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Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Learning Center

I know I've mentioned it but I don't know if I've officially announced it...

I have a job!

I am the evening receptionist at The Hobble Creek Learning Center in Springville.

I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity and am oh so very grateful for it.

My roles include answering phones, scheduling appointments, sending emails, printing flyers, and watching a couple little kiddos during the extended care hours. 
(The extended care hours part is my favorite. I like to get on the ground and play with the kids rather than just supervise.)

I wish I could take photos of the entire school because the environment is incredible! 
It's so colorful and warm; a perfect atmosphere for the children.
Need to put a child in preschool or Kindergarden? 
Give the center a call!
(Maybe I'll answer the phone!)

Anyway, here are at least a few photos from the front entry way when you walk in: 

What you see as you walk in the door. 
Oh and you see me too!
From the kiddos perspective who play with the toys beside my desk.
From my perspective. What a nice mac!



One of my favorite parts of my area is the big paint pallet and paint brush.
Hobble Creek Learning Center, this is Alex, how may I help you?




Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for a Liebster award! By the one, the only, the prettiest esthetician and yogini, CHELSEA! She's a lov-a-lie newlywed married to Keke's husband's brother. So... we're basically family, right? Right. Go check out her blog HERE.

"Liebster" means dearest in German, and it's awarded, blogger to blogger, to up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  The rules for accepting and giving the award are pretty simple.  Once you accept the award, you just have to do the following in a blog entry:

Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator on her blog
Give 11 facts about yourself
Nominate 5-11 other new, up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers
Make up 11 more questions to pass on to the bloggers you choose to nominate
Thank your nominator by linking back to her blog
Upon your post going live, contact your nominees about your nomination for them


Q: What is your favorite food?
DRIED MANGOS. You know those large packs you buy at Sam's Club? I can easily go through one in less than a day. When I lived in Florida, my Mama would send them to me in her care packages and as much as I would try to savor them... I didn't/couldn't.

Q: What's your favorite clothing item in your closet?
Any and all of my Disney gear. I don't have as much as some people (you know who you are!) but I absolutely adore my Little Mermaid sweatshirt and multiple tee-shirts. They are comfy and remind me of the best time of my life!

Q: What was your favorite class in high school? 
Definitely Dance Company. I had the honor of being on the team for two years, my last year being a co-president and it changed my life. It gave me confidence I never knew I had as well as 26 best friends who I would never have been in the right circles to meet otherwise.

d.co 2009-2010 
d.co 2010-2011
Q: What was your favorite Christmas gift you received? 
A: Christmas 2009. Dano was on her mission and Keke was visiting from New York where she was attending school. My parents gave me my final Christmas gift. I opened it to find a New York calendar. When I opened the calendar to the month of March, I saw a plane ticket. Immediately following, I started crying because I was SO HAPPY. I was going to visit my sister in New York for Spring Break! That was the first time I ever cried tears of joy. I had missed both my sisters so much for those few months, I was so excited I was going to have one on one time with one of them in the coolest city EVER in the near future.

Q: What is one of the oldest memories you have? 
My very first memory is from when I'm 2 or 3. I stole one of my clean, unused diapers from the diaper bag and held it out the window like a parachute. Unfortunately though, I accidentally let it go and so my Mom pulled over and made my big sister pick it up. I can still remember Keke picking it up with absolute disgust because it fell in a muddy puddle! Sorry, Keke.

Q: What is your favorite song right now? 
Right now I la-la-love Wake Me Up by Avicii Feat. Aloe Blacc. Listen to it HERE, it'll get you groovin'!

Q: What is your favorite vacation spot you've been to?
When I was younger my family went to Mendicino, CA. It's near the town where Murder She Wrote was filmed. It's small, quiet, quaint, rainy, and full of deer. We stayed in a cabin called 'Fairy Cabin', I saw Grease for the first time there, and also found my boy doppelganger. What a trip for little girl!

Q: What is your typical daily morning routine? 
Nothing special. Wake up at 5:30am, shower, make-up, hair, outfit, run out the door.

Q: Do you have a life motto you repeat to yourself a lot? What is it?
Sure do. Lots actually! One of them is the following gem: Worry is a misuse of your imagination.

Q: What is your favorite part about yourself? 
Oooh tough. I pretend not to have self-esteem issues but let's be real, who doesn't! One thing I like though is my painted finger nails. I feel nearly impossible with my polished cuticles.

Q: What is your dream job? 
I just had the honor of completing my dream job this past year in Florida... you may or may not know what I'm talking about. I miss it everyday but more than that, I am grateful for it everyday. It was the most incredible experience of my entire life.



