Shantel

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2009-11-29T16:22:00.001-08:00

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2009-11-19T12:43:00.001-08:00

Pre-Wedding Partying in Wyoming!!!

2009-11-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

I love this jacket!! So comftorable and cute!!!

You learn things about yourself...

2009-11-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

So you know how people say you learn things about yourself when you get married... I thought it was deep emotional stuff, I didn't think they meant stuff like this.

JJ pointed something out that I never knew I did. Subconsciously, I cross my toes.

He says its cause I have jacked-up feet; I say its just another one of my many talents :)

Engagement Pictures

2009-09-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Nickell Blair did our photography and as you can see did amazing. But the best part is not only how much I love her shots and editing, but it was a steal of a deal. Visit her website or her photo blog to see more of her work.

Pho Noodle House

2009-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I have another awesome find in the Orem/Provo area that I just found and had to share. I have been having some massive cravings for some ramen (good ramen) since leaving California and some local Korean and Asian restaurants that got me hooked on noodle soup. Last Friday, JJ and I passed Pho Noodle House (just North of University Mall on State St.) and decided to try it, hoping that it would at least be good enough to calm my cravings a bit. Fortunately for us, it was better than anything we could have guessed. The noodles are great and the meat is fine, but the broth is absolutely amazing!!! We went back last night and both times, both of us walked away with very very full tummies, as we had to slurp out every last drop of the broth. If you go, I recommend steak for your meat, the chicken is rather dry.

The Sweet Tooth Fairy

2009-09-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

I finally stopped in at The Sweet Tooth Fairy (a way cute little bakery in Provo). I had heard about this place from a friend at work and she mentioned that their double fudge cake bites were featured on the Rachel Ray show. When I popped in, I obviously had to try the cake bites, but everything looked so good I went a little crazy. I bought a white chocolate/cranberry outmeal cookie - which was fabulous!! I also had to try one of their key lime cupcakes. The frosting was a little too tart for me, but once I pulled that off, the key lime flavored cake part was super good too.
Now to the cake bites. Sinking my teeth into those little gems was complete bliss. I was expecting just chocolate covered cake, but the inside is this really moist and heavy chocolate wonderfulness. It had a little hint of what tasted like Oreos and it was all covered in delicious chocolate that was hard enough to not get your fingers chocolatey, but soft enough to not crack when you bit into the little bites. SO SUPER GOOD! If you are anywhere around the provo area, you must stop in and try them!!

Right of Passage

2009-08-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you know my mother, you know she sends the best letters ever. She always includes stories from magazines and great quotes and lots of good stuff!! In the past package she sent me, there was a great little story, I just had to share.

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrifed. He can hear all kinds of noises; wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man.

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

More on the Redwoods...

2009-08-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

Before JJ took me to see the Redwoods, he had told me about them a number of times. He had been there once before with a group of friends on a fishing trip and told me he thought that I would love it there.

And he was right!! As soon as we drove into the park I was breathless. The trees, their color, their size, everything combined to make just an incredibly beautiful scene.

Lots of fun touristy stuff too! There was a house carved from a single log, trees you could drive through and lots of photo ops... too bad they all cost money. But its worth it to do a few of them.

We seriously don't have enough pictures of just the two of us. And every picture that we do have with both of us in it is an arms length self taken picture. Ehh - thats ok - some of them end up looking pretty darn cute.

I climbed up this tree and stood in the crater to get this shot. This is just the stump of one of the trees that fell over!! The stump is bigger than lots of other kinds of trees at their full maturity.

This was one of our favorite trees we saw. The roots pulled out of the ground as the tree fell over. You can't really tell by this picture, but where the roots used to be, is a big crater in the ground.

They were so big!! Big and beautiful!!!

This is my little car driving through a tree!! Good thing JJ was driving, because it isn't that big of a hole. Kinda made me nervous.

And this is the view from inside that same tree (hollow all the way up). JJ took this right after he asked me to marry him!

