it's official...

i want to marry monsoon season.

that's all.
{happy monday}

my evening plans

just put the bow down & finished dinner dishes.
{life is good.}
here is what's on the agenda:
consume popcorn.
enjoy some sugar.
while reading new moon!
{bliss}

aren't those popcorn bowls TDF?
TDF=to die for in dixon lingo, btw.

as i stated in my last post, my good friend o' scrapbooks etc, emily mcbride purchased them for me! i love love love them! probably because i'm basically obsessed with popcorn. no really, ask myron. i can eat popcorn @ anytime of the day/never get sick of it! so, sporting my fave snack in cute bowls automatically is uber-happy! oh, and ems gave me massive ammounts of sugar like: sour punch straws, junior mints, reeses pieces, etc....but myron & i might have been really hungry/on a sugar high the passed couple of days. {ooopps}

anywhoooo...back to em. aw, i just love her. we go WAY back. i 'member when she was just a customer @ the store & would bring her cute scrapbook pages in. then she got a job there. and then she worked there foreva, LIKE ME! (: She is a very loyal friend to me, really thoughtful {hence above}, and i'm in love with her hilarious comments that she makes! we've bonded many a day behind the register, and those are memories i cherish, fo sho. she's also {beyond} creative. she always has a freaking adorable project going on, an invitation, a card, a wedding sign-in book, cute headbands for her amazingly adorable girlie kennedy, or whatev! she's currently working on creative projects for her little sisters wedding, and i know for a fact it will all be fabulous!

she ALWAYS remembers my birthday, no matter what! {which is ironic, 'cause i'm the lamest birthday rememberer ever...no, like EVER} oh, and she's also known to have a gift a few months early...and it is like SO thought out, perfectly adorable, and personalized. one year she tied me THE CUTEST barbie fleece blanket {'cause i love barbies} & we won't even get started on the adorable group shower gift she put togetha for chlo. {perf.}

i am grateful for good friends like emily.
{single happy tear}
and thanks to her, i will be having a BLESSED evening.
saturday truly IS a special day...

{hope you had a happy one!}

the tater tot

so, my classes @ the store are adjourned for the month. i absolutely love my job, but it's always a relief to be home with my girlie again. i miss her while i'm out bringin' home a lil bacon. i get a tiny taste for 2-point-5ish days each month of what m-diz must feel like. on wednesday night we kept the girl up until the {late} hour o' ten {120 minutes after her usual bedtime} because myron & i desperately needed a chloe-play time fix to get us through another busy thursday! and she was very very punchy...so it was doubly-fun!

glad to be back bloggin'. i missed my muse here too! (;

um, so, my adorable friend amy totty brought me a surprise to work! if any of you know her, you are very aware of how cool this girl is: she is SO...COOL...her glasses, shoes, clothes, hair, hair accessories, hand bags, amazing creations, etc. best thing though: her personality matches in coolness. i {really} love her.

she brought this little somethin' somethin' for my b-day...
{she's too kind, i know}

AHHHHHHH! need i say more?

yes folks, those are two lisa loeb albums. she read on my blog that they had been "borrowed" from my car last fall/never to return again. {and she must have telepathic powers, 'cause she replaced two of my VERY favorites!} maybe we should have a moment of silence, so we can all sing "sandlewood" in our heads & get goosebumps.

anywhooo, isn't that just THOUGHTFUL city?

and yes, we rocked out to the beloved LL during all four simplicity classes. it was heaven.

AND she included a TO DIE FOR cute sparkly/vintage/antique glasses case with the gift...for me to put my glasses in! or exact change! or whatever! but, what i really have plans to do is to buy some NEW stylin' spectacles like lisa {and amy} to put in my chic-n-classy case!!

