Sisterhood Diaries

I've never been the type of girl to have all girl outings. Even as a little girl, I understood and got along with boys so much better than their counterparts. I never understood why someone wouldn't play kickball because they might mess up their hair, or why on earth they would wear a dress to school in the first place so they didn't have to play. I'm not saying I was a tomboy, but I never really understood girls and why they are the way they are. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my girlfriends. I've had 3 girlfriends since grade school whom I spend every Christmas and birthday with and they'll always be there for me. I guess I just didn't know how to make new girlfriends. Once out of high school, I guess things get complicated and people get stuck in their lives and don't have time for new friends. I definitely fell in this category. 

Then I got married. And while spending the days with the love of my life and my very best friend is extremely satisfying, sometimes you just need some femininity in your life. I'm sure it's very draining for Blake to have to listen to my summary of this weeks' episode of Downton Abbey, or having to look at me try on thousands of different outfits at the mall only to walk away empty handed, or being begged to do yoga with me every week. By the way, he does these things very willingly for me whenever I ask him, but I'm sure he's not jumping for joy inside when I say I need new shoes :).

The simple fact of the matter is, girls need to be with girls sometimes. They need to talk about stupid girl things. They need to do silly girl things together. And while we love our men more than anything in this world, it's nice to have a girly moment every now and then. 

As I've gotten older and am approaching my dreaded age (cough**27**cough), I realized I have hardly any girlfriends that I could call up on a whim to hang out. This is what inspired the idea of my sisterhood diaries. These entries will contain all the adventures I have while rekindling old friendships and making new ones. 

I decided to start simple and set a goal of having lunch with a different girl once a week. This week was my first lunch. I picked up some sweet pork salads from Costa Vida and brought them over to her house so she wouldn't have to travel with her 2-month old daughter. I've known Krystal since at least kindergarten, maybe earlier. We grew up in the same ward together and had most of the same teachers in elementary school. She's been one of my dearest friends for as long as I can remember. 

Lunch was delicious, her little girl was absolutely adorable and well-behaved and we had great conversation. She mentioned she's been having trouble unpacking the boxes in their new home because she has to constantly hold her baby girl and her husband is at medical school almost every second of the day. This inspired me to take this lunch date idea to the next level. I've decided that after each lunch, I'd find a way to help this particular friend in one way or another. I want to gain friendships, but I also want to provide service, because let's face it, no one is ever truly happy unless they're helping someone else. 

My revised goal is to have lunch with a new girl every week and before the next lunch, I have to help that girl in someway. I'm going over on Saturday afternoon to take care of Krystal's baby girl so she can get some unpacking done and get her house set up. 

I'm so excited about my new plan! I love helping other people, especially people that I care about. First week of the sisterhood diaries = SUCCESS!

Being Sick isn't so bad...

When you've got a husband like mine!

I've been having back problems lately and just today, I realized why they were getting worse. I came down with the dreaded flu. Blah! This was actually great news for me. I was happy to know my back wasn't getting worse. I can handle a little flu, but being a hunchback, no thank you!

I messaged my man and told him the "good" news and he of course was very sympathetic as a sweet husband ought to be. I usually attend open gyms for cheer on Wednesday nights but tonight I thought I better take a rain check because who knows what germs those disgusting blue mats hold that could only make it worse.

Blake was super sensitive and tried to be overly compassionate on the phone and through text. I told him I'd just stay home tonight and clean and get things done around the house. Well apparently, that wasn't allowed to happen when I'm sick.

He rushed home after work, cleaned the entire house, stopped by the store to get me soup, and then... it gets better.

I walk in and he's scrubbing the counter. He stops for a second to give me a very distant hug (so as not to catch my bug). Then I look around and the house is spotless. Like better than it's ever been. Then I look in the bedroom and he had this whole little setup. He had soup, water, a Jamba Juice and a large bowl (for projectile vomiting :) ) on my nightstand, a large crate of DVDs at the foot of the bed, a clean towel (which doesn't sound like much, but we keep them on the top shelf in the laundry room and he got it down so I wouldn't have to climb), my laptop and iPad, fully charged, were on the bed, and the best part... a burrito blanket! If you don't know what a burrito blanket is, it's the way he wraps me up in the blankets. He had the blankets very strategically placed to where I would be fully wrapped, yet still have the complete use of my arms. He made me climb in bed right away and he wrapped me up before he left.