My "Bucket" List

2009-08-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

When I was in High School, I started this a list called "100 Things", kinda like a so called "Bucket List". That may sound wierd, because it is usually people that are close to kicking the bucket that make these lists, but I thought its never too early to get started. Currently, this list is at about 173 items and is growing by the year. It includes little things like "Milking a cow" to big things like "Learning sign language" and I even have a some that I have been able to cross off like "Celebrate New Years Eve in New York" "Visit Florence and Paris" and "Swim with dolphins". My #1 thing on my list is "Visit Angel Falls". It is located in Venezuela and is the tallest waterfall in the world!!!
Much to my excitement, I noticed some very similar aspects between this waterfall and the waterfall in the movie "UP". I had never thought of it as a possibility - but maybe balloons will be my mode of transportation.

It's unBELIZEable

2009-08-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I was watching HGTV and there was a show about this couple who was buying a house in Belize. I was jealous for many reasons (one being their price range was 1- 1 1/2 million) - but mostly it just made me miss that wonderful little country.
If you have been to BYU-I in the past two years, this picture may look familiar. They used it on some of the advertisements for the MesoAmerican Tour. You may notice that on the posters there is just the two of us on the left, but if you look closely, there are three shadows. The girl on the right (Monica!!) got photoshopped out, to keep the picture symmetrical.

We spent most of our time in Belize on Caye (pronounced "key") Ambergris. It is a great little island where everyone drives around in golf carts. And by little I mean little - you could probably walk the perimeter of the island in a day. Tabu was where we had lunch and it was fantastic. This is where I was introduced to grilled pineapple on a hamburger. And while I am recommending places if you ever go to Caye Ambergris you HAVE to go to Monellys and get their coconut ice-cream. It is the most fantastic ice-cream I have ever ever had.

This guy was super friendly and just sat right next to where a couple of us where sitting in the sun and started singing great songs about love and peace and Rastafari.

Howler monkeys were everywhere (but lots of times you couldn't see them - you could only hear them)!! While driving to the coast while we were on the mainland in Belize, we saw a ton of these howler monkeys up in the tree, right on the side of the road. They make this incredible howling noise - something about the way they move their jaw allows the sound to be really cool sounding.

Belize was so fantastic and I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. But the best part was not caught on camera... the snorkeling. Off the coast of Belize (and only a short boat ride away from the Cayes) is the second largest reef in the world. Warm, clear water and guides that make you conch salsa for a snack, PLUS shark ray alley, where tons (maybe 30-40) small sharks and huge stingrays let you hand feed them while they chill right next to your boat. Did I mention you are in the water with them??? Ahh - what more could you ask for?

What was that?

2009-08-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I was reading what I wrote on my latest post (P.S. those of you who haven't seen it - look now!!!) And i thought to myself... what was that? where did that come from? It seems so poetic and stuff - which I am not. So where did it come from? Some may say I am an adult now (I say no way), some may say its love (ok - so I am a little twitter-pated (sp?)), but I say its just I was up late when I blogged... whatever it was - WE ARE ENGAGED!!! October 10th could not come fast enough.

Once upon a time...

2009-07-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our story is long and involved (19 months of dating and we lived in 13 states and 2 countries between the two of us during that time). But even though the distance was hard, it was worth it. He was worth it. And now this story that at one time seemed so long, is now just the beginning of a story that will never end.

And we will live happily ever after...

San Francisco - my home for a season

2009-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Garner reunion: 20 and counting...

2009-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

20 you ask? 20 what? 20 members in my immediate family - thats what. Between my siblings, their spouses, kids and my parents, there are 20 of us. SO FAR!!! 2 are on their way and I am sure in the coming years there will be a bunch more added (there is still four of us that aren't even married yet). Following is a brief glimpse at what happens when these 20 people (the adjective crazy could definitely be used to describe these people) get together for a weekend.

What do you do when there are twenty people that need to get ready in the morning? Get up early so that we can each take a turn? - o no - we all cram into the nearest bathroom and hope the fuse won't blow with two hair dryers going at the same time. You can't see it, because I am taking the picture, but I was in there right along with them.
There we are - with the exception of one brother who couldn't make it (but his wife still came - now thats awesome). I think we are a pretty good looking bunch... but I may be a little biased.

