Christmas Comes this Time Each Year

One of my favorite holidays is Christmas. When I was younger, I thought it was because of the presents: in fact, that has always been something important to me for some reason. But as I grew older I found out that the gifts weren't the thing that should be most important on this holiday.

Something that was really nice about this year: Now that I don't work at the movie theater anymore, I got the chance to spend the whole day with my family. The theater was open 365 days a year, so while that meant that there were always lots of hours to be worked (job security, anyone?) It also meant missing on out things that were important to me sometimes. I loved my time at the movies, don't get me wrong. But I just found yesterday that much more special since I got the opportunity to have the whole day with my family.

One of the traditions my family does that makes me happy is my mom's famous Pina Coladas. She makes them for us all the time when we are relaxing, and it's fun being able to have a treat together.  She also has these "slushies" she freezes overnight that are really good too. She is a wizz with frozen treats!

 I didn't get to see my cousins Jennifer, Damon, Sophie and Willie until a few days after the holiday because they live in Cedar City, but I had a lot of fun traveling up to see them and having a day in the snow. Since Jen's birthday is December too, I took her out for sushi and it was fun to have time with just me and her. Ever since I was a little girl I have always looked up to Jen. I wanted her clothes, her style and I thought (and think!) she is so pretty. I love being able to have a cousin who is so wise. She gives me the best advice about stuff and I wanted to be able to treat her for a holiday surprise.

I always love seeing the kids too, including Damon. Damon is grown up now--almost 19 years old, but to me he will always be the kid who had a koolaid smile from ear to ear and laughed for hours when we prank called people or watched funny videos online. I made him throw on this Katy Perry wig and snapped a few pics i'm sure that will haunt him for awhile to come! hahaha.

Me and my friends have traditions too. Each year me and Chris watch our favorite Christmas movie, "A Mom for Christmas" with Olivia Newton-John. It's kind of a cheesy made-for-TV movie but we love it so much. We make lots of treats and exchange presents too. Chris gave me my very own Hello Kitty backpack and Smurfette perfume! I couldn't  think of a better present that fits me hahaha.

Tyson got me something I really needed too: an Ipod hookup for my car! He said it was because he was sick of listening to the same Lady Gaga CD for six months straight hahahaha I agree and couldn't be happier. And Jake and Nick invited us over for a Christmas party and they made each of us our own treat plate with different things on it--all homemade with love. We were in heaven!! Merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new year.
Love Always,
Manda

Gimme a Head with HAIR

All of my friends are guys, and all of them are better at doing hair then I am.  Go figure.

This week Casey and Dillinger came for a surprise visit from SLC and they totally hooked me up with these sexy hair extensions. I haven't had long hair since my grade school years...it is such a change, but to be honest I'm loving it!

We stayed up until nearly 4 AM and Casey's fingers were probably bleeding from sewing clips on to make them easier to put in (if you don't use clips you have to use glue, which itches REALLY bad...i know from experience) But  it made me realize I have best friends that are willing to do anything to make me happy.

I wish these guys still lived 10 minutes away, but sometimes when you are apart from people you realize how valuable they really are. I never laugh as hard or have as crazy of adventures as I do when I'm with these two. This time the night ended up with us sneaking onto a golf course into the middle of the night and sitting there, watching the stars, singing our favorite Nicki Minaj raps and laughing...yeah, we really are crazy.

Love Always,

Manda

A Very Merry Registration Office Christmas

Today at work we decided to put up our Christmas tree...can I just say I love my job? Dixie State College is an amazing place to work. I have the opportunity to work with one of my friends from my childhood, Jerhett (far left) We grew up together and went to middle school in Cedar City. He has always been a very close friend of mine and actually helped get me the job! I'm always thankful to him. Erin is in the middle, and she helped me decorate, along with Candace (not pictured.)


 Erin and Candace always make me laugh a lot at work, even when we are stuck working on awful projects like looking up transcripts. Me and Candace even have this running gag of code names (she's Candy Sugar and I'm Tasty Honey) and we always joke that we are going to run away to Vegas and open our own, um, erotic dance establishment. Don't ask me how we came up with this! hahahaha.


