I did it again...

My hair is almost ALL GONE!

SOOOO..I decided to get it cut & colored before school begins.

Here's how it all started:

ME: "Could you do it like you did last time, only make it a bit darker in color?"

Her: "Well, what was it exactly that I did last time?"

ME: "You know, kind of A-lined, stacked in the back, not TOO short, but longer in the front, and a little off-the-shoulders-ish."

Her: "Oh yeah! Ok, that will look good. Now, you said you wanted to go dark, right? How about a little red in it, too? That will look great!"

ME: "Sure! I love reds! I trust you, so just do whatever you think would be best!"

So...here you have it! 2 hours and 2 1/2 inches later...not exactly what I expected, but nonetheless...
So what do I think about it now?

1. I AM still getting used to it, so I'll let you know in a day or two.

2. Little darker than I expected, although I like the redish tones in it!

3. WAAAAY shorter than I expected.

4. It'll grow out fast...always does!!

5. I HATE the way it smells after it is freshly colored! yuck!

Wonderful time of year

This is one of my favorite times of year...and no, it's not because of the weather!

I like it because...

school is over

spending time with friends & family

peaches (and other fruits) are in ripe & yummy

SunShine

swimming

Beaches

Getting a tan

Memories of one of my favorite days

Loads of beautiful lily pads

Visiting Historic Nauvoo

- - - - -

Yes, Steven & I recently celebrated our 2nd Anniversary. It's our little tradition to go to Nauvoo, attend the temple, see the sights, get eaten by bugs, and just sit and "get away" in a small town.

We did a few things for the first time on this trip:

-eat at the most talked out buffet of the Nauvoo Inn. The salad bar is pretty shabby, but the "hot bar" was something to speak of...fried chicken, lobster, fish, delicious cinnamon rolls, casseroles, and freshly cut meats...yummy yummy!

- we drove down Parley Street and read through lots of the names of the pioneers that died on the trek out west. It was amazing to see that there were literally thousands of names!

Well, we didn't take lots of pictures, but I'll post a few to share of our trip. Most of these were made by my "auto-pilot" function on the camera, so they aren't great quality or anything, but hey--they are pictures, right?!?!?!

1. Here we are, relaxing at the Hampton Inn, in Keokuk, Iowa. We had just checked in, and decided to snap a shot before heading up to Nauvoo to do some shopping!

2. I told you...I LOVE lily pads. Seriously, they are my favorite plant. I'd never seen them in person before, until I went to Nauvoo. The road to Nauvoo is right by the river, and you can see these lining the highway for about 10 miles or so. So beautiful, and well worth the trip!

3. Ok, so this area was roped off, and there were bugs EVERYWHERE! Steven was getting nervous that someone would come by and we'd get in trouble (I don't know if you were really supposed to get up in the wagon), but I needed a picture of me in one. So, here it is! Vio-la!

4. Seriously, it took us 10 minutes to get this shot! It was so hot outside, and I didn't have a great place to sit. So, this is the best one...please ignore the messy hair and rolls. Gotta love pics by the river!

5. Souvenirs. Every year, for our anniversary I wanted to get something memorable. Something that would be useful...something that wouldn't rust, die, or collect dust just sitting on a shelf. This has become one of our favorite traditions in Nauvoo--shopping from store to store, trying to find the "perfect" gift for ourselves. Last year, we couldn't find one BIG gift for us, so we decided on two separate smaller gifts, and this year we did the same.

For me, I bought the above...three little iron stars. I will use them to decorate the walls of my home. Haven't decided exactly where yet, but I'm excited to put them some place special. As for Steven, he purchased the book below. He LOVES reading, and has already been caught flipping through the pages.

And there you have it...for better or for worse, our weekend in a nutshell (or blog post, if you will). Hope your weekend was fun!

New Shampoo

Introducing....

Aveeno Natural Shampoo & Conditioner.

I really enjoy trying new Shampoos.  Maybe I'm even addicted. It seems like everytime I get a new haircut (which I need to do soon), I try a new shampoo.  The kind I just finished using was Bath & Body Works.  I REALLY like their hair care products as well, but they were not on sale this week, so I went to Wal-Mart to check out their selection.

I browsed the isle for quite some time, sniffing and smelling the many varieties they have. This one was the first one that caught my attention, and it's the one I ended up purchasing. I've been using it for 2 days now, and my hair has NEVER been so soft and luscious looking!

The smell...refreshing!

The before & after...amazing!

Try it!  You won't be disappointed!

Love that Hair Video

So, today in my Writing class, we got to spend some quality time in the computer lab. You see, we each have various writing lessons we have to present, and for today's class, we actually got to go and play around in the computer lab. Anyway, we had a pattern poem today called "LOVE THAT" and we filled in the blank.

Well, it's not the BEST creation I've ever finished, but HEY--it was fun. And so, I thought I'd share it with you!

First...the poem!
- - - - - -
LOVE that hair!
Like a pig loves to stink.
I said I love that hair
Like a pig loves to stink.
Love to call it in the mornin'
Love to call it in the night.
I say "Hey there hair!"
- - - - - - -

And now...for the debut of the coolest & most outrageous video EVER:

Oh....I....Wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner

C'mon now....join in with me in singing the HOT DOG national anthem:

"Oh...I...wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner

'cuz that is what I'd truly like to be.

