What Makes Me Uncomfortable?

Day 3: Things that make you uncomfortable

In no particular order, I made a list. If you knew nothing about me at all, after reading this list it's obvious that I am a shy, introverted person!

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What makes me uncomfortable?

Large crowds

Conversations with people I barely know

Attention on me

When women show their underwear, bra straps, other undergarments and couldn't care less

Speaking in front of people

Driving in the mountains

Being in a room where I don't know anyone and I'm expected to mingle

Did I mention attention on me? I really, really don't like it. I think I'm the opposite of most women on that point. Just thinking about a bridal shower or a baby shower where ever just sits and stares at me as I open gifts makes me uncomfortable.

(I am on a road trip for work and posting from my phone....sorry for the quality!)

The Art of Sleeping In

Day Two: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at

Today I am going to educate you on the art of sleeping in. This is something I am quite good at....especially if C is on a roadtrip and gone for a few days!

To begin, prepare the room.  It is best if it is very dark, very quiet and quite cool. Dark curtains are best. Blackout curtains are even better, especially if they provide a second layer to your already dark curtains. Make sure there are no other lights in the room.  Bright alarm clock numbers are usually a culprit for this.  It is best to cover them up with a dark washcloth, so as to still be able to uncover and see the time if needed.  Temperature is very important.  A drop in temperature when you are going to bed helps your body quickly sleep into a state of sleep.  Also, just in case, make sure there is a glass or bottle of water on your night stand so no trips to the kitchen in the middle of the night are needed.

Next, prepare yourself. For pajamas, I find clothes that are too baggy to be difficult to sleep in.  Any tossing or turning causes them to become tangled and tighten around your body.  Clothes like this can also get stuck underneath you, causing you to become uncomfortable and wake up.  Stick with clothing that is tighter to your body….if you must wear clothing at all ;)  Another good idea, especially if you share a room with someone, is ear plugs.  I find the best to be the wax kind that can be molded to your ear. 

Finally, lay down and try to go to sleep.  If you need help, I find a movie that you have already seen is good to watch. But make sure you turn off the TV before you completely fall asleep!  You don’t want to wake up to it in the middle of the night.  For readers, I find this to be the best trick.  Usually I can only read a few pages before I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

If you wake up in the middle of the night or earlier than you wish in the morning, make sure to try to will yourself back to sleep.  Don’t get up.  Don’t move around a lot.  Certainly don’t open your eyes and look at the time or your cell phone.  This will cause your body to go into wake-up mode!

Good luck and happy sleeping!

Blog Every Day in May: A Challenge....Day 1

Ok so I am going to try my best at this....but there's no guarantee I am going to stick it through :)  I'm hoping the set topics will be a big help.  I know I don't post as often as I should and I think this will really be a good thing for me!

  Day 1 - The story of your life in 250 words or less

Born February 7, 1984 in Phoenix, Arizona.  Dance class at age 3.  Brother Shay, at age 3 ½.  Still Dancing.  Voted on homecoming court freshman year. High school varsity pom 3 years.  Still dancing.  First job at In N Out. Graduated in top 5% of 750+ class in May 2002. Still dancing.  Began working at a bank. Still dancing, in the company at a separate community college. Graduated college with a Bachelor’s in International Business in December 2004. Still working at the bank. Graduated college with another Bachelor’s degree (Accounting) in 2008. Quit dancing. Still working at the bank. Moved out and bought first home in 2009. Met the love of my life in 2012. Celebrated 10 years at the bank in 2013. Contemplating engagement, marriage and family!

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Eeeek!  So C and I went RING shopping! 

He has been saying for months that he would have proposed if he had a ring…but has done nothing about it. So finally I just gave him a little nudge J

I had mentioned a while back that if he got me a ring at an outlet store I wouldn’t mind one bit.  I mean why not?  That’s a bigger, prettier ring for a cheaper price! That’s definitely a win in my book.

Last weekend as we were headed out to Disneyland I suggested stopping by the Helzberg Diamond’s outlet store that is on the other side of town from us (and on the way out of town).  I was sooooo nervous going in. Obviously I have never done this, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I was really unsure of how C would act/feel as well.

We were both pretty quiet and I began showing the sales person what I liked while C just stood around and watched.  As we chatted with her though, he began to open up a tiny bit. When she told me to try one on though, I felt so awkward.  I kept looking at C’s face to see if he was freaking out inside, because I definitely was!  He didn’t seem to be though.  I know exactly what I want, so it was a pretty quick stop.  He made sure to have her write everything down on the one that was my favorite so he could find it again.  Cuteness.

After we got back from California, I suggested we maybe try some other stores.  I wasn’t sure what Helzberg’s prices were compared to other stores, so I thought it was worth a shot. I also thought it would be nice to show him several I liked in different places and then let him choose which one he’d like to get me.

