I Would Prefer Blood With My Pancakes Please, Thanks.

I love my sis. I love to make fun of her, I love to make her cry, and I love to punch her in the head. But I also love goin out on the town with her, and we're both waiting for the day our baby sis turns 21. You know, so she can be our designated driver.





(Just kiddin Alyse, we want to hang out with you, the DD thing is just a plus. Love you.)


Anyway, so a few weekends ago Lin and I made Alyse babysit Logan so that we could go out. (See? We are awesome older sisters!) We started making the rounds looking for the best club to dance at and while waiting for the dance floor to open at a certain bar in town, we met an interesting fella who we named Bob.


Bob was pretty entertaining so we decided to hang out with him and his friends for a while. So we stayed out dancing until the club closed at which point it was time for breakfast! Yeah, my favorite part of going out is having breakfast at 3 in the morning, love it!


So we realize we're not fit to drive so we get a cab to take us to Village Inn. The cab turns out to be a van so Lin, Bob, and I pile into the back anxiously awaiting pancakes.


We finally get to Village Inn and Bob and Lindee get out of the cab first. Apparently Lindee forgot I existed because as I start to step outside the cab she decides to slam the van door.


On my hand.


I just sat there staring at my hand in the door. Finally my brain registered what had just happened and I thought to myself "Someone should open the door". Granted I was a little buzzed at the time so I blame the alcohol for my behavior, but it seems like I stared at my hand in the door for 10 minutes.


Obviously it was only a few seconds until I snapped out of it and opened the van door to release my hand. Lindee, who is in nursing school, immediately took action as my fingers began to bleed all over.


You'd think we'd skip the breakfast and go home to tend to the injury but no. Hell no, I wanted my pancakes dammit! So we go into the restaraunt and Lindee and I immediately head to the bathroom. We wrap it in paper towels and head back to the table.


Here is fuzzy cell phone picture of my hand a couple days later.




I'm sitting there changing my bloody paper towels, trying to eat my pancakes while simultaneaously squeezing my injury with my other hand in attempt to stop the blood flow. I'm not sure how many paper towels I went through, I just remember they were all over the booth. It was awesome. Thanks Lin.




Oh, and the pancakes were delicious.

We're All Mad Here. Seriously.

Well.


Friday night was...interesting.


The plan was that after work, I would pick up Andrea and we'd go eat sushi at Blue Fish for dinner and then see Alice In Wonderland.





That was the plan.


Work that day was a little stressfull. Okay a lot stressful, but not enough to prevent me from dreaming of my favorite sushi roll, The Hungry Roll, at Blue Fish. It is SOOOOO delicious, any roll topped with lobster has to be good right?


Why it took me 25 years to try sushi I will never know, but it is food of the Gods.


I think the Sushi Gods were conspiring against me for my lack of sushi interest for so many years because complication after complication developed at work that day. As 5:00 rolled around, I started getting nervous, I couldn't leave work until I met my deadline, which, at the time, was NOW!


I was supposed to pick Andrea up at 6:00, and as I watched the clock tick away on my computer while progress continued to slow, my dreams of sushi began to diminish.


6:00 came and 6:00 went.


Damn you Sushi Gods.


Finally I was able to leave at 7:00. SEVEN! The movie started at 7:45 so I was racing the clock driving straight from work to Andrea's house, about twenty minutes.


I was a mess at this point. My hair was all frizzy from trying to pull it out all day, my makeup had pretty much worn off, and my heart was pounding out of my chest.


Shit. I don't know how to get to her house from the freeway! So she tries to explain directions to me over the phone. This proved to be very difficult for her to do, being that she DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE SHE LIVES! How many years have you lived there now Annie?


Serioiusly, the directions I got went something like this:


"So you turn at the light, then there's a church and then a few streets down from that there's a street sign that kind of sticks out a little bit more then the others and you turn there. Oh, but when I said turn at the light, I meant the second light, not the first. Okay, so then the road winds around and you turn at a creepy looking house. Then there are big houses and you make another turn and keep driving around until you get to my house."


Huh.


I only took two wrong turns out of three and only went in one full circle before I reached her house. Do you realize how many spooky houses there are in that neighborhood? Sheesh.


I honk as I'm pulling into the driveway.


Wait.


Wait.


Okay, I think, maybe she didn't hear me. So I leave the car running as I hop out and go knock on the door. Halelujah she answers the door!


Sigh, relief!






While she puts her dog away I run back out to the car. In my haste, I grab the handle to my car door and pull extra hard expecting it to open. But no, I almost rip my shoulder out of it's socket.


The door doesn't budget. I tug again.


Nothin.


I look closer and noticed that the door wasn't shut all the way so I thought if I could just pull a little bit harder....


Nope. Oh, I know! I'll push it all the way shut and then it will open.


Nada.


We are officially locked out of my car.


My car is running.


I'm hitting my car door.


Andrea is trying not to laugh.


