Holiday Season Over?

I am so sad to see the 2006 Holiday Season come to an end. Despite my excitment and exuberance for the holiday throughout the month of December (ok and it began in November as well) I still felt like I didn't completely grasp the Christmas Spirit. I place some of the blame on my failed attempt to watch my favorite Christmas Classics, such as, It's a Wonderful Life as well as A Christmas Story (I know! How could such a thing happen?!) However, I did watch Mr. Kruegars Christmas, and a plethora of other Christmas Movies that got me in the Christmas Spirit. I was able to enjoy spending quality time with my family and creating new memories, as well as planning for future traditions. Below is our family Christmas Card Photo. I think it turned out Fabulously! My favorite part about Christmas this year was being able to feel the love of my family. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family, and I wish we could share that with one another more.


This time of year also tends to strike a note on the "resolution" side of us all. We come up with a long list of goals to achieve before midnight of 2007. I can not say that I am excluded from some of these typical resolutions, such as, going back to the gym and actually going to the grocery store so I can eat healthy once again. I have many other goals for myself, however, instead of getting overwhelming and listing them all, instead, I simply wish that this next year I will take a few more minutes each day to be thoughtful, caring, and kind towards others. That is my favorite part of the Christmas Season, is that we are all striving to make others happy. "If everyday could be Christmas, what a wonderful world it would be. We could carry this feeling of Christmas, all through the year..." Ok, so its a cheesy BoysIIMen song, but its true. If we each thought more of others, and less of ourselves, we could make the world a better place, just by being better at being ourselves.

Tis The Season.
Ok, so we all know I am obsessed with Christmas, so sorry to expand on this concept, but this is just too funny to not post on my blog. If you want to hear the most amazing rendition of a christmas song:
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000570.php
I just cant get enough of it, and seriously had tears in my eyes. Enjoy.
Oh, here's a picture from my first Christmas Party of the year:

Oh, and I attended the Huntington Harbor Boat Parade this weekend, however, sadly it started raining and since I forgot my umbrella, my first boat parade experience was cut short.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Ok so I'm done with finals---yay!! I can be normal again! Now I have time to totally endulge in the Christmas spirit. As some of you already know, I am obsessed with Christmas (yes I have been listening to the BEST Christmas music...Celine, Mariah, Amy Grant, Frank Sinatra etc etc...for at least 6 weeks now and am in no way sick of it!) I watched the Original Miracle on 34th Street last night, next to my blazing fire (I swear its freezing in my house) and drank hot chocolate; only to be interrupted by a fabulous Christmas enrichment night with some amazing girls. Anyway, I just decorated my desk at the office and loving the garland, red bows and miniture christmas tree (literally 6" tall soooo cute!). Just thought I would spread my christmas cheer with today's Christmas quote:

"We all enjoy giving and receiving presents. But there is a differencebetween presents and gifts. The true gifts may be part ofourselves--giving of the riches of the heart andmind--and therefore more enduring and of far greater worth thanpresents bought at the store."

Remember to give of yourself this holiday season and take advantage of the time that is dedicated to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. If anyone wants to do some Christmas Shopping or look at lights, or wants a Christmas cd---let me know!

Oh, here are some pictures of my favorite Christmas Things.

I Heart Ralph Lauren.

To get myself going in the morning when I get to work, I have somewhat of a routine. I walk in, say hi to everyone, get my tall glass of water, and then sit at my desk. However, I typically (briefly) check my email before diving into my workload. Today, I had to give a shout out to Ralph Lauren, who by simply sending out a mass distributed email with the new fall arrivals, helped make my morning just a little bit better.

I call the 2nd one on the left ;)

Your Birthdate: April 20

You are a virtual roller coaster of emotions, and most people enjoy the ride.Your mood tends to set the tone of the room, and when you're happy, this is a good thing.When you get in a dark mood, watch out - it's very hard to get you out of it.It's sometimes hard for you to cheer up, and your gloom can be contagious. Your strength: Your warm heart Your weakness: Trouble controlling your emotions Your power color: Black Your power symbol: Musical note Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

GMAT

So, I realize this is 2 posts in 1 day...but I just had to rant in an attempt to slow my heart rate down and relieve the butterfly/heavy feeling that is currently residing in the bottom of my stomach right now. I just registered to take the GMAT on September 22, 2006 a 2:00pm in Pasadena, Ca. Apparently waiting 5 weeks before you sign up for the test isn't nearly enough time to secure the ideal day and time, however, I am engaged in some post cognitive dissonance in an attempt to convince myself that this is, in fact, an ideal choice. Taking a day off work and driving an hour to Pasadena to take the most stressful/influential test I may ever take in my life is a good decision. I now have less than 5 weeks to prepare, which means my lunch breaks will be filled with my GMAT Review Guide (11th edition) and my week nights will no longer consist of dating, friends, or even TV. Wow, I'm getting depressed writing this, however, after the 5 weeks is over and I take this monstrous test I can go back to being a social butterfly and actually enjoying life...