Here is my twin. Well technically we aren't twins, but we get asked if we are on a pretty regular basis. We think its funny because we also get alot of people that say "you guys don't look anything alike."

I called it!!! Just ask Riley, I said that we would definitely have competitions while at the reunion. I walk in the door and one of the first things I see is a bunch of brackets on the pantry door for family competitions - fuse ball, pool, ping pong, wii. Below is Dacia and MaryAnne beating JJ and Brody!! The funny thing is not only that we have so many competitions, but how competitive we are. Randomly you will hear yells or screams or someone will boisterously walk into the room announcing their victory.

We are a super lucky family. Our uncle and aunt (Uncle Paul and Aunt Jenny are amazing!!!) let these crazy 20 people stay in their gorgeous river home for the weekend. White water rafting and kayaking were just a few of the many things we got to do at their incredible home. Below we are looking for gold in the American River in Coloma, CA; where gold was first discovered in California in 1848.

With so many people in your family, its hard to see each other often, especially when we all live, literally, across the US from each other. But, I am thankful I have a family that puts family first. We all do what we can to visit each other on a regular basis. And two years from now we will have our next Doyle Garner family reunion... I'm already counting down the days.

Nieces and Nephews

2009-06-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

My nieces and nephews hold a very special place in my heart. Looking at these pictures, you will understand why. JJ will become an uncle for the first time in about a month and I can't stop telling him about how wonderful it is. I decided to blog about some of the reasons being an aunt or uncle is the best thing ever (ok... so I do not have any kids so I cannot compare being a parent).

Babies... need I say more???

(This is Evie; my brother Chad's first)

Grandparents...

(This is Cache; my brother Thayne's first)

Learning to Walk... Look at that look of consentration - how cute!!!

(This is Aeriana; my brother Brett's first)

(This is Alyssa; my sister Dacia's third)

Reading Stories...

(This is Bryson; my sister Dacia's first)

Everything is so magical when you have nieces and nephews.

(This is Kaitlyn; my sister Dacia's second)

I'm getting old

2009-06-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I am not that old, but I flew to Montana this weekend and couldn't fall asleep on the plane. :( This is very unusual for me, because I am used to being able to sleep anywhere - planes, trains, automobiles, you name it... I've fallen asleep there. A good example of this was in Europe, while on a train from, I think it was Vienna to Budapest, I propped my foot up against a rail, put my head on my knee and fell asleep for a good hour or so. But this weekend, on the plane to Montana, I was exhausted and couldn't sleep. I tried laying against the window, laying down on the tray tables - nada. I guess I will have to get used to this "sleeping in a bed" all the time.
P.S. This picture is my niece Alyssa. She is so darn cute, isn't she?!? I get to see her, along with all my other nieces and nephews (o yeah - and my parents, brothers and sisters) in two weeks!!!!

JellyFish

2009-06-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

I think Jelly Fish are incredibly cool and beautiful creatures. They are always my favorite thing whenever I go to aquariums. No different this time. I seriously could have watched these things for hours (fortunately I was pulled away so I could enjoy other San Francisco wonders like clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl and my new favorite place - Chocolate Heaven - on Pier 39).

Puerto Rico

2009-05-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had some good friends (the Phillips) in town. We met a few summers back when we worked together in Puerto Rico. Saturday night at dinner we were describing to the others there how necessary it is to visit Puerto Rico and ended up writing up a list of absolute have to's for visiting PR. My big first is Bioluminescent Bay, which unfortunately I don't have a picture of. It is a bay on the NE corner of the island with a type of algae (?) that glows when disturbed. You kayak around the bay and the water running past your kayak makes your kayak glow. While we were there you could jump in and your body would glow, but now you are not allowed to leave your kayak. Definitely number one on my PR list and maybe number one of things I have ever done. Here are some other pictures from Puerto Rico summer 2006.

This is the view from one of the apartments I stayed in that summer. Yup - the beach was literally our backyard. I remember the first time I went to the beach that summer, it was after dark and I was kinda reluctant, because I didn't want to get cold - but as soon as the water touched my toes, I jumped right in. The water is as warm as bath water.

