Can she fix it!?

These are the curtains in the living room-next on my project list, however, the ones in the dining room were exact replicas. I..took them DOWN.

Charming, aren't they? ew.

Gearing up for some spackle and paint work yo

Armed and Dangerous ( I really like drills, I've decided )

A drill entrusted in the hands of a woman? hmm...

Brand new wall! After a bunch of construction. haha. 

Stupid wall. How was I supposed to know it was laced with uranium, plutonium and  Tayler Lautner's abbs!? My drill couldn't even power through the blasted thing.

Not even all my fancy toys could fix it. :'( 

So I wept bitterly. and then used my squishy pink think and took a different, make-shift approach

so we put up the curtains and I thought it looked like a bad flashback to "I Dream of Genie" or like I just walked into a sultan's secret chambers to smoke some hookah. Ick. too old lady. REDO!

A bit better. 

Not bad, huh? 

So, to celebrate we ordered legit Chinese Take-out!!! SO cool. Half the time I didn't know what I was eating. But it was good! Fortune say " You will always have good luck in your personal affairs. " I agree. :) To which I'm eternally grateful.

Today I decided to get like handy manny and fix some stuff! Woot. This is kind of a play by play of my day.  So today Suzanne asked me to take down some of the drapes in the dining room and replace it with some others that she bought. Easy enough, right? I donned my tool belt and was READY!!!  Yeah, I'm going to put this up in no time! I'm going to put my dad to shame and do this in RECORD time cuz he's slow and ANYONE whose anyone can put up a stupid curtain-rod thingamajig. * Bangs, clatters, consultation, more banging, trail, error, sweat, tears (not really), lots of laughter, more banging, drywall dust and paint flecks, coughing, sputtering, adjusting, leveling, leveling, leveling, tweaking, adjust. phew, ok? ew. tweak, adjust, level. ok? ...it works. phew.*

 ....Sometimes I'm too arrogant for my own good. After deciding that I needed to drill six holes in the wall, I needed to take down and cover up the old crap first. First I had to take apart the beastly curtain which was actually attached via custom made board AND ghetto grandma trailer curtain fixture. It left a plethora of holes. all over the wall. So I filled them and wiped down the wall, attempted prying off hole sockets but that didn't work, so i went downstairs into the dank, dark dungeon of a basement in search for elderberry paint. The room was filled with dismembered dolls, old Christmas decorations, camping supplies, odds and ends, broken furniture, an exercise bike and viola, elderberry paint. winna winna chicken dinna! So after high tailing it back to the part of the world where the sun shined, I merrily mixed and applied copious amounts of elderberry paint to said holy wall. Wait 2-3 hours. During said time I bought THIS !  Isn't it perfect? Plus I got 15% and free shipping, so it only ended being 212 bucks! 

Back to project. Drilling. More drilling because I started with a smaller bit and the screw covers wouldn't fit. Then 2 of my holes wouldn't drill any deeper because part of my wall was lined with freaking plutonium, I swear! So i had to think. hard. and be creative. I used screws from our old fixture for a make shift solution. Then we put the curtains up. (2 are still backwards- I have to fix it tomorrow) My original plan ended up looking like a badly decorated tent from a hookah festival. So we went with plan b. It looks much better. All it all, it was a delightful, crazy awesome experience. Very cathartic and actually fun and fulfilling!  I can't wait to paint the house. I'll look sooo good!  Anyway, to award my mad craftsmanship, we had legit NEW YORK CHINESE TAKE-OUT!!! I felt like Sandra Bullock as I called and a crazy chinese lady answered and asked what I wanted "WHAT YOU WANT?!" "Em, can I have 2 number 16's?" "WHAT YOU NUMBA?!" "OK BE READY *mumled* MINUTE!" and before i could say thank you, she hung up. I drove up to the dingy hole in the wall restaurant (no lie, is RIGHT next to a dry cleaners) and picked up the food.  "17 dolla! Was 17.01 but I give you break.  You nice lady." haha I have no idea what was in my egg roll, but it was good. Anyway, all in all it was a very good, fulfilling day. I'll let you know how my other projects are coming along. Until then readers, peace out! 

New York!

Isn't it cute? 

Backyard shot

I promise I'll post something like tomorrow. I just need more legit pictures of how gorgeous it is here! But until then, Here is a peektchore or peektchores of the house I am currently inhabiting. :)  Also, I hit up a concert this past weekend with the boys-here they are with Matt from Matt and Kim. Adorable yes? 

Jarome, Austin (mine) MATT, Josh, and Tanner. Insert Dallas and Heather for sheer bliss. :)

I'll be sure to add more pictures and tell you more of my life here. I'm learning a lot and loving it. Until next time readers, Keep it real. :) Remember who you are and that leaps of faith are always worth it. Adios!