you see, amy has a history of being very thoughtful. on a monthly basis it seems, i am the recipient of a large bag of brand new little girls clothing for the bow. 'cause, ya know, amy saw something cute & buys it for her. {thoughtful city squared} i can't tell you how many times i have come to the store & had a bag with my name on it waiting there, full of SUPA cute new dresses or pjs or outfits for chloe. the woman seriously has clothed my child from birth. {along with many other SWEETER than sweet friends & grandma/granny's *wink*}


this entire section of the closet is stuff bowie hasn't even grown into yet {compliments of the tater tot}, just sitting there waiting for her to sport! and every single thing she has given me has been SOOOOOO cute! {as you can imagine, i am completely overwhelmed & so appreciative of her out-of-control generosity!}

amy totty, you rock my world. thanks for being SO GIVING with not only freakin' amazing cds, adorable glasses cases, and FASHIONABLE baby/toddler attire: but also...generous with your friendship, compliments, sweetness, sense of humor, talent, and just YOU.

tomorrow i shall blog about another thoughtful friend that i have met while workin' @ sbetc...she also brought me a delightful surprise yesterday evening that i plan to use tonight & perhaps snap a few pics in the process! {hint: her name starts with e & ends w/ mily mcbride...}

and yes, every single woman that works at that place is forever amazing slash i could blog a river about each and EVERY one of them {ex-employees/teachers included}!!

until then:
{happy TGIF}

realizations & goals

i’ve come to a few realizations this week.

3 outta 4 were {sorta} depressing.

so, i spent today {in it's entirety} creating a plan of attack to eliminate problems &
make my life even happier.

disclaimer: um, you don’t really hafta read this, i promise. i basically just posted this as motivation for myself. i figure if it’s on the internet, there’s no turning back, right?! [lol]

realization #1

besides my pretty closets & happy labeled boxes, my life is pretty much very disorganized. very very happy mind you, but very disorganized. my casa is rarely clean, because as i have stated before, i struggle with the daily maintenance clean up routine thing. i’m kinda ocd in that, i want to clean my house all at one time, and if i don’t have time to do it ALL, then i just don’t do anything. so, my humble abode ends up looking like this:

and this:

and this:

until i get sick of it/supa-cranky & then me and my helpful husband clean it from top to bottom. and the cycle repeats.

this makes it difficult to be organized in my other areas of life such as: being a fun mom, workity-work, my primary calling, my health, generally being kind, etc...

so, I was inspired by a friend's blog to make myself a chore chart. genius. since i’m basically obsessed with crossing things off lists, this just might work.

i created a morning & night routine & then assigned myself a couple chores for each day. if i stick to the plan for two whole months, i’ve promised myself a pair of fancy/non-target jeans that fit. yay for self bribery!

which brings me to my next realization:

realization #2

i am officially a candidate for the show what not to wear.

when did i become so frumpy? {single tear.} for once being mesa high’s most uniquely dressed 2001, {lol/totally kidding} i sure am kinda boring now! aside from a few new birthday outfits {that I love, love, love, btw…thanks fam!} i truly could use some help in the fashion department! i think that once i stepped out of my thrift-store-chic style, i just didn’t know what to do with myself, and started wearing what’s comfortable. {ie: baggy everything, myron’s t-shirts, etc.} i used to be able to pull-off a swanky scarf, eclectic outfit & the most random of accessories. now {on the other hand} i put a headband on, look in the mirror, say to myself, “girl, what are you trying to prove” & take it off. i have good taste, but very little confidence in my 2007 fashion attempts.

so, it’s time to drop a few L.B.s & go shopping, i reckon. 30 minutes of exercise per day is one of my daily chores. might seem weak sauce to the rest of the world, but this will be huge for me. once i shed a few, i’ll have my pre-chloe wardrobe to work with & add to. [that being said, *caution: soapbox* looks aren’t everything, beauty comes from the inside, being a fashionista SO isn’t a priority to me, and myron’s shirts ARE comfortable, and I’m gonna sport them every once in a while.] i’d just like to be a healthier version of myself, with a new cute shirt or two, ya know?

i’m going to take baby-steps in the healthier diet category too, starting with feeding my lil family dinner. {novel thought, lol}

which brings me to:

realization #3
if i have another totinos pizza for dinner, i think i might kill myself.

the number one reason I don’t cook is I can NEVER think of something to make. and then once i do, we don’t have the ingredients. hence us ending up going to chipotle or eating some other barf-esque quick fix meal such as hormel chili.

