Sunday Funday

You better believe I was baking today on my "Sunday Funday". It was definitely what I needed. I love being able to see my work when I'm done and eat it too of course. ;) A few different things crossed my mind today throughout my adventure:

1. The ladies who blog recipes must clean their kitchens before they photograph their food, or they probably shove everything to the other side of the counter while they do it. I made attempts and decided it's just not worth the work. haha

2. I think I want to start a blog that's about my crafts and my ridiculously awesome baking skills. (This obviously means I have too much time on my hands.)

3. I am SO glad the refs are back! Last week I felt like this ...

So anyways back to the baked goods, both recipes I found today were from Pinterest and neither of them took very long but they are both delicious :) I'm going the put the recipes on my new blog.

These cute babies loved all the aromas that were coming from the kitchen and they just couldn't stay away. They may be naughty, but they're so cute!

Side note: Did anyone else see the premiere of 'Once Upon a Time'? I was SO disappointed.

XOXO,

Tash

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's day two of my favorite season. The colors, the smells, the crisp air, oh and did I mention the colors? ;) Today we went on a drive as a family. The leaves are so amazingly bright this year.

So I figured it was time for an update of big recent events.

1. Back to the good ole' SLCC. - I love my classes, but hate the homework.

2. Moved back home. - There are SO many people in this house, it definitely a change and I miss my independence.

3. Started a new job as an orderly at IHC in their surgical center. I see some gnarly stuff, but I LOVE it.

4. I totaled my mothers car. I was making a left hand turn and I had a car hit me, who was speeding immensely. The back axle was ripped completely off. It was quite the experience. Luckily everyone was okay. The scariest part was that the air bags didn't go off, and they definitely should have. And if I would have been in my Jeep I would have without a doubt been dead.

5. My dog has become a terror. He is digging ALL over the yard and he's been jumping the fence. It's such an adventure raising a child haha. It's a good thing he's so cute. If any of you know tips for digging I would LOVE to hear them!


XOXO,
Tash

I Dream of Fiji

So I woke up a little broken hearted this morning.

I woke up only to realize that I was not in one of the best places on earth.

 I was stuck in my crummy apartment.

You see, I had been dreaming about Fiji.

And it was one of those dreams that was so unbelievably real to the point where I could smell and taste everything. I'm sure you can imagine my extreme disappointment.

I was back in Mau visiting all my friends, watching rugby, I went over to Uprising, and to the college resort where I layed on the hammocks to watch the sunrise. (any of my Fiji friends remember what that place was called?) I've never cried after waking up from a dream before. I guess there's a first time for everything.

I never realized that you could miss a place. But before Fiji, I also never thought I'd fall in love with one either. 

Here's what I miss the most:

1. Bula! A word that was so common, but meant so much. I have never had so many people tell me hello so sincerely before.

2. The people from Mau, the village we worked in. They welcomed me in as one of their own and really made me feel like family. We had so much fun together and I learned so much from them.

3. The views. Oh my lanta. Nothing can compare to the beauty there and you could find it every single corner.

4. Fiji Time. You get there when you get there. If only that was the way my job worked.

5. The kids in the village. They sang to us, taught us their nursery rhymes, and held our hands as often as they could.

6. The smells. The smell Fijian rain is so unbelievably powering.

I could add 1,000 other things to this list. But these were the ones that top the list.

My dream has made me consider something, a trip back. Even if that means going be myself or with my mom, my boyfriend, or a random stranger. I am swearing to do this.

 Here is what I'm thinking; If I can get approved for time off ideally I would like to do the EF College Trip to Australia and New Zealand and then travel to Fiji for a few days afterwards. It's going to cost a pretty penny. But it's totally worth it. I'm making this a goal for 2014. If that doesn't happen I'll understand. But at least I'll have some of it saved and maybe one day in the far, far distant future I could go for my honeymoon.

Furniture Failure

So, if you haven't heard already this youngin' has officially moved out on her own. Believe me, i've heard all of the reasons as to why is a terrible idea and blah, blah, blah. But so far everything has been pretty great until the furniture failure occurred.

I was quite prepared to move out with my best friend. We both had lots of the necessities. We had cleaning stuff, kitchen gadgets and plates, decorations, clocks, and basically almost everything we needed. We weren't going in unprepared. But there was one thing we were lacking, a couch. Somewhere where we could sit with out friends and talk, or just something to lay on while we watch movies instead of watching them from the floor. I brought my Love Sac over to the apartment and it does provide sitting for two very close individuals, but its just not cutting it.

