Shooting.

I cut my hair again. Well, *I* didn't. Laura (my new stylist!) did. You know, after you have a really bad week, cutting all your hair off is a good idea. :) So is buying a case of 48 Snickers bars... *ahem*

So... I'm home alone right now, but the puppies were like, "Mom, let's have a photo shoot!" And I was like, "Whoa, cool! My puppies can talk!" But after that I was like, "Great idea, Pups! Let's!"

Ruby moved her head *just* a tad lower than I had hoped, but you can still see her cute little eyes and ears (I just shaved them). LOL. And Amber looks like she's plotting something. Hmm...

You can pretty much get the gist of my new haircut from this photo. I'll have to have Jeremy take some others. I took a whole bunch, but they don't look good to me. I look tired, and I don't feel like putting make-up on to make myself look un-tired, so this photo will have to do. :D

Also, I had a whole LIST of things to do today, and I did like three of them... all IN the house. So I better get packing because *tomorrow* will be crazy-errand day again. LOL. 

I leave for CHA in less than 40 hours! HOORAY!

Smiling.

First off, I want to wish a VERY Happy Birthday to my sister's baby, Mairen Elizabeth. May (as her family calls her) is FOUR years old today! I can't believe how much time flies. She's so OLD! I'm so glad we got this super-awesome photo of the two of us, just this last November. And seriously, how cute is she?! Does my sister not have the most adorable girls ever? 

Happy Birthday Mary-Beth!! (My sister hates when I call her that. Tee hee.)

So this last week? Seriously worst week of my entire life. It's so bad, I can't even share it with people because that would entail reliving the horror. *sigh*

And... in grand Reyanna fashion (tee hee), this is my post-yucky-week happy post. :)

Things that made me smile today:

1. Talking to my grandfather and being able to say, "See you in three days!" Yay! And also, laughing along with him while he teased my grandmother. :p

2. Getting out of the house without having an anxiety attack (they're not common in my life, but they definitely were this last week). 

3. Getting most of my errands done (oil change and post office will have to wait until tomorrow). 

4. Finding the VERY two books I wanted from the Christian bookstore.

5. Talking to my bosses about last week. (Insert BIG SIGH here.)

5. Hearing my favorite song (Walking in Memphis) on the radio while I waited in line at the *wrong* grocery store (there are too darn many HEBs in my area) to return my expired (read: rancid and very gross) cereal. Yeah, I still smiled. LOL.

6. The grocery guy who promptly took the remainder of expired cereal off the shelves (you know, once I actually *got* to the correct grocery store).

7. Finding six camis (all of mine accidentally were sent to the thrift store...), three tops, and two pairs of socks at Old Navy: all for $38. AND getting to use a gift card on said purchase. :)

8. Jeremy saying to me, "You had a rough week, and you've been really strong. You should go treat yourself." :D

8. A Mexican Vanilla milkshake from Amy's. 

9. Stopping at the new Vietnamese restaurant (on my street!) to get spring rolls and a nice big bowl of Pho Ga. :)

10. Noticing that said Vietnamese restaurant uses my *same* rice cooker. Tee hee.

11. CHA is this coming weekend, and I'm FINALLY going! So excited to see online friends and represent this great website. :)

12. Not wearing a bra today. :D

13. Getting five compliments on my new super-short haircut. :)

Altering.

I know I mention Studio Calico quite a bit. And you may think I'm obsessed with it...

And you would be right. :D

I was taking a nap yesterday, and when I woke up, I checked my email. And I received an email saying that my Studio Calico kit was on my doorstep. 

My breath catches in my chest as I jump up to run to the front door. And my kit? It's already sitting in the hallway...

"WHAT?!?! Jeremy!" I yell.  "My kit came, and you didn't even wake me up?!" 

"Well, you just looked very peaceful, and I wanted to let you sleep."

"Jeremy! You know this is my favorite day of the month!"

We both giggled, and I sat down at the table and dug in to my yummy Studio Calico goodness. (Jeremy is forgiven, by the way.) This month, they premiered *new* exclusive papers, and they are beautiful. I woke up at 7:30 this morning to alter or scrap something with it. :)

Altering is fun. And even more fun with Studio Calico products. 

And I really want a donut.

Besting.

So my friend Cyclops (yes, she really does have one "i" ;) ) made this list of ten things she loves. And that was my intent for my New Year's Day post... a "Best Of." :) But I got side-tracked and found another cool idea on Scarlet's blog, so I went with that. Anywho, when Staci told me she did a Top Ten list on her blog, I thought this would be a good time to do mine too. :)

So here's Reyanna's Favorite Things. Or a "Best Of" (you know, best of stuff that's out there, but this is really the best because I say so) list. :) Stuff I can't live without. Things I've *tried* to live without. But it just... wasn't pretty. (Oh, and also... most of this stuff, I refuse to pay full price for. :p )

1. Eco-Lips Mint Lip Balm (and now that I see they make Coconut, I want that too!)

2. Dark chocolate. I'm really not *that* picky. :p But if I had my choice (and you know, hundreds of dollars to spend on chocolate), it would come from here. But I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on chocolate (hubby was less than thrilled when I spent $40 in there while we were in New York), so I usually buy this. 

