Flowers and Trash

okay guys. I'm going to vent a little bit, so if you're not interested in hearing this... move along. Or, you know what, if you're a new-ish parent with a child, just take this into consideration PLEASE.

As you know, I'm an apartment manager. My complex is small, just 19 units, and we have a couple of nice little gardens that we are trying to get started; one in the front all along the building, and one inside our courtyard. Well, there are families that live here with children. I like all the families and every one pretty much gets along. Well, there are just a couple of children in particular who have decided to go out and make friends with EEEEVERYONE in the neighborhood. Good for them. I'm honestly very glad that they made friends. HOWEVER, I am not okay with them giving out the front gate code to all the kids in the neighborhood. The kids they tell the code to tell other kids and adults. So the whole neighborhood can get in. Which is not what we want. I have children running around here all day long. Some of them should be in school. There's a few of them that are 5-6 and they're just running around the neighborhood (mostly here) and they are destroying our gardens.

The kids will come inside the courtyard (which is not very big...) and they will play football or tag, and all thirty of them will run and trample all over the flowers and plants. "Play out front!" I have told them over and over. Well, guess what? As soon as I leave, BOOM. They're back inside. My residents are getting irritated, and some are even wanting to move because of this. Our courtyard looks like crap. It's all dead and gross. And all the apartments face the courtyard. So everyone can hear how loud these kids are.

Well, my darling husband came out one night after I had gone off to run some errands and he asked the kids (along with some adults who don't even live here) to go out front to play. "Oh we're just finishing up." One of the adults said, "Okay, finish up out front. I'm not asking. I'm telling you to." Clint tells them. Well, this is about the time when I get called. Clint tells me what's happening and continues to tell me that no one even went out front. Everyone stayed in the court yard.

I don't want to tell you how to raise your children. That's not my place. But I am going to ask all of you to please teach your children some respect and some manners. It's not okay to pick flowers on private property, and there are reasons why adults and authority figures ask children to do stuff. Like playing out front. It's so frustrating. My property looks like crap. My garden flowers are limp and some are completely ripped up. These kids are so disrespectful and destructive. They've messed with our sprinkler system, broken a sprinkler head, killed our grass and flowers, broken a part of our tree, and they leave their toys/shoes/trash all over the place! It's horrible. And I'm quickly loosing patience with it. I filled up an entire trash bag full of cookie wrappers, ziplock baggies, chip bags, band aids, and all sorts of other crap that those stupid kids have left around the property.

This is so stupid. This is how much trash I gathered out of just one of the area's in the front garden.

 I changed our gate code today, so hopefully this wont be as bad as it has been. Hopefully my poor garden perks up and lives. I don't freaking understand how some of these parents can just let their kids run around all day unsupervised. I had one adult come over and say "My nephew plays with the other kids here in the pool." I told her "Ma'am, we don't have a pool on this property." So then she just walked away confused and calling out for her nephew. I was shocked! Who does that!? I would like to know where my child is at all times, or at least know that my child is with another adult that I know and trust. Ugh, it just sickens me how some of the adults in my neighborhood genuinely seem like they could care less about their children. I don't know that to be a fact, that is just my opinion that I've gotten from observing what's been going on.

Some Thoughts With Some Pictures

Okay guys, I'm totally in my office right now with not a whole lot to do, so I'm using stumble upon and I'm coming across some interesting, inspiring, hilarious, and beautiful things. And, of course, I'm passing it on to you. : )

 Recently I just blogged about beauty. This picture would have been perfect to throw in with it. If you have not read my beauty blog, read it here. Also, I totally agree with this picture. Everyone needs to smile, because every one is beautiful or handsome in their own way.

 Okay, now I know we all have our judgmental points in our life, "Oh my, why would anyone let her out of the house like that?!" Sitting in my little office that over looks my entire neighborhood, I find it quite hard to not be judgmental sometimes. Often times I end up texting Clint telling him "Please, don't ever let me wear/do ____." Which is honestly silly. Why waste energy focusing on all the wrong in the world? I am going to challenge myself and all of you to say something nice about someone, whether it's out loud or just to yourself, when you are tempted to criticize. We can do that!

Now, I can think of someone right off the top of my head that is a perfect role model of this. President Deiter F. Uchtdorf. I love that man! He's always smiling and he delivers such sweet, simple, and loving messages. For those of you who are unfamiliar with President Uchtdorf, he is a leader in the Mormon church. He's such a sweet and happy man. Clint and I were discussing what it would be like to meet him, and Clint said, "There's no way you could be upset or angry the moment he walked in the room. He's just so happy all the time, he'd completely turn around the atmosphere and everyone would have joy in their hearts."

 Now for a little humor to end this blog. I don't like drinking. I'm completely opposed to it. People do stupid things when they drink, and this little comic kind of highlights some of the stupid things people have done. It made me laugh. :D Haha!

Moral of this blog:

1. Smile, you are beautiful.
2. Challenge: Don't be so judgemental.
3. Be so happy it rubs off on people.
and finally 4. Don't Drink.

A New Project

Hello everyone! So lately my mom has been wanting to get her back yard all nice and fixed up. She has a nice long patio in the back that stretches across the full length of the house, and she has a nice sized pool with a little storage shed next to the pool, a pool house was all call "The Casita," and a back driveway that is unfortunately half covered with some of my grandfather's tools and other junk (but it's all stored inside a tent/shed contraption he built so it's really not in the way). Well, my mom came to me and asked me if I could paint a mural on the little shed next to the pool.

Honestly, I'm so excited! This will be a new challenge for me, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it! We went to Home Depot to buy all the paint for it yesterday. Did you guys know that Home Depot has CLEARANCE PAINT!? Normally the sample sized cartons of paint are just under $3.00, but on clearance... $.50!! So we got a ton of the clearance paint and saved a bunch of money! It was awesome! We got 5 medium cans, 1 gallon, 3 bottles of spray paint, and realistically about 10 sample-sized paints, along with a few painting supplies... all for less than $100!!! My mom and I were pretty pleased with ourselves, because Paint is freaking expensive, and we got everything we needed (and more) for less than $100.

Oh! you know another fabulous thing i found out this week? My sister, Britney informed me that Amazon.com has a clearance section! "This opens up a whole new ball game!" I freaking love clearance shopping! I'm so ridiculously cheap, it's ...well, ridiculous, hahaha! But Clint doesn't mind it. He likes that I try to be frugal with money.

So hopefully today, I'll get started on the shed. I'll take pictures from beginning to finish for you, and I will have to post them in a later blog. :)

Bye, for now!

The Image of Beauty

Okay, so I don't really know why this is on my mind this morning, but I've decided I'm going to blog about beauty, or at least my interpretation of it.

I believe beauty can be classified as an outer imprint of what lies within someone's heart. Yes, there are some very attractive people that are maybe not so nice... like Megan Fox. Megan Fox is very pretty. She's got the body, the looks, and talent. However, I'm pretty sure the character she plays in the movie "Jennifer's Body" isn't very far from her natural behavior. Do I know this to be a fact? No. I don't honestly know Megan Fox at all. All I know is a lot of trashy people I knew growing up were in love with her. My opinion on that matter is that you attract people similar to you. Megan Fox knows she's hot. And she flaunts it. I don't agree with that behavior.

I believe humble beauty is the most attractive personality trait someone can have. Now, don't judge me for what I'm about to reference... But the new boy-band, One Direction, sings an adorable song called "What Makes You Beautiful." Now the first time I heard this on the radio, I was taken aback. This song mentions nothing about boobs, butt, body, or sex. SHOCKING! This little song talks about a shy, humble girl that doesn't know she's attractive. And the boys sing these lyrics:

 "Baby you light up my world like no body else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed. The way you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell you don't know you're beautiful. Beautiful, if only you could see what I can see, you'd understand why I want you so desperately. Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe you don't know you're beautiful."