On the 20th of February I made a grown up decision and purchased a very cute sectional from Action Wood Furniture. I had been to probably 15 stores before I found the one I knew was perfect. And who knew that shopping for furniture was like shopping for cars? I mean really, salesmen might as well be leaches. I was EXTREMELY picky while shopping too so I only made their job more difficult. There were even a few times where Lexie and I went into stores pretending to be deaf. We used sign language the whole time just so we wouldn't have to talk to any of the sales guys. Besides my laptop this is really one of my first big purchases and I wasn't going to get sucked into some sales pitch. And not only that, but it's going to be something that I have for quite some time.

So the original plan was to have my couch delivered to my new place the Friday before we moved in. Did it happen? Obviously not. I had to call to find out a scheduled time for my delivery and called Tuesday morning. Not only did the lady not order my couch because she thought I wasn't moving till later in March, but she also couldn't remember which side of the couch I wanted my lounge on. But, I put on my grown up face and accepted her apology and she told me she would be calling me around the 16th when their next shipment comes in. Two weeks without a couch, this I could handle. So then being the mature individual that I am, I had my dad make a call for me. He is a lot better at negotiating then I am, and I couldn't believe the service I was receiving. So yesterday I got even better news from him. My couch is being built in China and they are extremely behind schedule and now it won't be here till April 5. APRIL FIFTH!!!!!!! The exact words from my father? "Welcome to the real world." Awesome.

Hello Weight Watchers

About a month ago I decided to make a life changing decision to get healthy. There are so many different ways to do it these days and so many of these diets that "claim" to work. But I chose one that I have personally seen work for others. I chose to join Weight Watchers. The couple I nanny for both started it after their new baby boy was born and I have definitely seen results with both of them. They both have very different body types; Tyson is a body builder, and Andrea is tall and slim and it has been working for both of them. My aunt also lost 30 pounds on it. So I thought, hey why not me too?

I have been at a weight that's uncomfortable probably since Jr. high. I've never had a huge issue with it because I have confidence and I've been told that I'm pretty my whole life. But recently I've been noticing it a lot more. I don't want to look like a stick, and I don't even want to be skinny. I want to be small and fit. This is something I know I can do.

The best thing I like about Weight Watchers is that it's not actually a diet. You really can eat whatever you want. This is something I love because I am a carb whore. I love my potatoes and my pasta. The program just teaches you to eat everything within reason. It allows you to eat all of the fruits and vegetable you want. They have no point value. This so far has taught me to choose healthier snacks when I'm hungry instead of choosing chips. So far I have lost ten pounds on the 2 and 1/2 weeks I was at it viciously. But since my surgery I haven't kept up with it until today. I'm back at it though, and I have no intention of giving it up. I'm purchasing a dress next week that's four sizes smaller than what i'm at now to hang on the back of my bedroom door. As soon as that dress fits I plan on doing it again with another dress that's even smaller. It's a great motivater.

Dear Crutches, I hate you.

13 days ago I had a new lovely experience called knee surgery. Wondering Why? Well, it's  basically another one of those ever so "graceful" moments that I seem to have daily.

Some friends and I were getting ready to go dancing sometime around the beginning of October. We were all heading to the car as Justine yells, "Shotgun". With her being back in the house and me being outside I decided to seize control of the situation and yelled, "Race ya!" I quickly ran down 3 steps and headed towards the garage only to be man handled by the driveway. Tripping on absolutely nothing as usual, I landed completely flat in the middle of the driveway. Also as usual I couldn't get up because I was laughing uncontrollably. And my dear friend Justine comes outside and what does she say ever so caringly? "I can't believe I missed it!" What a great friend, right? But let me be honest and tell you that this in not my first crash with her around. Once in 7th grade I cut open my ankle on absolutely nothing at her house and had to go get 13 stitches. She has bandaged me up more times than I can count. So I preceded to get up, let out a few choice words and headed towards the car. Only to realize that I was bleeding on the back of my knuckles and on my knee. I might add that the knuckles are a prime spot to get scraped up because of all of the white lie fight stories that could potentially surface. So Corinne, being so prepared busted out a first-aid kit our of her car and fixed me right up and we were off to dance the night away. About five hours later we headed home to get some sleep and I noticed the size of my knee. Four hours of dancing does a lot of good after a crash like I had.