Wonderland

I have been inspired! I just read an article about the Wonderland Bakery in Newport Beach, Ca that was created less than a year ago, and has already become a huge success-- it is known to be a celebrity hot spot, including Kobe Bryant, as well as become a local favorite! This incredibly smart and talented young women has fulfilled (at least one) of her dreams by age 20. I am jealous, and yet at the same time proud of her and all her accomplishments. (Would it be weird to tell someone that?) I am sure she has worked extremely hard to be where she is today and I feel inspired by her and her accomplishments. I can't believe I haven't previously heard of the bakery or seen it for that matter (it is located next to Pei Wei on Bison/Macarthur). At any rate, I will probably go there today and get a cookie, or cupcake or chocolate covered strawberry...Oh lets be honest I will probably try them all! :)

Dessert anyone?

www.wonderlandbakery.com

I thought I would make my blog a little more interesting with some summer photos...
Ok so this is spring time...but i didn't want to leave Seth out of the photo album of my favorite people!
Only the Best Date Ever! The only true love in my life...Miss Brookie
The Lil Bro (Matt) and Lil Sis (Ash) at the Sacramento Temple Open House -- Family Vaca 2006

My lovey ladies at the beach...Amy Jen Ash and Me!

The Story of My Life
So here I am bored at work...yet again. Although I recently moved up in the MPG law office world and have my own desk, I just wish work were more consistent. The near-death, painfully boredom that I am currently engaged in only leaves me to stress out about all other contributing life factors...mainly school and life after school which are both fueled by the stress that I have been under in my preparation of taking this hideously ridiculous test called the GMAT. I'm sure my friends will be more happy than I after it is all over so they don't have to hear me complain and stress out about it. Although over dinner the other night Seth did have some insighful words of wisdom--so here's a shout out to you--thank you Seth. Other than the aforementioned monster of a test, my Life, in general, is pretty good. I am in my "independant woman" mode (Just think of the songs Miss Independant by Kelly Clarkson or Independant Women by Destiny's Child and you'll get where I am going with this), and am loving my new home, new rommates and of course, SUMMER FUN.

Rejection

So I have to admit, I am not a girl that is used to rejection. However, apparently humilty is a quality that I needed to enhance, and perhaps that is why this situation happened to me.
It was the beginning of summer, which we all know to mean, get ready for the summer interns...unfortunately the majority of those are employed as bug boys/satelite boys/alarm boys, which I have realized to be quite arrogant, obnoxious, and just not worth even talking to. However, this summer, I had a new crush. He was in California from BYU on a construction managment internship. Despite the warnings of my dear friend Ms. DancingQueen, I was sure that the BeastMaster was into me and would be a fantastic summer fling. It wasn't long before the Beastmaster and I were great friends and would, on occaision, paint the town of Newport red...flirtacious exchanges were made quite frequently, and finally after weeks of my escalading crush I seized an opportunity to make something happen. Beastmaster wrote me a message on facebook " ...hey what do i have to do to get you to come to institute ? oh and that pic of us in the sunset?" Me, recieving this at 2a.m. and being quite daring decided to make things a little interesting. (I mean, come on, he's only here for the summer. If you make things awkward, you don't hang out with him that much anyway...) So my reply was "Hey what do I have to do to get you to ask me out? :)" Innocent enough, and what's 1 date? Totally no big deal.
I recieved no facebook response, however, immediately after this, BeastMaster began calling and texting daily. He just couldn't get enough. That Sunday he came and sat next to me at church, we went to dinner, and to a fireside together that night. We were having a great time together and he was showing all the signs of being into me....opening my doors, etc. I was sure he would ask me out that night. However, he drops me off, opens my door, gives me a hug and says "ok see ya later". Umm, wait, excuse me? You forgot the part where you ask me what my plans are this week...and which day would be the most convenient for me to go out with you? Seriously? What is the deal?! So, me, being the amazingly impatient, not the least bit understanding person that I am, decide to make things awkward. I call the Beastmaster. The conversation has been permenately erased from my mind due to the extreme humiliation factor. To sum it up into one word: Rejection. It was something along the lines of "I am only here for the summer...your a great girl but...lets just be friends..." Ok I wasnt asking for your hand in marriage, I just thought we could go to dinner sometime...but whatever. Now, most would think that after such an encounter it would be awkward between us, however, it seemed that the awkward conversation only motivated Beastmaster to call more and want to hang out more...excuse me, do you not remember when you just rejected me? No Thanks. I stopped answering his phone calls and was totally over the whole thing.
A few weeks later, I found myself totally bored watching my favorite movie of all time, Pretty Women when Beastmaster called. Not wanting to spend an evening alone I decided I would let him take me out for Boba (an asian smoothie-type drink with small gummy drops at the bottom that you drink through an extra large straw). We went back to my house and began watching random movies on TV. I was laying down on the couch, and he was at the other end. I made sure not to keep myself from touching or being close to him at all, in case he thought I was trying to get close to him. However, after a while he began to do just the opposite. He offered to give me a foot massage...and before I knew what had happened he was laying with me on the couch. Now, most would think this was just a guy seizing the opportunity to get some action, but this guy is totally naive, shy, awkward--not like that. So here we are, laying on my couch, watching Napolean Dynamite. Once again, I am sure to keep myself separated from him, after all, the only reason he is laying on the couch is because his neck hurts from our Flat screen TV being too high on the wall (stupid tv). To make a long story short he totally puts the moves on me--of course-- and of course i fall for it. After a very fun night of kissing, cuddle-ing, and some sleeping...he finally goes home. I am shocked about the turn of events that took place, but have no expectations for the future.
But of course it cannot be left at that. The worse part of this is the rejection aftermath. He feels awkward. He has to come over, tell me all about his feelings how he feels awkward (it's totally not awkward) Ok, seriously who cares? Why are we talking about it? YOU were the one that rejected ME. YOU were the one that asked me out tonight. YOU were the one that sat on my couch, then laid on my couch, then feraking kissed me. It was all YOU so just get over it...so basically...i wrote this whole thing to come to the conclusion that BOYS SUCK...YUCK.