It might not sound like much to some, but after the day I had today, I almost started crying once I saw all he had done. I'm so blessed to have such an incredible, caring husband. He can drive me crazy sometimes (superhero crazy I mean), but my gosh, he is an angel! Thanks babe!

Wedding Planning

My goodness planning weddings are hard. Being as this would have been my third wedding I've planned, you'd think I'd be an expert at this point. Not even close.

Weddings are not my thing. I was never the little girl that played pretend wedding with the pillow case over my head as a veil. I never dreamed about a huge reception with hundreds of people, most of whom I've never met, trying to talk to me for ten minutes a pop. I never wanted to throw away thousands of dollars on flowers I'll never see again, food I didn't get to eat and centerpieces no one noticed. 

That just wasn't me. I was the girl who wanted to elope in Hawaii or Europe and only invite our parents. I was the girl who desperately wanted to get married on a beach at sunset with only my fiance, myself and the priest. 

Unfortunately, you can't have everything you want. So I dedicate this blog to young girls out there trying to get started on wedding planning. These are some tips I've learned along the way. 

1) Pick your dress alone. Don't invite anyone to your dress fitting. You already know what you want, you know what looks good on you. Try on hundreds of dresses if you must, but do it alone with only the help of your bridal consultant. This will save you the most pain and stress of all. Once you've picked your dress, don't let anyone, including mothers and MOHs, talk you out of it. Period. Stick with your choice!

2) Don't purchase floral centerpieces. They're expensive and pointless. Honestly, what are you going to do with the centerpieces after your wedding? Don't waste the money there. No one notices them anyway!

3) Opt out of renting a tux for your groom. They're expensive and sooo last decade. A nice suit will be something he'll wear all the time. Get a tailored suit and call it good. 

4) Don't use a DJ. Unless said DJ is your best friend since birth, don't allow some stranger to run the show at your wedding. No one likes the same old songs DJs play anyway. Either get your own iPod mix and just have it playing throughout the night, or better yet, hire a cover band! They're so much more fun and cost the same as a DJ. 

5) Choose colors that are 'in' for the season. When you choose a popular color, you won't have a hard time finding nick nacks that match. If you choose an out of season color, don't even bother going anywhere but online to shop for decor. 

6) Hire a photographer well in advance. Get to know him. The best thing about our photographer is he took my 3 sets of engagement pictures, graduation pictures AND my wedding pictures. After going through so many sessions with him, he felt like part of the family. We actually call him Uncle Jared now. 

7) If you're on a budget, skimp on everything but the photography. You won't remember the food, the entertainment, the decor or the cake, but you will remember the photos taken on your special day. See number 6, and make sure to hire someone comfortable so you look comfortable in front of the camera. Be willing to spend a pretty penny for a great photographer because you'll have these forever! 

8) Don't worry about food. Unless you have an army of ladies ready to potluck your wedding, don't bother with food. It's expensive and not worth it. Just provide hor d'oeuvres and dessert and no one will no the difference. People come to wedding for cake anyway. Dessert bars are super popular. Do something different like a s'mores bar or a candy bar. People will remember that.

9) Read reviews. For the venue, the entertainment, the vendors, everything. Make sure you know what you're getting by reading about previous gigs. Learn from other people's mistakes, not your own!

10) Let things happen. If your sister-in-laws don't want to wear your dress, don't make them. If your fiance wants to wear a tie with paisleys (blah!) let him. If two of your bridesmaids are pregnant at the time of your wedding, who cares?! If your dress doesn't fit right and your sleeves look retarded, get them fixed. This is not something you just let happen :)

11) Love your in-laws. There is nothing more horrible about starting a marriage off with feuds. Forgive and move on. They are now a part of your family. They will be in your life forever, so you might as well learn to love them and get passed your differences because guess what, people are going to be different. Not everyone is going to love your colors or your dress or your choice of anything, and they might speak out. Who cares. 

12) My number one piece of advice I can give is to stand by your fiance through everything. Let little things go. If things don't go as planned, who cares. It's a fun story. And if things get too heated, don't go through with it. Don't worry about disappointing anyone. You want to look back on your engagement with nothing but happy thoughts. 

13) Love your fiance's ideas. You don't always have to use them, but make sure he knows his opinion is valued. 

