different cheesecakes

Drinks Served:

1. Apple Martinis

2. Lemon Drop martinis

3. White Russians

4. Baileys

5. Red wine

"Whats A Dame to Do"... a HILARIOUS games just for girls! We laughed our butts off!

I make a good bartender :-)

Becca and I with our Lemon Drop Martinis

Lauren and I

Becca and Lauren... cute bunnie ears Becca

My new shot glasses were too cute to resist. Becca's nervous face cracks me up!!

Finally at the end of the night we got a pic of all three of us together.... note my tired eyes and lack of make-up... I look oh so lovely

Picture of our table at the end of the night... MESSY! oh and note the first aid kit on the back left hand corner. I cut my finger with a knife while trying to open something (OUCH!)

Over all it was a wonderful night that we all have decided will now be our new tradition. Even though I'll be moving to Arizona, I know we'll all still get together for "Girls Night" a couple times a year. I will truly miss these girls dearly when I leave :-(

I love you Becca and Lauren! Thanks for coming!

A New Found Treasure

I was driving my usual route home, completely lost in thought, when I noticed something I had never seen before... at least I had never really seen it until today. Off to my left was this giant field filled with yellow daises and a HUGE majestic tree in the center covered completely in little yellow buds. The colors were so vibrant and the view so captivating, I had to stop and take it all in. So I made a quick (and yes illegal) U-turn and pulled up to my new found treasure. Once parked I grabbed my camera, got out of the car, and walked into the field. The sky was grey and cloudy, which only added to its mystery and mystique... I was fascinated. I would have stayed all day to soak it in if I could have but being that I was in a rush, I settled for a brief two minuets... just enough time to snap a few photos. I just love it when God shows himself to you when you least expect it!

Unfortunately this picture simply doesn't do it justice

Can Only Go Up From Here

Its no secret these past few days have been a challenge for me. One moment I'm fine, the next I'm in tears. Not sure if its circumstances, hormones, or a deadly combination of the two, but regardless I'm acutely aware of the fact that I could blow at any second. Fortunately I figure if this is my low point, then it can really only go up from here... right?

The song UP! seem to sums it up perfectly so here it is for you to enjoy...

(lyrics below)

It's 'bout as bad as it could be

Seems everybody's buggin' me

Like nothing wants to go my way--Yeah, it just ain't been my day

Nothin's comin' easily

Even my skin is acting weird

I wish that I could grow a beard

Then I could cover up my spots

Not play connect the dots

I just wanna disappear

[chorus:]Up--up--up--Can only go up from here

Up--up--up--up

Where the clouds gonna clear

Up--up--up--There's no way but up from here

Even something as simple as

Forgettin' to fill up on gas

There ain't no explanation why--Things like that can make you cry

Just gotta learn to have a laugh

[repeat chorus]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah...When everything is goin' wrong

Don't worry, it won't last for long

Yeah, it's all gonna come around

Don't go let it get you down

You gotta keep on holding on

It's 'bout as bad as it could be

Seems everybody's buggin' me

Like nothing want to go my way--Yeah, it just ain't been my day

Nothin's comin' easily

[repeat chorus]

Oh-- I'm going up [4x]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah...