Happy 32nd B-Day to me!

I feel I should do a little catching up since it has been awhile. Things in life are pretty good. It's gotten warmer so the kids and I have been spending most days at the pool. I'm going to the singles ward and I've met some very nice people there. My sister has been extremely generous and I don't really have anything to complain about.
Funny story...I've talked to this one guyat church a few times and on Sunday, as he was passing me he calls me by name, asks how I'm doing and then gives me a hug. The problem...I can't remember his name. EEK! I feel horrible because this is someone who is taking the time to get to know me and be really friendly at a time when I need to make more friends and I am a total dweeb and can't remember his name. I hate when I do this. It's been hard because I meet new people every week. Really, it's confusing who is actually in the ward, who is visiting from out of town, who is new to the ward or who is just stopping in from the LaJolla ward. I'm going to have to figure out some way to learn his name...preferably before I see him again.
Another funny story, a week ago I met some girls in the singles ward and we decided to all go salsa dancing. I was so excited because I haven't gone since I left Provo and it was a chance to make some friends. So we are getting all of our plans together, we finalize everything and then my sister, Brenda turns to me and asks, "Where are you going? Do you need to be 21?" I didn't even think about that because I'm so used to Provo. Sure enough, we were going to Cafe Sevilla, a bar in the gaslamp district. I called Mary (the girl I was planning this with) and she felt really bad for forgetting that I'm only 20. To be honest, most of the time I forget that I'm 20. Majority of my friends are older and I hang out with my sisters and their friends so I figure the average age of my friends is somewhere around 25.
Instead of botching the whole idea, Brenda helped me out and let me use her old passport to get in. Her driver's license didn't look enough like me and had a lot more info on it, but her passport was taken when she was about my age and has her birthdate. So last Thursday night, I was 32. Yes, I know I was breaking the law, but it's not like I even got close to the bar. It was really funny because I was so nervous about lying, but I used my past drama experience and played it cool. It was funny because the bouncer took a long time staring at my friend's license when she really is old enough, but mine, he didn't even look twice. Should I be concerned that I so easily passed as someone 12 years older than me?
It turned out to be a fun night of dancing. I still miss dancing in Provo with all of my Latins, but it was fun to get out and make some new friends.

When I'm not lying about my age, I am enjoying day-to-day life. Here are some things that are making me happy.
1. I'm TAN! I know, I hardly believe it myself.
2. My nephew takes the broom from the closet and picks up a tennis ball and plays quidditch in the family room.
3. I am still going to yoga.
4. My sister texts me in German for me to practice.
5. I AM GOING TO VIENNA!
6. Shopping spree at Gap outlet.
7. I actually made friends.
8. My Bishop, his wife and a few other random people from my ward remember me, where I'm from, and what I'm doing here. They're all so friendly.
9. *Perfect Weather*
10. My sister bought season passes for San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
11. I've found the music stylings of She & Him. I love Zooey Deschanel's voice.
12. My niece thinks she's a princess.
13. I'm going to be helping my mom with family history work.

Okay, that was a lot, but I have a lot to be happy about.

I Love My Jonah-bear

Jonah quite often tells me he loves me. Of course it's usually right after I tell him to stop jumping off the furniture to distract me as he climbs back up to do it again. Today was proof that he does love me though when he walked into the bathroom while I was doing my hair and started this conversation.

J: "Danielle, you're pretty."
D: "Thank you Jonah. You're very handsome."
J: "You're pretty."
D: "And you're handsome."
J: "Danielle, I love you sooo much."
D: "Ah, I love YOU sooo much."
J: "Yeah, I love you more than anyone in the whole world!"
D: "Wow, I love you too. But what about Mommy?"
J: "Yeah, and Daddy and Jemma. I love them..... (As he walks out of the bathroom) You're Pretty"

He's so darn cute!

Wedding Bells Nightmare!

Do you ever feel amazed by the strange dreams you dream up?



