Light Rail Adventures

I've ridden the light rail metro from Mesa to downtown Phoenix for about two and a half months now and if there is anything worth writing about, it's the experiences and people I meet on the way.

One time a middle-aged, oversized Mexican man spilled a mysterious liquid from what looked like a secure container. Apparently it was not. As it rolled down the isles of the train a repulsive smell started to fill the air. It was beer. Did I mention it was one o'clock in the afternoon? Just a little too early to be getting tipsy, no?

Another time an elderly woman sat next to me and started to ask all these really intense questions like "where do you think all of these students will be in the next 20 years?" or "do you think we're looking at one of our future presidents on this train?" Trying to fight back laughter, I considered the fact and decided that Obama isn't that bad anymore if this is what we have to look forward to.

One afternoon I sat next to an elderly, unfortunate looking and smelling man. He had holes in his shoes, hair that looked as though it had never seen a brush OR shampoo, tattered shorts and t-shirt and the smell of going without a shower for at least a week. Let me clarify that I am not judging anyone and I respect other's less fortunate circumstances. The funny part was that he was wearing a well-kept Burberry sport coat. I could have spotted that coat from a mile away. Not only do I wonder where one in his situation might come across a jacket of that expense, but I almost called Stacey and Clinton for fashion patrol!

Some of the funniest experiences I have involve people sleeping and missing their stops or waking up next to someone who wasn't there when they first dozed off. Those are always laugh-worthy reactions.

Other funny situations come from people thinking they are strong or agile enough to stand without holding a bar for support. I've witnessed innumeral children, bikes and just plain unexpectant passengers take a tumble.

One of my favorite memories involved a young man sitting next to me on the way home. He was very outgoing as I could see from the way he carried on conversations with several of the other passengers. He asked me how my day was and we carried on some meaningless conversation. Then he revealed toe that he was homeless, carless, jobless and still in high school. I started to feel bad for him until he told me his parents would let him stay if he didn't smoke or use drugs. He then proceeded to ask If I would like to "hang out" with him sometime. So many comebacks came to mind including laughing out loud, but luckily I took a deep breath and said "I'm sorry, I have a boyfriend." Now THAT'S why you have boyfriends! Haha just kidding Blake.

Another story that stood out was a "tough guy" security guard came in to do a routine check for valid tickets/passes. A blind young man was sitting quietly on the bus waiting for him to come by. Apparently the boy pulled out the wrong card as the guard exclaimed to everyone "this isn't your transit pass, it's your I.D.!" He was then escorted off the train to the ticket booth just outside. I wish I could be as cool as that fake cop and pick on people with handicaps! Not!

After seeing the drunks, the druggees, the homeless and the handicapped, I pray each day and thank my Father in Heaven for everything that I have. And in conclusion, if I ever end up like one of these people on the light rail, I'd appreciate it if you would not post stories about me haha :) happy commuting!

Sun Devil Senior: Day 1 of 28

I am FINALLY graduating from my much-loved Kinesiology program at Arizona State. I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts, feelings and the events that take place as I live out my last semester of my senior year. I'm only going to include the days I'm actually in school and there are only 28 of those, so here goes...

DAY 1:

My major unfortunately was transferred from the Tempe main campus at ASU to the downtown Phoenix campus. So I had a decision to make, either drive and spend a fortune on gas or purchase a light rail pass. I was born and raised in Mesa so the closest thing we had to a transit was the school bus. I was a little nervous but super excited to spend my senior year riding the light rail back and forth from Phoenix. Not only would it be a relaxing trip and save me gas money, but from I heard, it was never short of interesting riders, so I decided to give it a shot. It did not disappoint. I've fallen asleep twice on the ride home, I met an old crippled lady who has an incredible outlook on life and brought up an interesting idea, "it'd be a cool experiment to find out where everyone was 20 years from now. Like who became president, who ended up on the streets, and who became a professional athlete." Her comments were actually what prompted me to start writing down my senior year experiences. Not only have I had the most amazing years at ASU, but I've met the most amazing people and I never want to forget what I've been through and what I've learned while here.

I started off the day as usual driving to the light rail station. I met a homeless guy who has a cart full of trinkets. It's all he has. I wanted so bad to ask him if he needed anything but he seemed extremely happy with his life. I guess some people prefer that lifestyle.

I always jam out for a few minutes before class on Pandora. My boy has gotten me really into old school rock so I have it on AC/DC's station. Its fun to not care what anyone thinks of you because I've been head bangin' for quite some time and no one cares.

We had a guest speaker today who completely contradicted everything I had learned thus far in my program. It was a little frustrating but a huge eye opener to remember to challenge everything you hear. I've become a very big skeptic now because of it. I was late to my next class because I was disputing some things with him. I love picking people's brains. The next class moves extremely fast and my professor talks a million miles an hour. There is a lot information to cover so this is the first class I have ever had to record on my phone. I actually love listening to the lecture again when I have a minute to take in everything. I also love being able to share it with Blake; we learn well together.

