Some Things I Can't Get Enough Of

Orange

Bright Front Doors

 Everything About This Sign

 This Feel

 I Am Obsessed with These Pillows

 And I Really Love the Feminine Feel of this Skirt

 These were on my desktop, I don't know why, but it makes me sad to see them. 

It seems like I have forgotten how small the children once were.

 

I hope your day is filled with goodness.

 Spring Colors

 A New Leaf

I have so much to say today... A lot has happened in the last little bit...I will start with the bad news first. I was pulled over on Wednesday AND I  received a ticket. It was the first ticket I have been given in a very long time.  The worst part about this particular ticket is that I was as guilty as the day is long. I won't go into the details, I'll just say out of the five consecutive laws I broke, the final straw being cutting off the undercover officer that eventually slapped me with this black mark on my otherwise clean record, I had not even a crutch to lean on. I just politely told the officer I understand I am guilty, now please just give me the damn ticket. The good news was that  my bad luck came in three's... And as luck would have it, that ticket was number three of a very tiresome day.

 

So onto the good news... I don't know if I mentioned I had enrolled in real estate school. It has been a long time coming. In fact, a desire of mine for the last fifteen years. And I am very pleased to say that I finished all my classes. I took the state exam on Thursday, and apart from the sweating of bullets and the reading the same question five times in a row, I breezed through the whole thing. Although they don't give results... I am quite certain it was by the skin of my pretty, white teeth.

You know what that means ? I am a realtor! No more interior design. No more Jetblue. It is a funny thing how things in life just kind of happen the way they are suppose to.  I will still have design, perhaps a little here and there, But I am completely done with Jetblue. I am sad about that part... I will admit, today in relief society it hit me like a ton of bricks... Gone are the days that I can't just pack up and go to New York on a whim.  As I thought about it, my eyes watered a bit and I felt the ceiling crowding in on me... I thought I might suffocate. Indeed I really did dread the work of Jetblue, (I would spend more time trying to get out of my shift than I would had I just worked it...It really was that awful to me) It was a safety net and a comfort for me to know I had it... That safety net is gone and I have no other choice than to throw myself into the world of  real estate. That part is scary but at the same time,  kind of an exciting thought.

Real estate has always been such a passion for me, even when I wasn't in the market for houses I would still check out the MLS on a regular basis... Just to see what I was missing out on. I am so excited to help families find the homes that they were meant to have, investors find property they can make an income on... But I am mostly excited about walking through those fixer upper homes and helping my clients see all the potential those old bones hold. That part makes my blood pump a little bit faster. I think if I dedicate myself to this, I'll be good at it.  I'll make enough money that I can just pay for my own ticket on Jetblue without having to play the standby game. I hope sooner than later I may even be saying "Jet who?"

So here it goes! Wish me luck :)

Just Good Music


My brother and I were helping my dad build a good music list for his new Ipod. I was reminding him of all the songs he liked that I would play for him back when I was fourteen or so. The list included some 4 Non Blondes, Counting Crows, Smashing Pumpkins, Pennywise, Dire Straits (actually, he got me into them) and this beauty... Soul Asylum's Runaway Train. We would watch all of these together on MTV (back when MTV actually played music). He would get such a kick out of our music. It only seemed fitting... He introduced me to some of the best bands  from his time and I got to introduce him to some great bands of my time. 
This song brings back so many good feelings and memories for me. It was great in 1993 and its still great in 2012.

 Work?

 If I was able to work in any of these offices, I would have a happy life.

However, if I was able to call this my office, my life would be complete.

Here are some little gems I have been waiting to fit into posts ... Realizing I may never get there, I thought fortuitously combined, they would make the perfect Friday post.

 

 And remember there is nothing like

Teenagers

Normally I keep away from the "teenage stereotype bandwagon"... I have always assumed teenagers were just as charming as can be... In fact as far as I remeber, I was a delightful teenager. I usually kept a spotless kitchen for my working mother, always kept my dad in freshly pressed shirts and I tried to be the peace keeper of the house.

Of course, I only remember it that way... I think my siblings remember things slightly different.   

 But seriosusly as a mother of a teenager now, I am starting to question my position on "teenager-hood" I swear sometimes (and I really do). 

Saw this... Loved it. So bloody true.

Flightless Bird

Once upon a time someone said this to me:

"Everybody falls in love with at least one redhead during their life and never forgets her."

I was doing some research on shampoo specifically meant for red heads when I came across a blog called something like "I have red hair too!" It's a blog where women write in and tell the stories of what it was like growing up with red hair and the stereotypes that went with it... As I was reading their stories, a flood of memories came rushing back to me as I reflected on what it was like for me... 

I was the only girl in my entire grade with red hair. Now that I think about it, probably one of the very few in my entire school...Which of course targeted me straight away....When you are little, the last thing you want to be is different.  I was called every name, from the cute ones like strawberry shortcake, to the dumb ones like carrot top and Annie. When I got a bit older I was even subject to the crude ones... Some which made me cry....All of which affected me. Even in my own family, my sister just above me, with her very long and very platinum hair  was referred to by my dad as "Blondie" while  I was lovingly called  "Red".  (Which seems to be the name of more than one dog I have since known in my life.) Even my very best friends would innocently refer to my hair color as "orange". Which actually seemed to be the most painful of all the comments. You would think maybe their moms would have educated them on their colors.

Side note: Not only did I have "orange hair" my sweet mom insisted I perm it twice a year. When I finally realized I had a choice in the matter, I shut that tradition down faster than she could say "spiral"... Of course by then, the name Annie was already a permanent staple in the nick names file. My cute mom. :)

Every time my mom would take me to get my hair done, I would quietly ask my stylist to dye my hair brown. She would say the same thing she said  every time... "Honey, do you have any idea how many girls walk through my door asking me to give them your exact color??? And you want to change it? Your mom would kill me! Besides, you will love it when you're older!" To which I would silently console myself with,  "This lady doesn't have a clue what she's talking about. She has brown hair."

I truly had concerns that I wouldn't get asked out on dates, that I'd never grow out of the name calling and that the redhead stereotypes would follow me my whole life. But in the end, it worked out... I had my fair share of dates...  No one calls me ginger anymore...and believe it or not, the redhead stereotypes do follow me around, and I am okay with that... (Mostly because I've come to terms with the fact that they are mostly true.)

 

And I was blaming the kids at 

school for calling my Annie?

Now I am enjoying my hair. In fact, 

I think I am quite lucky to have it.

This is my sweet Nadia. 

She was the opposite of me...

she begged me to dye her hair "really red".

Then we did some purple streaks.

(But not really the point of this post)

I'm trying to remember my point... Oh yes. If I could tell all those beautiful little girls out there that are lucky enough to be born with red hair, or strawberry blond hair, or even orange hair... Hang in there...It gets better. In fact, it gets great!