February Catchup

Good Afternoon, Monday!
I'd like to take a minute or two and discuss briefly my past couple years on ' thewaywelaugh.'
I have loved having my own personal internet space. Knowing people are visiting & reading my aimless thoughts, is the little tiny bit of secular fulfillment that my ego needs every here & there. And this isn't a "It's been nice to know you, so goodbye" post. Definitely staying.

(*applause*?)

Just wanted to say "Hi, thank you SO gratefully, and please keep comfy."

I think now I've "remodeled" my website 3 times over the last couple years, just to keep things fresh. I did so again last Tuesday & I would like to hear your thoughts, if you noticed ;] ...

I've made some specific dedications on here in the past & this heartfelt post will be no different. Laughing is a cure to me. And to be honest, I haven't had as many good, hearty laughing sessions as I have needed in the last 6 months. I've had a relatively rough time adjusting to big-kid life, accepting some changes I've had to make, & leaning on certain people that I never expected to open up to. Into my life again, walked a woman that has both walked in & out of my life numerous times. Our friendship has transcended rationale. We've fought hard, we've cried together, we agree often & we have often agreed-to-disagree. For one, or a billion reasons, our friendship has reunited & glued us together for eternities that we'll never understand. But since the airing of the Disney Classic The Fox & The Hound, our mutual agreement upon the following lines couldn't be easier:

- "We'll always be friends forever, won't we?"

- "Yeah, forever."

That seals the deal. So Kelly, thank you for everything. Your sly humor, your teasing, your generosity, advice, hard-knock-love and your hugs when I've needed a lift so badly. They've meant more than all our growing mistakes. I will always support you in whatever you allow me to, & be there, for whatever new circumstance approaches your life. I can't wait for lots of years and more life shared with you, my ultimate best friend.

There have been numerous others as well, who have been there to share an insightful viewpoint, shake a finger at my mouth, and/or just hear me out when asked: "So how ARE you?"  And those particular ones who have been "granted" "the golden nugget of my friendship"... I thank you also. Heavily.

Katie(You just are the best kind of friend material. I love how easily you make me laugh. Don't stop.)
Mariah R.(You quickly shake me down into a condensed, more ideal version of myself)
Abby(You support me through anything, & tell me how it is, too)
Marino(You aren't afraid to yell at me when I need it, & keep me realistic. Huge respect, friend.)
Adam(You manage to still love me, even though I'm not the ideal family member)
Courtney(You GET me. And you always will. Couldn't deny that if I tried)
Patrick(Best brother ever, you keep me distracted exactly when I need it),

...these have all been little rocks along my way of instability. And a few others that I can't mention. You know who YOU are. And you're still here reading, which continues to prove your support & concern.

Everyone? Sincerely, I love you.


love, bex

Ohio in snapshots

Now that I have returned & the dust has settled... here are my tiny adventures.

 I am officially back from Ohio, and I officially won't go
back for YEARS. I hope my family & the friends
I actually have left there, come visit me in Seattle now.
No offense, I'm just all Ohio'ed out.

My first childhood friend Rachel & I, bottom left.

We went to a big-kid's version of chuck-e-cheese's called "Scene 75" and played hard. We survived Glow-in-the-dark Mini Golf, climbed ourselves through the Laser-Frenzy, dislocated a shoulder in the Bouncy House, & danced the rest of the night away with excellent DJ'd jams til we were so thirsty,  the snow on the ground looked appealing. But not before the incredible 12 Foot Mosaic-tiled Michael Jackson caught my eye.

 My grandparents have such quirks. Grandma's silly sayings crack her up so hard, she's still laughing 6 minutes later. Grandpa often takes naps with shoes on, sticking out of his blankets & off the edge of the bed. And my mom's hair does it's own thing when it senses she's not using a mirror.