On the way home there were a couple interesting people on the light rail. But before I got on, a bird almost got hit by the train. Is it sad that I kind of wanted that to happen? It would have been hilarious! Anyway, a large man spilled a coffee thermos all over the floor, so naturally when the transit moves, the liquid rolls towards the back of the bus. That liquid happened to be beer. Gross! The whole car smelt like a strip joint. The guy didn't even bother to try and clean it up, he just say there. It was disgusting and very offensive. Then this very interesting looking couple who had just gotten high came on. I swear if I wasn't breathing through my hand, I would have gotten high off their smell. It wreaked! Then this young boy, he had to have been about 17, started hitting on me. He thought he was super cool when he used curse words. I could tell by the way he used them and his tone of voice. I stopped listening to him and asked him if he could please keep the swear words to a minimum. The broken high school drop-out got off at the next stop, which I don't think was his. I feel bad for embarrassing him, but I don't have to be that uncomfortable for his sake. I wish him well on his job search. Like I said, the light rail never disappoints.

Now on to studying. Which is sadly, my favorite part of school. I'm such a nerd!

A Summer Forever Yours by Ashlyn Biggs

My boy and I decided to take up reading. Well, not really, we're actually reading a novel that my sister wrote. She has been writing since she was very young including lyrics, articles, poems and essays. She's always had so many thoughts and dreams so I think it's easier for her to organize it on paper. Just recently she had been tampering with the idea of writing a novel. Inspired by the teenage romance, Twilight, she started writing down her own dramatic high school experiences.

It turned out to be quite a lengthy story, so without informing anyone, she talked to a publisher, who had the book edited, bound and illustrated. After finally spilling the beans about her first adult project, I rushed to the internet to purchase my copy. It took about two weeks to get here, but it's finally here and we read the first chapter last night.

I know it was probably painful for Blake to get into a teenage drama, especially about my little sister, but he actually enjoyed it. He thought it was well written and very entertaining. We've only read the first chapter so far, but I am extremely into it! I didn't want to stop! But I know my boy can only handle so much drama for so long, so we had to put the book down and watch Top Gear for a while. I am very impressed with my sister's writing and how much it's matured over the past couple years. She is now an English Literature major and wants to continue to puruse her passion in writing. I'm so proud of her!

If you want to purchase a copy of the book, there is a link on the side of my blog. If you do happen to read it, please let me know what you think, because of course, I am very biased :)
I can't wait to read the next chapter tonight!

Cleaning Out The Closet

Most people leave spring cleaning for, well, spring, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm now 25, or it's a million degrees outside, maybe it's just my "lady time" as Blake refers to it or a combination of all three, but I decided that I can't stand anything in my closet anymore. Obviously that's an exaggeration, but I hate the majority of my clothes. They either don't fit right, they're outdated or both. But you know how you have those couple articles of clothing that you just can't seem to ever get rid of? You know you won't ever wear it again, but it continues to take up space in the closet? Girls, I know you know what I'm talking about. After considering my disease (shopaholics disease, that is), it was a hard decision, but I decided to get rid of half my wardrobe. Anything that I hadn't worn in the last six months, anything that had a tiny hole in it, that didn't fit right or was no longer age-appropriate, it went into a pile, was washed and then neatly stacked. It actually felt great surprisingly to get rid of a lot of clutter. I thought I would feel horrible but it was quite a relief in fact. So after cleaning and stacking over 50 articles of clothing including jeans, blouses, tank tops, skirts and dresses, I couldn't stop there. I moved on to shoes, jewelry, scarves, sunglasses, purses, hair accessories and belts. I was so sick of having items that just took up space. I don't think I've ever actually worn some of the articles. I found several shirts with tags and size stickers still attached. So sad. I figured out that I simply purchase items just to purchase them, but that's a story for a different day.

I felt great about getting rid of the clutter, but I didn't know what to do with them. A lot of the clothes were out dated and could only be used by a thrift store. I had very little hopes of selling anything to a clothing exchange store. Of course the first stop everything went to was my sister's room. She is not one to go shopping very often and most of her clothes came from my closet anyway, so I knew she'd be happy with the hand-me-downs. But there were still several left over. I am sitting on piles of clothes, shoes, and accessories and was about to make a trip to Desert Industries. A friend informed me of a clothing donation sale that was going on for another friend and their family in a time of crisis and that was perfect! I knew I got rid of all these clothes for good reason. They're super cute clothing and now I'm excited that it can help a good cause. I still have a problem with shopping and I probably always will, but I guess I can justify it by helping others through my addiction :) .

I was worried I wouldn't have any clothes / accessories left, but that's where the shopaholic comes into play. I'm pretty sure I could get rid of 500 items and still have plenty left over for my wardrobe. Sad, but kind of awesome. PS, Fall is approaching fast and that is definitely an excuse for shopping, right? Blake doesn't expect me to wear my Summer attire for the next three months, does he? lol poor guy, doesn't even understand quite yet what he's getting himself into. Luckily, still no credit cards for me!

Date Night With The Bro

No, my brother was not my date. But last week my boy and I went to a game night with two of my cousins, their spouses and my brother and his lady friend. We had such a blast at my cousin's house but we were not quite ready to go to bed. So Derek and I decided to take our dates to Dave and Busters and get into some serious competition. It's so great to have my brother home and now that he's a grown man, it's fun to be able to go out and not only have date night with Blake, but also get to spend quality time with my little bro and his girl.