The original surgical plan was to do a scope under my knee cap to remove the torn and cracked cartilage. My recovery time was supposed to be about a week, and then I'd be up and moving and back to boarding by January. Did things go as planned? You had better believe that they didn't. While my surgeon was doin' what he does he noticed how out of place my knee cap was. For some reason in wasn't noticed on my xrays. So he had to stretch out my ligaments to center that knee cap back up. I woke up in a huge brace, with an ice machine hooked up to my leg, and a promise of a longer recovery. I probably won't be snowboarding at all this season. I have become a walking pharmacy and I can't believe how much I miss being able to walk.

The Ultimate List

Everyone always talks about how great it would be to do so many amazing and spectacular things, but not everyone really takes the time to do them. Things like skydiving, climbing Everest, visiting another country, or even breaking through a personal barrier like asking a guy out, or finding a lost parent. Everyone has their own list, but this is mine. My list of things to do before I "kick the bucket". Things that I think will be influential, monumental, or adventurous to the life that I plan to live. Truth be told, I know they might not all get to be crossed off. But I planning on perusing this lists as long as I can. Because let's face it, there really isn't enough time for everything on this list to be done unless I learn to just shove them in. I can't imagine how big it's going to get -I might even need more than one bucket- or how much is actually going to get done. But I can't wait to try :)

Travel to Russia and see St. Basil's Cathedral  -  Get scuba certified  -  Go to a Superbowl  -  Go dog sledding  -  Go back to Fiji  -  Go to Nashville with my best friend  -  Be a mom  -  Write thank you notes to my teachers  -  Go Skydiving  -  Go kite-boarding  -  Have a family  -  Attend the sky lantern festival in Thailand  -  Have hair like Ariel  -  Attend a Steelers game in Pittsburgh  -  Go on 3 humanitarian trips 1. Fiji  -  Take a trip to Moab  -  Swim with dolphins  -  Grow old with someone I love  -  Snowboard in the Alps  -  Shower in a waterfall  -  Ride a bike along the Great Wall of China  -  Have a marriage more beautiful than my wedding  -  Fly a plane  -  Do five pull ups  -  Become a teacher  -  Road trip across the U.S.  -  Buy a trailer and be the manager of a campground for a summer  -  Go on a safari in Africa  -  Have abs  -  Be conversational in 3 languages 1. English 2. ASL 3. German  -  Own a motorcycle  -  Set foot on all seven continents  -  Say "I do "  -  Spend a semester abroad in New Zealand  -  Move out by myself  -  Buy something from Tiffany's  -  Wear a ridiculously large hat to the Kentucky Horse Derby  -  Have a front porch swing  - Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans  -  Keep a journal everyday for a year  -  Have a walk in closet  -  Spend Easter in Italy and go to the Carnival of Venice  -  Adopt a child  -  Visit Harry Potter Land  -  Make at wish at Trevi Fountains  -  Own a husky  -  Own land  -  Stay in Cinderella's Castle  -  See a glacier  -  Live in the country  -  Loose weight, so much so that I feel confident enough to wear a bikini  -  Donate my hair to locks of love  -  Attend the Make A Wish Gala as a guest instead of a volunteer  -  Go spelunking  -  Visit Stonehenge  -  Drive Route 66  -  Send my grandparents on a limo ride  -  Meet Eric Church  -  Go to a Burlesque Lounge  -  Go to an Elvis impersonation show in Vegas  -  Find and ride the worlds largest roller coaster  -  Go skinny dipping  -  Ride on a camel  -  See the pyramids in Egypt at sunset  -  Stay in the ice hotel  -  stay in the underwater hotel  -  Learn to play the piano  -  Visit an active Volcano  -  Spend New Years in Times Square  - Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade in New York -  Own a pair of Louboutins  -  Watch baby turtles hatch  -  Attend a sandcastle competition  -  Kiss under the Eiffel Tower  -  Learn to drive a stick shift  -  Fly first class  -  Provide Christmas for a needy family  -  See the Northern Lights  -  Visit Machu Pichu  -  Have a library in my house  -  Wear cowboy boots to my wedding  -  Drive the Autoban  -  Be on a game show  -  Run a marathon  -  Be an extra in a movie  -  Own a horse -  Eat at Hell's Kitchen  -  Own a pearl necklace  -  Own something by Betsey Johnson  -  Attend the winter Olympics  -  Go to a USA rugby game in another country  -  Ride on a sled through the mud behind a four wheeler  -  Own a meaningful charm bracelet - Go to the Route 66 festival in Illinois