Saturday, November 30, 2013

I drove to the airport to pick up Charwhal this evening. We had a really good chat on the drive back!  (And I didn't bother to look at he picture after we took it... Until now. Oops.)

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Friday, November 29, 2013

I've new employee training all week for my new job. Today was the last day! It's been hard! There was a lot of information to learn and remember, and then we had to pass the test. I am so glad it's over and I passed!

So, this is a picture of part of the cover of my handbook... If I took a picture of he whole thing, I'd be advertising, and that's not the purpose of this project.  

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for and so many things to be happy about today!  I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner today, and everything was perfect! My family came to visit, so there were only six of us. 

My thoughtful aunt in California sent us all special gifts to open "after the dishes were done." She sent me this cute Christmas apron. I pretty much wore it for the rest of the afternoon, even though we were done cooking! It was packaged in these really fun Russian-nesting-doll style houses (a big one with a smaller one inside a smaller one inside a smaller one.) I thought those were so fun! So I displayed the on the shelves in my living room. 

A few days ago, I asked my mom if she still had an extra artificial Christmas tree, wondering if I could use it for the season. Turns out she got rid of it. But today, my family surprised me with this fun little tree and ornaments and a tree skirt! I was so excited!  See, when you are a single adult like me, you don't spend lots of holiday time at home, so there's no tree to enjoy. I'm pretty sentimental so I miss that. But now I have a tree in my apartment! I love that!

We watched the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning. I just remember watching that when I was little, but since my parents done have tv anymore, my younger siblings hadn't really ever seen it. I hope they enjoyed that. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I got this nifty little coupon intje mail about a month ago. I finally used it today and got some incredible deals on soap--which is pretty much all I buy from Bath and Body Works. Too bad I have to wait a few weeks for shipping. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

When I arrived home from day two of training at my new job, I was really tired. I was preheating the oven to make dinner and decided to make a quick trip to the mailbox. I ran into some neighbors who said they were going out for dinner to a local Mexican/El Salvadorian restaurant. They invited me to go, and of course I said yes! After dinner, we went to one of the girl's apartments and ate cake. That was a good way to end a long work day!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Today was the first day at my new job! I really like it so far! This is a picture of me and my trainer. She's so spunky!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Wearing high heel shoes makes me feel more confident! (Ps. It's really hard to take a good picture of shoes. )

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

I've been paying some medical bills left over from the beginning of the summer. Money is tight so I've had to break them up into monthly payments. Today, I got the notice in the mail saying the last one is finally all paid off! It feels so good to be done with those!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Friday, November 22, 2013

I was able to see Catching Fire with some friend this evening. I enjoyed it, but I don't know that I'd buy it or pay to see it again. It was nice to do something social on a Friday night for a change; I've had to work for the past three Fridays, so I haven't been able to. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The rest of my new clothes arrived today! I love dress pants!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

A few friends/neighbors came over this evening and we played Seven-Up, which is a card game that probably goes by a few other names. I like it because it's simple and takes two minutes to learn and two minutes to play, but there's also an element of strategy. It was fun to catch up a bit with some friends; I hadn't seen them in a while. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

This made me laugh today. I don't really care for the "YOLO" (you only live once) philosophy, but this was still funny! In case you can't see, the cat's shirt says "YOL9."

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Monday, November 18, 2013

I went out to lunch with my mom today!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

I have a binder full of sheet music I've collected over the years. I brought it home with me this weekend. This evening, I asked my parents to come sing with me around the piano. My dad and I sang a few duets and my mom played piano. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Saturday, November 16, 2013

I decided to come home to my parents' house today. I think I just need a weekend where my mom takes care of me and I don't have to worry so much about... being an adult. Tonight I taught Curly how to play cribbage! She caught on pretty quick and she played pretty well. This is a picture of her first cribbage game. I'm so proud! (I always play red, she played blue. )

Also, three years ago today, I was in a bit of an accident at work and ended up with nine stitches in my right hand and two in my left. I feel so grateful that my hands both work just fine--there was no permanent damage. I just have this scar (it's sort of hard to see, but it's right in between my thumb and pointer finger.)

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Friday, November 15, 2013

These were left over from a craft we did at work tonight, and I got to bring them home! The craft was pretty fun, too. We made cute little bars of soap. Some had rose petals and some had limes and some had lemons.

Also, my wonderful dad called me during his lunch break today. He has done that a few times this week. But today, he called just to give me some extra support because he knows I don't like clouds or rain or snow, and that was the weather for today. It felt so good to know he cared enough to realize today might be a little rough for me. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

I went out to dinner with some coworkers tonight! I love chatting with these ladies!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The sunset this evening was gorgeous! I wish I had a better camera for this. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

I really like blankets. A lot. I think most if that is because I'm usually cold. But I'm also pretty sure part of it is a sensory thing--the weight of a blanket is comforting to me. This red one is probably one of the best blankets I've ever had. My older sister and I made matching fleece blankets when I was in middle school-ish. Red on one side and strawberry print on the other. It's the perfect size for a "lap blanket."  The blue one is also pretty great cause it's a down feather blanket, which means it's heavy. Before my mom gave it to me, I would sleep under three blankets, but now I only need one!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Monday, November 11, 2013

New job means new wardrobe! I love new clothes, but I hate shopping. I'm so proud of myself today because I went shopping and actually found some nice things and awesome sales! 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

I invited some friends over this evening to play games. We picked Clue, which I hadn't played for a while. I feel like we laughed a lot, which is always a good thing. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

I went to the symphony again tonight with my aunt. They performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which I don't think I've ever heard all the way through before. Our seats were on the second row, so I could see the orchestra really well. There's something about seeing a live performance. I really hope I have the opportunity to play with an orchestra again someday. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Friday, November 8, 2013

I was getting ready to go to work this afternoon when there was a knock on the door. It was a UPS man with a package for me! That was a fun surprise! It was from my aunt in California. She sent this cute little journal with a note telling me she appreciates this project I'm doing on my blog. I didn't know my posts were having a positive affect on anyone, so it feels good to know I'm making a difference.

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

I don't have a picture for this one, but I have some pretty exciting news! So I've been trying to find a second job for a few months now. I had an interview a few weeks ago but was not chosen for the position. On Tuesday, I received a phone call from the manager. He asked if I was still looking for employment and if I'd come in for another interview. I said yes; my interview was yesterday. I left the interview feeling very confident; I nailed it! So, I got a phone call from the manager this morning, and... I got the job!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

I've been craving this pasta salad for a while now. I finally had time to make it today! It's super easy. Just tri-color rotini, diced tomato, diced green bell pepper, and sliced olives with Italian dressing. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

I've been feeling incredibly exhausted and overworked lately. Today, I just needed dessert, you know? I had a piece if cake left over from Sunday dinner; that was perfect! It was pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, which is one of my favorites. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

I have a friend who teaches elementary school aged children. This is a story she posted on Facebook today. It made me laugh!



Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I had a few friends over tonight for Sunday dinner. I love hosting! I made these amazing bread bowls and some chicken noodle soup. One of my friends brought a pumpkin cake. It was the perfect meal for today because it was rainy and snowy and cloudy. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I went to stake conference with a few friends this evening. We decided to go for ice cream after. We seem to frequent Coldstone, which I love! I got marshmallow ice cream with raspberries and chocolate shavings. It was amazing!

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day. 

Friday, November 1, 2013

For work today, I took a few students on an adventure with disposable cameras. We haven't gotten them developed yet so I'm still waiting to see what we got, but it was still fun looking for cool things to snap photos of. 

Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.