For, if I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner

then everyone would be in love with me!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Seriously...I used to know a lady who drove a beat-up old van, and everytime we'd ride with her somewhere in it, and see anything related to a hot dog, she'd salute and sing the song.  Ahhhh...such memories...LOVE it!  

I have actually been past one of their cooporate factories (I guess that's what you call them) and it was really cool.  And yes, I put my hand to my forehead and sang the song out loud!  It was run!

I also had an experience about a year ago, where one of their prized Weinermobiles (did you know they had a contest several years ago where you could win a day to use the Weinermobile and there were about 20,000 entries?)...anyway, it was parked in a local motel parking lot here in Central Missouri. I again, saluted, sang, and thought seriously about going and parking myself beside the automobile until someone came out to let me take a tour inside.

Some fun facts about the weinermobile: (bet you didn't know these...)

1.  In 2007, a Weinermobile driver in Wisconsin was arrested. He had a license plate that said "yummy" on it, and the plate was allegedly stolen. Well, the policeman forgot to look at the fine detail...it said it was a stolen license plate ONLY if it was not attached to a weinermobile.

2.  Again, in 2007, a Weinermobile was towed on Chicago's famous "Magnificent Mile" for parking in a "no parking" zone. It's license plate said "WEENR" (I wonder if that is in texting language, or if someone can't spell correctly in the corporate office).

3.  On July 17th (yes...just 3 days ago), a Weinermobile crashed into a home in Wisconsin. The driver thought she was going in reverse...and after slamming on the gas (and not hitting the brake quick enough), rammed into a house destroying a garage and ruining the home foundation.  Here is a picture of the mishap:

Fun facts about the Weinermobile drivers:

1.  They are refered to as hotdoggers (no, I didn't make that up, either).

2.  There are seven Wienermobiles in existence currently, with each assigned a part of the country. The hotdogger position of driving the Wienermobile is an open position to U.S. citzens and the duration of the job lasts for one full year: from the first of June until the following first of June.

3.  Each vehicle only holds two hotdoggers.

4.  Both current hotdoggers and Oscar Mayer recruiters visit college campuses across the country in search of the next round of hotdoggers.Only college seniors who are about to graduate are eligible for applying to this hotdogger position.

5.  Currently there are about 500 hotdogger alumni.

Summer so far...

Well, kiddos...I haven't been on here in a LOOOOONG while, I know! I've just been in the summer rut...and life has been full of meaningless activities. Ok, so a few things have been grand and meaningful, but mostly...just random things to take up time and fill my day with joy.

So, here's my list of summer "fun":

1. Summer school has ended! That was over and done a little over two weeks ago. Now, I stay up until really late (last night was 3:30am...tonight it's already 1:30am). I work on school projects (Steven's at work, so I don't feel so guilty) or just play games on the computer or Wii.

2. Not taking a shower until LATE. This is something that I love doing. I'm not really sure why, either. When I think about it, I feel gross and wonder why in the world I continue to do it. So don't freak out...I just sleep in until 10 (and sometimes 11), work, play, then shower around 3 or 4. Nice, I know!

3. Games, games, games. I am really addicted, ya'll. I just bought a plane ticket to visit my sister and nephews who are in Texas right now and will be leaving in T-minus-two-weeks. And I don't know what I'll do without my favorites: Biggest Loser Challenge, Luxor, Pyramid, Mario Kart, Super Mario 3, & Guitar Hero World Tour. Most of the first games are addicting games on King.com. You can challenge others and play in tournaments. You get "jewels" for playing...I have 998, and I'm still not sure what you actually do with the things. Ya...and you thought facebook applications (farming, scrabulous, bumper stickers, etc) was dumb!

5. Sewing. (the picture above is the actual one I'm working on) This is something my mother taught me to do when I was little...simple cross-stitch stuff. When I got back from Chile, I wanted a really HARD one to do, and something that I'd frame and hang in my home. Well, folks...I can guarantee that it's been hard...so difficult that I only take it out once a year, if that. I hope to finish it by the time school starts back. However, I'm not sure how much longer I can do it...my neck aches, my fingers are tender from being poked so many times, and my butt cheeks hurt from sitting for so long!

6. School. As far as my online Linguistics class goes, I only have my final research paper to complete and the final exam. I've finished the book, done the online posts, and watched the videos and typed up my commentaries...Cha-Ching! So, I don't have much more to go. Next week, I start a one-week intensive writing class. We are supposed to write for at least one hour each night, and bring in stuff to share/edit in writing groups. I've vowed to work on my blog some during that time, and rant and rave about all sorts of cool stuff...so get ready, 'cuz it's sure to be interesting!

Well...that's about it, I guess. I'm off to play a few rounds of Pyramid before I go to bed, then to call Steven and see if he'll sing me a "good-night" song like he did last night.

*I'm so overworked*

Two sweet boys

These are two of my nephews, Sione & Filipe. They are Marlena's boys. They are so adorable, and they live in Arizona...too far away for me to see on a daily basis. Once in a while, I get to talk with them on the phone, but all we talk about is the "zoon" (zoo), "spida-man" (you know what THAT is), and what they ate for dinner.

I love these boys and wish they lived closer so I could hang out with them more often.

Your Aunt T loves you, boys!

Sione:

Filipe:

Put both of them together &
what a pair of handsome boys!