What a great weekend(s)!

Man. These past couple of weeks have been crazy.  

Two weekends ago, my sister and her hubby came to town to have a Baby Gender Reveal party! And my oldest sister, Cass, surprised us all and came to town! Good thing, because we needed her expertise to pull this party off.  I will raid my mom's camera and post some pictures of the party.  It was seriously adorable and turned out perfect!  

Oh and I should probably reveal that I'm going to have a little niece!! I could not be more excited. 

That weekend was just filled with family and food (like Second Friday) and fun! 

So last weekend was just cool. It was one of those weekends where Sky and I just chilled. With how busy both of our schedules are, it was awesome.  Date night at home was Friday, totally awesome. Saturday was hanging out and a bonfire with his parents.  And Sunday was again, awesome, and consisted of carving pumpkins with Sky's family.  We always dominate that competition. 

And that leads us up to the next couple of days and this weekend.  In just TWO days, Alixx and I are going to see Karmin!! We are so excited.  And I am sure there will be a post about it. 

Ahh weekends. Why are they so short? Why do weekdays exist? Go ahead and ponder that deep thought.  

Oh hey. Have I done this before?

I straight up don't even know where to start. 

School has been completely insane.  And with my weirdo work schedule, I'm home for about 2 hours before I crash on my bed in a pile of papers. And you say "Kelsey, you could be blogging with those two hours." No. I can't. My brain is too fried, my computer sucks hard core, and for some stupid reason Blogger doesn't work on my iPad. I'll find a way around it though, I promise. 

I have had wonderful opportunities to test out some awesome products with Birchbox.  Please go sign up for this service! It's $10/month and you'll never run out of beauty supplies.  

It feels like the only things I post are apologies for not posting. For reals.  In my mind, I'm always like "Oh yeah! I'll totally have time to do that!", then when it actually comes time, I'm like "Nope." It's really making me think that I should stop agreeing to so much.  

I shall do my best though.  Other than sucking at blogging, life has been good.  School is tough, but it is SO worth it.  And I can't wait to be done so I can move on to the next chapter in my life. Work is crazy just because I'm working really odd hours for an office/desk job, but I'm blessed to have a boss that supports the fact that I'm a student.  And Sky and I are good.  We are two broke college students just lovin' life together. 

Soooo Here's A Story From A-Z

Name that song. I'm listening to it right now, and I am giggling. Ohh childhood memories. 

It's Spice Girls for you lame-o's out there. 

I was like six when "Wannabe" came out. So from that point till I was like eleven, I was obsessed.  My mother did NOT allow me to listen to them (looking back on that I'm like, yeah that was a good idea)... But like the rebel child I was, I listened to them anyway. My friends and I would recreate the dances, assign the Spice Girl's names to ourselves, and watch Spice World over and over. I even hid two Spice Girl's posters in my closet. Rebel. Child. 

This wasn't even the point of this post. I'm just on a reminiscent Spice Girl kick. Girl Power! 

And so, you might ask, "Where the crap have you been?". That's none of your business, I've been here the whole time. 

I haven't been posting "What I Am Loving" because.... I don't know. I've been busy, AND school started. Oh boy. 

Two weekends ago, Skylar, myself, and my younger brother went camping! It was so fun.  We went to the middle of nowhere up on the Mogollon Rim (if you aren't from AZ, it's Mug-ee-on Rim).  It was quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and wonderful.  

Last weekend was supposed to be an awesome Last Weekend Before School weekend.  It was pretty good besides the following detail: Some lady in a drive-thru hit Manuel (and me since I was in the car). She accidentally let her foot off the brake while rummaging through her purse.  SHE LET HER CAR MOVE NO LESS THAN FIVE FEET. How do you not realize your car is moving? Luckily, there is no better person to get in a fender bender with than a pediatrician who drives an Escalade and lives in a gated community in Gilbert.  Manuel is getting fixed on Thursday at her expense! 

As for this past weekend (like yesterday-weekend), I have no excuse. And that brings us to today. I got my Birchbox in the mail! That means I'll have plenty of things to test and report!! I am so excited. I've been waiting for this for months. And so, I promise that next Monday, I will have a "What I Am Loving". 

The end. 

What I Am Loving {at the moment} July 30th

Happy Monday! Here are some of my finds. Enjoy! 

1. Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt ($4.99) - I am always up for trying new healthy food.  Saw these at the grocery store and thought I would give it a try! They are delicious.  I got the blueberry ones, and at 70 calories, they are the perfect little treat! 
2. Nasty Gal Audrey Platforms ($138.00) - These are definitely a "wish list" item till I finish school... I have seen these here and there for the past couple of months. Still love 'em, still want 'em. 
3. High Heel Suicide / LA's Blog - Found her via Instagram, read her blog, saw her clothing line, fell in love.  She has the best sense of style & I just love looking at her clothes.  The shirt she's wearing in the above picture (which I used with her permission) is one I want. I want it real bad. It comes from her collaboration with Fox House, and I can't wait to see it! 
4. The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing ($10.00) - Such a cute, quick read.  Took this to San Diego with me and finished in two days.  
5. Benefit Stay Don't Stray ($26.00) - Picked this up at Sephora.  Probably one of the best purchases I have ever made.  I get so annoyed when my eye shadow gets all up in the crease of my eye.  Happened ALL the time before I found this primer.  It will keep your eye shadow in place, and it will keep your concealer in place around your eye. I don't know how I lived without this before. 

Oh, Girl You're Such a Rebel.

Over the weekend, I got the urge to put some pink in my hair. I can't explain where this urge came from. Just felt like it. So I did it. It was a temporary hair color, nothing extreme, and it has actually mostly washed out.  It was just six small sections to begin with, and now it's barely pink at all. 


Well, contrary to popular belief of the people around me... 

• I am not some rebel
• I am not some punk girl
• I am not doing drugs
• I am not trying to stand out
• I am not a groupie in some color-hair posse
• It is not a reflection on my parents (my Mom actually did a pretty good job, because I am awesome)

So why did I do it? Just felt like it. Because I am as free as my hair, and I felt like it.  

So stop with the thinking that I am some rebel without a cause.  

What I Am Loving {at the moment} July 23rd

I think I have decided that Monday is the perfect day to do this.  It allows for any weekend finds to be included. 


Enjoy! 

1. Marina & The Diamonds ($12.99) - You have probably heard Primadonna on the radio.  I heard it and thought I would check out the album.  It's great! Pop-Powerful-Electric-Dark-Dance is how I would describe it. This is her second album, and I will definitely be snagging her first when payday comes! 

2. Nails Inc. Sprinkles Nail Polish ($9.50) - Picked this up at the Sephora counter. It's so fun & goes on easily. One drawback is that it is a b-word to get off. Regardless, I will be playing around with this trend a little more.  Going to try an ombre nail with it next! 

3. Dorothy Perkins Skull Bracelet ($5.00) - This is just an example of a bracelet I'm on the hunt for. While on vacation in Cali, Sky's sister picked up the cutest skull bracelet! One similar will soon be mine. 

4. 80's Purple Wendy Cat Eye Sunglasses ($12.00) - Crossing my fingers that I'll find these in my mailbox today. 80's Purple is an awesome site and all the sunglasses are only $12! Seriously can't wait to rock these cat eye's. 

What I Am Loving {at the moment} - A New Idea

I want to start a new reoccurring post here on Kelsey's Adventures.  Something that will hopefully keep people coming back.  Something fun that gets people's imagination working, and takes you away from the everyday hustle&bustle that happens in your mind. And so, I will start "What I Am Loving {at the moment} ".  Not sure what day I'll designate to this, but I will make it a weekly thing.  I figure you all have Second Friday posts to look at once a month for a couple days, you need some other reoccurring things up in here. 

Oh hey.

I don't want this quick little post to be a huge apology.  I have no excuses. Well, I sort of do. I'll tell you what I've been up to lately.  My last post was on June 12th. Wow. I am ashamed. 


For the last weeks of June, I literally have no excuses as to why there were no posts from myself. And I will hold myself accountable for there being no Second Friday posts since I have all the pictures. 


I do have an excuse for the past two weeks though. I was on vacay. And it was fabulous.  I will blog about that soon. I promise! Let me get caught back up on things.  