so, i've busted out the cookbooks & some of my favorite dinner recipes & typed them up. i still have some to add, but plenty to work with. every wednesday [when the ads come out] i’m going to choose 5 recipes out of my three ring binder, plan a veggie & fruit for each meal & buy the stuff for those meals when I grocery shop. that way i can sorta plan around what’s on sale. i organized my recipes into categories “supa easy,” “average bear,” & “over-achiever.” supa easy recipes are like the kind of dinner when things are busy, or when myron is working late, like bean burritos & salsa or something crockpot-ish. average bear recipes are things that take a little more time, but are still easy, like taco salad, chicken fajitas, etc. over-achievers are basically all the really yummy ones that take a little longer & i’m afraid to make, but gonna try to make on Myron’s night off, aka monday. i’ve listed the ingredients at the top, so it will be easy to make shopping lists. i’ve also listed the morning prep, like taking the blasted meat out of the freezer {always forget that step.} i’m kinda excited…should be fun to NOT feel like a failure in this area o' my existence! (:

and last but not least, i'm glad i know & am very aware of this:

realization #4

life is so so good,
and to everything there is a season.

here's to new seasons & striving to be my best self!
{happy tuesday}

crafty post

zero minutes to chat.
but, here are my simplicity layouts for this week.
{caution: the photographs are a little ghetto-fabulous}

and this summer/patriotic one is for my ward scrapbook night in august! (:

go ahead & have a

{happy monday, k?}

special delivery

hey, remember the time our fish tank decided to randomly crack out of no where?
that was funny.
{oh wait, not really}
hey, and remember when 25 gallons of salt water started spewing forth everywhere?
that was very dramatic.
{but still kinda funny}
hey, and remember how it was an out-of-control big mess?
{i do}
hey, and remember when we got our happy & shiny new tank in the mail yesterday?
{yay for temporary tanks no longer chillin' on the kitchen counter!}
hey, and remember when boxes/peanuts are the coolest thing since sliced bread?
{according to chloe}

hey, and remember how everything happens for a reason, 'cause we were able to retrieve our clown fish, lil rojo from the sump he jumped into back in the day?
{it was a tender reunion}

thanks saac & aud for all your help!
{you rock}

{happy friday}

today's post = a shout out to one of my very favorite girlfriends in this whole wide WORLD!
lesli spafford.
aka les.
today i visited my current place o' partish-time employement aka scrapbooks etc, and had the opportunity of chatting with this delightful chick during her OH so popular love notes class.
and every stinkin' time i see her, i am reminded JUST how much i ADORE her...
{and i'm not alone}
she has MANY fans, friends and admirers & this is why:

*she is a breath of FRESH air, is a guaranteed SMILE when you need one, and lights up the room {pretty freaking bright too}
*she is HILARIOUSLY funny & has a contagiously HAPPY personality
*she is SO thoughtful, remembers everyones name {'cause she's awesome like that}, and is always thinking of others & how she can help. she makes peoples' days without even knowing it.
*she is hip, FRESH, funky, & oh so fashionable. and pretty much looks put together even when she's sporting pjs. and we won't even get started on her golden tan! {jealousy}
*she has an appreciation for the simple things in life. ie: wildflowers, reading a good book by the pool, steve's divine hot chocolate, yummy/inspirational/pretty things, etc.
*she has font-worthy handwriting, is SO talented @ all things crafty & is rockin' CE this year as a headliner teacher...{hence where i got this cute pic}
*she is a FABULOUS grandma & an amazing mom who raised her sons & daughter to be just as thoughtful & kind as their motha.
*she is practically perf in every way, but she doesn't know it, which makes her that much more charming!
*and my favorite: she is human. aka she is a human-angel. she is {totally} down to earth. she is a kindred spirit.
*oh, and best of all: she also enjoys being very CHEESY like me, so don't worry, this post won't freak her out.

les, i heart you.
this world needs more peeps just like your amazing self.
have a {happy thursday}
-ang

letters to my far away sissies...