I found out there were several other outlet jewelry stores in a mall nearby, so last Saturday we went there.  The first store we stopped (Kay Jeweler’s) had my dream ring. It was by Neil Lane, so I automatically assumed it was super expensive (I DO watch the Bachelor haha) and turned down the offer to try it on.  The sales woman pushed me a little and so I did.  I was shocked when I looked at the price tag and it was in our budget!!! We got all of the information once again and headed to a few more stores.

We went to a few other stores and it was cute to see that C had learned exactly what I wanted. He kept telling the sales people, “princess cut, white gold, and halo.”  He is a fast learner hehe. I found things that I liked in the other stores, but the first ring still seemed to be the one to beat.  It was also cheaper than all of the others that I found.  Before we left the mall, C wanted to go back in there to see how long the sale on the ring lasted.  He has until Mother’s Day, just a few short weeks away!

After that day, he hasn’t stopped talking about it. I think all he needed was that little nudge!  He is telling everyone about our plans and seems so comfortable with everything.  My guess is he was just so clueless about the process that he didn’t even know where to start, so he didn’t start.  I’m quite happy I put the bug in the ear J

I can’t wait to give more updates on this!!!

Happiest Place on Earth

C had a game Saturday and doesn't have another until Sunday so he has a extra day off this week. I suggested we take a mini vacay and he was up for it. I let him choose between Northern AZ, Vegas, or California/Disneyland. Since C is awesome and he loves me, he chose the last one. I have been talking about going to Disneyland for months. It really is one of my happy places!

Thankfully I was able to get some time off from work, so we left mid-day Sunday. We spent most of the day at the park today. I was pretty bummed because several of the major rides (Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad) were closed for refurbishment. Not cool! It really wasn't as fun without those rides since I usually ride them multiple times.

C hasn't been to Disneyland since he was maybe 7, so I was excited to show him everything. We had a lot of fun, but now my feet are killing me!

Next up, the beach!

A Lovely Blog Hop

Joining a new blog hop!  Can't wait to meet some new lovely ladies!

Who Needs Pinterest?

So up until C and I moved to the new apartment we didn't have an actual bed....just a mattress on the floor.  Lame right?  I felt like I was living in some dude's college dorm haha. I decided when we moved that I would do something about it!  I created my own custom headboard....without the help of pinterest!

I went to a store we have here that sells old and/or used furniture from major hotels like Holiday Inn and Marriott.  First, I picked out a metal frame for our king sized bed.  Mattress off the flooe? Check! Next my mom and I searched around until I found a headboard I liked. It was $30.  I brought it home and went to work!

All of the furniture in our place is black, so I knew I wanted to paint it.  First I primed it.  I decided not to paint the back since no one would see it, so I just primed the edges and the front.  Then I had to wait 24 hours before I could paint again.

Next, I did two coats of the black.  This took a little while because I had to wait 24 hours in between coats.  I also had to wait until someone was available to help me move it, because let me tell you, that darn thing was heavy! I think it was solid oak. I decided I wanted to do fabric panels in the big rectangle areas, so I chose not to paint that part.  I wasn't sure how I'd attach the panels, so I didn't want to paint the whole thing. I didn't want to end up attaching something and then pulling up the panels and having an uneven paint splotch mess.

Next, I gathered up supplies for the panels.  I used cardboard I found laying around the house, some quilting batting (make sure its batting, not stuffing), a glue gun and a stapler.  Oh and this awesome fabric I had found that looks like leather....but is much cheaper and softer!

I glued the batting on the front of the cardboard, then covered it with the fabric.  I flipped over the panel and glued the fabric down on the back.  It wasn't tight at all, so I decided to use a basic stapler to pull the fabric tighter and attach it. Gotta use what you got!

 Next I attached the panels to the headboard.  I was going to velcro them down so I could easily switch them out if I wanted, but ultimately decided to just nail them down. I put a teeny tiny nail in each of the four corners. You can barely see them in the picture, but they are white.  It's all I could find at the time.  I ended up painting the top of each nail with a tiny drop of black paint to hide them.

Next was the hardest part....I added nail head trim. That stuff isn't too cheap....but thankfully I had a couple of 50% off coupons for JoAnn Fabrics. I cut the trim into strips (one for each side) and then nailed them down.  It was very difficult to get straight, so you just have to go slowly.  I only gently nailed them in at first so I could adjust if I needed to, then I pounded that stuff in!  I still didn't get the bottom completely straight (thats the side I did last) but I figured it would be covered by the bed and/or pillows anyways.

Here's the final product! I love how it turned out and I am so proud of it. I think I spent about $75 on the entire thing from start to finish.  Not too shabby for a custom headboard!  I didn't look at pinterest (or any other site for that matter) once.  I just came up with this in my head and figured out a way to do it :)

Here it is up in our bedroom.  This is a terrible picture because the room has terrible lighting.  We have one lamp on one side table.  Geez thanks furniture rental company.  Maybe that should be my next task....creating my own side tables!