My other favorite people, my supervisors, Julie, Jane and Mace aren't photographed either but they are a joy to work for and worth. But my best friend ( even though she is 50 years my senior) would have be JANET! We always get in trouble for talking...they even call us Janda because we are like twins. I love her so much. Christmas is coming you guys...time to be excited!
Love Always,
Manda

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it gives you the opportunity to remember what you are grateful about in life. Without sounding like a cornball, I honestly think my whole life is something to be grateful about. I have a wonderful, loving family, amazing friends and have the opportunity to go to an amazing school and get an education. There is a lot to smile about :)

 This year I went over to my Aunt Becky's house and we gorged ourselves on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean salad, all of our traditional favorites...even my #1 must have: pumpkin pie! My favorite thing is always visiting with my family and catching up with them. I loved taking silly pictures of Sophie and Willy on my Ipad :) That's their new favorite toy! Willy is completely obsessed :) Pretty much everytime I come visit he asks me to bring "my ipod" hahaha to him they are the same thing. Sophie drew me the cutest pictures too that I hung up all over my room. She loves to do creative projects and make pictures for me. She ruined Aunt Becky's table with permanent marker but sometimes artists just have to do their thing I guess...furniture be damned! hahahaha just kidding.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is from about 4 years ago. Sophia was only 2 and just learning how to get potty trained but wasn't comfortable using the bathroom yet. She was trying to grasp it but especially not at her own house she didn't like going in the bathroom. So Jen strapped a diaper on her so she could use it and sorry to be graphic but that diaper was GIGANTIC hahahaha I still have pictures and Sophia dancing around in her huge diaper that crack me up everytime I see them. My family, we like to gossip, drink cocktails, eat yummy food and watch our favorite traditional movies like "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." What do you have to be thankful for this year?
Love Always,
Manda

Owlie

After one late night at Jake and Nick's, me and Tyson were saying our goodbyes and walking out to the car. I saw a bright reflection, a flash of golden yellow, and Tyson quickened his pace. All of a sudden I heard a car screech to a stop in the middle of the road. A woman got out too in a panic and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Then I saw it: an injured owl.

I've never even seen an owl up close, so it was kind of interesting to finally see one right in front of me. Tyson was even brave enough to hold him, but for some reason I get nervous around animals (it might be because my cousin Sarah used to have weird assortments of animals as a child, like a boa constricter that scared the shit of me and evil hampsters that used to bite us all the time) but I tried to be brave, and walked closer to the owl. As I approached him, his supposedly broken wings started flapping like crazy and I screamed like a mad woman. So much for crossing holding a baby owl off my bucket list.

Owlie...I hope you are somewhere safe and sound. I'm sorry I wouldn't let you ride in my Vue and let Tyson keep you as a pet as per his request, but thats just too crazy for me to handle. Honestly, you were probably safer in the street...no offense Tyson hahaha (just a side note: I heard the girl the stopped in the car say she was going to call Animal Control? I hope that's a real thing hahaha) I wish there was more of an ending to this story, but that's about all the closure you're going to get.
Love Always,
Manda

Party Like A Millionaire

Last Night Me, Chris, Zach and N'Dya went to Las Vegas to see one of our favorite bands in concert, THE MILLIONAIRES!

Me and Chris dying with excitement! 

The best thing about the show was that we got to meet them after! Melissa and Alison were so nice and stayed to sign autographs for all of their fans and take pictures too. They said they loved my Barbie shirt and asked me where I got it...right when they said that I knew they had to sign it for me!

They played all of their best songs, including:
"Alcohol"
"My Chick Bad"
"Party Like a Millionaire"
"I Like Money"
"Just Got Paid (Lets Get Laid)"
"The Weekend"

Everyone always says The Millionaires suck but it's just music for fun. It has good beats, funny lyrics and its so danceable. You can't take everything too seriously...and this is the case with them too! That's anything in life for you. SO MUCH FUN!
You can listen to some of their songs and see the videos BELOW:

My Chick Bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9UEm3Wanxg&feature=related

The Weekend (Live Fast, Party Hard, Make Money, Be a Star) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW0x6dqukbo

Halloween...well, almost!

Halloween still isn't here yet but we are still celebrating in spades. Me and Chris always seem to be matching even when we don't plan it.