I always think I'm going to have so much time once school is out.  I always think I'm going to be so focused and bloggy. Ha. Truth is... After working for 8 hours each day at a computer, working on a computer once I get home just sounds terrible.  When I get home from work and the gym, I sit on my bed and watch something on Netflix on my iPad.  Something girly (hello Keeping Up With the Kardashians), and something I can just tune out to.  


Anyway, I'll do my best. 

Just Call Me Master Sew Lady

I retract my statement that I was going to be a master sewer for Sky.  I didn't mean "sewer" as in a septic tank. Sewer as in "sew-er".  Does that make sense? Didn't even dawn on me till I started writing this one. 


And so, just call me Master Sew Lady. 


This little project caused me stress. I almost gave up. 


But, because I'm awesome, I finished it (like 2 weeks ago. I'm awesome at posting on time). 

And so here it is.  Invisible zipper all installed and ready for Sky's truck. Look at those beautiful seems.  

Look at it zippering up! It ended up being very awesome.  With some brain power, I conquered the invisible zipper. Trying to maneuver the leather around the sewing machine in order to sew the second side was where it got tough. 

And the top.  Since I had to cut the zipper to fit, I put two dabs of hot glue at the top of the zipper to stop it. 

And here it is at it's new home! Sky and his dad have to pop rivet it to the plastic cover.  So it's not completely done yet, but my part sure is.

Now I am totally ready to finish that pillow! 

Things I Want You to Think When You Read This Blog

Here are some things I want you to think when you come to my blog, Alixx's blog, and Second Friday. 


"Oh that looks delicious." 
"That is a good idea!" 
"I can totally relate!"
"I love this." 
"I'm going to have to try that."
"What a funny story."
"I'm going to pin this idea!"
"I'm glad they put instructions because I want to make this."


This is multi-purpose blog. A place where you can come to see all sorts of things.  Recipes, DIY's & crafts, funny & awkward stories, and just good fun.  


Please come visit us a lot! Remember our site address, add it to your read list, make yourself a note. We'll entertain you. 

Just Another Road Block

Yet another thing is holding me back from working on the pillow I started. 


I agreed to be a master-sewer for Sky.  Let me just say that the only real sewing experience I have is from when I took home-ec in 8th grade. And random tiny projects I've done here and there since. Lucky for me (huh-huh-huh) I am crafty.  


I agreed to completely re-do a leather shift boot he just bought for his truck. His shift knob doesn't conveniently just screw off the top, nope.  So the leather shift boot does not simply fit over the top. My genus younger brother said "too bad it doesn't have a zipper"... And so the idea was born.  Really anything would work to make the shift boot something that would conveniently just open and close around the shift stick. But a zipper makes sense.  I even promised an invisible, black zipper so his truck can continue lookin' sleek.  

And so, I have to undo the seem around the top, the seem around the bottom (which has elastic that Sky wants taken off), and the seem up one of the sides so I can install a zipper. 

So why did I get myself into this? Because I like to prove that I can do things.  I love being handy, and I love helping.  It is quite the undertaking because I do not want to have to buy a new one. I'll let you all know how this goes. 

Dreaming of that Avocado.

I had half an avocado on the salad I ate for lunch today at work.  It instantly took me back to 2 days ago when Sky and I went to On the Border for dinner. I love all Mexican food, but they had a few *new* and exciting dishes listed on their menu. We both decided to try the same new dish. 

It was a simple chicken enchilada and... Get this... half an avocado, stuffed with some sort of creamy chicken concoction, then coated with a tempura batter, then fried.   Not sure on the frying method, but I am willing to try anything and everything if it means I can have this again. 

I might just have to go back to On the Border to investigate a little more.  Maybe take my time with the next one instead of inhaling it, which led the hostess at the front door say "That was fast!" as Sky and I made our exit. Sigh... 

I am dreaming of you, stuffed avocado. 

We'll meet again real soon. 

Sorry About That...

I said there would be a post regarding some glitter. 


But... I didn't finish the pillow this weekend. 


Therefore, I didn't finish (or even start) the blog post to go with it. 


I AM SORRY. 


I pretty much did nothing this weekend.  And it was awesome. 


Yesterday was Sky's and I three year anniversary.  That was fun. Definitely the highlight of my weekend.  Did some shopping, ate some Mexican food, and enjoyed cake-in-a-bottle... again! 


