so show me family. all the blood that i will bleed.

i am grateful for the most rockin' family ever. seriously, if you ever find yourself wondering how i turned out to be so awesome, look no further than the cecil/doubek/edwards clan that raised me. just kidding. but not really. we're awesome. it's a fact.

here we are looking all cute on the day brett got back 
from serving an lds mission in zambia, africa. papa scott
really is happy. we promise. he's just making his "concerned
face" that he makes when people take pictures. he pretty
much only doesn't make it at disneyland.

the brohadre returned from africa on november 2, 2012. it was a pretty joyous occasion. we missed him a little bit for 2 years. sadly, just 4 days after he got home, on november 6, we lost grandma to cancer. that's been pretty rough; she was one fabulous lady, so we all still really miss her. it's great knowing she is back with grandpa, and is no longer feeling any pain.

commence eye leakage.

meanwhile, since the brohadre was finally back, we were finally able to go to disneyland for christmas with the doubeks (aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin's kiddos). don't even worry that i had a 234(ish) day countdown for this trip. it was much anticipated, and it turned out to be every bit as magical as expected. disney2012=success.

the cousins all prepping for midway mania. i won. of course.

since then, we've made many more wonderful memories. maroon 5 in vegas with nic(ole), my sister. 4th of july. always a pleasure. brett married becky, and we gained a sister. a whole bunch of card games, where a whole bunch of insults were thrown (but we really do love each other, i promise). we may have even played cards at brett and becky's wedding reception in parowan. oops. sorry mom. uncle todd making nic squirm at brett and becky's salt lake reception when he found out she has been dating a boy.

i can always count on my family to make me laugh until i cry. i can always count on them to love me, even when i do things that might not be that lovable. i can always count on many ridiculous shenanigans when i am with my family. they are pretty much the best, and i feel increasingly grateful that i was born into such a fantastic group of individuals, especially  because i know that a lot of people were not born into such great families.

my christmas present from nic (to both of us). 

maroon 5 at the mandalay bay in las vegas. quality.

making madre crazy whilst decorating the christmas tree 

with the siblings. we group all the ornaments, and put the 

wooden pretties (aka, the old, ugly, wooden ornaments)

 right in the front. we love you leslie!

puzzles at christmas with the siblings. as you can see, we 

only do the classiest puzzles. 90's throwback. we are 

such cute trolls.

that one time in june when i finally got my ears 

pierced. nic and madre stood there taking pictures 

and video, and laughing at me. i wouldn't want 

to get my ears pierced with anyone else.

sometimes we have really cute (and patriotic) sister 

moments on the 4th of july.

and sometimes we have really fantastic cousin moments, 

also on the 4th of july. slip 'n' slide, followed by some 

intense volleyball games, which were continued even 

when it started pouring rain. legit.

these kiddos got hitched. welcome to the family becky!

and here we are playing cards in the corner at the reception.

don't tell leslie...oh wait...she found us out...oops.

personally, i regret nothing.

so, if you're not jealous by now, you should be. we're pretty awesome.

i just wanna stop...and thank you baby.

.see my pin here.

i saw this idea on pinterest and decided it would make a good blog post, which then led to my decision that i need to start blogging again. therefore...

13 things i am grateful for in 2013.

1. my family.

2. my friends. new and old.

3. the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints.

4. my job.

5. music.

6. knitting

7. ellie teal.

8. my car.

9. art.

10. history.

11. technology.

12. sunshine.

13. dogs. all of them.

i will be writing a post about each of my 13 things. i will link them to this post as they are finished, should you want to read about how a particular noun on this list has influenced me.

rolling in the deep

So Jamie and I have been way musically inclined as of late. I have been practicing up on my guitar. My fingers are sore and are getting some pretty fantastic callouses. It's been awesome.

Last week, on Friday, we played in a music festival. It was super last minute. I sang a song I learned the words to on Thursday night at 11pm. We played Friday at 1pm. But it was still pretty sweet. Would have been better if I had been able to sing without holding the lyrics in front of me, but it was fun.



This week, on Wednesday, we made a quick video to enter in a contest that SHeDAISY is apparently having on Facebook. You'd have to ask Jamie for details about that. I just sang the song.

