The Walking Dead

Robert and I started watching The Walking Dead again last night after a long hiatus. This was mostly because Erika had posted how much she liked it, and then I was surprised to find out that Kurt likes it as well. Who knew! So I thought that I would start it up again. I had only seen episode 1, so we continued with episodes 2 and 3 last night.

Honestly, I don't think I've been hooked. There aren't really any interesting characters that have drawn me in so far, and it looks like it's just another zombie movie, drawn out over a couple seasons. What's funny is that most of the characters that we've come across so far are ones that I am totally fine getting knocked off. Maybe without that connection I'm just not getting the draw of the show.

I think I'm going to watch other things instead. TWD just hasn't done it for me.

Utah Tickets

We got our tickets for Utah! Robert and I will be flying down there April 21^st-25^th for my cousin Tasia’s wedding. I’m really looking forward to it! I’ll get to spend time with my mom, see friends, see family, and show Robert around. I’ll show him the temple grounds, maybe go shopping, go to a used bookstore in Bountiful that I like, wander downtown. The last few times that I’ve been to UT the sidewalk chalk festival was going on at the downtown outdoor mall, so I should check when that’s happening. There are some really talented people out there!

We’re staying with my mom, which makes sense money wise. No need to get a hotel if I have family there. My dad will be abroad in Europe, so I won’t be seeing him. Otherwise I wouldn’t be going, in all honesty. He cut me out of his life when he found out that Robert and I were living together. Not a peep from him since, even when he came up from Utah for my brother’s homecoming. So it’ll actually be enjoyable/possible with my father gone. I don’t know if Robert and I will have another chance of visiting my Mom in UT any time in the next long while.

I want to have some of the classic dinners from when I lived with my parents at our Salem house. Home-made pizza, shells and curry. Mmm. I miss my mom’s home-made cooking! It’s been a while since I’ve had it. The last time that I was there they were doing the diabetes cooking regimen for my dad, so there weren’t any of the classics. Of course we’ll go out for Thai food at least once, and then we’ll probably make no-bakes as well. They are the best cookies in the WORLD.

Erika will most likely come down from BYU-I and Gerrit said that he might visit from Stayton. Kurt has a camping trip with the priests quorum that he is serving with, so that interferes with UT plans. So a couple of siblings will be there, but even if it’s just Robert, my mom and me we’ll still have a good time. Cooking, see new things, board games, card games, etc.

I’m very much looking forward to it! Not only for the reasons listed above, but because vacations are nice. I will get to be away from work, out of my normal routine and have a break from stuff back in Portland. :D 

New & Old Roomie

Today I did weights (arms) and then 1 hr of cardio. After going home to help my new roomie move in then I am going to go back and do another hour of cardio. So today will be 2 hours of cario and weights.

Speaking of the new roomie, she's moving in today. The old one moved out, which is a huge relief. The irony is that I wanted things to work out with her but everyone told me I shouldn't move in with her. Every single mutual friend that we had together told me that she was bad news bears but I thought "Maybe she's matured. Maybe it will be different than she's left every other living situation that she's had." Unfortunately not. Everyone told me that it would ruin our friendship and that it was a mistake, but I didnt listen. Now we are no longer friends and she's moved out early. Am I sad? Not about her moving out. It's a huge relief actually. I am sad, though, that our friendship is over. We have years and years of history together. 10 years to be exact.

She said that she "couldnt take" living there any longer with how the living situation was. I am not really sure what she was talking about and when I asked her to explain she just got angry. I don't play music, I didnt have people over (thats what happens when you have no furniture!), I dont keep odd hours, I am very clean, I provided all the kitchen utensils and appliances, I drove her to and from work on many occasions and never asked (or received) any gas money, I cleaned up after her... I'm not really sure what she found fault in. And I didnt rub cleaning up after her in her face either.

Let's take for example when I went to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. When I left the trash was almost full. And let me preface the beginning of this story with the fact that the old roomie had taken out the trash all of three times with the year that we lived there. I came back from vacation and the trash was overflowing. There were dirty dishes in the sink. The cats had not been fed or watered. The mail had not been checked. The apt had not been cleaned in any way. I vacuumed, washed the counters, did the dishes, checked the mail, fed and watered the cats and straightened up. When I ran into "X" in the hallway I said "X, do you mind taking out the trash? I think it's your turn."

Reminders:

1. The times X has taken out the trash could be counted on one hand.

2. I had been on vacation, meaning that I hadnt even been contributing to the trash.

3. Nothing else had been done in the apt.

4. I cleaned up everything else in the apt without mentioning anything.

5. I asked in a nice way for something that I shouldnt even have to ask about.

So you would assume that X would take out the trash right? Bahaha. Apparently, in "X language", what I did was an assault on her and meant I was attacking her viciously. Ensue meltdown and anger from her side.

