2 Days: The Internet, it works.

Unless you've stuck a Jack Bauer tracker chip in my car, you wouldn't know where I am at this moment unless I told you. So I will, because that is quite truly the purpose of this post.

Wait a minute.

Margaret

Elizabeth

Emily

Katie

Jaymi

Jennie

Heather

Courtney

Emily S.

Sarah

Can't remember her name

Alyson

Jodi

Jenna

Erin R. F.

Alison D.

Shannon F. M.

Justice

Jenneth

Alicia

Jessica

Megan

Krisha

Kris

Sam

Sadie

Jenny

Suhaila

Erin C.

Lindsey

Christi

Jessica

Liz

Julie

Those 34 names you see above you are the names of all the people I've ever called roommates. Most of them are truly lovely human beings, and I still love them like you wouldn't believe. A few of them, meh, hmmm.

But back to the point: Where I am. I am sitting right here in an apartment which now houses alone my final and most hunky roommate, waiting for the fridge to be delivered. I'm trading the life of sharing space with another party's nail polish and Nora Efron movie collection with sharing space with electric shavers and neckties. My mind is blowing, but in the very best way.

And the internet works. Hello, new digs.

And if you come on Saturday, we will have Meri Eaton's caramels in abundance.

5 Days: One last shout out to all the men I have loved

Praise Where Praise is Very Due

All my dear family, new and old, and dear friends, new and old, for being so sprightly and helpful with any and every part of this wedding, for traveling from afar, for imparting of twinkly enthusiasm and kind well wishing, for sharing wisdom and bequeathing tangible gifts that are much too kind and generous as we start our own little Hayes duo.

It puts a serious lump in my throat.

AI

Last year I was so into American Idol. At the beginning there were a few hopefuls that I might have actually listened to outside of the show. That's probably an exaggeration; now that my brain is reaching back that far only 1 comes to mind, and she was eliminated early on. Anyway, Tuesday night I caught the show and think it's time another one of Fox's moneymakers and I part ways. Hopefully amicably.

One of the reasons, not the main reason, but a big reason nonetheless, is encapsulated in a German word for which there is no English equivalent: Schadenfreude.

It means: malicious gloating over others' misfortunes.

I do enjoy watching hot dogging, presumptuous, aspiring Christina Aguileras being pulverized by an Englishman and his posse. And that's not quite a good enough reason to give up 2 nights a week and suffer through all the rest.

So goodbye, American Idol (as far as I can tell). It was fun while it lasted; I'll remember the good times and try to forget the Adam Lambert times.

2 pictures that aren't of me and Jeff

1. Now this is what I call self-respect. While snarfling around in the fridge this morning I saw this note written clearly in my mother's script.

She is polite when she reminds herself to do a house chore. That made my day. And it made me think twice about my alarm clock message, "Out of bed, you lazy git!"
It also reminded me I'll have to remember to bring my cute shoe magnets that now adorn my parents' fridge to my new apartment.

2. Coka Lite. I know, I know. In the word-frequency novel scheme, diet coke is to me as marble is to vampire(s). But Coka Lite really is the best version of my not so shameful favorite drink, and I haven't had it since Costa Rica. Trial indeed!




The Barttels brought me back a bottle for helping out with the wedding. Lindsey, if I'd known this was coming I would have fanned you as needed, and carried around your dress train too. Perhaps even written your thank you cards for you.

This was hidden in the fridge last night and promptly imbibed today. Please note 2 extras: firstly, observing the time I am about to be late if I don't get moving, and secondly, are not those flowers gorgeous? Melissa L provided them for the wonderful bridal shower she threw on the 29th! They do live long and prosper, do they not! I'm most unworthy of all these things.
Goodnight

Email Forward from Cousin Erin = Hopeful cure for Tired Sleeplessness

USING ONLY ONE WORD

Not as easy as you might think! Now forward, change the answers to suit you, and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to send back to the person from whom you received it!