And last. These are where the feelings run deep. These kids sincerely weaved themselves into my brain synapses.
I miss them like crazy.
{Clockwise from top left}
Sweet baby Aurora, just new & curious with her Disney-eyes; she stole me away. Gavin's quiet sneakiness, and sincere obedience to his parent's voice melted my pre-parent core. No one besides this kid, can make his brother Maverick laugh so hilariously.My darling Payton... who knew a 4 year old could be so witty? She's sharper than I ever hope to be & yet loving all at once. Baby Jaxon's good manner & shocking blue eyes had me captivated the whole time. I miss all my little loves.

Catchin' Up! Part I.

My life has begun, guys(sarcasm!).

I do feel that I have opened a new chapter though. Lots of new experiences, lots of new feelings, more mature thoughts & decisions... don't tell my mom but... I kinda like it ;]

I have SO much to show & tell... and I know this is sort of a blogger's no-no, to give away so much at one time. But you guys totally deserve it, you've been patient(either that or you just forgot about little ol' me! =O) STILL I'll have to split this post into 2, maybe 3 different parts... there's just so much.

I'm about to expose your eyes to many spectacular images, you won't need to do anymore web browsing today. Deal?

 Enjoy, darling doves.

Firstly. I got a haircut. Yes, I even went so far as to get my hair slightly COLORED. *gasp*

Here are the stages. Anyone heard of Successful Seattle Salon-Owner Lisa Vann of Milagros? Or Bruno Elorrioroz?? You should! He's the top colorist in the WORLD as of this moment. Aveda's Master Technical Director.Yup, ya heard. He was standing in my breathing space. He delicately picked up my hair and said in his beautiful French accent *soft, but intentional gasp* "She has such beautiful natural COLOUR!" And then he formulated this happy "After" face! In order of occurrence:

Here's the fill-in story: (Can I get a "Hallelujah-you're-still-a-redhead!?") School has restarted(I had a 2 week break; too long), and I'm back to the commute-school-commute-shower-sleep-commute cycle.

I'll start as far back as I can remember... since we last talked....
The construction company I work for, has moved! That was... tiring. But hey! My temporary business cards for school, came in! THAT. IS. EXCITING.

Now I have to figure out how to get rid of 250 business cards in the next 2 months...

Kid :)
This last month has truly brought me some very strong, beautiful memories that I will cherish for as long as I live. For one thing, I got one of my best friends back. His struggle to be the best of himself has been a treacherous, threatening, & faith-strengthening experience... for both him & myself. So I want him to know how much he means to me & all our friends here, & that him being out-of-state, won't keep him from being in our thoughts & prayers of support everyday. I've never been prouder of you, Besty. You now have the entire world at your disposal. Make it worth your while :)

In addition to that, I helped my Photographer Friend move into a new house one weekend. We are monsters that rolled a PIANO out of a moving truck to her local Goodwill. Then we rescued a wandering puppy for the night & returned him to his rightful owners the next morning. Isn't he just melt-worthy?

Moving on for all you cat-people, no need to retreat to a different site :P

I was given a surprise gift. THE best surprise gift(I'm not a huge fan of surprises, shhh), need I repeat THE BEST surprise gift ever. Dudeson, these just showed up at my house! I can't rave enough. They're absolutely perfect. And they're ME. *gah!* Thank YOU! YOU!

A group of my friends were going up to Crystal Mountain for snowboarding, & altho I didn't have room in my budget for the whole affair(student still! :)), I at least went up to babysit(ha! jk guys), and perhaps ride the Gondola after the winds subsided. Wow it was a beautiful sight at the top. Here's a peek at my way up:

I've just decided that it's time to go to bed. Yes, it's 10:25pm and I have school en la manana IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED. I have TONS of Seattle adventures to share with you, but I'll save them for the next UPDATE. I promise you, the next update will happen sometime next week. Hopefully before the next 7 days have flashed before my mind's eye.

You guys have been great, really. You're my favorite crowd ;) Haha I'll exit on that note.

<3, bex

P.S. If you're experiencing any kind of snow/ice/sleet days, like I am.... DRIVE SLOW. Or better yet- bundle up and WALK somewhere :) It's fun, trust me. Safety first!!!

shhhhhhhh!