Now, someone could argue that I had created an environment where I enabled her to be lazy. True? Absolutely. The fact of the matter was that I really didnt mind cleaning up after her and keeping the house in order. I don't splash bleach over the walls and vacuum every night; I just like it when there isnt garbage on the floor (like there was when I got home). So when I asked her to do something small, in a nice way, apparently that was such a departure from what she was expecting that that meant she needed to react in the way she did.

This is something that was the straw that broke the camels back for her. Me giving her rides, cleaning the apt and keeping quiet in my room was something that drove her away. I was out of control, right? I'm not saying we didnt have other issues. There was the fact that she hadnt paid the PGE bill in 6 months when I paid all the other bills. They were supposed to even out to about $50 each month so she took care of that and I did the other utilities. There was the fight about when she "forgot" to change the cat litter when I went on vacation even though I specifically asked her to and one of the cats ended up having a mess in the living room (which I cleaned up). There was the issue of when she insisted on being my date for Kurt's wedding and then decided not to go but didnt tell me until I was walking out the door to go to the temple (and I had to ask her instead of her coming to me). So it's not like this was her moving out over a bag of trash. It was a lot of little things.

I'm happy to see her go. I don't want to have to call and make sure the bills are paid each month. When someone says "I paid the bill" I expect that to be the truth. I don't want to have to walk on eggshells all the time. I don't want someone that only talks to me when they want rides, then never offer (even once) to chip in for gas or say "thank you". I want someone that helps out sometimes with cleaning. It will be nice to have someone that isn't volatile and angry all the time.

So the new roomie moves in tonight. I'm excited and relieved. For sure.

I'm back from NYC! I absolutely loved it. There was so much to do and see. We didnt have any down time and there's always something to check out. There were also tons of people, which is awesome for a feeling of anonymity and so much opportunity for people watching. I'm definitely a people watcher no matter where I go, but in NYC it's inspiring because of all the fashion. I love seeing how differently everyone dresses and there's such an eclectic mix. I got home at 2:40AM-ish this morning and then started errands today before heading to Salem. The madre, Kurt, Emily and I are going to go out for Thai food and then tomorrow I am learning how to drive my new auto. I'm way stoked to learn how to drive stick. I havent done it before but I hope I will pick it up fast. This is a good weekend!

Pap and my Car

I was at home for Kurt’s wedding this weekend and enjoyed hanging out with my family. I was really surprised when my parents told me that they were taking my car in to get it taken care of. Apparently my tires were super bald to the point that they were dangerous. And it needed an oil change. And it was my Dad that suggested all of it. I don’t know where that came from. Usually we don’t really even talk, much less him suggesting that they take care of my car. So he had all the tires replaced, a diagnostic ran and then the oil changed. It was pretty awesome. I think that it might have been prompted by me talking about taking a road trip down to Las Vegas with Katy for her birthday in a week and a half. Or maybe it was him seeing my tires. Either way, go Pap!

Here's another that was just uploaded of Em. I think it's beautiful. You can't tell in this photo, but the dress actually has a layer of loose lace over all of it that has patterns of large flowers on it. I should have gotten a close up of that. I actually thought about doing that but got caught up in taking other photos, being in photos, greeting people, etc. The day went by in a whirlwind, but I bet it was nothing compared to what Kurt and Emily were dealing with!

Kurt and Emily had their wedding and reception today. It was so beautiful. I cannot wait to see the photos! This is the only professional one that I've seen so far, but the wedding did just happen today so I am not surprised at all. I know that those things take a long time. I will have to write more on the wedding and reception soon.

Kurt and Em signed for an apt today! That's really exciting. Everyones moving! Pap is already down in Utah and Kurt is moving out to Stayton here in the next little bit. Then Mom is moving as soon as the house sells. The appraiser comes this week so they are making a list of everything that needs to be done.

In other news, theres only a week left of the term. I am way happy about that! I think I am going to do an accelerated summer class which is only one week for 4 psychology credits. Not bad at all, especially considering its an upper division course. I am officially a senior credit wise, but I will feel like one when this term gets over. Just one more year left until my BS!

Best Man

Kurt asked me to be his best man!

I'm super excited about this. Being a best man has been on my bucket list forever and I want to be involved in the wedding. Plus it's a big honor. I didn't think that he would pick me since I can't actually attend the wedding portion of the day (since it will be in the Temple and I don't have a recommend). I thought he would ask our friend Bronson instead but I guess I made the cut.

He brought it up when I was visiting Salem on Wed for a late Mothers Day lunch with my Mom. I swung by the house to visit for a little bit and he said "You know, the best man is going to have to do a speech at my reception." I was like "..Ok?" And he was like "Well, what are you going to say?" I was like "You're picking me as your best man?!" He insisted on getting a sword from the library upstairs and dubbing me "best man" in the kitchen. Yes, it was a real sword. A three foot long saber. I guess a lot of people found that funny when I put it on facebook. I just think that's normal to have. My Dad has all sorts of interesting stuff in the library.