3. Schokinag Extreme Dark European drinking chocolate

4. Colgate 360 Toothbrush. Soft. Compact.

5. Apple (iPod Touch and iMac to be exact...)

6. Nalgene water bottles 

7. Studio Calico

8. Martin and Osa

9. The Container Store (... more of an obsession, really. What kind of crazy fool is disappointed when her work-shift ends?!)

10. Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream

11. Basic Grey patterned paper

12. Canon PowerShot SD1100

13. Vera Bradley (Mod Floral Blue, Kensington, and Night Owl)

14. Re-usable shopping bags. These. And these. The one from TCS is small enough to fit in your purse or clip to your wallet, so you'll *never* leave it in the car! :)

15. Friends

16. Wacoal bras. 

17. Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Soap in Sensual Amber 

18. Clorox wipes

19. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

20. Dove Supreme Cream Oil Ultra Rich Velvet Body Wash

21. Merrell shoes (I can't wear anything else...)

22. Prescriptives Mascara

23. Mickey Mouse and Minnie too. Okay, anything Disney... and this website.

24. The Company Store flannel pillowcases (I wait till they're on clearance for 75% off... tee hee).

25. Simple Scrapbooks. Their magazine. Their books. Their special issues. Their staff. Their creative team. Just how great is SS?! Fabulous! :)

Okay, so... that was supposed to be only ten things, but I get carried away when naming products that I love. And I can still think of five more, but I'll save those for another day's list. :)

Wishing.

I can't believe it. Alaura Dawn (right) and Brenna Rey (left) are SEVEN years old today. SEVEN! I knew they'd be beautiful... before they were born, I knew. But I could never imagine how gorgeous they would be. Or sweet. (Or sassy.) Or fun. Or how much I'd ache whenever I leave them (and their sister...). It truly hurts me to not be with them on their birthday. 

But you know, it's okay... I got to see them about every other weekend for three years. I really took advantage of living near them. And I feel blessed to have those memories... even if that time is over. :)

Now there are just photos. And phone calls. And video cam if we ever send them their new computer. ;) Though... I'm not complaining about the photos. Do I not have the most beautiful nieces ever?! I could just stare at those faces all day!

Remembering 2008.

Dear 2008,

There are some things I want to remember about you. :) There are also things I want to forget (like... the first ten months ;) ). Here are some highlights... okay, and lowlights...

Favorite Photo:

Alaura, Brenna and Mairen at gymnastics. I tried all EIGHT days I was there to get a photo of the three of them... together... where they're all smiling, and nobody is making a goofy face or giving someone bunny ears. This is it. This is the one. :) Makes me happy for so many reasons. One of which being that they've all three found a passion for gymnastics that just makes me giddy. :)

Best day: 

It's a tie. Between June 23rd (the day I found out I'd be published in Simple Scrapbooks), November 20th (my first day on the sales floor at Sharkiver's *wink*), and December 30th (my first day in Sales [as opposed to Visual Sales] at The Container Store).

Best movies:

*I realized when looking through the 250+ movies that came out in 2008 that there were A LOT I didn't get to see. And I'm thinking, had I seen them, they'd have made this list. I suppose a resolution for 2009 should be to get back Netflix! ;)*

Iron Man - Welcome back, Robert Downey Jr! I guess rehab was what you needed! You were hilarious in this. :)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - I SO wanted to see this twice! But I saw it the last week it was out, and the following week when I wanted to see it again, it was too late. *sigh* I will be buying this. :)

Best Scrapbooking Decision:

Becoming a subscriber to Studio Calico. What in the HECK took me so long! Sheesh! :p

Favorite Gifts:

Well, it was the year of the fruit. ;) I received my iPod Touch in March, my iMac for St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th), and my Apple tote bag (like a purse...) yesterday from my friend Amy. How do you like them Apples?! ;)

Favorite foods:

I think I ate more peanut butter sandwiches and burritos in 2008 than all years put together. Yum. :) (I'm not sick of them either!)

Favorite drinks:

Friends of mine know I HATE hot chocolate. HATE IT! Makes me want to hurl. Oh, I'm sorry... makes me want to... be sick. :) But I MISSED liking it. I drank it every single day while in junior high (12/13 yrs old). But then when you see it in reverse, notsomuch. :p Then I found Schokinag. *sigh* Extreme Dark drinking chocolate... not your Mama's Swiss Miss, Kids. Doesn't make me want to pray to the porcelain god, has the words "dark chocolate" in it, and is absolutely perfect. So yeah, that stuff... my favorite. :) 

That and the new Crystal Light Hydration in lemon flavor. Electrolytes with no sugar... yeah, baby!