I never have typical dreams. I've never dreamt I'm flying, or I'm in my underwear or anything like that. The only reoccuring one seems to be running away from something chasing me and never feeling like I can get away. (I once dreamed of my aunt chasing me around our old house in Massachusetts with a large knife.) Now, don't try to tear it apart and figure out some subconcious reason for it because that's not even the dream I had last night.



I manage to have very realistic dreams that sometimes leave me with feelings that last the whole day. It's funny and I wish I understood why. I had a dream last night that I was riding a horse with my fiancee, who happened to be a boy I barely new when I was little. We are madly, deeply in love, which is weird for me. I admit to having never fallen in love, but now I feel like I understand the feeling. Then all of a sudden I'm at the reception hall for my wedding and nothing is the way I want it. It's horrible! I didn't have flowers, only paper ones that are colored with crayon. I don't even have a dress! I remember being with my mom (no offense mom because it is only a dream) and being mad at her and she was trying to make it better, but still didn't get that I just couldn't be getting married if my reception was going to look like this!



Then I woke up.



I have had the feeling of love all day, but I also get the wave of anxiety, fear and anger whenever I think of that scene. Maybe it's my subconcious telling me to be a wedding planner! :)

Bikram Yoga

This is me....or at least it will be. Haha! Well, Brenda and I have been discussing working out and she made a deal with me. If I do the 60 day challenge (60 sessions in 60 days) she'll pay for my yoga. I'm going for it. I like challenges like this because in a couple of weeks when I'm sweating my brains out, trying this pose above, I'll be cursing her and it'll keep me motivated. Of course, I'm not sure I can actually do the 60 day challenge because of scheduling and I think she'll still pay for it. What's very cool is that there is a bikram studio in Vienna so maybe I'll keep it up while I enjoy all the pastries Vienna has to offer!

Blackmail

This was Jonah yesterday. Notice the designer pink Dora boots, that go perfectly with army pants. As a true cowboy, he has a lasso. This not just any lasso. If you look closely you'll see it's a purple, sparkly lasso. He's quite proud how stylish he is.

Encinitas!

I'm in Encinitas, CA. My plans for the summer have changed a million times, but I'm finally settled. I've moved in with my sister and am helping her with her kids. I'll either be a nanny for Jonah and Jemma or I'll go work for the resort, The Grand Del Mar. It's a tough decision. I mean, I love the kids, and I would love to help out my sister and I could get paid without taxes being taken out, but I can just imagine in a couple of weeks, I'm going to be starved of contact with "the outside world" and a conversation that doesn't involve talking about disney characters. As much as I love watching Sleeping Beauty, I think I might prefer working with people my own age.

Ahh, but I am in California and I'll get to go to the beach. Maybe I'll surf this summer. It's beautiful here!

100 Things About Me

These are what make me me!

