Family adventures...

Monday: TyRee, her sister Lindsay, my cousin Andrew, and my great-aunt Eleanor will be flying in to Newark International. Who knows what the day will bring, but you can bet we'll have a good time. The Manwarings will arrive at the house on Monday night after spending the day in NYC and seeing Wicked.
Count at the house: 15

Tuesday: A group will go into NYC to do some site seeing, ice skating, show viewing...whatever we please. Later that night, my two great-uncles and their wives( Albert and Pat, Bob and Karen) will arrive in NJ just in time for New Years Eve.

Count at house: 19

Wednesday: NEW YEARS EVE!!!! Barriers are set up and traffic streets are closed at 4pm. Two hours later the celebrations begin! Throughout the night we'll see performances by Ludacris, Lionel Riche, Taylor Swift, and The Jonas Brothers (I know, so good right?)We'll be partying all the way to the ball drop at the beginning of 2009!!

Thursday and Friday we will probably be showering hourly, sleeping when we can find a spot to rest our heads, getting acupuncture to relax...the basic recovery from a night in the city.

Saturday and Sunday will bring on more adventures you can only find on the east coast. Maybe a drive to Pennsylvania (Gettysburg and other historical sites), northern New York (other tourist traps), maybe a visit to the MARS plant to see how M&Ms are made.

Whatever we do, whatever we see...it's always an adventure in this family!

PS...LOOK FOR US ON TV!!

NJ Snow Day...

So apparently when you live in Jersey, if it's snowing, you stay in your home all day. No matter the amount that falls from the sky, if it's snow that's coming down, put back on your pj's and crawl into bed. So in honor of my first NJ winter day, I stayed in my pajamas, but had some fun doing it...

Decorated the Christmas tree...this picture is a re-enactment of a true story.

Made a couple snow angels in the fresh powder...

It snowed literally all day, well all of my day. It was snowing when I woke up and snowing when I went to bed. This picture was taken in the morning...on our deck we had gotten four inches, but on the lawn it measured six. So I'm predicting we got a good foot of snow.

It might had been a lazy day, but it was just what I needed to recover from finals (silent cheer). Looking forward to more snow for a White Christmas!

East coast Christmas...

As finals fizzle down and the day to fly out to the east coast comes nearer...here are some things I am looking forward to this holiday season...

Browse the Holiday Windows in downtown NY

Outdoor ice-skating. Crossing my fingers for a serendipitous moment.

Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza. Say "HEY" to Liz Lemon while I'm there.

Hopefully get in a couple Broadway shows.



Hit the Mountain Creek slopes

Oh don't forget about the Biggest New Year's Eve Bash in Times Square!

Hope you all have a Happy Holiday Season!

Disco divas...

Here's what you missed out on on Wednesday...

So in case you were wondering where I found that fabulous disco fringe costume...I wore it when I was 13 years-old! Yes, it is really tight and really short...we sacrifice for fashion though! And I realize the peace sign is upside-down. I like to think of it as an anti-war statement, a cheer for BYU, or cheap and lazy costume makers who know nothing of this world but sequins and cheap lycra.

Reminder...

Come see Foot Poetry do a little dance, make a little fun, get down tonight...TONIGHT!! It's at Mountain View High School in Orem, UT (665 W Center Street) at 8pm. It is a free show so come and enjoy some tappa tappa.

countdown...last day of classes tomorrow, so only a week till I fly home (well, to Jersey).

PS...will it snow already!

Working woman...

I have a job next semester! I will be teaching Dance 135 (beginning tap) at Brigham Young University. I'm super excited. I had meetings this week with the dance department head and my tap advisor to discuss final details. The class I will be teaching has 25 students, a full class. The neatest thing about it is my name is listed in the University Catalog as an instructor...

Pretty neat, huh?

Fakers...

Since leaving amazing CA, I've been in IN-N-OUT craving mood. I was to the point that I was going to jump in my car and drive to Vegas just to eat one. Last night, as I was driving home from my Salt Lake class-I hate physics with a passion-I remembered the copycat IN-N-OUT located just in American Fork. I swung a right off the freeway exit and a-lined to Chadder's.

I've eaten here before, it's curbed my appetite, but something about last nights meal wasn't working for me. First off, don't ask if I want fry sauce with my fries...that's only ruining the experience for me. The fries were bathed in enough oil to take away from the deliciousness of the fresh potatoes; the hamburger was just awful...awful! After taking the last bite, I was not satisfied...I was still hungry! I've learned my lesson...don't trust anything but the real IN-N-OUTs.

Point me home to delicious CA style hamburgers and fries golden IN-N-OUT arrow!

What's skinny...

This is mostly for my family...
When skinny is google searched...these are a couple pictures that come up:

Disgusting Trendy

Inhuman

Now here is a picture of me...to compare:

It's like comparing apples and oranges...apples and oranges.

Jolly Countdown

It always seems that when December rolls around it's one of the busiest months of the year. So for my sake (and yours, if you care)...here's what I'll be doing for the next 31 days...countdown style.

10 days...

Foot Poetry is performing at Mountain View High School in Orem, UT. 8pm...be there to boogie!

11 days..

Last day of classes! I don't think I'll be running with such cheer on my face though...I'll be crying all the way to the library as I go to study for finals.

15 days...

First day of finals...one week of torture. Four finals in three days! I will be sleeping on my books trying to prove the osmosis theory correct.

18 days...

New Jersey here I come! This will be my first white Christmas at my parents house. Something to surely celebrate.

25 days...