I told you I can't get enough of that cake-in-a-bottle.  This one was a yellow/butter cake recipe.  Then I layered a peanut butter frosting and Reese's peanut butter cups.  


Cake - PB frosting - Reese's - cake - frosting - Reese's.  That's how that went.  


For the frosting, I just used a canned buttercream frosting and just mixed in peanut butter.  It's definitely a taste thing, add as much as you like! 


Make cake-in-a-bottle. And give it to someone you love lots. 

A Blogging Inspiration

I happened upon this blog today. 

And this post in particular.  Honestly, it was just the inspiration I needed. I've been having some writers block lately. Not sure what I want to share, or purely just having nothing "exciting" to write about. 


I need to remember a few *key* things to keeping this blog something I enjoy: write about things I love, write about things I'd want to read about, write in a style I would like to read, make friends (this one might take some time), create a reoccurring feature that will keep people coming back (in the works), and always trust my instincts while writing and formulating ideas. 


I am not sure how i found this blog... Sometimes my web browsing can get quite complicated and I can't remember the maze.  I know for a fact I love this blog.  Lots of DIY, lots of uplifting posts, lots of really cool things, and a way cool look into her amazing wedding. So cute! 


And so my friends, I will strive to write more often and with better content. As long as you keep coming back to Alixx and I. 

Summer Quinoa Side Dish

Quinoa... Do you know how long it took me to understand how to even pronounce this word? I kept looking at my mother completely confused every time I talked about it. Kwoon-wa. Koon-woo.  Kown-wah. Kwin-oo. WHAT. 


Keen-wah. That's it. It's engraved in my brain now. 


So what is quinoa? It's grain-like, but not actually a grain. The quinoa you eat are the seeds of some sort of grass-like plant. Look it up if you want to know more. 


Of course this is another Pinterest find. Pinterest is amazing. I was on a hunt for a good side dish to go with the paninis, something nice and light.  And this dish delivered (and the blog it's from is super cute). The beauty of it is that you can add anything you like. Anything that's in season and on sale. And there isn't much measuring. Add as much of a veggie as you like! 

Everything you'll need: chicken stock (or veggie), quinoa, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, feta cheese, salt/pepper, assorted veggies - zucchini, tomatoes (red/yellow), green onion, avocado, and basil. 

And for the dressing you'll need: honey, lemon juice, lemon zest (I didn't have any), garlic, 

Okay, so get the chicken broth boiling in a sauce pan.

The recipe says to rinse the quinoa... I don't know why you have to, but just do it. And add it to the boiling chicken broth.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, put a lid on the pan, and let it cook for about 25 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, start a saute pan (or in my case, a wok because we have no nice nonstick saute pans), add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and add some garlic to that. Only let this go for a minute a so because the garlic will burn. 

These are the veggies I had prepared to add to the garlic in the wok.  Corn zucchini, and green onion.  Throw those into the wok and saute for a couple minutes. 

This is the cooked quinoa. I burned it a little on the bottom, but that's okay. Fluff it up a little. 

Add the quinoa to the cooked veggies along with half the dressing.  

To make the dressing, just add lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk. 

Allow the above mixture the warm, and fuse together for a minute or so.

Take the pan off the stove, add remaining dressing, tomatoes, basil, and feta cheese.  

I added avocado to my plate once we sat to eat Sky's birthday dinner. IT WAS AWESOME. 

This is delicious warm, it is delicious as cold leftovers. Try it soon!! 

• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed & drained
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 can sweet corn (or 2 ears of fresh)
• 2 green onions
• salt & pepper
• 1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped - I got red & yellow tomatoes
• 1/2 cup feta 
• 2 Tablespoons chopped basil

For the honey lemon vinaigrette: 

• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan.  Add rinsed quinoa and place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, then cook until the broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes.  Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and let cool slightly. 


Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the honey lemon vinaigrette in a bowl, whisk to combine, set aside. 


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds.  Add zucchini, sweet corn, and green onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until barely tender, about 4 minutes.  Add cooked quinoa and half the honey lemon vinaigrette, then stir and cook for 1 more minute. 


Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to the skillet.  Stir well, taste, and add more salt & pepper if necessary.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! 

Panini My Love.

*Posting this even though the pictures are sideways. Please forgive me. 