This is Cabo Rojo, which is the SW corner of the island. It is a very secluded area with lots of cliffs, a lighthouse and a small, but breathtakingly beautiful beach. I think that we saw only one other group the whole day we were at this beach.
And this is something alot of people may have seen - think 007 movie... It is called Arecibo Observatory. I love that it is right in the middle of all of these trees.

Another of my favorites that I don't have a digital picture of is San Juan. It is definitely a fun place to visit and in my opinion the best cruise port. It definitely is more touristy than the rest of PR, but it is a beautiful port, beautiful city and lots of very close cool things to see (like El Castillo). I would recommend a vacation to the island to ANYONE!! No matter your vacation style - PR is for you!

Grandma Garner

2009-05-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Garner recently passed away. I am grateful for the special memories we have made throughout my 22 years - especially the ones that we have made in the past year. She is the kind of person that everyone should strive to be like. Her entire life was her family and I would be surprised if she had any regrets about life, even after her 90 some odd years. At her funeral she had about 90 kids, grandkids, and great grandkids there who were sad to see her go, but happy to know that we will see her again - some day. So here is to you Grandma; If I can become even half of the amazing person that you were, then I will live a happy life!

Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park

2009-05-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

JJ and I drove down here a couple weeks ago. Absolutely beautiful. The waterfall falls right on the sand and... I SAW A WHALE. Poor JJ has to deal with me in public when I get that excited. But what can I say - I saw a freaking whale. It even blew air out of its blow hole. Totally the coolest thing I ever saw!!

Here is the JJ! I have some other pictures of him on earlier posts, but here is another due to popular demand. Yeah - I know... he's really cute.

Family

2009-04-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

I know this looks wierd, but I couldn't scan the picture because it was glued in a scrapbook of my Grandma's. This is my mom and dad - I don't know how many years ago. Fun huh!?!

I LOVE PINK

2009-04-24T13:56:00.001-07:00

When I was younger, I wouldn't be caught dead in pink or lace or anything like that - but now I LOVE pink. I love girly clothes, I love lace - and I love my new pink rain boots!

Ecuador

2009-04-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ecuador was absolutely amazing. Bull fights...

Eatting guinea pig. (They eat it roasted on a stick - sucking the brains out is a delicacy).

Hiking through the Amazon in my favorite rain boots. Good for keeping the number of bug bites down and the for keeping the giant tarantulas off your feet.

Ecuador has a ton of fun things to do!!! The coolest thing, in my opinion, and the meaning behind the countries name, is the equator. You can balance an egg on a nail, watch water swirl down the drain in different directions depending on which side of the equator you are on, and actually feel the gravitational pull. One of the coolest places I have ever been.

2009-04-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

OSSO: Orphanage Support Services Organization

OSSO is the program that I went to Ecuador with. They have been working in orphanages in Quito and Cuenca, Ecuador for years and have changed the lives of hundreds of abandoned and disadvantaged children. The experience was amazing and the love I have for these children is indescribable. Visit http://www.orphanagesupport.org/ to learn more and/ or donate to the organization. Unfortunately, the economic decline is hitting more than just the US right now. The orphanages need more support now than ever.

Three Cups of Tea

2009-04-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

I just read this book Three Cups of Tea. Its an incredible true story about Greg Mortensen and how he went from climbing K2 to starting a massive humanitarian project (or projects to be more accurate) and becoming the co-founder of a non-profit organzation. I would recommend it to anyone. Anyone and everyone! A good reminder in a sometimes depressing world, that people really are good and that anything is possible. But even if I wasn't able to talk you into reading the book, visit www.threecupsoftea.com to learn about Central Asia Institute, Pennies for Peace, Greg Mortensen and Three Cups of Tea.

Its Good To Be Back!!

2009-02-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

A picnic in the middle of our empty dining area eatting mac and cheese with chop sticks... I look at Stacys nieces and nephews and think they are just the cutest kids I have ever seen - but then I look at my nieces and nephews and well - how is it possible that I think they are even cuter?!?!
Shooting in Wyoming with JJs gun... I should know what type of gun this is, but I don't. I think I look like a cop or something in this picture. I usually hold guns wrong and lean back for some reason so I always look silly. But this is a good one.