I'M SEEING SOMEONE
What is it about the opposite sex that they have to first of all, assume that you are interested in them, and secondly feel the need to express the fact that they are "seeing someone" else, and therefore could not possibly be interested in you. I have had this happen on more than 1 occasion, I'm afraid, and each time, being completely blown away by the audacity of the comment.
The first occurrence was quite comical. This boy had just moved into the area...he was one of those "I am tall, have sandy blonde hair, washboard abs, and a sweet and innocent I want you to think I am naive and from Utah" kind of look. He was at linger-longer (a post-3 hour long church, let's get these single kids some food so they will be social and maybe the guys will get the initiative to ask one of these girls out, type of thing) when he came up to me and struck up a conversation. He was cute so I relented, and before I knew it he had invited himself over to my house to watch the Olympics (Snowboarding was on that night and we all wanted to see the flying white sausage). He and his roommate, Sean (a blog for another time) came over and we all bonded while sporting our National pride as Shaun White took gold. Our friendship blossomed from there and I was excited to have new friends. Now, lets be honest. I thought this boy was attractive, seemed nice enough, however, had not considered dating him. One night he calls and invites me to go with him to a Lacross game (he played Lacross in college and was interested in getting back into it). I had nothing better to do, so I went. Assuming this was a group event, I was surprised when not even his roommate tagged along. To make a long story short, he treated the entire evening as a date, opening my doors, warming me with a blanket (it was February), buying desert, and even invited me to his house to watch a movie after. I was having an enjoyable time, and I'm not going to lie, was flirting a little and enjoying myself. After the movie we talked for a little while, and then he drove me home. He walked me to my door, said he had a great time, and gave me a big hug. I was thinking, wow, this night went so well, maybe he will ask me out again. However, mid-hug, he says, "Kiley, I have to tell you something". Immediately feeling amazingly awkward, I reply, "Oh my gosh, this is so awkward, what are you going to say?". He answers, "well I think you are such a great girl, but I have to tell you, I'm seeing someone. Caught off guard, all I can say is, "wow, neat, umm that's not exactly what I was going for here...I thought we were just friends". The awkwardness does not pass as we have a conversation about how, apparently, he is currently seeing someone, and how I just got out of a relationship and was not wanting to date, etc. I walk into my apartment and almost wake up my roommate to relay the story to her. I couldn't help but laugh. I wish I had been more prepared for the situation, because really I would have answered, "Really? You're seeing someone. Don't flatter yourself and think that I want to date you". Or something sassy and along those lines.
The Second experiance was months later. Different guy, different situation. The readers' digest of this boy was we went on a date (well really, it was one of those: I'm going to dinner with this guy but I don't think it's a date, but maybe it is, we'll have to see, types of things--girls know what i'm talking about. It ended up being a date). Then we were both out of town a lot, so we didn't get together again. 2 months later he invited me to dinner, but I had to help set up for a party, so he brought me dinner talked with me as I ate, the whole time we joked about how it was a date...Then, a few weeks after that, I recieve an email on MYSPACE which read, "I am sorry I haven't been that great a "courter" as it were. I know, I suck. And I am kinda seein someone now. But, I didn't choose her over you". Ok, really? We didn't even go on 2 dates within a 2 month period. You're seeing someone? NEAT, FANTASTIC, I wasn't interested in you like that at all anyway...

What is with the male gender and the need to express to every girl they have ever gone a date with/hung out with that they are SEEING SOMEONE? We don't care...in fact we are probably seeing somone ourselves, or really, in my case, seeing a number of people, but they just don't all know about it.

I have to give credit to Seth for the creation of this blog. He's been telling me for months that I should start one...I've thought about it... but never thought I was witty enough to write about my life in a way that people would actually want to read about. However, after months, ok let's be honest, years of my friends and family listening to all my stories about my various dating/social escapades, I finally consented and decided I should be keeping some sort of documentation of all the awkward encounters I have had. If anything, so one day I could look back and have a good laugh. The details of each experience are of the upmost importance, therefore, although some blogs may be long, but that is only to maintain the integrity of the situation. Enjoy.