Happy Christmas...this means I only have 24 days to buy Christmas gifts. I better get on that.

31 days...

In honor of our first winter on the east coast, my family and 13 other family and friends will be celebrating the new year at the party of all New Years parties. Look for us on TV!

Yep...I'm a New Years Baby! I'll be celebrating my birthday with all of New York City...I'm only guessing, but I think it will be 20 thousand times cooler than at the New Years Eve Stake Youth Dance. I'll I have to do is write it on a poster and wave it like crazy for Dick Clark and I can get twenty seconds of fame (and hopeful fortune).

No better day to start but today...

Boogie Shows

The performance was great! Although we were missing twenty plus people, we disco danced our proudest. Many of the other performers included eleven year olds hip hop dancing to Christmas music in neon spandex shorts, and little eight year olds in a Utah style jazz routine. Dare I say our group of twenty through twenty-five year old adults blended right in. Ten tappers from Foot Poetry with director Colleen West

Only two more days until I sink my teeth into this!

Glory glory!

DiscoMania...

Tap company Foot Poetry is performing Saturday in the Poinsetta Festival located at the Highland Gardens in Highland, Utah. This will be our first performance as a company! If you are free at 3pm and in Utah...come watch! If you happen to have a great disco/70s costume/item of clothing, could I possibly borrow it?

Weekend Update...

It was a movie filled weekend...

Friday, James and Leslie Ewell treated me (Thanks Again Guys!) to the long awaited premier of the newest Bond, James Bond film...Quantum of Solace.

I do love my Bond movies

Other movies of the weekend included:

Anna Faris gets me every time.

A knife to the throat is the only thing that freaks me out. I was peeking through my fingers practically the whole movie.
Nine Months had to be my favorite one of the weekend. If you need a good laugh at some good ol' 1990's film...this is the one. Hugh Grant and Joan Cusack put on a show. It was also nice to see Julianne Moore in a lighthearted movie instead of running around screaming about her missing kids.

If you are looking for a deliciously easy dinner on Sunday I would recommend stuffed crust pizza and blueberry cobbler. Just make sure you have enough string cheese for your crust and don't use old canned flour when making your cobbler. Hint: use a thawed loaf of bread found in the freezer section as your pizza dough and while in the freezer aisle, pick up a bag of your favorite frozen fruit and use it for your cobbler.

The bad news was hearing that Brea had a hot weekend. Fires broke out all over Orange County and a couple of those were in my hometown of Brea, CA. It's been reported that the fields at the high school were burned and many families were evacuated from their homes. It was hard to get a call from my dad asking what I wanted pulled in case of evacuation. There is so much of Brea that I love it was scary to hear of the destruction while 600 miles away.Lucky the Brea fires have been put out, but some still remain in Orange County. Keep them in your prayers.

Baby Mama's a Mama

I know it's really late but this can not go unnoticed. Will Arnett and Amy Pohler's son was born! Archie Arnett! I have ten thousand on this kid being the next greatest Gob character on SNL. I approve of them having more children. Keep it coming funny family...comedy is looking up! The only bad thing about this is Amy is leaving the SNL cast. Too bad she'll be gone before Christmas...my dream of seeing her "Live from New York" just got crushed.

PS...don't drink milk if on Ammoxicillin and Hydroco. You'll end up sleeping on the bathroom floor only to wake up every thirty minutes for three hours on your knees talking to the big white operator.

Scalpel, suture...

Thanks to family genetics and braces I will be going under the knife today for gum surgery. I think I'm going to slip the dentist some candy bars to see if he can throw some special touches in...whitening possibly, or just some vaneers? I'll see what some Snickers Charged can get me. If you need me I'll be cuddled up in bed with my heat lamp on high catching up on Arrested Development probably drugged on vicodin.

Hurry up and make the movie already!

music music

After a busy stressful week (2 papers, 3 tests) I decided to treat myself to a little entertainment.The Spill Canvas was opening for OneRepublic...I just HAD to go! It was well worth it, I got the set list and all! When OneRepublic was performing I almost half expected little David Archuleta to come out and sing Apologize with them...I guess he is a big album artist now, way beyond those American Idol karaoke appearances. Way to go little Archie!Counting down to Thanksgiving in sunny CA!

29 already?

To my dearest older sister...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

love you

So long...

Last week I took the 10 inch challenge and dare I say I survived. OK so there isn't such thing as a 10 inch challenge...I just chopped my hair to 10 inches. I was hoping to donate it to Locks of Love but I think my hairdresser was appalled by the tangles off my head I called hair. She thought I took off about 10 inches. Hey 10 and 10...that means my hair was 20 inches...way too much for me to take care of.

Good bye long lushish locks, we had our good and bad days(more bad than good). Sorry to say it but I don't miss you one bit.

I've been wanted to cut my hair short since I can remember but my awful incident in Jr. High was a constant nightmare. I learned a lesson, don't let your awkward years of not realizing when to stop putting on make-up and how to use hair products hold you back.

ewe...makes me cringe.

Born under unusual circumstances

F. Scott Fitzgerald is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. So I have only read two and a half of his works, but what I've read I've loved. This December one of his short stories is going to be shown on the big screen.

If you have a free day, nay hours, go find a copy of this book and read it. It is full of humor and makes you appreciate life. It is a story of a child named Benjamin Button who is born as an old man and grows young. Mark Twain commented on the story saying, "It's a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worse part at the end."

Gift yourself on Christmas and go see this picture show...great actors, interesting story, fabulous time period...sure to win some gold men. Watch the trailer.