Don't tell that I skipped. Skipped what? Huh?

Who?
LAST SATURDAY I WENT & RAN THRU THE MUD. Oh yes I did!

I totally have been holding out on you. If you haven't been enlightened as to JUST how cute 13 year olds can be...wait... I mean THESE mindless kids... You've been missing out. PLEASE WATCH :)

"..a hundred forty characters is moooore than enough!"  

... Oh, hai! You're here. What was I saying?

Wednesday I went on a bike ride!

Here's mah boys...

Today... I went with a Client to pick out their house materials...

Holy moley...4 hours later...

I was officially bored.

And then...

I SNAPPED!

And then they fed me :)

Yay!

THIS IS A PIECE OF TILE.

Isn't it purdy? It looks like metal!

The End. 

My SURPRISE event is this weekend, and I'll tell you about it next week- cause if I did now.... welllllllllll that would be a DUMB move. I'm a woman *points to brain*...

Have a great weekend, you silly shenanigans :]

<3, bex...

Me. In a nutshell.

Me, every morning.

Me, the rest of the day.

Summer is nearing the riverbend

Don't act like you didn't start singing that 'Pocahontas' song.

:]

I've been doing a bit of waitressing at a family friend's Mexican restaurant for the last 2 weeks. And it's WAY more fun than I thought it would be. (Watch: tonight at work, I'll get a drink thrown in my face.)

In other news... Have I told you about how misbehaved my dogs are? They are. See...

Up on the furniture like it ain't no thang. *shakes head*

I went on a bike ride in the rain Wednesday, and almost ran THIS over.

One more thing... this girl...

she CRACKS me UP!

Most fun ever.

Check out Mia's own photography here.

Incredible Photog skills!

Go adventure, outside!!

I'm writing less today, to get you to read less just for THIS WEEKEND, 

since it's supposed to be so beautiful here in Seattle. Enjoy!

See you Tuesday.

<3 Bex.

Top o' the Tuesday to yer!

hai!

THIS WEEKEND!!!! I was in a photo shoot for my photographer-friend-Jenna, who is super creative & talented. She came up with this idea to photograph us in a field of yellow buttercups, & we were to act sad & forlorn over a "lost love." Oh that sounds weird to you, huh? CHECK IT OUT. As I say, don't knock it, 'til you try it ;) It turned out to be a beautiful day, and all the pollen was floating freely... now I am congested beyond belief. BUT, it was worth it. :] I know, I'm weird. Promise to go see Jenna, and the whole shebang???(coughINCLUDES-BLOOPER-REELcough) Dang, excuse my dry throat. Go see her blog NOW! She's for hire!! ;)
Here's a little teaser story for ya...

Oh HOW shall I ever recover?  ...