Now, personally I love this song. It's sweet, and it's got a catchy little tune. If you haven't heard it, I advise you to go to youtube right now and look it up. I think girls should be hearing more of these type of messages in music today. Growing up in a society that demands perfection is hard when you are far from perfect. When I was growing up, I was overweight, hairy, and one of the only white kids in my elementary and junior high. I was teased and poked at a lot. It sucked, and the media back then wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. My little sister-in-law is a beautiful young woman. She's blonde-haired, blue-eyed, thin, pretty and smart. She came up to me after school one day and told me that some girls were teasing her because she didn't shave her arms. "Wait... you have hair on your arms?" I asked. She has the blondest, finest hair. It's practically peach fuzz. You can't feel it or hardly see it on her. I couldn't believe it.

Another example which I will use my sister-in-law for is make up. Girls, you really don't need it. It's fun to wear, yes, but it's not necessary. My sister-in-law went to a giant pool birthday party last weekend and when she came back, she looked like a little raccoon. I kind of poked fun at her and asked "Why on Earth would you wear make-up to a pool party?" Her response: "I'm ugly without it."


HOLD THE FREAKING PHONE.


Okay! That's the saddest thing I've ever heard! All these stupid ads on television promoting girls to hide their naturally pretty faces under ungodly amounts of makeup and powders has burnt messages into young girl's minds! "I'm ugly without it"?! Bull. Absolute bull.

I understand if you want to cover up some blemishes, but girls, you have to understand... every one has pimples. Celebrities have them, dogs have them, I have them, Men have them... EVERYONE. It's a natural thing. Now if you want to wear a little bit of makeup to enhance one of your features, like eyes, sure. Go ahead. But don't over-do it. Please. Too much make up makes you look trashy, and I'm pretty sure you're not going for that kind of a look, right?

Now, call me a die-hard harry potter fan if you want, but I absolutely LOVE Emma Watson. I think she's beautiful, inside and out.

She's got the natural look. A little bit of make up around her eyes, and, lets be honest, she probably has a little bit of foundation on too. She's famous and this was a photo shoot. BUT, she has just enough make up to enhance her naturally pretty face. I'm pretty sure she looks just about the same without make up on. Another thing I like about Emma is the fact that she isn't made of plastic. She's all natural. She doesn't have gigantic fake boobs, or a badonkadonk (like Niki Manaj, good Lord... ) and she gave the following quote wich made me forever love her to pieces!

Click on the image to make it bigger if you're having trouble reading it, but basically what she's saying is that the whole idea of being "Sexy" is kind of silly. Girls that go out with everything they have hanging out is just ...well, gross in my opinion. Emma kind of agrees, and states that "less is more." Now, no, this isn't what you're thinking. By saying "Less is More," she isn't saying that the less clothing you have on, the more attractive you become, no that isn't it at all. Emma's saying that the less skin you can see, the more people can wonder and appreciate the sacredness of your beauty.

In today's world, fashion is key. However, most of the options for clothing are highly immodest. Short shorts, low-cut shirts, backless dresses... they are everywhere and popular. So girls buy them and wear them, leaving very little to the imagination. Girls, you are SO much better than that. Your bodies are sacred, don't flaunt everything you've got to everyone on the street. It's honestly not appealing to the right kind of crowd. Girls, think back to when you were little... You probably had dreams and wishes of your very own prince charming who would love you and think you were the prettiest princess in the whole wide world, right? Well you're not going to find prince charming by letting your boobs and butt hang out. You'll probably find a guy who may come across as a charming young man, but really, if someone approaches you because they like what they see (and if you're wearing immodest clothing, they may only be seeing some things that are not meant to be seen in public) he probably doesn't care at all about who you really are. He just wants you for your body.

You need to find someone who will fall in love with your inner beauty before your outer beauty. Sure, a pretty face can help attract people, but your personality and your heart are what keep your Prince Charming around forever.

