New Friends, Car Accidents, and Blood Loss

Thursday I introduced myself to a girl in my institute class. We ended up talking for some time while we waited for our friends in the quiet study room. Her friend Brenley shows up and after a few minutes talks us into donating blood. I am usually very excited to do this, but I hadn't eaten yet and wasn't sure I would be okay. But they were cute. So I did. I'm such a sucker.

I was doing a dinner review that evening at a little pizza place in Scottsdale and she came with me. I really had a good time with her and even agreed to go to a movie later that night (yes I will delete any comments I feel are inappropriate. Ariana :)) . So Tyler and I drove way out in the middle of nowhere to see a movie that neither of us really wanted to see. It was nice to get out though.

After the movie we were following them to the freeway when they didn't stop for a red light accidentally (most likely distracted talking about the awesome guys they had just met) and had a Lexus SUV plow into the back half of her little Tercel at like thirty miles an hour. Their car spun around a few times and we ran to check on them but luckily everyone was alright. Except maybe the other kids that had stolen their mom's car and snuck out to go the the movie . . .



We drove them home and ended up getting back to my place around five. It was a long day. A good day though. I don't really know if I would be able to handle it if every first day that I met someone things turned out like that. But maybe my blog would be more interesting.

Bodyrolling and Deep Relaxation

Several months ago Christin found this spa while shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. She might have even blogged about it before. It has taken a substantial portion of her willpower to not buy weekly spa treatments and attend the private pilates classes. To try to satisfy some of this urge she does periodically check the website for specials in hopes that one day she might actually go there.

This Saturday they are having a class that she mentioned to me. Stolen from their website:

"BODYROLLING and DEEP RELAXATION with KAT MYERS Saturday, October 25th from 12 - 3 pm

Body Rolling is a potent healing system that elongates muscle, develops core strength, stimulates bone and promotes healing by creating inner space and alignment. A quiet, personal and deep inner adventure. It is time to come home and experience the magic within."

"It sounds like pilates combined with yoga," I say.
"Oh no, I'll show you what it is," she shoots back.
I thought I would share it with you.

Warm Bread and New Shoes

I love my sisters more than I let them know sometimes. I do. I think they are wonderful. They are the other two moms that helped raise me. Anyone that knows my sisters also knows that they are different. They each have different talents and have helped me with different things in my life.

Take Candice for example. Working as the assistant manager at Vanity, she used to be a fashion expert. She would be right on top of whatever was new and could put together a great looking ensemble for mere pocket change. She went to school and learned to cut hair, and is constantly changing hers. But one day she grew up and became a mom. Now I still believe she has more fashion sense than anyone in the family, but some other things have taken precedence in her life. Like baking bread.

A few months ago Candice came to visit and gave me a quick run down on how to make bread. I don't know where she got the recipe, but it is very easy and after many failed attempts I have finally achieved consistently delicious bread. Today I found a bread recipe on the back of a bag of flour that included molasses. So I baked bread with molasses in it a few hours ago. Amazing. And my bread usually does not come out with this perfect consistency. But here it is. Thanks Candice.



Christin on the other hand, has never been one to walk the frugality line. Mind you she does buy things on sale when she can, but she seems to have this inner need to have thousand dollar dressers and forty-five dollar salt and pepper shakers (just for one. That's ninety dollars for the set). I know that might not be a lot to some people but in my family it is. Christin saves up money to buy two hundred dollar leather pants that she wore six times. That's just the girl she is.

Living with her the last year, I suppose I have learned to spend money a little better. No more of this saving business (don't stress out mom. We're working on it). One of the great things she introduced me to (besides Crate & Barrel) is Zappos. All of the shoes you could ever want delivered to you free of charge the next day. So today I am sitting here looking at my pretty new shoes, and I really couldn't be happier. Thanks Christin.

And thanks mom and dad for the birthday present.

Americanizing the World One Exchange Student at a Time

Tyler asked me Thursday morning if I would go along for a test drive on the boat he wants to buy. I showed up and for a a little over a half an hour some guy chauffeured me around here on a boat. If only everyday started out so sweet.

My parents met this girl from the Czech Republic on their way back from Prague a few weeks ago. Turns out she is doing an exchange program at ASU. This week I finally caught up with her. Tyler brought over his guns and some of us went up to Four Peaks to go shooting. This is not something that I normally do, but she came half way around the world to hang out with me, I better show her a good time!

I almost ran over the first one but we spotted this one early enough to stop. And all the time I thought Tyler was one of my smart friends . . .

Spending a good portion of my life in Idaho, it seems almost silly to actually go to a shooting range instead of your friend's backyard. Monika (that's her name) had a little harder time grasping the concept of shooting outdoors. "Are we allowed to shoot here? Do you have a license for this? And the police won't come?" were repeated several times on the way and then after arriving there.
But as far shooting, she was definitely not afraid of any of the guns. Maybe those Czech women don't just look mean.
What a sweet car . . . turns out they don't have cars like that in Europe. She was a shocked that you could actually drive with three people in the front!!
I was a little surprised/disappointed when Monika told me they had drive-ins in Prague. However, on the way there it finally hit her what a drive-in was. In her broken english she says, "You mean they project the movies on the screen when you're in your car? I've seen those in the movies!! And the people are always . . . uh . . ."
"Having sex in the back seat?" I say.
"Uh, yeah."
"Don't worry, we will keep our clothes on."

Delicious Brad Burgers at the drive-in.

Everything is Relative

At one time in life I believed that being productive was waking up at six-thirty and being completely occupied until ten-thirty at night.

Today however, I got out of bed about ten-thirty. I ate a piece of toast and then laid out for an hour by the pool and read. I cooked some egg burritos for breakfast and then took a shower. I got some water at Safeway and then stopped briefly at Costco. I even returned our rented movies before returning home feeling very productive. That was my day before dinner.

Everything is relative . . .

Just Another Tequila Sunrise (minus the tequila)

I have done some other cool stuff lately. I was going to blog about it, but at the time I didn't have a blog. Now I feel like it is too late, but whatever. I suppose it wouldn't be much like me to do things on time.

A few weeks ago I went to Albuquerque to do a little bit of work. I was there for three days and then left so that I would be home when my parents came into town. I finished work and was on the road at 10:30 on a Wednesday night, Sept. 10 to be exact. I was about a hundred miles outside of Tucson around one in the morning when I saw this brown historical sign "Grand Canyon 190 miles". Over the next hour I weighed my options in my head. As much as I really wanted to go home, I could see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. And that would be a story!!



So after dismantling a gas station power outlet to charge my phone, a run in with the police (unrelated), a stop at Denny's for some breakfast and pecan pie, I arrived at the Grand Canyon. Turns out that is a very cold part of Arizona. So wrapped in my blanket I watched the sunrise. A nice way to start a day I have to say.