Hi, I'm Kelsey, and I love paninis. And I love them even more now that I have my very own panini grill.  


So paninis are what I made for Sky's birthday dinner.  Let me show you the Cubano paninis I made. And loved. 

Look at that beauty to the left. Hello, love. Everything you need: Awesome panini grill, rolls, black forest ham. turkey (instead of the pork the recipe called for), provolone cheese, Dijon mustard, pickle slices, and cilantro. 

Another sideways picture. Seriously?! So after you smear the outsides of the rolls with butter, slather the insides with the Dijon mustard. Add as much cilantro as you like. I wish I had added more. 

On top of the cilantro, layer cheese, turkey, ham, pickle, then another layer of cheese.  Add the top roll half. 

Carefully put that bad boy on the grill.  These are tall sandwiches beforehand, so make sure it doesn't topple over. Listen to the butter sizzle... It's like a beautiful melody playing lightly in the background of your fantasy of eating buttered, grilled bread forever. 

I want to eat paninis forever. And ever. And ever. 

Birthday Cake in a Bottle!

So for Sky's birthday, I made him dinner. And dessert, obviously. 

And I am going to start with the dessert in this little blog post. I see cake-in-a-jar on Pinterest all the time. I always wanted to try it. So I did! This is the original recipe/idea I used. I didn't want to make a straight up rainbow cake for my very manly boyfriend. So I did a variation. 

Here are the colors I used! So pretty and vibrant. 

Purple, three shades of blue, green, and orange! 

You just make a white cake mix as the box says, and dye the batter as many colors as you want! I did six. I believe the jars I used are pint jars. I really have no idea, but they're like medium.  Not tiny, but not the giant jars. The recipe says to use 3 Tablespoons of each color... There's no real rule of how much to use.  It does puff up, so I would say try to not fill the jar any more than half way with batter. 

I don't know why the above picture is sideways. I can't figure it out. So this is what it looks like right out of the oven. Mine took right around 35 minutes. Aren't they awesome?! I love it. Let them cool down, and you can store them in the fridge for a couple days, but I'm sure they're fine out on the counter.  I say that because I accidentally left mine out all night. 

And the final product! The picture kind of sucks. Sky doesn't like sprinkles, but I put a couple on his any way. And of course a candle! So by this time, the cake had shrunken back down into the bottle (made these on Wednesday, ate them on Thursday).  But I scooped out a little off the top so the frosting would fit pretty much flush with the rim of the bottle. The colors were SO bright once we dug in. And it was delicious. I want to make cake-in-a-bottle every day. 

• 1 box white cake mix, made according to package
• Neon food coloring in any colors you want
• Pint sized jars (2-3)
• 1 can Vanilla frosting
• Rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly wash and dry the inside of each canning jar. Spray the inside of each jar thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

Scoop about 1/2 cups of cake batter into five/six small bowls.  It doesn't have to be perfect, don't panic if you get a little more or less of one color than another. Tint each bowl of cake batter with the food coloring until very vibrant. 

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the first color into the bottom of each jar. Spoon equal amounts of each of the other colors in whatever order you want.  Place the jars in a shallow baking dish, add about 1/4" of water in the baking dish.  Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

Remove jars and allow to cool completely before scooping a small portion off the top of your cake. You can serve immediately by adding a good amount of frosting/sprinkles on top. Or you can put a lid on them and wait.  Store them in the fridge if you're not devouring them within a couple hours. 

Make this for someone special! It is a treat. And I do recommend letting them come back to room temperature if you end up refrigerating them. 

Can't wait to experiment more with cake-in-a-jar! 

May 17th - It's a Good Day.

It's been two weeks since my birthday. That's not why it's a good day.  Any day after my birthday is an okay day. Any day I grow closer to the next birthday is an okay day. 


Today is a good day because it is Sky's birthday. He's a swell fellow, and I am certainly fond of him. 


Here's a cheesy love song to commemorate the day. 

Awww yeah... What a classic! First thing to pop up on my iPod when I hit shuffle. Fate. 


Come what may... I'll love ya forever, Sky. Happy Birthday!! 

My Summer To-Do List.

1 more day. 


1. 


One. 


I can't wait to be done with this semester. It has dragged on! Plus I've been so busy, and I just want to chillax. That's all I want to do. 