You don't have to be model-thin, or have a sculpted face all painted up to look like someone you're not. Try wearing LESS make up- "less is more!" and show the world who you really are. Instead of worrying about your looks and comparing yourself to others, I want you to look in the mirror and complement yourself. Do it. Do this for a week straight, find something new to compliment your foxy self on each and every day for an entire week! Or if you're in for a bigger and better challenge, try it for a month straight. I promise, you will love yourself and appreciate your own natural beauty that you were born with more than ever before. Another thing you can do that will make you attractive is something so simple and so overlooked, people forget about it... Just be yourself.

You can try to be like someone else, sure. That's okay, I guess... But you need to take the time to remember, there's only one of you. You are an original. No one else can be you, no one else can see you if you are not simply being you. Be a role model. Maybe not for looks specifically, but attitude-wise. Be nice to people, compliment others, and smile more. I have a quote on my living room wall that says, "The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give." I fully agree with that saying. 

Me and my friends are all a bunch of silly goobers, but we are happy and we love life. We may not all be perfect, but we are perfectly content.

Don't bother worrying about what everyone thinks you look like. Don't compare yourself to popular girls or famous people. Just be you. Love yourself and appreciate your natural beauty.

90-Day Inspection

So earlier this week my boss shoots me an email stating that I had to meet with her in a sort of another interview to see how I'm doing with this job. So what do I do? Panic. PanicPanicPanicPanic. I emailed my friend Connie, who trained me when I first started as an apartment manager, asking her all sorts of "What do I do" & "What's going to happen," type of questions. She told me to relax and that it would be a cake-walk. Connie said that it would basically be an interview where I ask question on things I'm uncertain of, and where my boss will let me know if I need to improve on anything.

Okay, I got this.

Well this morning I woke up nervous. I got up with Clint this morning at 6:30, ate a waffle, cleaned the house, paced, showered, got dressed, put make up on, and then proceeded to stare at the clock. Time seemed like it was standing still. So in order to make time move faster so I could get this nerve-racking event done and over with, I played some Skyrim. It worked. I played my video game for like an hour before I had to leave. So, off to the office I went!

When I got there, my heart started pounding. I kept thinking to myself "this is silly, why am I so nervous? Kerrie (my boss) is so nice." I went in and suddenly, my heart stopped pounding against my rib cage. I was completely calm. Woo Hoo! I went into Kerrie's office and sat down. We chit-chatted a little bit back and forth and then we got down to business. Kerrie asked me how I liked the job, if I had any questions, or if I needed any supplies... I told her I honestly loved my job, and I asked her a couple of questions that I had, and the only thing I needed from her was.... brace your self.......

Paper Clips.

We both kind of laughed at that. She told me that I was doing a fantastic job and that I really picked everything up pretty quickly. She then asked me if I'd ever be interested in managing a larger complex or working full-time. I told that I would be able to work full time and that I'd be greatly interested in working larger complexes. Kerrie was super glad to hear that.

I love my apartments that I work at right now, and I'd love to stay here for a while. But within the next few years, I think I'd be able to tackle a big complex (which would mean moving). So I guess for now, I will just continue to learn and gain experience here and if I end up moving on to bigger and better things, then I will welcome it with open arms! : )

Happy Endings

Hooray! My book that I was reading had a happy ending. There was so much sadness, and then it gradually picked itself back up again. So now I'm happily digesting the story of the Story Sisters. : )

I was so worried that it would all just crash and burn... well, it did, but then a ray of sunshine peered in and the story became something new. It was such a good read! Elv had a baby girl and completely turned her life around. Sorry, I spoiled something for those of you who were possibly going to read it. But that's not even the best part. So ...that can just be your light at the end of the tunnel for when you get to the depressing part of the book.

Breast Feeding

So I opened up my web browser and on the Yahoo home page there was a link to this Time Magazine Cover. Now, okay, my first thought to seeing this was "Oh that poor kid... When he gets older, he'll be known as the 'boobie kid.'" Honestly, I support the idea of breast feeding. It's natural, and very beneficial to the baby. However, taking a picture of it happening, and letting the kid feed for that long... I don't think so. Clint and I discussed it and we both decided that once the baby can start asking for it verbally, then it's time to switch to bottles. Another thing... Why on Earth would you do it in public? Couldn't that be counted as indecent exposure in public? Like, yeah it's a natural, beautiful thing, but I also believe it's personal and should be kept private.

