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Expensive Hobbies

May 16, 2013 by soniestephens

I’m constantly talking about how my husband has a crazy amount of hobbies, most of which are crazy expensive.  Between photography and biking, the dude is always looking at the next piece of equipment to throw a shit ton of cash at.  It would be super cool if he could change his hobbies to my hobbies so that we could spend that money on the stuff I like.  What?  They’re good hobbies, people!

One of my hobbies is cooking, so that’s nothing that needs saving.  I mean at one point I suppose it did; you know when we did the whole kitchen remodel thing. That is (thank God!) behind us now though, so I can continue cooking yummy food and focus on my other major hobby… home decorating!  You see, I adore my house, but my taste has changed a lot since we bought the place.  I used to be all about browns and earth tones and now I’m like, “white, white and more white!”  Basically, I love bright, coastal looks.  The kitchen is there, but the rest of the house… not so much.

I’m slowly trying to add pieces and make minor changes, but I’m itching to do something more major.  Like paint!  Ok, maybe that’s not really major. Some of you probably enjoy painting.  I enjoy when the painting that someone else has done is complete and I can stand back and say, “Wow, you did a great job!”  Anyone want to work out a trade?  I can clean like a son of a bitch and would totally come deep clean your house while you paint my bathrooms and basement! Ok, you can just do the bathrooms to start.  Who’s in?

You know what’s not helping this obsession? All the home remodeling shows on HGTV.  In the course of 30 minutes the Property Brothers are like, “Here was your really shitty place 4 weeks ago.  And here is your brand spankin’ new place now!” These shows are killing me!

I’ll keep chipping away slowly and until I’m ready to take on painting I’ll just keep cleaning.  Today I tackled the shed and pretty much have completely dialed in the deck!  Is it as exciting as buying home decor pieces?  Not really, but it’ll do for now.

Posted in home & garden | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Why Isn’t Someone Taping This?!

May 13, 2013 by soniestephens

So I’m a shitty blogger lately.  There, I said it.  I just haven’t been inspired to write, I suppose.  Maybe my life’s too boring?  Or maybe I just haven’t been keeping track of all the weird things that I observe in any given day.  Whatever the reason, I need to get my shit together. My brother got me this great book on writing for my birthday in March and the biggest tip to becoming a better writer is simply DO IT!  So, I’m doing it.

The last thing I wrote about was my (yet to be announced) brilliant idea of how we’re going to survive in this god forsaken world.  I still have no concrete plan, but don’t give up on me.  Some things are in the works.  If I can ever get my husband, whom I rarely see anymore, to stop working, stuff is going to happen.  And until that stuff happens, I’ll enjoy the other stuff that goes on around me.

Like yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my fam for Mother’s Day. This is pretty much the only day of the year that we can talk my older sister into doing a shot. And seeing her do a shot is great entertainment.  Usually because part of it ends up coming out of her mouth as a slow drool.  Equally as entertaining is her husband that is, for some odd reason, obsessed with talking about marijuana. Which is strange considering he’s only smoked it once and had a terrible reaction that left him feeling like he was walking on the moon (his words, not mine).  Despite being “messed up” from this one pot smoking experience, he talks about it constantly.  As in, “does this dessert have marijuana in it?”  By the way, the dessert was not brownies.

Nearly every single time my family gets together I wonder why in the hell there aren’t cameras rolling.  We would make AMAZING reality television.  I’m telling you; it’s good material almost all the time.  The character lineup is unreal.  We have rednecks, people that talk to themselves, children that are beyond difficult, martyrs, negative nellies and so so much more.

I think soon I’ll have to post some video of just how hilarious we are.  So don’t give up on my blog just yet.  There are epic posts to come.

Posted in Family, humor | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Dreaming

May 1, 2013 by soniestephens

Today is May 1.  Two days ago it was close to 80 degrees and sunny.  Today, it’s SNOWING!  Which, by the way, none of the local meteorologists knew anything about.  In fact I just heard one of them say, “Well, there may be a few flurries going on right now.”  Ummm it’s a full-on snowstorm at my house!  Weather has been a heated topic on this blog.  As seen here.  And listen, I know that complaining doesn’t do much, but I cannot not say something about it.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about maybe not staying in Utah forever.  So, maybe it’s time I stopped complaining about shitty weather and moved some place where I won’t have to.  Easier said than done, right?  I mean if I keep doing the whole freelance thing, I can technically live anywhere that provides me with a decent airport nearby.  Rob’s job is a different story. I can dream though.  Hell, maybe I can do more than dream.  In fact, Rob, my brother and I have kind of a brilliant plan to simplify our lives and live more sustainably.  I’m not going to tell you, because we’re still working out the details.  Trust me that it’s brilliant though.