Where is your cell phone? Table
Do you have a significant other? Jeffreykins
Your hair? Longish
Your mother? Resourceful
Your favorite thing? Jeffreykins
Your dream last night? Stressful
Your favorite drink? Diet
What room are you in? Bedroom
Your fear? Burns
Where do you want to be in six years? Mumsy
Where were you last night? Brad's
Something that you aren't? Alert
Muffins? Apple
Wish list item? Camera
Last thing you did? Drive
What are you wearing? Pjs
TV? Sometimes
Your pets? Nope
Friends? Hilarious
Your life? Blessed
Your mood? Sleepy
Missing someone? Yes
Drinking? Nope
Your car? Cleanish
Something you're not wearing? Shoes
Your favorite store? Crew
Your favorite color? None
When is the last time you cried? Yesterday
Where do you go over and over? Work
Five people who email me regularly? Jeff, Sarah, Ashlee,
Mom, Elizabeth
My favorite place to eat? Natraj
Favorite place I'd like to be right now? Monaco
Four people I think will respond? Nobody I, II, III, IV

13 Days

Plus:

I was channel surfing for a minute and just found Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner (released 2 years after my birth), a movie we for some reason used to always watch at my cousin Hilary's house in Palo Alto on our frequent trips there. I was completely enthralled by the high heels the women wore and the fedora hats. That's all a movie really needed to rope me in. Awesome shoes. And now that I'm watching it as an adult, I am actually following the plot! High 5s all around!

People keep asking me if I'm freaking out that it's 2 weeks away. Nah just excited, although there are a few monster chunks of things to do and I'm still grinding my teeth in my sleep.

We can start moving our stuff into that apartment in which I will be living with a boy (weird) next Saturday. On Wednesday night I cleaned out my room, every nook, and this is what was bidden a farewell:



It looks like a steroid injected black raisin but really it's a bag of crap I am donating to the irvine garbage dump.

When I do these things I repeat to myself again and again, "I am not a pack rat. I am not a pack rat." I still do have a pile of stuff though, that I need to renegotiate.

Anyway, I'm done blogging now, peace out!

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Diamante,Irvine,United States

This is all I want to say for today.

"The Rio"

My cousin Margaret always called it that.

So since California actually DOES copy Utah in some ways, we now have a Cafe Rio in our midst. It's such a big hit they ran out of pork by 2pm, but I will just state for the record, SOME OTHER customer behind us in line got their pork because, of course, of this other white meat I had none. :)

When we pulled into the parking lot and I saw the signs, the marketing trucks, the obvious Mo Mos hurrying into the place, I broke out into a sweat. I suddenly felt myself vaccuumed into my 22 year old self at BYU, which included an awkward phase of the emotional sort and bad, bad, bad hair (again), and more often than not, eating too much chocolate and not running enough to burn it off. Then Jeffrey reminded me it's not 2004, and we went inside, saw no fewer than 10 people we knew in the 90 minutes we were there, and got to hang out with the Petes.

Alyson is one of my very best friends, and I'm so glad we could get together so Andrew, her main lovin man, and Jeff could meet. And so we could swap stories and chuckle heartily.

As Julia says, "Bon Appetit!"

2009 is dayud and gone

I totally agree with most of the blogs I'm reading. 2009 went by Concord style and now I have to train my hands to write and type 10 instead of 09. I foresee some scribbles on papers I'm writing on and some ill-identified documents at work. I apologize and kick myself in advance. Not that anyone who reads this blog will be negatively affected for my errors.

2009 was about a lot of things, but here's a wee list of things that stuck out, and it's probably been obvious from what I've put on this blog.

1. Duh, I am getting married. I did my love falling in 2009; a better way to spend my time I've never seen! It's obviously all-consuming, and wonderfully so. Jeff makes me want to sing Celine Dion songs round the clock, and lucky for each and every one of you, I do it in my head and only do the signature Quebecan chest pounding in solitude.

2. Workety work. I went from no job to a crappy job to a less crappy job to a job that I love and keeps me on my toes. I have dream come true co-workers who I look forward to seeing -- and get to! -- pretty much every day.

3. A jumble of trying to find a hobbie (sewing in 2010?), stinking at writing, in fact, almost writing nothing, saw my sisters happier than I've ever seen em, missing my brother and watching his return date draw ever nearer, meeting up with my mom for "lunch" at south coast plaza about 343 times, and trying to be a grown up.

And I liked it and loved it. Not perfect, but cozy. I'm glad 2009 happened, and I can't wait for 2010 to happen too.

Chop

Did anyone notice that not only was the Fashion Island "Toppest Tree" moved closer to Restoration Hardware and the gigantic fish pond (gigantic fish, not pond), but it was significantly UN-toppest this year? Much shorter. For the first time in my 25 years of having a home base/living behind the Orange Curtain.

We are calling it the Obama tree.

And a Happy 1st Post of 2010. I love this year already.