And snow mobiling in Wyoming!! My first time and JJ let me drive for a bit (another first). I think I look rediculous. JJ kept handing me stuff and telling me to put it on (the purple thing is like a neck warmer - who has neck warmers - ok I guess people that live in Wyoming). It was absolutely beautiful!! Good thing we get to go back this weekend!!!

VIVA QUITO!

2008-12-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I have been super busy and can´t figure out how to put my pics on this computer, so I just borrowed someone else´s picture (this is the computer that everyone uses). Anyways, I am in Quito, Ecuador right now, have been for 3 weeks and will be for another 3 weeks. I am working in about 6 different orphanages which I will blog about later once I can use my pics. In this picture I am the one second from the left and though you may be thinking that I am lame - after 14 other people had climbed up the sphere, it started shaking... so I played it safe!! More to come!!

The Million-Inch Chain

2008-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

When asked what the most dreaded effect of cancer treatment was, nearly 60% of women say hair loss...
The Million- Inch Chain
8 inches at a time

http://www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/million_inch/million_inch_flash.jsp

Go to this website to see pictures and comments by those who have donated (yup - I'm in there), tips on how to grow out your hair, how to donate (hair and money), or just for more information.

I went to Alchemy Hair Salon today and chopped off 11 inches!!! My hair stylist was Daniel and he did an awesome job. He was really nice and I got 50% off my haircut since I was donating!! I keep reaching back and running my fingers through my hair and... its soo short!! I have made this a goal to do every two years. 2 years ago and 4 years ago I chopped off about 10 inches each time and donated it to Locks of Love, but I thought I would try Beautiful Lengths this time. Anyway, you can't tell from the pic, but my hair is shorter in the back and comes down at an angle toward my chin. I guess I won't be using as much shampoo tonight as I did last night :)

2008-08-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I know, I know - I am fired... But I have an excuse!!! Well two... so June was so boring that I had nothing to blog about, but then July came and went like a bolt of lightning, so I had no time to blog- but - here's to catch up....

I went to New York (this is a picture from the top of the Rockefeller Center), then North Carolina, then New York, then Philadelphia - and I am going back to New York this weekend. What can I say - New York is my favorite city in the world!!! Oh - and lets not forget about a quick trip to China. Just kidding!! This is the Chinese Pavilian entrance at the National Arboretum (yes - a tree museum!!) I actually just wanted to throw this picture in, cause my hair is getting so long!! I don't know if you can see it that well - but it is almost to my elbows!!!

Definitely the best part of this month was all the family!! Twice my family came and saw me and then I got to go to North Carolina for a long weekend! I have seen each of my siblings at least twice this summer - which with 7 siblings is a huge feat!! This is Kariana and I at Obryki's in Baltimore. JJ came down and took me and Kariana to dinner and then we stopped by Fort McHenry. I was so glad he got to come down and meet Kariana - just wished he could have come down the weekend everyone was here.
~Side note - for those tracking JJ's trek around the world. He started in Miami in April and moved to Boston for a month, then moved to Oklahoma City in May to start that office - then got moved to Plano, TX - then to Beaumont, TX - then to Los Angeles, CA - but lucky for me recently moved to Newark, NJ where his office is kicking trash!! ~~

And lets not forget the exciting adventures in DC!!! I have been to everything you can think of in DC (at least once) and now am exploring off the beaten track. My favorites include - the Museum of Natural History, the Library of Congress, and Eastern Market. This picture is actually at the Bureau of Engravings - where they print the money. I am standing next to $1,000,000!!! Two months and counting til I move away from DC. - I'll try to better my track record for blogging in the next two months ;)

Goodbye Miami... Hello DC

2008-04-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just moved to DC last week. So far it has been a little cold - but I am loving it. DC is great!!! I have missed being around all these trees.
I think the Vietnam Memorial is my favorite memorial in DC. Even though none of the names are familiar to me - I think the memorial sends a very powerful message - Freedom is not Free.
I went sight seeing on Sunday afternoon. Saw a bunch of stuff that I have seen before... actually a couple times before, but hey - its what DC is... But I went to the National Archives for the first time and that was WAY AWESOME!!! Most of the archives are boring (I know some of you reading this would shoot me for saying that) but when I got to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution I was awed. How awesome to see that stuff in real life. The actual paper that John Hancock signed... this city is pretty cool.