She doesn't have it on youtube yet, but you can watch that video here.

My next musical goal: be able to play a song on the guitar and sing it at the same time.
When that happens, I'll be sure to post a video. It might be a while though. Playing and singing simultaneously is not that easy.

i'll tell you all my secrets if you stick around

This is the last week in a nutshell.

1. Furry animals are cute. But not when they are dead.
2. People continually losing the same object multiple times in obvious places in the same day is really entertaining.
3. People generally aren't as tough as the front they put on. It is amazing to see them let those walls down.
4. Exposed zippers are awesome. 5. There can be a song applied to every situation. I usually find them, therefore, my head is like an indecisive radio station all the time.
6. Boys who wear vests and bow ties to church are magnificent. Rory, you know who you are. 8)
7. Graham crackers dipped in fruit smoothies is a super delicious snack.
8. It is pretty sweet watching a balloon float away into the sky until it disappears.
9. I heart floral print. 8) 10. Mismatched socks make me smile. So do Buddy Holly glasses.
11. I love when I have random moments when I feel like I am in SoCal.
12. I want my flowers to grow!
13. We named the monkey Jack. I love pirates! 14. Horses are crazy when they are hungry and the weather is stormy.
15. Also, a lot of horses are divas.
16. I want to steal my neighbors jeep. I love it! OR I can just date my neighbor. That is also an option. 8)
17. My birthday is in 3 1/2 days!
18. Teal and coral are amazing colors. Especially when they are together.
19. They found a rattle snake at work. Do I like rattle snakes, or any snakes? Does a cat like taking a bath? I think we all know the answers to these questions. Hint. They are the same. 20. Sometimes, getting teenagers to follow directions is like giving a cat a bath.
21. I often don't know how to count. And other such things. Did my padre tell me I am brainless? Yes. Yes he did. Bahahahahahahahaha...
22. I rarely listen to country music, but I always love it when I do. I don't know why I never listen to it.
23. I really want this watch. 24. The last two hours of the shift are always the longest.
25. No-talk has got to be more of a punishment for the staff than it is for the girls.
26. My family is hilarious! Love.
27. I played tennis with my sister. I learned two things. I really need to get my eyes checked. I have zero depth perception. And I really need to get my racquet restrung. Strings=about to break.
If you made it to the end of this. Bless your heart. 8)

yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

Jamie and I went and saw Pirates 4 on Tuesday night.

LOVE
That is all. 8)

diamonds are a girls best friend

So for those of you who know me well, you know that my ADHD-ridden self likes to make jewelry because it gives me something to do with my hands. I have spent a good chunk of time today looking at other peoples jewelry blogs. One day I will make one of my own, but until then, I will just enjoy these gems. (Did you like my wordplay? Bahahaha...)

WireBliss Design

Beach Haus Designs

Cilla - Tell Your Girlfriends

Circa Jewels

Jewelry by Annemieke

The Guy Said Honey You're a Funny Girl

So sometimes I do real cool things. Like the time I learned how many tires my car actually has. Oops. My bad.

I had taken my car in to get the safety inspection. Also, I was pretty sure I needed new brakes. And I needed an oil change and to get a tail light replaced. So when they had looked at everything, and done the oil and light, they called me about my brakes. They told me that my brakes and rotors were pretty hammered. They also told me my tires were pretty worn out. This was to be expected since I have been driving back and forth between Cedar and St. George a few times a week for the last two years. (Although...good news...I got a job in New Harmony, which is a whole lot closer to Cedar! WOOT!) So I asked for an estimate. With the oil, lights, brakes/rotors, and safety inspection it was going to be around $500. But since I was getting brakes done, he said he would give me a deal on my tires. So he gave me the price...about $90 while it would usually be about $120. He didn't say that was per tire, and it was the week before finals, I was finishing at my old job and starting at my new job AKA working two jobs during the week before finals, and I had been out of my ADHD medication for a few days, so I didn't really put it together, even though I am in fact, aware of the standard price for tires. Also I was already freaking out about the amount of money I already was having to pay. But I figured I might as well get it done. So I told him to go ahead and do it, and that I would pick it up Friday after I got my check.