dear heidi,

i'm pretty much beyond excited for...
a brand new NEPHEW!
i have the three cutest nephews on the planet,
can't wait for another to join the bunch!
hooray for happy news of a healthy baby boy!
i'm excited to see what he looks like...
{amazingly cute, no doubt}
...just like his older brothers!
older brothers! how fun is that??
SO SO happy for you, garry, zach, & ty!
may dec. 13th come quickly!
love you & miss you like crazy, per usual.
sincerely,
angus & bowie


dear holly,
we "toadily" miss you.
come home from cali sooner rather than later, k?
you will be very proud of chlo's latest developement!
she impersonates your fave disney character of all time!
she sings w/ ariel..."ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, etc."
it's hilarious, and i think we should watch the movie togetha so you can see.
...over some of your wicked-delightful popcornizzle...aka your specialty.
{with lots of butta & salt *wink*}
peace in the far east/mongolia,
ang & chlo


{have a happy wednesday everyone!}

four more:

i'm getting {beyond bored} with this series of facts about me, so i'm gonna wrap it up today.

number four:

exact change is pretty much my best friend. i rarely pay in cash, but if i do, i try to put out the EXACT change, down to the blessed penny. there are very few things i love more than an even transaction. BUT none of this “okay, i’ll give you a nickel so you can give me a quarter back bi-nus.” if i don’t have ALL of the change, there’s no point. i’d rather break a twenty so i can have better change opportunities next time. plus, if the cashier isn’t good at mental math, that can be VERY confusing & more trouble than it’s worth. {and i speak from personal experience.}

number five:

lisa loeb will forever be my favorite singer. i love her music, her voice, her style, her awesome glasses, and her amazingly random lyrics. i owned every one of her albums up until our car got broken into last fall & they, along with my beloved dr. phil cds, are tragically gone forever. {single tear} lucky for me, i know every one of her delightful tunes by heart & can sing every album from start to finish. {yes, i'm a freak.} someday i plan to be a hot, guitar playing girlfrien' like her.

number six:

i have a crazy obsession with all things being organized, categorized, and put in a labeled box. to the point that I will store boxes inside of boxes. myron refers to this as my “box inside of a box theory.” to me, the container store = nirvana. i often get accused of hiding things because i like things to be put away in a place {preferably a container of some sort}-not on the counter or anywhere visible. i am the opposite of a pack rat. if i haven’t used it in six months, peace out! i’m very ocd when it comes to cleaning & organizing, but i struggle with the daily maintenance cleaning that is SO needed. hence my house sadly being very messy 24/7.

and finally, number seven:

i am a very deep sleeper. i can sleep anywhere, anytime…during church, you name it. i love to sleep, maybe a little too much. some people are jealous of my deep sleeping skills/abilities…to which I reply: with the blessing, comes many other annoying/humiliating factors, such as: i also talk in my sleep almost every night. i walk in my sleep. i call people in my sleep. i answer the door/phone in my sleep. i have full fledged convos in my sleep. and afterwards, don’t remember ANYTHING. so far i haven’t done anything dangerous, just really embarrassing things. myron thinks it’s really funny to put random stuff in my hands and take pictures ‘cause he knows i won’t wake up. {refer to featured picture} thanks honey.

welp, that’s about it. i think y’all {slash the world, ‘cause this is the internet} might know me just a little too well.

time for:

number three:

i am {supa} allergic to ibuprofen. yet, still to this day can’t ever remember how to spell the stupid word: ibuprofen. is it an f or a ph?…who cares.

anyhoo, back to the story: i took a half of a pill in 7^th grade because my legs were burning/inflamed w/ fire due to running the mile o’ taylor junior high girls pe aka my lifelong nemesis…{my time was probably about 11:23 btw}…but that’s beside the point.

i went to bed after partaking of the drug to rest my ridiculously sore appendages only to wake up at 1am to discover that my face was swollen to the size of lake tahoe & after a few more hours my throat was kinda starting to close off all anaphylactic shock style. {no worries, breathing’s not important or anything.} mi madre carted me to the ER to be i.v.’ed o’ benedryl/steroids, stat.

moral of the story: my life=drama.

ps…to this day my number one regret in this life is me not allowing my mom to take pictures in all my swollen-eye- shut/enormous-lips/nose-even-larger-than-normal state/glory. ‘cause i’m pretty darn sure that would have been a rather comical photo shoot.

continuation o' tag

number two:

although i am very aware of the fact that this will repulse many of you, i’m still gonna confess: that i pretty much have a crush on simon cowell.