Eleven facts about myself: 

1. When I was 16, I attended the end of a friend of a friend's soccer game only to make eye contact with the most handsome young man I had ever seen in MYWHOLEDANGLIFE. Immediately, I was smitten. Through a bizarre series of events (that I'd like to think was fate), 8 months later, we went on our first date and have been inseparable ever since (except for the whole mission thing). FUN FACT: He does not remember meeting me on this toasty September afternoon. Rue!

Our first picture together. Taken June 2010.

2. My absolute favorite TV shows on the history of this PLANET is Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. (Gossip Girl is next though!) I have watched the entire series of those two shows too many times to count. THIS IS A NO JUDGEMENT ZONE.

3. I am so insanely baby hungry IT IS BAD NEWS BEARS. Working with kids this past year, and now in my current job at the learning center makes me want a little muffin of my own so badly. I must resist though, I must resist!

4. My very favorite sport to watch is Baseball. I have lots of fond, fond memories of going to Dodgers baseball games with my Daddy when we lived in So. California.

5. I tend to come up with nicknames for people. Dano, Keke, Curbs, Lala, MP... can't help it. If you get a nickname from me, it's a sign that I'm comfortable around you.

6. When I would play in the parks while living in FL, one of my favorite things to do was meet characters. I had never met a character until March of this year! (6 months after I started working there... embarrassing). But that's actually not the point. The point is that to this day, I still get nervous meeting the lovely ladies of Disney! I know. It does not make ANY sense.

Mary Poppins especially. She told me not to slouch.
7. My ultimate goal in life is to be apart of the SNL cast. However, I'm not an actress, nor am I funny. I also dread improv and can't impersonate anyone sooooooo there's that.

8. I signed up for Oceanography this semester and was super excited about it because I find the sea fascinating but it turned out just to be a bunch of math. (Insert pouty face here). So I quickly transferred out of that and into Art History (--a general I need to complete). I am SO HAPPY I did because Art History is turning out to be one of my favorite classes and has me thinking about an archaeology major.

9. I have a lot of celebrity crushes but my love for Chuck Bass/Ed Westwick reigns supreme. That. Jawline. Those. Cheekbones. Swoon.


10.  I thoroughly enjoy public speaking. It began when I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting on January 1, 2006. Ever since, whether it be at church, at school, or even just theater, I love speaking in front of people. I love the feeling of my heart pounding right before I open my mouth to share my first word. I love the feeling of every single pair of eyes on me. I love the idea of sharing something worthwhile to my fellow human beings. That adrenalin is one of a kind, I tell ya!

11. Crickets at night, turning book pages, keys of a typewriter, skate blades on ice, a bubbling hot tub, crackling fire, airplane silence... Those are a few of my favorite sounds.   

I tag DanoLindsay and Christine. Have fun with the following questions...

Questions for my blogger friends:
1. What is your favorite commercial? (Link please!)
2. Your most awkward date ever was...
3. Who is your favorite Disney princess and why? 
4. Who was your favorite teacher growing up?
5. If you could have any accent in the world, what accent would it be?
6. Have you ever had a re-occurring dream? If so, what was it?
7. What is your favorite color?
8. What is your favorite holiday?
9. Share your favorite joke.
10. What is your favorite movie?
11. What do you want to leave as your legacy on this lovely Earth of ours?

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Hymnbooks (the way they smell).

It's that time again!

Ya know, the time when I take a bunch of selfies on my macbook and send them to the missionary boyfriend on the flash drive. 
To check out last edition of this bad boy, 
you may click HERE if you so desire. 

But this time around it went a little like this:
































And then I tell him how grateful I am for his fabulous missionary service and all that jazz.
Hey, don't forget to write him if you feel so inclined!
He may not have time to write back but I'm sure he'd love to hear from ya!

Elder Curtis Daniel Killpack
New York New York North Mission
700 White Plains Rd Suite 315
Scarsdale, NY 10583-5013

SEE YA IN 298 DAYS, CURBS.
XXX


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Happy birthday, Pluto!

Oh, Pluto, my dear doggie friend, Happy birthday!!!

You, aside from Brannigan and Waffles, are the cutest doggy pal there is. 


I miss you, bud. 


Ironic how exactly one year ago today my adventure with you began. 
Is irony the right word?

Perhaps it's more like fate.


Love you, puppy!



Videos courtesy of Papa, when he and Dano visited Goofy and Pluto at Dinoland in Animal Kingdom back in October.

Thank you, Papa!