I have the best family in the world and I'm so grateful to have my cousins close by and my siblings to hang out with whenever I want. Love them!

Happiest Place on Earth

This past week we had the chance to go to Disneyland with the fam and my step dad's sister-in-laws. They are the most fun ladies ever and they know as much if not more than we do about everything Disney! I never thought I would meet out match, but they can hang for sure. They actually know someone who is a member of Club 33, an exclusive, members only club at the Disneyland Resort. The entrance is located in the heart of New Orleans Square just next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant, which is the restaurant in the center of the Pirates of the Caribbean. After countless times of Disneyland trips since I was 2, we finally were able to get into this amazing club. It was surreal. The club was created by Walt to entertain VIP guests such as celebrities and politicians in a sophisticated, 5-star dining experience. It's exclusivity makes it now one of the most sought after clubs in Disney. The waiting list has been cancelled due to the mass amounts of applicants so now you can only be grandfathered in, or by knowing someone who is on the list. Long story short, Kim knew someone and she got our whole party in!

Aside from Club 33, Disneyland was amazing as usual. It's nice to go for more than one day because it allows you to slow down and try new things, and if you've ever been to the park, you know there are always new things to try! We were able to experience the new 3-D Star Tours, which was amazing. We also got to ride the new Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure and see the Aladdin Musical next to the Hollywood Backdrop. Aside from attractions, we were also able to experience new dining experiences including the Club 33 6-course meal, the interesting, yet tasty picnic lunch in California Adventure and the Blue Bayou (new to some people).

It made everything so much more enjoyable to be able to experience it with my family now that we have my brother home and it was so great to share it all with my handsome boy! He is also a Disney buff, but it's definitely a different experience with my family. Here are a couple highlights from the trip...

Waiting for Knott's Chicken Dinner House...Yum!!

Space Mountain!

Best food ever!

Autopia! Derek was too little to ride by himself :)

New Star Tours in 3-D!

Indiana Jones...terrifying

New Little Mermaid ride in Disney's CA Adventure! So adorable!

Blake....

And Ashlyn fell asleep on It's a Small World

Waiting for our reservations at CLUB 33 BABY!

We always have to take a pirate picture. Don't we look scary?

Guess which score is mine? Yes, the one on the left. I beat my big strong man in Toy Story Mania!

The ladies! Birthday girl on the left!

Jungle Cruise...our guide was HILARIOUS!

And here are a couple pictures from our dining experience at

Club 33...

Balcony overlooking all of New Orleans Square

Back patio

Best salmon I've ever had!

Someone asked me if this steak was as good as Ruth's Chris and I think it definitely rivals that place no doubt!

 Best part of the meal...

Birthday girl!

They gave us little shots of carmel shakes. They were delicious!

My beautiful sister and I just taking in the experience

This was my favorite picture in the whole restaurant. It is so cute!

Exclusive gifts you can only buy from this cabinet. There's a $1000 ring in there!

It was one of the best trips ever! Can't wait to go back!

Cowboys and Aliens

I went to see this movie with my boy and his friends and I decided I needed to become a movie critic. There are just too many movies out there that people are wasting their money on because no one has told them otherwise. While a movie may look incredible in previews, it has nothing to do with how the actual movie is. Anyone can make something look appealing for 60 seconds. However, it takes real talent to intrigue someone for over an hour and a half.

Let me just start off by saying the acting was fantastic with names like 007's Daniel Craig, the beautiful Abigail Spencer and of course the infamous Indiana Jones, I mean Harrison Ford. The actors did great with the storyline that they had, unfortunately the storyline was as bad as they come. Cowboys and aliens?? It's as lame and weird as it sounds. I know movies are supposed to play with your imagination and are obviously fictional, but this was a little more far fetched than most.

The explosions were great, the special effects, fantastic, and Daniel Craig is as handsome and mysterious as ever. However, the script was awful and the actual action was terrible. There is a point in the movie where you realize the aliens can't be killed by human guns or knives, they can only be killed with their own weapons. However, once the cowboys get mad enough, all it takes to bring an alien down was an indian club, a little shot gun and a pocket knife. There was also amnesia involved, but some people were immuned to it for no reason at all. There were alien humans and cowboy and indian confrontations and then ridiculous ideas that aliens were after our gold. I couldn't even wrap my mind around the ridiculous plot because I was laughing so hard in my mind. I kept looking at Blake and realized he felt the same way.

If you do want to see this movie, it's not the worst one in the world. You are getting exactly what you paid for, Cowboys and Aliens. Daniel Craig is easy on the eyes, and Harrison Ford is nothing short of 99 years old so it's nice to see an old grandpa Indiana Jones kick some serious alien butt. However, there is no happy ending. So if you are the type of person that needs everything to be resolved, you will be disappointed, as I was. I do not recommend it. I was much more impressed with the work they did on Iron Man and Iron Man 2 than this weird battle between old school cowboys and futuristic aliens.