{strictly on a he’s-a-fake-tv-man-type basis}

i’m kinda like in love with his accent, especially when he says things like “pauler” and “absolutely dreadful.” i appreciate his honesty, even though he makes devil-like comments occasionally. and i might find him very attractive. that’s all.

unlucky post for an unlucky day

i've been tagged by my adorable, now fellow ward member friend, amber romney hansen. i'm suppose to list 7 things about myself, so i'll start with numero uno today.

and i know i talk about myself maybe a little too much on this blogity-blog...so if you get {ultra} bored w/ me, just stop reading & refer to one of the many hilarious/highly entertaining blog links off to the right. k? k.

number one crazy fact about me/my life=we {being me & the m-diz} are vacation-impaired. it's true. in fact, it's a miracle sent directly from the heavens above that i made it through our recent {and amazing, might i add} cancun trip without getting sick/sabotaging all the fun for everyone.

example#1:
the time myron & i went to cancun on his parents' tab for our honeymoon. i decided it might be a nice time to pass kidney stones for 5 days. oh, and he thought it might be fun to bite into some food and have his front veneer fall out. {notice the closed-mouth-smile o' photograph, ya.} i was basically out of commission the whole week, feeling guilt the entire time, while my SWEET yet kinda hick-ish front-toothless husband served me. it was hot. someday soon, i plan to email montel williams, go on his show, tell our tale o' drama & win a second-honeymoon. "that's the current plan, yes." what movie?
example #2:
a year later we decided that it'd be fun to go to cali for the weekend to make up for our misfortunes in me-hico. in the wee hours of the morn, our first night there, i got REALLY sick. but i felt SO bad because i didn't want to ruin yet another vacay for the dunn couple. so, me, in all my infinite wisdom decide it might be a great idea to NOT wake my husband up like a normal person would, but to take a CAB by myself to the local/downtown LA-LAX clinic & grab some meds. {i didn't want to spoil our six flags plans, duh! and i didn't want to wake my sweet husband from his slumber...} there were no cabs available @ the time, so the kinda freaky-ish shuttle driver snuck me into his bus, ALONE, and off we went! {i honestly left every ounce of common sense i possessed in AZ!!} long story short: being a very white, highly sheltered, obviously naive, twenty year old girl ALONE on the streets of LA {@ 2am} with 5 dollars cash to your name isn't the smartest thing to do in the world...and you might be REALLY terrified if you find yourself under those circumstances. oh, and your husband will be worried sick, unless of course you DIDN'T wake him up, and then he'll randomly wake up @ six & wonder where you are, and think you're probably just getting ice from the machine down the hall. the end.
example #3:
utah excersion 2004. myron & i pack the car up to head north for his mission reunion. the man, of course, typically drives both ways on such roadtrips because, truth be told, you couldn't pay me a million dollars to drive to utah angie-behind-the-wheel-style. {ridic, i know} anywho...myron had just gotten some gum grafting surgery done on his mouth a few days before, and apparently it wasn't stitched up quite right because all of the sudden his mouth is bleeding h-core. so after filling like, seriously a QT 32er w/ blood, we decide to spend the night in page, & head home. {grr} i cried. which, now that i think of it, probably wasn't a very sensitive-wifeish thing to do, seeming how myron was the one losing massive amounts of blood...but i digress. myron was kinda pre-occupied with the whole mouth hemorrhage thing, so i reluctantly took the wheel. BIG MISTAKE... seriously, i had a panic attack the WHOLE way home, as i drove 45 behind the fed-ex truck, with a shaking leg, and my childhood flashing before my eyes, refusing to pass anyone. i think it might have taken 8 hours to arrive, i'm not sure.

so ya, we're awesome.
hence the reason we are content to visit places like costco & fuddruckers & chucky cheese for our fam vacations.
{lol}

stay tuned for 2,3,4,5,6, & 7!