1. I love peanut butter and I eat it just about everyday in some form.
2. I love baseball and basketball.
3. I wish I had more time to read books I like.
4. I could watch the movie Elf year round.
5. I love to cook and bake.
6. I've always been really good at arts and crafts.
7. I had wanted to be a vet or a doctor for most of my life.
8. I have always enjoyed creative writing and I excel in it.
9. Chocolate is it's own food group in my life.
10. I have never been to any other country outside the US except Canada.
11. I have been to an awful lot of states because my parents have lived everywhere.
12. I still consider Massachusetts a home.
13. Arizona is too hot in the summer.
14. I learned how to surf and I wish I could go everyday.
15. I love vacations and having fun.
16. I love being outside.
17. I wish I went camping, hiking and rock climbing more.
18. I am a FANTASTIC listener and I love being a good friend.
19. Sometimes being a good listener gets me in trouble because everyone comes to me with their problems. I don't always mind, but I get stuck in the middle quite often.
20. I daydream a lot.
21. I think my life should be a musical. I have to restrain myself from breaking out into song and dance.
22. Coconut joy is my new favorite ice cream from the creamery.
23. I sometimes talk in my sleep.
24. I am actually a lot more outspoken than people realize.
25. I was a complete brat when I was little.
26. I was told I was the prettiest baby ever!
27. I can't wait to be a mom.
28. I can wait though, because I love sleep!
29. I am a morning person.
30. I love yoga.
31. My favorite candy bars are snickers. They're classic.
32. I cry in movies...most movies.
33. I love Rachel Ray, I think she's adorable.
34. Somedays I wish I had my own talk show.
35. I played basketball a year in highschool and sometimes regret quitting.
36. I miss playing the violin and clarinet.
37. I took karate for 7 1/2 years.
38. I hate the smell of coffee. It is slowly gettting better, but no, I don't like it.
39. I like to dance hip-hop.
40. I am the biggest procrastinator.
41. I can throw things together in less than a day, and not forget anything important.
42. I am great at party planning.
43. I wish people would listen to me more because I am smarter than they think.
44. I have always had a strange love for reptiles.
45. My mom's allergic to dog's so she told me if I found a dog she wasn't allergic to, I could get one....she didn't think I could actually do it.....but now we have Maggie.
46. I am stubborn and I get what I want.
47. I don't like people who use the terms "gay" or "retarded." They are asinine and need better vocabularies.
48. I hate being bad at anything, so I give up on things I'm bad at.
49. Except Music and performance. I didn't sing or act well, but it's the only thing I really want to get better at.
50. I think people should do what makes them happy instead of what makes others happy.
51. I'm against NCMO.
52. Everyone's a hypocrite, I at least admit I am one.
53. I don't really like inconsiderate people. They may even be really nice to me, but I don't like people who don't consider everyone.
54. I love the Travel Channel and the Discovery Channel.
55. My sister was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and won $50,000.
56. As a kid, I always wanted to be on a Game show like Family Double Dare or something.
57. I have a very active imagination.
58. My favorite thing to do is people watch and eavesdrop on strangers' conversations.
59. I am really good with kids and animals.
60. I am slightly afraid of heights.
61. I hate seafood. Even the smell makes me gag.
62. I love baseball games.
63. I'm a pretty open and honest person.
64. I really want to be liked by everyone and am always hurt when someone doesn't.
65. I don't always like talking on the phone, unless I really like the person and I know they want to talk to me.
66. I have the cutest nieces and nephew in the universe!
67. I find cleaning the kitchen to be really relaxing. (when it's my mess, not my roomate's)
68. I have never been to New York and I really want to go.
69. I am actually very good at math and science.
70. I think my mom listens to "hipper" music than I do. I burn her cd's becuase she has the newest, coolest stuff.
71. I LOVE Disneyland!
72. I'm quite often called Chelsea, which is my sister's name. The wierd thing is, people who don't even know I have a sister still call me Chelsea by mistake for no reason.
73. FLOWERS MAKE MY HEART MELT. Anyone can win me over with flowers.
74. I love card games, board games and puzzles.
75. I doodle when I am bored in class.
76. I constantly have to be doing something with my hands.
77. I'm not anxious when I am tap dancing around. I just can't stand still. I don't even realize it.
78. Oh yeah, I can tap dance a little.
79. Gene Kelly is amazing!
80. I love old movies.
81. I am a nerd, and I don't mind.
82. I think when people embrace who they are, then they are cool.
83. It's true, dogs are man's best friends.
84. I love Arizona sunsets.
85. I wish I was a photographer.
86. I'm thinking about writing a book.
87. I want to save the world.
88. I think love is the best service anyone could ever give.
89. I don't like having to do my hair, it takes too long.
90. I love getting my hair done for me.
91. I used to have white blond hair.
92. I can't get a tan for the life of me.
93. I don't like people who are really prideful and have to have the best to show off to others.
94. I love quiet nights in with a close friend.
95. I am competitive because my mom never lets me win. Man, it was a great day when I beat her in racquetball.
96. I could beat you in boggle.
97. I like change.
98. I love conversations with people I don't know.
99. I am optimistic and pretty much always happy!
100. I think you know enough about me now.