The thing is that I want to be a bit of a dreamer.  I don’t mean that I want to be unrealistic or irresponsible.  I just mean that I want to do more than just talk about an idea.  I want to do everything within my power to make it happen.  And if it doesn’t, at least I tried.  I’m that person that sees a documentary about someone making a dramatic change; someone living on their own terms, and I’m inspired beyond words but all I do is talk about it.  I’ll tell everyone I know how great the film was and say things like, “Why don’t we do this?”  And then I do nothing.

I’m feeling the need to try.  And I know you have no idea what it is I’m even talking about, but send your positive energy my way.  I promise to do the same in return.

Posted in deep thoughts, Family | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mexico!

April 14, 2013 by soniestephens

Coming home from vacation is hard.  Especially when you’re coming home to Utah weather.  This morning I realized that it snows during every season except summer here.  Extremely lame.  I suppose it made us appreciate the 85 degree weather in Mexico even more though, right? Right.

The trip started out with just enough drama when a fellow passenger was escorted off the plane in Cancun.  After touching down, it was announced that no one would be exiting the plane just yet except for one passenger.  After paging his name there was this deafening silence as we all looked up and down the aisle waiting to see who this person was.  Holy walk of shame.  Not that we even knew why the hell he was being escorted off by himself, but we knew it wasn’t good.  As if the suspense wasn’t already killing us, the flight attendant continued to announce that this was “the most unusual thing I have ever seen.”  She probably said at least five times, “Sorry folks, please remain seated.  This is just very strange.  I honestly have never seen anything like this.”  I seriously almost died from not knowing.  Once we were finally off the plane we spotted the mysterious passenger in a room full of security dudes. And security dudes and police officers in Mexico are not the same as the ones in the United States.  Meaning, they carry machine guns!

We finally reached our resort after what felt like one of the longest car rides ever and were greeted in our rooms with some wonderful towel creations.  I wrote before about my dislike for the swan towel, but the Riu Palace Mexico put a new twist on it, and I think I like it.  Check out these bad boys.  I mean now they have sticker eyes and streamers!  Maria, our housekeeper, was a towel creation champion.

It's a double!

It’s a double!

I don't know what this one is supposed to be, but I like it.

I don’t know what this one is supposed to be, but I like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides enjoying the random animals made out of washcloths, we spent our time lounging at the pool, walking along the beach and eating way too much food.  All-inclusive is the way to go, but it’s also dangerous.  Each meal consists of like five different courses.  Of course, drinks are also unlimited, so add those calories on, and well, you’re screwed.  I mean unless you’re looking to gain a few pounds, in which case, you’re in luck.

Some other highlights from the trip include, but are not limited to:

-Being asked if we “want to get high” repeatedly on the 5th Avenue shopping street.  We politely declined.

-Paying $30USD for a bottle of sunblock.  Somehow I calculated it as $3 and was like, “Wow, what a great deal!”  Only later was I like, “Hey, wait a second.  They are completely robbing people!”

-Asking for a decaf at the end of dinner and having the server bring us an enormous jar of decaf coffee and a cup full of hot water.  Self-serve style!

Here are a few pics to sum up the beauty of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  Crossing my fingers we’re back on the Riviera Maya soon.

playa1

The fam

The fam

playa1

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Birthdays are Cool

March 27, 2013 by soniestephens

So, I mentioned in my last blog that I had a birthday coming up.  It was yesterday. Don’t feel bad if you forgot to send me some birthday love.  I felt like a rockstar most of the day.  If I ever consider getting rid of my Facebook account, I’ll remind myself of how good I feel about the site when my big day rolls around.  The love was pouring in all day!

My birthday is always extra cool because I share the day with my older sister.  Yes, we have the same birthday but we’re three years apart.  When we were kids this wasn’t necessarily the coolest thing to share a birthday, but now?  Now, it’s the shit. It helps that she’s one of my favorite people.  And, it’s just fun.  The last couple of years we’ve gone for lunch and then hit the spa.  I love the spa.  Honestly, if I had loads of extra cash, I’m pretty sure I’d spend it being pampered.