...His love was all I knew.

~~~

Hey, wait a sec! I'm important too! 

"Plus I'm tired of sitting around moping!"

 "Time to dry our eyes, friend."

 We will pick flowers. We will see the world.
We will see new faces in our flowers!

Oh, and we'll make GRR faces at new people too.

;]

See you Friday, knucklehead.

<3, bex.

bloom.

I saw a moving picture
a little red head girl was entranced by the sight of an unfolding orange flower.
That is how I feel, most days.


discovering things I thought I knew,
discovering me, in different ways.


I am picky, I am inconsistent.
I want everything, while I want nothing but honesty.


I betrayed you. I was keeping my options open,
when I told you it was wrong...
and now I, twice burned myself
and reach back for a third- 
and the flame is gone.
Why?
I am the one who turned it off.
Why am I sad?


So I write.
And I will keep doing this until
I have figured it out. Which,
won't happen... I've already smoldered the struggling spark.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

New Paper

I enjoy typing. But more than typing, I enjoy w-r-i-t-i-n-g.
....Do any of you remember what that looks like?

I got a new notebook yesterday, for school... but I of course, had to christen the first page with a little doodle.

What'd you do, on your scary Monday?

Monday's don't seem so bad to me now that I have school again... I know that sounds backwards, but it's only because Monday class is simply an hour of taking notes on a Power Point presentation that my "teacher" talks over. Basically, he could email them to us, and I could sleep in more... :P Just a suggestion.

Anyway, back to my normal font size...This last week was a long one, for me. Lots of helping friends(not bad, just emotionally-demanding...) with issues, lots of waiting and waiting and WAITING for the right thing to come along :] Lots of travel; which automatically makes me ready for bed x) The actual traveling part is exciting, but when I'm done, I realize my body needs a rest(don't gotta tell ME twice).

This weekend, I am off to Seattle to finish my big 50 hours of volunteer-work for the month, and to meet lots of new people! I can't wait! It will be rewarding and fulfilling and I can't wait to have some sushi with no seafood in it. I know, I'm weird ;)

Be safe, loves. Travel responsibly, and be honest with your best friend when he/she asks: "Grrrrl, you think mah butt gettin' BIG??"

<3, bex.

ps. I got acupuncture today and it wasn't half bad. See? I'm still alive :)

I said, Good day to YOU!!!

Phun Phacts Phor Phriday!

I just randomly decided to look up types of phobias. 
And guess what? There are some phunky ones out there.


Check my findings...
Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions. (REALLY.)
Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. (Yeah, you read that right.)
Phobophobia- Fear of phobias (heehee)
Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers (pfff)

Don't judge me.. but I don't think this one is so wrong...

Automatonophobia- Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, 

wax statues - anything that falsely represents a sentient being.

THIS IS WRONG: Bibliophobia- Fear of books


THIS IS RIGHT: Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness


Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks ... Say Whaaa?
Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns ... I FEAR that I have this. Ok I don't fear it. I just have it.
Odynophobia or Odynephobia- Fear of pain .... Don't judge :}
Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions ... Gawl-leeeeeee, I know a few people with this(Grrr...)


GET THIS....It's real YO! I checked...
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - Fear of long words... I'm not even kidding.


Now this hurts my heart, and is just. plain. blasphemy....Metrophobia- Fear or hatred of Poetry.
Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love .... oh no! Sad!
Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.... uhh, okay.

Sophophobia- Fear of learning.... What a terrible thing to be informed that you have! ;) 

hahaha... oh I guess that's not so funny... but this is: Walloonphobia- Fear of the Walloons.

BTW, Walloons are French-speaking people who live in Belgium.

Yeah I'm lost, too.

Have an entertaining weekend!!

<3 bex

PS. The fear of redheads is real too... Gingerphobia. 

-_-

BLOG SWAP UPDATE!

(Sorry about the delay for Tuesday's post! It's been one helluva week! Bare with me!!)
Hi Tuesday Kids :)

Yesterday while I was STILL having Jeep issues, my blog-swap package came!

Can you say EXCITEMENT?!

FedEx! Came! To! My! House!

Which means, in a sense, that my new friend Amanda from the Casa Brasi Blog was sending a little piece of
her character to spread around me :}

That she did! Meet Amanda, friends. Walk your finger clicking over to her site ^ and take in the beautiful design work she does! Some of the changes she can make to one single room, blow me away!