So the position is pretty much ceremonial since the bride and her half of the party are taking care of the wedding stuff and Kurt wants to do his Bachelors party himself. I think he's afraid of what I would come up with. Ceremonial positions are my favorite! haha. So I am wearing a tie that is tied in with the wedding colors. It's a yellow-gold combo. Not my best colors but I guess most people will be focusing on the bride there. Unless I can help it. ;) ...Juuuuust kidding.

Parentals moving

So the good news keeps on coming this week. I'm being facetious when I say that, although it is good news is some respects.

My Dad got a job at the family history center in Salt Lake with the Church. He moves *drumroll* at the end of this month on the 29th. Thats only a few weeks away! My Mom is going to stay back in Salem until the house is sold and then she will be following him down there.

I know that this is good news because my Dad has gotten a job that he's always wanted. The part that is bad news is that I am a little selfish and don't want my Mom to move away. I won't be able to come down and see her anymore and go out to our fav Thai place. Or come down and do crafts for a weekend. I know SLC isn't like Zimbabwe. I'll be able to come down and visit and I'm sure that she will come up from time to time. It's just that its a pretty major change and the house in Salem is the one that I've really grown up in. And I personally would not like to live in Utah. I think anyone that knows me would know that right off the bat. I am liberal and progressive and I would not mesh well there.

My Mom is one of 14 and 8 of her siblings live down there, plus her parents as well. So my Mom will be surrounded by a lot of her family. Immediate family wise, I will stay in Portland and Kurt is moving out to Stayton (just a bit outside of Salem in Oregon) to be with Emily. Gerrit is on his mission and then Erika is at BYU so when she gets home from school she will be going to Utah. So just my parents and Erika will actually make the move there.

I'm happy for them but sad I wont be close anymore. Big changes happening!

So I went to dinner last night to Berbati's with some friends and then we went out afterward. The dinner and going out was a lot of fun but there were two things that I wasn't super excited about that happened:

A. The guy that I am crushing on (we shall call him "B") told me that he usually goes for more masculine guys.

We met last week and then had a date at Fat Straw on 23rd a few days later. We also have a date for Tuesday where I am treating him to fondue at the Rheinlander (happy hour) since it's his birthday. I ran into him last night and we got to texting and he said that he was unsure about what he was thinking because he is usually attracted to guys that are more masculine. That makes sense because everyone has their preferences. I do, of course. I just think it's too bad because he is cute and fun and has his life together. I don't feel bad that I am effeminate at all because that's just who I am. I guess we shall see how the fondue date goes with B, though it doesn't seem like it will go anywhere.

B. I wore a trench coat last night that I had to take off when we went out dancing. I didn't really want to but it was too hot in there and it would have looked weird if I would have kept it on. I felt like a stuffed sausage. When I asked my friend "Does this make me look fat?" he responded "Well... Everyone has different body types and its different for everyone what fat means."

Ugh.

And the dieting begins. Again. I have fallen off the wagon on that lately with how busy i've been but now I am going to go hardcore. I think it is fascinating how some people have never worried about weight. Like they don't think about it. That is so foreign to me. I have always thought about it. Food, weight, the scale, numbers, calories. It's always been something that I think about since early high school. Kurt (my bro) said it isn't something that he ever thinks about. He just eats when he is hungry and has food that tastes good. I know that jealousy and envy are poisonous but I cant help feeling green about that. It's so... odd. I wonder if I will have that one day? My Mom told me one time that people eat when they are hungry and then pretty much forget about it from that point forward. They don't keep food logs or run over the food in their heads from the day. I think thats very cool. I just can't seem to do that.

Summer Plans

I am really looking forward to this summer! I have a lot of things coming up, including a lot of traveling.

Travel plans:

Utah: June 18th-22nd [with Mom]
Las Vegas: July 8th-11th [for Katy's birthday. We are going to party it up!]
NYC: July 21st-28th [with Kelsey, Caitlin and Horizon]

Events:

Kurt's wedding: June 24th
Britney Spears Concert: June 28th

Plus I can't wait to lay out by my pool and tan and read. That's probably one of my favorite activities in the world. Plus there are beach trips in my future as well. :)

Kurt and Emily

I can't believe that Kurt and Emily's wedding is only two months away! I will have a sister-in-law. Craziness, right? It's not like she will stand out at all - she's blonde and tall so she looks like a Juengling already. haha.

This is a picture that Em put up on her fb today, so I'm not sure if it's one of their engagement shots. Either way it's a cute one of them!

I'm a little sad that I won't be able to actually be at the wedding. Erika won't be able to go in either because she isn't old enough to have had her endowments and Gerrit is on his mission, so none of the other kids will be there. If everyone was able to go in to the temple to see them get married besides me the sting would hurt a lot, but since none of the other kids will be there I guess it's fine. My Mom and Dad will be in with him and maybe a few close friends since no other immediate family members can join. It's sort of weird that he is going to be getting married and I won't see it. I'm taking the day off work though so I'll go to the temple to take pictures before and after the ceremony and then at the reception that evening. I'm looking forward to seeing the dress and to see who are bridesmaids, etc. I love weddings!