I swear, Chris's UNICORN costume was the highlight of Halloween. I wish there would have been some kind of costume contest to this party we went to because I think he would have won.

My inspiration for my costume came from Katy Perry's "California Gurls" Music Video. She has the cutest "Candy Girl" kind of outfit so I decided thats what I would be, purple hair and all. The only bad thing was dancing all night made the candy fall off of my outfit! Well worth it. Here is a pic of the inspiration:

The party that we went to was AMAZING! I know I say that about everything I do but seriously just listen up for a minute hahaha.

Equality Utah is a charity that supports LGBT rights and they held an event called "Intensive Scare Unit." It cost $20 to get in but it was for a great cause so we were happy to pay for it. But it was money well spent! They invented awesome drinks for the occassion as well:

O Negative: Cranberry and Mint Vodka
Formaldehyde: Whiskey and Apple Pucker
Bone Marrow: Kahlua and Vodka (the best one...tasted like chocolate milk!)

 Me and Chris were so excited to run into our old friend Christa from high school! She is such a fun and sweet girl.

And here is this picture of Chris...which is already gaining Facebook fame. Him and his rainbow tail are reaching historical status.

Of couse the photographer got a shot of us all dancing, We were so excited when DEV (Bass Down Low) came on, that is what we are shaking it to during the moment of the photo. 

One of the most exciting things of the night was that they had an actual FORTUNE TELLER there. It has been a life long dream of mine to get a tarot card reading and I finally got to.

She told me that I have so much light and happiness around me, and my work ethic is to be admired. I have put in so much work to be successful, and that soon I will just have to sit back and wait for everything to come together. But in order to be happy, I have to quit putting up with so much from others and draw the line at what I will say yes or no to. She also pulled the 3 of cups card and said that is representitive of my future. Me, my husband, and the joy we will share together all the time (especially when we have our first baby--the third cup!) As long as I'm patient, I will have great things come to me.

Which is good...cuz I don't want to get married anytime soon!

A lot of people came out to support this event and it was so much fun!

 

Pre-Halloween Havoc

I think we all must have started going Halloween crazy a week early. We are just having the time of our lives and Halloween is still a week away!

Since Kohlby's mom and dad were out of town, we decided to have a little fun over at his place. And let me tell you it was. As usual we have the photos to prove it :)

I love how you can see the dye on Kohlby's hands from school. All the day in the life of a glamorous hairstylist in training...And here are those contacts I mentioned in my last post. I have to be careful not to open my eyes too wide or else I end up looking like a serial killer.

We are dancing to RIHANNA in that shot. That pretty much sums up Friday night.

 Late on Friday, dear Alex texted me and said he wants to have a party soon.
Me: That sounds like fun! When should we do it?
Alex: Tomorrow.

I had to scramble but as usual it was a success. Apparently Alex was KIDDING when he said that he wanted it to be a costume party but the joke turned out to be on him because everyone showed up dressed up as per my instructions and he ended up being the only one not!!

The best part of the night? NICKS DIAPER. hahahaha I still crack up everytime thinking about it. Jake and Nick didn't have last minute costumes so since they are both nurses they scrambled over to their work and "borrowed" some of the equipment. Jake looks like a cute little doctor in training :) and gorgeous Nick looks like a mental patient. Hahahaha I love teasing Nick...he knows I love him though. But that diaper has got to go. I'm not gonna be the one changing him.

I was sad Kitty Kat Kohlby only got to stay for a little bit. Bit it was a blast!
Love Always,
Manda

                                                    The Cave Twins :)

Masquerade

Who doesn't love a Masquerade?

This photo proves the answer to my last question! hahaha apparently not very many people.

This weekend's bash was one of the most fun themed events I've had the chance to attend in all my years of partying! Here is me with our party's dear host, Trevor.

No matter what any one says about this guy, there is one thing you can't dispute: Trevor knows how to throw a party.

There was yummy bites to nibble on, and of course, Trevor's famous Jungle Juice with a twist: in honor of the night's themes, he renamed it Jester Juice.

Personally, I love any chance I have to dress up and dance my ass off, so I was happy to be there. I decided to try those contacts you can get to change the color of your eyes just for the night, and you can really see my VIOLET eyes behind my mask!