pants on fire

k, so i just realized that i'm a big fat liar.
i said i was gonna post my top 20 fave fonts, and basically never did.
just remembered.
so, not that anyone cares, but here they are:
{in no particular order}

discourse o' the format

dear nate & sam,


how do i love thee? let me count the ways:

1. heavenly voice, mad guitar playing skills
2. you sound even more amazing live
3. you have cool wardrobes {hence this photograph}
4. last show you had a tambourine player
5. when i'm sad, your music makes me happy...except "on your porch," 'cause lets face it...that song's kinda depressing
6. nate- your hair makes you look like a girl, but a pretty one (:
7. you forced me to remove my permanent house coat last summer/post c-section, & replace it with real clothes, to attend your lovely-ness
8. 'member that tiny show @ asu like 5ish years ago, and you basically sang to my soul?
ya, good times.
9. last time you performed for 2+ hours, sang janet {which i love} & even had an encore
10. aka you ne'r disappoint
11. my cute husband myron also enjoys your {happy} tunes
12. and {drumroll please} he & i will enjoy your amazing talent tomorrow in concert, and pretty much CAN'T WAIT!!
see ya in 36ish hours boys.

sincerely yours-
basically your number one fan,
angela michelle

one year older and wiser too

23 things i've learned while being 23...

1. spray painting in the garage is a really bad idea.

2. cafe rio rocks costa vida anyday, hardcore.

3. arizona is actually a really fabulous state, even if it's sorta uglyish

4. people that say stretch marks go away are pretty much lying to your face

5. 1800 square feet is a LOT harder to keep clean than 1200 for some reason

6. halloween is SO much more fun with a kiddo!

7. everything is SO much more fun with a kiddo for that matter

8. target has a lame return policy, but it's still the best store invented

9. pepsi is overrated {jk, i wish that was for reals}

10. i can {infact} drive to peoria without having a panic attack

11. anonymous comments on blogs aren't really fair

12. i probably will never be a size 2 again, and that's okay

13. costco truly rules

14. i want to marry tile

15. blogging is a necessity apparently

16. owning a dog is actually kinda happy

17. target brand diapers do the trick {and save me 4 bucks}

18. 103.9 the morning ritual isn't as funny w/out our heather

19. being a mom=joy on a stick

20. planning ahead is the key {that i can't find}

21. waking up early-ish makes for a productive-ish day

22. 25 gallon fish tanks sometimes like to randomly crack open out of no where

23. people named clodhopper are saints

it's been a great 365 days. life has gotten even better. the gospel has gotten even truer to me. and my love for my friends and fam is that much more out of control!!

love you guys!

let me tell you a story about three best friends in the whole wide earth:
who met in elementary school & will be bffls forever.

they really liked to get contempo portraits every six months for a free sitting/8x10 because they were so hot & looked fabulous in bodysuits, socks w/ sandles, & crocheted vests {with matching scrunchies.}

they liked to act crazy. be really dramatic. and never cease to be the funniest girls EVER!!

they were friends all through elementary school, horrible junior high, all the way through high school. they were all very different, but were SO tight.

they grew up & graduated into the big world. kayt went off to college. angie & anja lived together for a time. life got busy, but every time they got together...it was just like old times.

they each met a cute boy/man of their dreams to marry in the temp & live happily ever after.

and then they each gave birth to a girl that looks exactly like them.

and just the other night, their girls played together {and their men played wii together}, and it was SO majorly tender & fun.
{even though chloe looks kinda bitter}

and they plan to be friends for eternity, and continue to have lunch dates until their ninety+.

i love you kayt & anj!!
thanks for all the good times girls.

wholesome family recreation:

dusk-ish time yesterday evening was ever so delightful. the bow decided that she wanted to take daddy, mr. miyagi, & i on a stroll around the 'hood. it was ridic-hot, but still a great time had by all.

chloe led the way.

but, after a few minutes she wanted to be the one to walk agi.
so we visited the nearby green belt to let her have such an opportunity.

at first...she was an old pro.

{tiny dog, for a tiny girl}

but then mr. miyagi got a little too playful.

chloe thought such torture was the funniest thing in the world.

and so did we.

and it didn't cost a cent.