Now, this challenged me.
Truly, a secure seal, when pressed firmly.
Who knew?

 Inside the soft tissue paper(and ADORABLE striped knit-string)
were goodies I've been needing!!

A perfect-sized picture frame, in a brushed gold that matches
my room decor to-the-perfection ;)

My room consists of light blues, dark blues, dark brown,
white & gold tones as compliments. 

This will be perfect on my dresser- which is dark brown.
THEN there are the gloves. Oh. Em. Gee.

The COLORS! The thickness!! Not your average knitted gloves! They are heavy :D 

I LOVE.

And THREE pairs of these babies! *swoon*

Thank you Amanda, thank you sooooooooooooo much. 

And thank you also to the sponsors & terrific coordinators of this
blogger-connection opportunity:

 much love, illy & Sandy a la mode. (<-- check them out!!)

I couldn't have been given a better swap partner!

But wait- there's MORE :} Ohhhhh YEEEAAAHHHH!
This woman knows the secret to my heart!!
Yes, I am talking about coffee.

THAT'S A GIFT CARD PEOPLE!!!!!!! Did she hit the nail on the head, or what? 

I'm telling ya, Amanda has either been reading my blog thoroughly... or talking 

to someone who knows me personally. Her next delight, came in the form of (gasp!) PAPER.

OKAY who told her that Office Depot is my favorite place to shop? 

The high walls of paper just whisper sweet things to me as I walk thru the 

automatic doors. The aisle of Sharpies and highlighters and pens put the technicolor 

rainbows into my life. And lastly, when I breach the notebook threshold, chorus after 

chorus of heavenly voices sing praises to the trees for providing such a beautiful creature!

And of course my Almighty God provided the trees :)

But I don't think Office Depot is aware of that.

STATIONARY (BLANK-INSIDE) GREETING CARDS 

WITH MY NAME ON THEM!?!!

gasp.

I'm floored.

Look at the adorable PEN, too. I didn't realize it was a pen until I was 

playing with the eraser, about to try it out, and all of a sudden a pen tip popped outta nowhere!! 

*HUGE SMILE*

I can't WAIT to use these! Now all I need is a special occasion... hmmm.
So now that I've shared my lovely gifts with you, what's on your list of things to do this week? You should definitely read up on Amanda's Interior Design Ideas and completed works.
She's fantastic. And it's practical as well! I love seeing her newest updates.
Keep looking for Friday, folks! It'll be here in no time :)
Love you, muffins.
xox bexxxxxxx

GOOD MORNING!!

I've walked to the Alaskan tundra and back!

Okay, so it was to Starbucks. Across the street. But this cozy hood served it's purpose.

I am currently creating an AdWords campaign for another company. If you know anyone who needs AdWords help for their small business, I'd love to assist! Throw my name around.

email contact: zomgitsfriday[at]gmail[dot]com


In other news....
It's Tuesday! And Monday was terrible, AMIRIGHT!?
This weekend I ventured out of my usual hermit-cave and tried something new...
Dancing.
In. Front.
Of. People.
Yeah. I went there. And it wasn't sooooo bad(but still scary, I had to throw myself).
Altho, since I was playing my friend Hoolia's 'Kinect' the game called Dance Central, I got pretty frustrated when it wouldn't recognize that I was doing the dance correctly, so it wouldn't give me the points. Oh well. Maybe it's just proving me right that I am TERRIBLE at dancing ;)
That would be just fine by me. But in other- OTHER news...
This also happened at her house:

Don't ask why :) They're just fake leaves.
BECAUSE! Ok? Because.

Anddddddd...this may have happened too... but I'm still not sure.

Don't judge me.
You're jealous cause your lips are non-existent like mine.
:]
Have a happy Tuesday, people. Try not to let the week get to you...
...Cause it's pretty rough out there.
Love peace & tiny salsa-red lips! (Salsa Red by Mary Kay)

<3 xoxo Bex.

negative numbers in the opthamology field.

The week before last, I was taught about negative numbers regarding my contact prescription. And not by a doctor. And although I can't really remember(or find the text) that explains what they mean, I thought it was awfully nice to be told that my vision's not so bad after all. And that. is. what. I got. out. of. THAT.

Even though my doctor says that my eyes are shaped like footballs instead of 

basketballs(like they should be). 

grrrrrrr

That is all. :) Happy Tuesday, people! We're that much closer to zomgitsfriday!!!!! <3 you all!!

A Dedication. (Tuesday Treat)

photo credits: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

#5 is my favorite pic. 

Also I would like to thank my friend Marino(HOLLA!) and fellow writer, for 

the inspiration to post this very bias blog post today :) Teamwork makes magic!! Woot!

Enjoy your week, kittens. Keep that smile upright, this week might get rough.

<3 Red.