14) Take deep breaths. When that doesn't work, cry and eat chocolate. A good sob session followed by a Snicker's bar was the best therapy I've ever had. And always watch 'Friends' in times of stress. 

15) Let your mom wear whatever the heck she wants to wear!!! A happy mom makes for a happy wedding. 

16) Get names of vendors from friends and relatives. Utilize your resources! We learned that one of my dad's friends was the lead in a cover band. A lady that makes cake was in my fiance's ward. One of my bridesmaids was a hair stylist. Use who you know!
17) Start your birth control well in advance. Learned that lesson the hard way.
18) Get on Pinterest! If you don't have a Pinterest, first of all, welcome to the 21st century, second of all, you cannot plan a wedding without Pinterest! No, seriously.
19) Don't send out invitations on Facebook or any electronic invitations. I don't go to weddings where I haven't been formally invited, or at least I don't bring a present. So tacky!
20) Don't go into debt for your wedding. Again, I learned this the hard way.

Those are the main lessons I learned from my wedding planning adventures. After it was all said and done, I can now look back on that day and honestly say it was the happiest day of my life! 

Pinterest Challenge: How to celebrate birthdays at Disneyland

I don't go to Disneyland as often as I would like to but luckily, my siblings and step-family decided to surprise my dad with a trip to Disneyland for his 50th birthday! It was one of the most memorable trips I've ever had to the happiest place on earth. 

Before leaving, I wanted to make sure we studied tips and tricks of what to do when celebrating birthdays at the park. I looked all over the internet and found some great ideas. 

MousePlanet was one of the most helpful sites. It supplies a plethora of must-tries for anyone celebrating a birthday Disney style. 

One of the best ideas was getting a birthday pin. This is a MUST if you're wanting to get the most out of your birthday experience. It doesn't have to be the actual day of your birthday. They don't check IDs or anything. Seriously though, this made my dad's birthday so much more memorable. Anyone and everyone that saw that pin said happy birthday to him. Characters in parades, cast members running the rides, random cast members walking around the park and even Crush from the attraction "Turtle Talk". It's amazing how these cast members are so good at spotting that little pin. I swear they get trained to do so. It was so cool to watch the parade on the sidewalk and literally, dancers would come right up to him and say "Happy Birthday Robert!" and get back into formation and continue with their dance. 

Another fun thing to start off a Disney birthday is to go to City Hall (where you get the pin) and they'll say, "we have a call waiting for you!" and then Goofy gets on the phone and sings happy birthday and tells you how excited he is to celebrate with you. What a simple idea that makes you feel so special right from the get go!

Another fun thing that the pin did was get him a seat right next to the Jungle Cruise captain. He became the butt of many of the Jungle Cruise jokes. It totally made the Jungle Cruise that much more enjoyable and hilarious!

We also had lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant located in the middle of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride. They give you a delicious free chocolate mousse for your birthday. After stuffing our faces with the Monte Cristo sandwiches, that dessert was the perfect size for all of us to have a couple bites and be completely satisfied. 

There were so many new things we got to experience just because we were celebrating a birthday. I can't believe after the years and years of going to Disneyland (well over 100 times) that I had never actually gone to celebrate something before. Imagine what they would do if you were spending your honeymoon there or an anniversary or a first timer?? If there's one thing I've learned from Disney, it's that it doesn't matter if you're 1 years old or 100 years old, newly weds or a giant family of 12, you will always have a great time. Disney knows how to make you feel like the most special person in the world. 

Thank you MousePlanet for the great tips! I recommend visiting their website before going on a Disney vacation so you can get the most out of your trip. 

Pinterest Challenge: The Amazing Spiderman

Worst. Movie. Ever.

Okay, maybe not THE worst movie, but it has definitely got to be in the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the list of good quality of movies. Of course, this is only my opinion, so go see it at your own discretion. My advice, save the small fortune it costs to see movies these days and go treat yourself to any other activity in the world, because anything would have been better than sitting through that. 

It was beyond cheezy. The lines, the acting, the action, all very cheezy. There is absolutely NO humor, no charm, and absolutely no passion throughout the entire movie. It doesn't compare to one other superhero movie out there. It was definitely at the bottom of the superhero list and most other movies I've ever seen. 

Blake and I went into it thinking they had done to Spiderman what they had done to Batman in the Dark Knight. The Dark Knight revolutionized the world of Batman. The Amazing Spiderman did nothing for the cheezy superhero story of Peter Parker. 