If you watch the video in that link, you'll see a little bit of the debate on breast feeding. My personal opinion on the matter is: Yes. Breast feed if the baby takes to it. But if you know you're going out for more than an hour, pump some of that magic stuff into a bottle! It will taste the same, it will have the same nutrients and texture, and that way you don't have to worry about flashing every one around you.

As much as I dislike Kim Kardashian (or however you spell her name...) I agree with what she says in that video clip. I don't want to see boobs when I'm eating.

I want to enjoy my Caesar Salad and Dr. Pepper, the company of my friends/family/husband and the atmosphere in the restaurant. I can't imagine indulging in my salad, looking up from my plate and seeing a boob and thinking, "Aw, that's totally okay here." No. It would be more like, "AW. I'm not hungry any more." followed by a sad face. I said earlier that breast feeding is beautiful. I still stand by that. But you know what else is a beautiful thing? Making love. BUT YOU DON'T SEE ANYONE DOING THAT IN PUBLIC. Or at least, I HOPE you don't... Some of life's most beautiful things are personal and sacred. So let's keep them private, yes? I think so.

Books & Books

Okay, so a while back Borders went out of business here in Bakersfield... it was horrible. I love Borders! That was harder than coping with losing Mervyns! Anyway, while Borders was going out of business, everything in the book store steadily became dirt-cheap. First I bought some art books... then I went back and bought a couple more. Then when everything was like 85% off, I went and attacked all the novels. I ended up buying 13 books for $20. Great deal, right? WRONG. I WANT BORDERS BACK. (but yes, I do love being able to pay less for things I want...)

 ANYWAY... I didn't touch any of the books I bought (except the art ones... occasionally). No, they sat and collected dust. Why? Because I didn't find the time to sit down and get lost in a book. I was busy with school and work. However, now that I'm taking a break from school, and I have a descent job that I only have to devote 13 hours a week to, I decided to finally pick up one of those books.

The first one I've picked up is called "The Story Sisters" by Alice Hoffman. It's about these three sisters, and when the book starts the oldest one, I believe is only 13 or 14. They are very young. These three sisters have their own made-up world and language that only they know about. As the book progresses, the girls all get distinct personalities and their world becomes more detailed and extravagant. The oldest girl, Elv, decides to face her fears that separate the "Human world" from the "Arnish world" (their made-up world). She ends up becoming completely fearless and decides to try everything to build her immunity to humanity.

Long story short, she starts sleeping around, gets tattoos, starts smoking and gets involved with drugs. Bummer. Elv alienates herself from her family and everyone around her. No one understands her and her sisters gradually become strangers to her. I'm at a point in the book where things can either keep spiraling down into a burning heap of sadness and anguish or where the situation can be completely turned around.

I'm so curious to see what happens... I can't tell you exactly what's going on, because some of you may want to read the book. It's written very well, very captivating. But it's at such a depressing part in the book, I kind of don't even want to bother... It brings me down. I don't like being down... screw gravity! My only real peeve with the book is that occasionally the f-bomb will come into play. Honestly, it could do without it. But, it is about teenage girls... which I have come to rediscover have very limited, uneducated vocabulary.

My old digital arts teacher, Daniel Binsfeld, asked me to help teach some of his current students some tips and tricks for photoshop. So I've been helping out High School students all week. It's fun, except for when they talk. If they were all a bunch of mutes, it would be perfect.

So getting back to the subject of my book that I'm reading... I'll definitely have to reblog and let you guys know if it gets happier or not. Then I'm sure I'll be on to the next book, and I'll post about that one as well. Maybe when I'm done helping Daniel's students I can write a post about that too... It's interesting and I'm sure that by the end of next week I'll have a couple good stories to tell. So until then, see ya!