So Friday, after a frantic trip to St. George, in which I made it to the bank and got my check deposited a mere 3 minutes before the deadline, after which it wouldn't have posted on my account until Monday, and after I finished my online class (the reason for which the trip to St. George was postponed until the last minute) I headed on down to the Tire Company to pay for my car. The guy at the counter tells me the price: about $850. I made an unappreciative noise, while freaking out in my head...that was a lot more than I was expecting...about $500, but I didn't say anything. I figured I would take a look at the receipt before I said anything. Good thing too. Upon viewing the receipt I realized...FOUR tires. Not one. Good job Ali.

When I got home I called my dad to tell him he could pick up his car, which he had loaned my while mine was in the shop.

Me: Hi Dad. Car's done. But I may have slightly underestimated the price. Because I may have forgotten to multiply the tire price by four. So I may need you guys to spot me about $400 so I can pay my rent and car registration. Oops. I will pay you back when my tax returns get here.

Dad: (after laughing at me) How about we just spot you $400 dollars, and you don't pay us back. (What wonderful parents I have.)

So when my parents came to get Dad's car my mom also laughed at me and asked if I forgot how to do math. I am a history major. I don't need math. Bahahahahaha...Yep. Funny story. My bad. But I do know how many tires are on my car now!

The Princess and the Bean

So I don't like beans. At all. Any of them. While at the parent's house a few days ago we had some quesadillas for dinner that had chicken, rice, and cheese in them. My dad's also had beans in them.

As my mom was walking up the stairs to make them:

Dad: "You should put one bean in Ali's. Just one."

Mom: "Okay."

But we didn't really think she would do it. So I am eating my quesadilla and thinking how delicious it is, when I have a bite that was not so delicious. At first I couldn't figure out what it was. And then it clicked.

Me: "Ugh. I think I found the bean."

My mom was still upstairs finishing my dad's quesadilla.

Dad: "She wouldn't put it in there. Who puts one bean in a quesadilla?"

Me: "Mom."

So when she comes down stairs I made the accusation and she just smiled and looked all pleased with herself.

Me: "You did. You put one bean in my quesadilla. Well, I found it."

Mom: "I can't believe you found it!"

Me: "I guess I am just like the Princess and the Pea, except I am the Princess and the Bean."

Mom: "And you were eating, not sleeping."

So yes. That is how cool I am. The Princess and the bean. 8)

Baby You're a Firework...

So it's been a little while. Here is a little update.

Bad News:

• We don't have cable, so I can't watch baseball.
• SJ the pigeon (who used to live in my parking lot) is nowhere to be found.
• My work schedule makes it real hard to have a social life. (ie. It has been almost a month since I have seen the really attractive boy in my ward whom I've been trying to make friends with because my off days seem to be at really inconvenient times.)
• My computer has decided it is appropriate to not work. Real nice.
• I have to get my car serviced. It's gonna be a pocket-book-breaker.

Good News:

• My beloved Yankees are doing great (minus an embarrassing loss to Boston).
• I got a letter from my Wend, who is on a mission in Argentina.
• My little brohadre, who is on a mission in Zimbabwe, talks really funny now.
• Dasher jokes are still going strong.
• School is almost over! WOOHOO!
• It is almost summer!
• I don't have to work this weekend!
• Our crappy dryer broke, so they are getting us a new one.
• I just learned how to spell dryer. I never knew if it was an "i" or a "y" when referring to the machine.
• My class got canceled this morning. It would have been nice if I had known that before I went to class, but I'll take it.
• I get lots of money back on my tax returns!
• My second set of parents...aka...Nikki and Kent, are coming home from Taiwan soon.
• The attractive boy in my ward looks like Wentworth Miller. Seriously...attractive doesn't even begin to cover it.
• I did not have to find out that my sister was engaged via facebook or her blog, because she didn't actually get engaged (April Fools). See the link. I was mad until I realized what day it was.
• I learned how to Dougie (for those of you who are confused...it is a dance0>
  
• I have a lot more good news than bad news!