Like my keys, my phone and purse are locked in the car so I borrow Andrea's phone and try to call Al. Of course she has to have one of those fancy touch phones that I have no idea how to use.


I try dialing three times.


"You must dial the area code when dialing this number..."


Damn you operator!


"Andrea! How do you hang this up?!"


This goes on until finally I'm able to get through to Al.


Al was not happy.


But he comes, and brings my keys. Andrea and I were waiting inside the house when we hear a knock on the door.


Yay! Finally, every thing's going to be okay. I think.


Oh no. My car keys aren't actually real keys, they are just car remotes that you stick straight into your ignition. Because my other remote was already in the ignition, the spare remote couldn't override it.


So the doors wouldn't unlock. The trunk wouldn't pop open. The spare remote was useless.


And the car was still running.


Then, my predominate brilliance takes control and a light bulb appears above my head. There's an emergency key in the remote! Take the key out, take the key out!





Others were doubtful.


I knew it would work.


What d'ya know, the brilliant blonde saves the day. (The day that she totally ruined)


With no time for goodbyes, Andrea and I hop in the car and as soon as the doors are shut I try to put my seat belt on but, like the car door, it wouldn't budge. I let it go and try again.


Stuck.


Third time, stuck.


Andrea busts up.


I bust up.


We made it just in time for the previews.



Was it worth it? Yes.


Why?


Because after the movie we walked into Blue Fish 5 minutes before they closed and ate to our hearts' content.


The Sushi God's were very pleased.

The Reason For My Ever Expanding Waistline

My mom-in-law, sis-in-laws and I have been taking cooking classes together for over a year now. We do it for our monthly or biweekly girls night. Gotta love the GNO. We are very lucky to take them from Margaruite Henderson and we absolutely love it!


The classes are set up in an intimate atmosphere at Marguerite's home, she plans the menu in advance and gives us all a copy of the recipes to refer to as she cooks. We arrive to beautifully arranged appettizers displayed with gorgeous dishes and serving utensils. Rivaling such dexterity and finnesse of my precious Bree Van de Kamp.


Someone usally brings wine, which is a big plus, and then we sit back and relax while she cooks up a storm.


She is, without exception, the best chef ever. And the cutest.





We have learned so much from her, not only does she teach us how to cook the recipes given, but she also shares her insider chef secrets like how to know when a certain fruit is ripe, the most sufficient way to extract the juice from a lemon, the finest cutting techniques and the best cookware to use.


And my favorite part of the class?


Eating the food.


Of course everything she makes is to die for. The classes are 3 hours long and she makes anywhere from 5 to 7 dishes so you want to arrive hungry. Pacing yourself is the key, which is hard to do when every single dish implores you to have seconds and thrids. (And fourths)


By the time the class is over we've all split our pants and Marguerite has to roll us out the door. Seriously, you leave VERY satisfied, plus you get to take the leftovers home to the hubster.





The last class that we attended was called,

Fabulous February Fromage:

Cheese Fantastico! Big flavors in Puff Pastry Pizzas, Panini with Comte and Ham, Creamy Pasta with Four Cheeses, Beehive Cheddar Biscotti with Walnuts and a lemon blueberry torte!

Oh man. A class all about cheese? It was meant for me, I just know it.


Here we all are pre-pant splitting condition. From left to right: McKell, Rachael, Sharon, Cris & Me.

Marguerite persisted to take 5 pictures of us because she said Cris kept turning out too dark in each one. So we'd try to scoot Cris forward into the light and I would try to scoot back.





Um, no Margaurite, she just looks extremely dark because she IS extremely dark. And of course it doesn't help that she's sitting next to the pearly albino.

Nope, still dark.


I'm pathetic.

Beet Digger Wannabe

I was hesitant to write about my experience as a Beet Digger because I know it will resonate a lot of jealous and resentful feelings directed towards me and I would hate to be the source of such sinful thoughts and emotions.


Oh who am I kidding? Resent away!


I was honored to be accepted, if only for one night, as a part of the Jordan High School (home of the Beet Diggers) Popular Girl crowd. And not popular girls like in the movie Mean Girls popular, but popular girls as in the coolest chicks you'll ever meet kind of popular.


My friends Andrea & Talisia are part of this group of like 13 or 14 girls from Jordan High who are all good friends and every month they take turns hosting a get together. This month was Tara's turn and she wanted to go see Thriller! (Which I've been dying to see since poo poo head Andrea saw it without me.)


And they let me tag along.


Thriller totally rocked! For anyone that doesn't know what Thriller is, it's an annual dance production put on by The Odyssey Dance Theatre every year for Halloween. It's scary, it's creepy and it's amazing! The dancing is incredible!















I already knew Tara and Dellany who are awesome bloggers and even awesomer real life friends, and I met the other girls for the first time that night at dinner.