So here are some things I want to do this summer: 


1. Get tan. This is a goal every summer. 


2. Go swimming. Again, every summer. Especially in Arizona.


3. Work on my scrapbook. Yeah, that's right. I scrapbook.  Have since I was like seven.  The one I'm currently working on is a scrapbook completely for Sky and I. I started it probably six months after we started dating. I'm a solid two years behind. Because I'm awesome like that! I love scrapbooking though. It gets my creative juices flowing. Plus I need to hardcore catch up. 


4. I want to cook/bake. I shared this earlier, but seriously. I am definitely going to give macarons a lot more tries. The first time didn't go as well as I would have hoped.  


5. I am going to make a quilt out of all my old t-shirts. Saw this idea on Pinterest and LOVED it! (I love this whole blog btw. Lil Blue Boo is so amazing!) I have so many old t-shirts, and really the only reason I have held on to them are the memories tied to them. Umm hello marching band shirts from all four years? So that will also help me clean my dresser out. SO excited. 


6. Going along with the sewing thing, I also want to make some throw/decorative pillows for my bed.  Right now I only have the four that are sleeping pillows. I'm going to make my bed a pillow fortress! 


7. Go on vacation. Already in the works! I'll be spending some quality time with my love bug in San Diego! Visiting my sista & bro-in-law, kickin' it on the beach, having fun. 


8. Alixx and I must make aprons. Special Second Friday aprons! 


9. Make a lot of panini's.  I got this panini maker as a nice graduation gift from my Mom. How nice! I want to make every panini in the cookbook she got me too.  


I have to stop thinking about summer. I get so excited. 

On This Anniversary of the Day I Was Born.

Oh cool beans. It's May 3rd. 


That's all I have to say about that. 


I have work/school all day. 


Then I'll come home to some delicious Mexican food, brought to me by my one & only.  And I shall feast. 


It's not that I think other people are old. It's not that I hate being old, or feeling old. It's just that I value my youth. I've had some fun times. And I'm not ready to be a true adult yet. I want to continue telling funny/weird stories to my best friend. I want to make shirts for all special occasions and giggle when I'm about to meet someone really famous (post about this coming soon).  I want to go out [occasionally] and feel young and free. And I want to accomplish a lot of things before I settle down.  I love being young. 


So please, if you read this. Do ONE thing for me on my stupid birthday. Go like Second Friday on Facebook. It is literally all I want. 

Last weekend & this weekend.

Last weekend was so bomb. 


Any weekend that involves hanging out with Sky a lot is just awesome. Excuse me for loving him. 


Friday night was spent working on a research paper I had due. Isn't that fun? I don't enjoy academic writing what-so-ever, so Sky being the awesome person he is, always helps me finish papers. He turned that baby into a top notch paper. 


Saturday morning, we got up super early to go do Pat's Run.  For those of you who don't know, Pat Tillman (http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/) was a NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals, who put his career on hold to serve the US Army in 2002.  His tragic, and highly publicized death in 2004 led his family and friends to start The Pat Tillman Foundation. Each year, Pat's Run is held in his honor and to raise money for the foundation. More than 35,000 people show up to race, sponsor or spectate the 4.2 mile race (4.2 miles because Tillman's jersey number was 42).


My office always creates a team and participates.  Everyone in the office are die-hard Arizona State University fans (where Tillman played football & graduated from), so it's becoming a tradition to go and race.  


This year, Sky did it with me! Yay! 

Me, my Mom, and two brothers before the race. 

My brothers, Mom, and Sky before the race.

Sky & I after. 

And after! 

Don't you love that pink tint my phone case puts on my pictures? It's my favorite. 


My mom & brothers ran pretty much the entire thing and had to wait at the end for Sky and I. We did the whole thing pretty casually.  It was nice to just stroll with my honey. 


Saturday night was fun as well! After getting all cleaned up, and taking a MUCH needed nap (I'd actually been feeling crappy thanks to some weird bug going around), we went out with Sky's sister and her boyfriend to Nello's Pizza. It was very good.  And it was only a slight catastrophe getting there. Sky and I went to the Ahwatukee location, and his sis & bf went to the Mesa location. But eventually we all got to the right place and scarfed down some pizza! 