I liked the Tobey Mcguire series better, and he was the worst actor I've ever seen! (If that tells you anything). It is the exact same take on the adventures Toby had with the awful Kirsten Dunst. They did nothing original. 

The only good thing about this movie was the suit. They did the best they could with Spiderman's already too cheezy suit. It looked as cool as it's going to get. It's hard to make a bright red and blue unitard look cool, but they did succeed on that. 


Not recommended and two thumbs WAAYYY down. 

Pinterest Challenge: Arizona Derby Games

Blake and I always like trying out new things together. Whether it's trying new restaurants or visiting new places, it's a fun way to get to know each other better. When you put yourself outside of your element, you get to know people in a different way. It's fun and keeps things fresh. 

I saw a special on Arizona Highways one day that talked about different events going on in the valley. It showed the hostess going to a roller derby track. She tried out the track and the gear and she even got pushed around quite a bit by those masculine women on skates. It looked like a lot of fun and it was definitely something I'd never seen, so I looked up roller derby games in our area. 

Sure enough, the Arizona Derby Games Championship was coming up. At only $10 a ticket, we definitely had to go. We got there and immediately felt out of place. I don't think one of the girls' hair styles were a natural color. Apparently pigtails and pigtail braids are the style for these games? Also, there were a lot of tulle tutus and pink striped knee-high socks. Up until then, I'd only seen these types of styles during Halloween. I was excited to know there were people who didn't wait for October 31st to play dress up! I've never felt so out of place before in my life and I also felt like if I looked at one of them the wrong way, I'd get the crap beat out of me! Some of these women could have probably beaten the crap out of Blake too! They were huge and mean looking and ready to take on the world. 

It was surprising to me that there were so many people that got into it. There were signs and banners and shirts made to support the teams. Granted, there were only about a thousand people there, but I guess I live in a bubble and didn't realize these events actually existed so it was nice to know that there were quite a few people out there that got into these kinds of events. 

We sat right behind who appeared to be the expert of roller derby and she gave her two cents after every "play". She was so hung up over this one kid who was only 18. Everyone that came within 5 feet of her she said "have you seen that kid? he's only 18 years old!!" I thought to myself, "yeah, they all look 18 years old. I'm not expecting a grown man to ride around in circles hitting people on roller skates." but apparently that was super young for a roller derby player. Who knew?

After learning the ins and outs of the game, I realized it was just an excuse to beat the crap out of someone. It's a bunch of girls or guys riding around on roller skates, trying to push the other team down or off the track. It was hilarious. These girls get so into it! This is their life. Most of the girls have normal jobs and families. It's just weird to think that these monstrous women can go back to leading normal lives after that. Apparently, the captain of the Arizona team is the girl who cuts Blake's hair. I was laughing so hard when I found that out. At least now he'll have something to talk to her about when he goes in next. 

 As you can probably tell, we weren't exactly dressed for the occasion.

 After Arizona won the championship, they gathered around the railing and people treated them like celebs. It was weird. 

Please check out the face painting! WTF? Apparently that is pertinent to the uniform.

 All in all, we had a blast. We learned about a new "sport" and we hung out with some interesting people. And who doesn't like to see a good fight every now and then? Haha date night = success.

Pinterest Challenge

I was introduced to Pinterest a couple months ago. I didn't quite grasp the concept at first, but after playing with it for a while, I realized, it's awesome. 

My name is Megan and I'm a Pinterest addict. 

I decided a while back that I was going to start trying out some of the things that I've pinned. I thought to myself, these are obviously things that caught my attention and looked good to me at the time, so why not give them a try?

I started trying a couple recipes and date night ideas here and there but nothing to out of the norm. Then I decided to give myself a challenge. I'm always up for a good challenge. I've challenged myself to try out EVERY pin I've ever posted on that addicting site. Recipes, crafts, beauty tricks, fitness tips, holiday ideas, everything. 

You might think this is crazy, and who knows how long I can actually keep this up, but I'm going to do one pinterest activity a day until I've done them all. I want to see which pins actually work and which pins are just plain crap. Plus, I get bored a lot while everyone else is in school. 

I have 1,564 pins at the moment. I pin about 25 new things a week though so this could add up really fast. I'll try to take pictures of everything as I go. Challenge accepted. Wish me luck!