Yesterday we both opted for a spa treatment we’d never tried (we’re getting adventurous now that we’re in our mid and late 30′s).  It’s called a Native American Body Balancer.  I thought for sure we’d leave covered in body paint and feathers, but sadly, we did not.  Calm down, it’s a joke.  The treatment is a skin exfoliation/detox that involves a scrub, steam, shower and body butter application.  The scrub?  A little scratchy, but it was fine and the local herb mixture smelled amazing.  The steam?  Holy hot!  Thank God the lady told me how to turn it off, because there is no way in hell I would have lasted in that room for 20 minutes.  I’m pretty sure I turned it off after like seven minutes.  I think I’m still sweating.  My skin is happy today though, and I do feel slightly detoxed, which may or may not be a placebo thing.

I ended the day with a Gmail chat interview (more on that when I know where it’s all going) and a wonderful dinner with my little family.  Rob, Em and I have such a great time together, and I am reminded of that so often.  I feel like a very lucky woman to have such an incredible husband and stepdaughter.  Jack and Kitty never actually wished me a ‘Happy Birthday,’ but I could feel their love.  Damn, life is good.

Posted in Family, health, humor | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Finding My Way

March 21, 2013 by soniestephens

I’m about to turn another year older (March 26th if you’re interested in sending a birthday shout out my way – no pressure).  I’m totally fine turning another year older.  Yes, because I’m young but also because it feels like this is a time in my life when I’m really starting to figure a lot of shit out.  I’ve always been that person that feels and acts older than their biological age.  Part of this is my nature and part of it is a result of my environment.  The challenges I was faced with when I was younger helped me mature and grow in ways I’m sure I wouldn’t have otherwise (that was a positive, Mom).  And although there are times when I wish I would have been more of a carefree kid, I am who I am because of my experiences.  Despite those experiences though, I’m still finding my way; figuring out where to focus my energy.

Life is hard.  Whether we’re consumed everyday with caring for a sick child or just trying to stay afloat and relevant in our job/industry, it can feel hopeless at times.  I fight with my anxiety and the negative thoughts in my head every single day.  But I’m learning.  I’m learning to focus on the positive and surround myself with people that do the same.  I’m learning to shake off the mean, unnecessary comments (after I vent to my sister about them first, of course) that can get stuck in my head and make me worry WAY too much.  I’m letting go of expectations that are only going to bring disappointment and accept what people are capable of giving.

I don’t expect this to be the year that I figure it all out (do we ever?), but I feel like it will be a year of renewed hope.  A year to worry less and enjoy more.  I’m not planning to jump out of any airplanes (I will never do this) or summit any peaks, but I am planning to be present in my life.  That, my friends, is living.

Posted in deep thoughts | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Wyoming

March 14, 2013 by soniestephens

Last March I went to Paris for work.  This March?  Wyoming.  The truth is that I’m more comfortable here in Wyoming though.  I mean yes, Paris is amazing, but when you have very limited time to spend in a place, it’s better to be somewhere where every person you communicate with can understand you and you aren’t suffering from horrible jet lag.

Getting here took nearly as long as flying to Paris though.  I mean I flew DIRECT to Paris, people!  Yep, direct.  Which means my flight there was like 9 hours.  To get to Riverton, Wyoming I had to first fly to Denver.  Then, I sat in the Denver airport for almost 4 hours before I walked a block outside to the tiny charter plane that would take me to my final destination.  Quick tangent about the charter plane.  Holy scary! I knew it wasn’t going to be good when I saw the name of the airline; Great Lakes Airlines. That just sounds really small town, which is not really what I want when it comes to commercial airlines.  They also kept announcing that we should go to the bathroom before the flight (aka no lavatory on the plane).  My thought was confirmed when I saw the plane.  It seated a total of 16 people and was so loud that I’m pretty sure my hearing is permanently damaged.

Once seated the guy next to me proceeded to tell me a horror story about how the last time he was on one of these charter planes the cabin lost pressure, the air masks came down and everyone on board was pretty sure they would die.  Thanks dude.  How about next time you save your story telling for AFTER the flight?  Holy shit.

So my first stop in Wyoming was Riverton.  Never been before this trip, pretty sure I won’t ever go back.  But my second stop?  Jackson Hole!  Jackson Hole is rad.  I’ve been to Jackson a few times and I just like the vibe.  Plus, they’re having this crazy nice weather which happens to make me very happy because I have an entire day between trainings.  And nothing makes me happier than sunshine.

Tomorrow night I’m headed to a place enjoying a crazy amount of sunshine right now. Phoenix.  Unfortunately I’ll be inside all day wishing I was outside getting my tan on. Oh well, probably better because of that whole skin cancer thing.

Posted in humor, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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