Skydiving and Alligators

2008-04-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah - I know skydiving and alligators don't really go together, but that is what this weekends fun activities included. Dad, Mom, and Riley came down for Spring Break and we had a blast going to the Alligator Farm in the Everglades, Skydiving, and going to the Beach.
There were a ton of alligators that we saw on our airboat ride. And we got to hold a baby one too. Riley tried to eat the alligator because (say this with a Latin accent)"alligators are known to have the most succulent meat" - anybody, anybody, whats it from... Yeah - Transformers! But we decided to just wait and have some fried alligator afterwards. I don't know if it is the most succulent meat I have ever had, but it was pretty good.
The definite highlight of the weekend was skydiving. It was the coolest thing I have ever done. I would definitely say everyone needs to do it once in there life, if not more. I am hoping to do it quite a few more times.
And yes - stop rubbing your eyes... THAT'S MY MOM!!! Yup. She is now certified crazy. Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane - what was she thinking?

Miami Metro Zoo

2008-03-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

I try to act my age, but the zoo just brings out the kid in me. I cannot even express how excited I was to go to the zoo here. It was pretty awesome!! I think I was embarrasing the guy I was with because when we would get to each of the animals, I would loudly express my excitement and run up as close as I could with all the kids.

There were tons of flamingos and they looked pretty cool with their necks all scrunched up while they were taking their afternoon nap.

The giraffes were my favorite part. I was going to feed the giraffes (they basically eat right out of your hand) but unfortunately the giraffes decided they were full before I could. I was a little disappointed to say the least, but hey, having a giraffe eat a giant leaf out of your hand isn't that cool anyways, right? (yeah - I am still trying to convince myself of that).

Doesn't going to the zoo just make you want to take a trip to Africa?

Prince Charming...

2008-02-19T12:50:00.001-08:00

So I have been organizing my pictures and am currently on MesoAmerica (I know - I know - I'm a total slacker, but I like to look at it as I am ONLY a year behind) and I was labeling this picture of me trying to kiss a snake in Belize...

Then I remembered this picture that I just recently took at the Everglades down here in Florida, trying to kiss an alligator...
I think I am taking this "kissing a reptile to find a prince" thing a little far.

2008-02-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend JJ and I decided to check out Vizcaya. It is an estate that was owned by an Industrialist in the 20s or 30s. When he died it was too expensive to sell, so the state had to buy it and now it is a museum. I would describe it as an american castle. The Gardens were the best part - absolutely gorgeous.

Later, we went to Little Havana in Miami. My favorite part was the park with all the old men playing dominos. I wanted to join in, but thought I should brush up on my skills first. Then, we went to a "Cuban" cigar store and saw cigars being hand rolled. I wanted to buy one for a souvenir. When I brought one up to the register to purchase, the owner asked who this was for and I told him that I was buying it for myself. I am sure he was chuckling on the inside, but kindly asked if he could help me choose one as I had chosen the strongest cigar in the store and he was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to smoke that particular cigar. I stick out as it is with my blonde hair, but I am sure my ignorance in cigar buying did not help at all. Above is a picture of our dinner that day. It was 4 different kinds of meat and so much of it that it fed both of us two meals each. One of those meals that make me grateful I am not a vegetarian!!

Latin Love

2008-02-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

So I was walking to the UPS store and this cute (and by cute, I mean old man cute - he had to be at least 60 years old) latin guy was just staring at me and smiling and then started saying "Bella, Bella" - i think that means "cute girl" or something - and when I finally got to where he was standing he said "I love you". Well, needless to say, I was a little taken back... I thought we were moving a little too fast for my liking so I thought saying "I love you too" was not the right choice of words. "Thank you" ended up being my responce... haha - I love the latino culture.

Peer Pressure

2008-02-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have succumb to the peer pressure and am now officially part of the blog squad!