I invited my dear friend April, who was the perfect party accomplice. We always have so much fun gossiping and laughing whenever we go out together.
Here is Me, April and Carie. As I am writing this post I am realizing that in every picture I am making a kissy face hahaha. Sometimes when there is alcohol involved I apparently like to make this face in every single photo.
Love Always,
Manda

You gotta feel sorry for them...

I really do feel sorry for all those misinformed people out there. If you listen to everything you hear without any proof, it will get you nowhere. Actually, I take that back--it will take you somewhere. It will show you taking huge steps backward in life.


Life is short. At the end of the day, you want to be that good person, the one who works hard for what they have and treats people right in order to earn it. And when people don't believe that about you its hurtful. But just because they say it also doesn't make it true.


Whether you think you know the truth or not about someone, you assume. And assuming is the worst thing you can do, it makes you look stupid when it turns out you are wrong. I always ask someone for their side of the story because people deserve the chance to defend their name. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've been accused of, and 50% of the time it's completely fake, 45% it's exaggerated and twisted to make someone look bad, and 5% of the time it's true.

Honestly I can't sit there and try to preach to a person whether or not I'm GOOD ENOUGH to be their friend, or that they have to believe my side. Because if I'm not good enough in your eyes, I'm already better than you for judging me before knowing the whole story. And if you can't see the good things I do, if you are ready to assume the worst about people, what does that say about you? 

If that friendship was important in the end it would have worked out anyway.


When you treat people badly, Karma isn't pretty either...I want to be the girl who has good things coming, not the one who treated others badly to enhance my self esteem, which is what it boils down to.


The people who act like this do it all the time. You can notice a pattern in their lives. They have a lot of friends for short periods of time. They go between clique to clique. Everyone likes them at first but later you notice they "move on" to the next. People who don't really know them seem to like them, and on the surface they might even seem popular. But sooner or later they get found out.


Listen to your gut and the people around you, too. Because no matter how nice someone is to you, looking at how they treat other people is key in how they will treat you eventually. If they have no regard for human courtesy or decency for others there will be a day they will do that to you too.

At the end of the day, here I stand, tall and proud of my character. I've made mistakes in the past but learned from all of them. And I am proud of being a true friend. I've had my share of ups and downs with people, but I'm always honest about it, and I can't say the same for all the people I've known over the years.


I don't even have to name names in this post, because that would just make it far too easy. I'm not that kind of person, despite what they may say. Just know your reputation proceeded you, and it's going to follow you as well.


Thanks for making my life easier---removing one more bad energy spoiling my happiness.

We're back and ready for more

Today I was just realizing how glad I am that a certain someone came back into my life.


Tyson was my very first friend when I moved to St. George. We took a home ec class together called "Foods" and I can remember having a very interesting day. Since we only remembered to double part of the recipe of the German pancakes we were making, we didn't put enough flour, so the eggs were the main ingredient. We ended up having the nastiest scrambled egg cakes ever created. But we always laugh about that now...or the time someone found a mouse in a drawer!


I remember we even went to a dance together in high school, The D-Day Dance. I remember how much fun we had when we went laughing too. Tyson and I lost touch for a few years when he moved to Salt Lake, but a little over a year ago I ran into him at a party and we finally got our friendship back together. And when he moved to St. George this July, it was fate!

I love laughing with Tyson. We always have our crazy "Fun Times Brought to You By: Manda and Tyson" quotes and end up laughing our asses off:

Me: Do you have your lighter?

Tyson (kidding): No...maybe i'll just steal one from the gas station.

Me: I'll just go find it...it's easier than getting arrested.

Me and Tyson bored, driving around one Saturday night trying to find something to do:

Tyson: You know, we are just going to end up sitting in the car, listening to music and getting ready for no reason.  At least the car is kind of like our club with music and us dancing. But us getting ready, what are we gonna do? Go home at 5 am and say, "LOOK AT US WE ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

Me, not paying attention: "UGH! This cap is so hard to get off. I can't get it."

Me, still not looking down. "Tyson, I can't get the damn cap of the Malibu! UGGGHHH!"