At first I felt like that new kid in school with the glasses and braces who is ugly and awkward before she's befriended by the popular girls who then give her a makeover so by the end of the school year she gets asked out by the hottest guy at the school and they go out on a date but he's a jerk and just wants to have sex with her so she slaps him and then realizes that she's been in love with her nerdy best guy friend who she ditched to hang out with the popular girls and after she apologizes for her stupid ways he takes her back and they live happily ever after.


It was like that but minus the braces, and after we sat down and all got to talking, I realized they were all quirky like me so I felt right at home.


Thanks Dell for ordering nachos with me for dinner and for teaching me things that I didn't even know existed, like almond milk and, what did you call them? Vegetables? Yeah, that was pretty awesome.


And thanks Sara for freaking out about everyone having babies all the time and doing stupid stuff like getting married. Oh, and thanks for being so concerned about the audience at Thriller who were all coughing and choking to death from smoke inhalation.


As far as you know I didn't cough once. Shut up Andrea.


And thanks Tara for buying the tickets and letting me write you out a check like those annoying check writers in the grocery check out lines that take FOREVER! Good God people, ever heard of a debit card? Checks or SO 20th century. Oh and thanks for liking the ruffles on my shirt, they like you too.


And thanks Talisia for not having your baby right there on the steps in front of Kingsbury Hall. I thought for sure he'd pop out after that zombie girl snuck up on you and I would have to jump forward and catch him before he hit the cement and then we'd all have to take you to the hospital and miss the show all together. So yeah, thanks for not doing that.


And for not peeing.


And thanks Andrea...for something. I'm sure you did something I should be thankful for soooo...thanks...er whatever.


And lastly, I'd like to thank the Academy. It was hella fun!

Déjà vu-ish

Jen, a friend of mine from High School, has moved back to Utah. Yay! Lord knows if I were living in LA there's no way I'd come back to Utah, but that's just me. I guess she does have a good reason though,


I'M HERE!


(Ok, so are her daughter and fiance, but still.)


We all got together for dinner last night at Red Robin (Sorry the photo quality sucks, it was my phone. Stupid phone.)

Counterclockwise starting on the left: Amy, Brooke, Angie & her cutie Logan, Me & my huge arm, Jen & her cutie pa tootie Kylie.



Annie, Rach, De & everyone out of state we wish you could have come!

Here's some more crappy pictures (quality wise people, the girls are not crappy. Most of them anyway)




Okay now this little guy is so freakin cute I wanted to stuff him in my purse and take him home with me! (Gently of course)



He was entertaining me the whole night generously handing me all of his mom"s fries, one by one.

I was in love.






A couple weeks ago a bunch of us from high school also got together at Red Robin for lunch while everyone was in town for the reunion. So dinner last night was a little déjà vu-ish (It's a word).


Here are some pics from that lunch.

Top Row: Stephanie (ha ha Streeter I found your blog!), Brooke (WTF no blog?), My BFF DeAnna, Rachael, & Amy
Bottom Row: Steph, Me & Annie (bout time you blog up Annie!)













Girls, we cannot continue this habit of only getting together every ten years okay?

Or is it just me and you all have been meeting behind my back having sleep overs with pillow fights and frozen bras or maybe you've been sneeking out to toilet paper the old neighborhood without me or maybe Jen's been dumping strawberry lemonade on some bitches in the parking lot again?


Is it because I smell? I try to shower at least once a month.

Wicked!

A week late I am finally posting about Wicked! We LOVED it! I am a little obsessed with it actually. Albert has been a little annoyed with me blasting the soundtrack throughout the house this past week. I don't know why he complains when I sing Defying Gravity into his ear every 5 minutes. I have an awesome voice and by awesome I mean fantastic, and by fantastic I mean shrill, off-key, and about 10 octaves too high.




Our night started out with some great conversation and so-so food at The Macaroni Grill downtown. Below is baby sis Alyse, my mom, and my cute cousin Ashley.




Below is Lin, the niece Kelsi (who's Grandma has cancer, donate donate donate!), and Lyse.






Below is my aunt Jo, she is Ashley's mom and my mom's sister.




I think someone was getting annoyed with getting a camera shoved in her face all night.




After dinner we ventured out onto the streets of Salt Lake City on our way to the Capitol Theatre and of course we can't be normal anywhere.









Now time for your close up!









So after all the wierd looks and blank stares, we finally made it to the theatre!




While I was trying to take pictures of the theatre, these guys thought I was taking pictures of them and started yellin that I had to pay them to take their photo. So I told them they had to pose and work the camera and well, they tried. I didn't pay them, I just promised not to post their picture on the internet. So here they are!




I was able to get a couple pics inside the theatre before the show started. I love the archetecture of this place so those of you who have never been to the Capitol Theatre, these are for you:






So I bet you all think that I didn't actually go to the play since I'm in none of the pictures right? Well, here's proof peeps!



I'm planning to try out to play Elphaba (The witch) for next season. Not just because I want to make out with Adam Lambert from American Idol, I really think I'd be the perfect Elphaba, green looks great on me!




(Thanks Lin for the Adam link!)