Safe Arrival

Well friends. It's official. I am now in New York. Ta-Dah! *fanfare ensues* Crazy, huh? I keep looking around like this is some dream that I'll wake from at any moment. But its real. The wood floors are real, the humidity is real, the rolling green lawns and trees are real, this family, this situation is real. What I'm here to do is real. It's been a battle the whole time getting here. But as I sit here, pinching myself in the wee hours of the morning, I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. And I had better make the most of every moment that I am given. 

THIS is the house that I am living in. I'll be sure to post some pictures soon. This just will give you an idea of what the neighborhood looks like and essentially what the house looks like. Enjoy. I've never really been so happy for a safe arrival. Its strange to think that I'll actually be DOING what I was sent to do this time. I'll keep you posted on what that exactly entails, my first day etc. etc.

 Until then, I'd like to share something with you. Right now I'm reading a book entitled The Alchemist. The book tells the story of a Spanish shepherd boy who sets out to find his dream and the 4 steps all dreamers face. It's incredible, I highly recommend it. I sat there on the plane reading this story and could relate to the steps he'd taken, felt his sorrows, highs and lows, constantly relating my moment to the one he was in. I truly was inspired to pick it up when I did before my plane left from SLC. YAY for tender mercies! Readers, it wasn't easy to get to this point, but I'm discovering that if you wish to really gain a reward- whether it be through learning, love, or adventures across the country, there usually is a form of sacrifice involved (to more clearly see my point read Joseph Smith's 6th Lecture on Faith). You read of it in the history books, in The Alchemist, the gospel and see it in anything worthwhile. I want to share with you something I wrote on the plane fighting those thoughts in my head. It was a victory against Satan that I think can benefit others who may read this in the future.

 'I never thought that after nearly a year after my trip to England I would be back on a plane flying to a far off place almost as foreign- New York. I've been contemplating the importance of dreams, of fighting for the pursuit of them, of aligning your heart and your will with God's, and watching miracles occur before your very eyes. I also think that my Father in Heaven has a more clear idea of what my dreams are, and now i'm finally at a point in my life where I can begin to accomplish the things I was called to do in this life. I've no idea what things await me in New York. I just know that my Father is with me, guiding me by the hand.  Whenever I take these trips, I suddenly become aware of the beauty of life- His children, of their dreams, how our lives are intricately knit together, of time, this planet and the universe. I can't help but feel a bit small, but so blessed to know that my Father knows me, loves me, is guiding me and with the Spirit I can perform his works among his children no matter where he takes me. I'm excited for the adventures I'll have, the people I'll meet, the things I'll discover and learn and the person I'll become because of this decision to do God's will. It's funny how dot people try to belittle you when you're on the precipice of taking a giant leap of faith to do the right thing- something you KNOW is a good thing that will help you expand, grow, and take the knowledge that you've gained thus far and put those truths into practice, but because its comfortable, you second guess, doubt, and fear. I pray that I will learn to toss aside living until I'm comfortable. "Deep water is what I am wont to swim in." I have already begun leading a life of shattering the fish tanks of limited perspective. I know too much of what I have, of who I am and of my Father in Heaven to just sit and let life happen to me. I want to tell people. I want to be led by his spirit to do his will, lift the hands that hang down and lift the feeble knees. I pray that I'll be open to insight and learning to discover the things He'd have me know so I may be a better disciple of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Satan keeps placing thoughts in my head that this plane will crash and plummet to the Earth because I am on this flight and I bring bad luck and dispair, that I'll never live up to the lofty dreams in my head. And this is where I  yell "STOP! Who are YOU to tell me that I am nothing, small, weak, insignificant, dowdy and incapable of living the dreams I desire, of loving those I wish to love and making a difference in this world?! Exactly. You are nothing. I have the Greatest of all beings on my side, the beginning and the end. My Eternal Father-King of Heaven and Earth fortifying and blessing my journey. And you are merely a voice, filled with nothing that will fade with all those empty things you know will bring about the destruction of men, if they choose to listen. Leave me. I am about my Father's business and I intend to do it with ALL that I possess. He will help me every step of the way as long as I remain worthy of His Holy Spirit. And I am excited for all that he has in store for me and the children I'll have the privilege of meeting that are waiting along my path. That, is a lot more than you'll ever have. So don't waste my time. I have important work to do for my Father. " 

So with that, I invite you to do the same, to block out the words of deceit and unrighteousness, to take a stand, to be free. I pray that your lives are ones where you seek to accomplish the dreams in your heart and God's will for you. Until next time readers,