Tyson hands me the cap that he had the whole time...I look down. Sure enough, theres no cap on it...

Tyson, lighting a match: "Sorry...it's just really cold in here."

Me: YOU LIT A MATCH FOR WARMTH?!?!

Cue the hysterical laughter.

Tyson, drinking a fourloco (energy drink and alcohol mixed) smiles, says: "GOD THIS TASTES LIKE SHIT"

I know it's hard sometimes because he misses Salt Lake so much, and a lot of the awesome people he knows there. But I hope he knows how much it means to me to have him back here and how proud I am of him going back to school, working hard and playing hard too. He is such a great friend to talk to and to have fun with. I don't know what I would do without you doll :)

Love you Tyson!
Love Always,
Manda

Happy Birthday to Miss Carie Lilga...

Carie just threw one of the most awesome parties, and I think she deserves a little shout out for her birthday!

I have known Carie for a couple of years, but really got to know her when she moved in with one of my best friends, Kyle. I am so glad he has a roommate who is such a sweet, nice (and not to mention fun...Carie is the life of the party! I love having fun girls nights at the bar or hanging out at parties with her) person! After the experience I had with the people I lived with it makes me so happy that these two are true friends and know how to treat each other.

 

Seriously though, parties in St. George were in danger of becoming extinct. I think this helped restore my faith in the power of fun around here...I had a ball! I think we are so lucky to have the fun group of friends we do. I always have the craziest stories to tell, the best laughs and people I can count on. I love that :)

Love Always,
Manda

Sorry for Party Rocking...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the concert event of the year...<3

LMFAO AND KE$HA!

SEPTEMBER 16TH 2011

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA @ PLANET HOLLYWOOD

Of course a show like this requires excessive amounts of glitter. Do you think I got a little carried away?

 Me and two of my best friends, Jake and Tyson decided to take a road trip for this event. When we heard about it, we knew it would be the perfect kind of party.

As you know from previous blogposts, I have seen Ke$ha in concert before. Twice actually! She opened for Rihanna back in 2010...and then I caught her concert at the Saltair back in February. I am a pretty big fan, so I was excited to see her again. I mostly went to the show to see LMFAO though. They are one of my new favorite bands. They call their music a new kind of genre called "Party Rock" and it really is just perfect for that. Every hit is easy to dance to and they have so many fun songs. A few favorites? "I'm in Miami, Bitch," (they changed the lyrics to Las Vegas for us though) "Shots," "Get Crazy," (the theme song from Jersey Shore!) and the newest one, my favorite summer song obsession "Party Rock Anthem." I have to say they rocked the damn house! I couldn't sit still if I tried. The atmosphere was awesome. They had a light show, threw beach balls in the audience, and of course balloons came down from the ceiling! Everyone was dancing and singing, it was a blast. One girl had quite the dilemma during her fun at the show:

Girl, stumbling: OMG! I F**KING LOVE LMFAO! HEY, HAS ANYONE SEEN MY SHOES???

Ke$ha herself was having quite the good time as well:

Ke$ha grabs a champage bottle, turns to crowd, screaming: "LETS GET F**KING WASTED!!!!" proceeds to open bottle, chug the liquor, spit it out at the crowd and smash the bottle.

Ke$ha: "You guys, I have a big problem...there just isn't enough glitter on my titties!"

Backstage crew runs out and covers her in glitter.

My favorite Ke$ha concert experience was probably when I saw her at the Saltair, but this one was cool because she had added new things I hadn't seen when I saw her back then. She had a lot of special effects too and of course her glitter showers at the end of the show hahaha.

She also has a new album of dance remixes (I am the dance commander, and I command you to dance) that was just released, so a lot of her songs were remixed with dubstep which was awesome! She even has a new song too, one called "F**k him he's a DJ" which is now a favorite.

Poor Jake was so exhausted from school, work and all the testing going on at school that he just started passing out during the show. I never laughed so hard. Who the hell would fall asleep AT KE$HA!?! Me and Tyson kept making fun of him saying about how Jake thought her song "Sleazy" said "Sleepy" instead.

Oh boy, I had the time of my life.

Afterwards, we went to the CLUB <3 Basically it was one of the most amazing nights of my life!

Love Always,
Manda