Ahh Sunday... A day that should have been easy. Sky and I had planned on going to get my car's brake pads done. Thought it wouldn't take too long, and wouldn't cost too much. Boy were we wrong. It ended up taking about 3 hours, 1.5 of those hours were spent in Big O' Tires un-air-conditioned waiting area. That was terrible. Then we begged my parents to come pick us up. Ohh annnnnnd my poor car needed new rotors :(, plus the fact that Mazda's are apparently expensive cars to maintain... Let's just saw a lot more money was spent then planned.  


After finishing homework later that evening, we decided a little spa time would be nice. What did we do exactly? Sky begged me to cut his toenails and give him a pedicure (a.k.a wash his feet then put lotion on them), and I, in return, asked him to put a cleansing mask on my face and give me a facial. 


The pedicure went well, I suppose. Toe nails gross me out, so I dry heaved the first couple minutes.  Sky has extremely ticklish feet, so it was actually really funny. It was like dealing with a child. 

And the facial. It was actually pretty scary, as you can see from the look on my face. Boys just don't understand the gentleness that is needed. He got it in my hair, a little in my mouth, and rubbed right over my eyelids. An experience to say the least.  (I'm glad I have no shame in sharing this picture. It's not the only face mask picture of me out there on the internet.)


So there's my weekend. Went by too fast, as usual.


This weekend can't come soon enough. I've had two instances where I wake up and think it's the weekend. On Friday, I get to hang out with my best friend. We're making shirts for our plans on Saturday. 


Saturday!!! We'll be meeting P-Dubs. P-Widdy-Diddy-Dubs. Pioneer Woman, for you lame-o's out there. I am SO excited. Her book tour last year for her book Black Heels to Tractor Wheels didn't come to Phoenix, but did make a stop in Salt Lake City, UT where my sister got to meet her! And my sis was kind enough to get all of us girls signed copies of the book. My sister rules. 

This time around, she's signing/promoting her second cookbook. I haven't even looked at mine yet. I'm too excited. I'll be a wreck, and it'll most likely turn out like when my sister met her. My sister couldn't even talk. Oh boy. It's going to be awesome! 

Summer Lovin.

Do you want to know what I really want to do this summer? 


I want to cook. And bake. And actually blog about it. Just looking through my tiny blog list and realized I have like 2 recipe posts.  I mean, sure that's really where Second Friday comes in handy, but I would like to have some good food adventures this summer. 


And luckily, there is only like two more weeks of school left. 


Let the summer lovin' begin. 

My beef with Adele.

This woman's voice is sent from the Heavens above. No joke. I know she's won a ton of awards. But I have a beef with Adele. 


All of her songs (her singles at least) make me so sad. I know that's how she got famous - writing beautiful songs about lost love. When I am driving in my car and one of her songs come on the radio, you better believe I sing along (especially after being sick when my voice still cracky/awesome/deep... umm hello. I sound just like her.)  There is so much emotion in her voice, and they really are beautiful songs. But that emotion in her voice then provokes emotions in me. I am a happily relationshipped woman. BF and I have been together going on 3 years. I'm sorry, but the last thing I want/need to be thinking about are the emotions that are associated with heart ache and that kind of pain. And that's when I change the radio station. 


And that's my beef with Adele. For now.


I did see this a couple days after I wrote this. I can't wait. 

Yay! 

Instagram My Top 38

So... Facebook bought Instagram for 1 billion dollars.  Billion. 


I say that's a good buy, because Instagram is awesome.  Once the app for the elite iPhone users, now put out there for everyone.  I'm coming to terms with it. 


I will get all hipster on everyone and say that I used/liked/loved Instagram way before it was cool.  Thanks to my co-worker showing me it's beautiful editing features and fun social aspects, I was an instant Instagramer.  I'm a real OI (Original Instagramer). 


And so, here are 38 of my favorite Instagram pictures. Yes, 38 because a normal "top" number wasn't good enough. And considering I have 248 pictures on my Instagram, I narrowed it down quite a bit. 


Enjoy.
And follow me on Instagram if you want to see more of my pictures. 
P.S. They are in so specific order because Blogger chooses to be like that. 

All of these pictures are owned by Me.  If you choose to use them in any way, asking my permission would be preferred. If you don't feel the need to ask my permission, please at least cite the original source and include a link back to Second Friday.