Toughest Decision (EVER):

Deciding to take my husband back (and forgiving him...) after he left me. *sigh* He didn't cheat on me, so I guess that made it a *bit* easier. But seriously... I spent months debating if I had the strength to take him back... let alone forgive him for putting me through that for the first ten months of the year. But... I'm SO glad I did. And I'm also so blessed and so thankful that God gave me the strength and patience to do so. I'm SO happy now. Happier than I've been since before we were married, and boy, does that feel GREAT! :D

Epiphany:

I want kids... bad. :) One boy and one girl. We want to adopt, and I'm pretty sure we already have their names picked out. Tee hee.

Coolest Discovery:

Figuring out that I LOVE being in Sales. Love it. LOVE it. LOVE IT! I'm so in my element. So at home. So passionate. So happy.

Best week:

Visiting my sister and her family in Boise, Idaho (Oct 30-Nov 6). Impromptu trips are the best ones. :) When I found out my parents would be at my sister's house for Halloween and her birthday, I booked my flight just ten days out. It.Was.Fabulous. Best week of the year, bar none. Hadn't seen Shaina and her girls (and Tony...) in almost 14 months. Way too long. 

Mairen tripled her cute factor. Three really is the best age. :) And the fact that she can spell and read over TEN words, a few months shy of age 4... floored me. 

Alaura impressed me to no end with her leadership skills and maturity. She is growing into such a beautiful young lady... leaving some of that sassiness behind and heading into Age 7 with gusto! 

And Brenna's (Alaura's twin sister) passion for gymnastics and school... along with her problem solving, kind heart and gentle spirit made me believe she was much older than 6.75 years. :)

Best Shopping Finds:

Okay, two. I'm not a big shopper. Actually, unless I'm shopping at The Container Store or Archiver's, I HATE shopping. Just had to share that. :p

Anywho, long story short... Last year, I was looking for the perfect bag. Smoky blue, fits my wallet and a water bottle, leather, shoulder strap, clean and simple, no decorations. Easy enough? Notsomuch. Finally found it. Dooney. It was $165... on clearance! Debated. Finished my shopping. Went home. Asked the husband. He said yes. Called the store to put it on hold. They had sold it in those two hours. *sigh*

Kept looking for like... a year. Found it on ebay. The larger version (YES!) for less than a THIRD of the retail price. And about half the price of the smaller version from the previous year. I don't make large purchases like this... especially for purses, but I knew it would last forever, and I'd get my money's worth. I was right. :)

The second one. My red Mary-Janes. I did a layout about them. Seriously, that's how happy I was to find them. LOL. 

Something I Did a Lot of:

Crying. And getting sick. I hate to say it, but it's true. Next year WILL be better. Even if my health isn't better, the crying thing will be. Because this year, my husband says he won't be leaving me. And I believe him. :)

Oh! Something else I did a lot of! Watching Friends! Seriously... I'm not sure I could have made it through you, 2008, without Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel. I think I've seen every episode *at least* four times each now. LOL.

Something I Thought I Didn't Need, but Do:

A sofa. LOL. We didn't have a sofa for like... three years. We bought one the other day because we couldn't stand it another second. And getting it for nearly half off... bonus!

Something I Thought I Didn't Need, and It's Still True:

A television. :) We've been television-less for... four years now, and I'm still happy about this. :) Every year, it's more apparent.

Person I Became Close With (and didn't expect to...):

Grandpa Pendzimas. Who knew he'd become one of my very favorite people in the world?! Talking to him is truly one of my favorite things. I always smile, laugh, scoff, smirk and reminisce when we talk. And I love that our 5-10 minute conversations have turned into an hour. :)

Best Move:

Literally... moving. LOL. Growing up in California and Colorado, moving to Texas is just something you don't do. ;) But after spending winters in Colorado, Minnesota and Rhode Island, I knew I needed a warmer climate (well, rather... my *hips* needed a warmer climate). Jeremy suggested Texas. And I heard from quite a few friends that Austin was unlike the rest of Texas. I moved here... sight unseen. No job. No place to live. Husband still in Rhode Island (and deciding...). Not having ever seen *photos* of Austin. And I never want to move away from here.

My walking cane is currently retired, now that I live here, and that feels great! I haven't *not* walked with a cane during a winter since I was 17. Ten years. And though I may have to walk with one in the future, I'm reveling in the fact that I don't have to now. :)

Downfall:

Trying to please everyone. *sigh* I SO need to work on that. (Reyanna, repeat these words: "It's okay to focus on you. It's okay to focus on you. It's okay to focus on you.") 

Something I Never Thought I'd Do:

Take up golfing. And I actually enjoy it. LOL.

So, farewell, 2008. I'm glad to see you go. :)

*reyanna*

Dear 2009,

Please be better than 2008. :) I promise I won't take on too much. And I promise not to try to please everybody.

Love, 

*reyanna*