Things I love/May Favorite Things part 1

1. Steve - what's not to love? He's thoughtful, kind, funny, hardworking, honest, and cuddly. He smells really good. He is beautiful in and out. He makes me laugh. I feel safe with him. The world feels right with him. He makes me smile so much that my face hurts. When I stare into his beautiful eyes there aren't words to describe how I feel. He knows me and accepts me for who I am. He doesn't want to change me. He supports me following my dreams. He is a good son and a good father. He can fix almost anything (God, that makes me so hot!)... He's cute when he drives... and when he's slightly buzzed and singing to music on his laptop. When he smiles at me, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. He thinks I'm cute - even when I'm being obnoxious or airheaded. He's obnoxiously cute when he dances. He road rollercoasters for me. He agreed to take ballroom dancing with me even though it terrifies him almost as much as rollercoasters.

2. Luna - So her breath stinks like fish, and she leaves a fine layer of hair all over my clothes. She is still my best friend. She's cute and fat and soft and rolly polly. She listens to me and doesn't talk back although she occassionally looks at me like I'm retarded. She cuddles with me at night. She always wants to know where I am and what I'm doing. She makes me feel better when I'm sick or sad. She's funny and she makes me laugh.

3. California - It's honestly the most beautiful place I've ever been. I loved Monrovia/Arcadia off historic Rt 66 where I stayed. It was cool to see people doing Tai Chi in the park in the morning. The mountains were beautiful. The ocean was beautiful. The amount of culture was incredible. Every kind of food you can think of. The street markets and festivals. The health food. The vegitarian food stands on Venice Beach. Santa Monica's boardwalk. The Burrito places. The cool shops, independant theaters and book shops in Pasadena. USC. If I could afford it, I'd love to live there.

4. www.Lush.com - There stuff is a little overpriced.... but it's all natural, organic, vegetarian, and not tested on animals. They are a socially conscious company that is very green. The "Think Pink" bath bomb is the most amazing thing I have ever smelled and makes the water a lovely shimmery pink. The "Honey I Washed the Kids" soap smells wonderful, lathers great, and leaves me smelling pretty all day. They have solid shampoos that are small, portable, and double as soap and bubble bath when you travel (Karma Komba is the best, but Seanick isn't bad either). I also love anything that has the candy scent (Creamy Candy, MMM Melting Moments, and Rockstar Soap). Finally the Snow Fairy (Candy Floss and Banana) and Sonic Death Monkey (chocolate, orange, and coffee) shower gels smell yummy and work as shampoo and bubble bath too.

5. Thai food - Vegie Spring Rolls dipped in Chili sauce. Thai salad with peanut dressing. The vegie soup at Thai House is so good and one of my comfort foods. Tom Kha Kai soup without the chicken - so warm and good (curry, coconut milk, lemon grass). Panang Curry with Tofu - I love it so much I'm always afraid to try anything else because I'm afraid I won't like it as much (red curry & peanut sauce). Pad Thai is yummy too. Plum wine is so sweet and makes me glow. For dessert sticky rice with sliced mangos and coconut ice cream. So simple yet so yummy.

6. Flower flavors - Ok, I know this one is a little weird... but I love the flavor of violet. Violet mints. Candied violets. I had the best ice cream ever and it was rose ice cream. I also like rose flavored hard candy and rose-hip tea. I like pansies in my salad. I made lavender lemonade last May and it was really good too.

7. Indian Food - naan bread dipped in riatta. Chai tea (i so love chai tea! - and with a shot of expresso for a pick-me-up- but that's another category all together). Masala over basmati rice. And most of all potato and pea samosas. (drooling a little). An Indian restaurant is where I had rose ice cream too. Oh and the Indian market here has these doughnut things with pistacio in them that are really yummy. Not all Indian resturants are created equal. I don't know what a lot of the stuff is, so I prefer a buffet where I can try a bunch of stuff and figure out what I like. Oh - and Tasty Bite makes really really good Jaipur vegetables to make at home. Oh and Moon Under Water makes good Indian curry.

8. Henna/mendhi - I love having mendhi done. It's like therapy. I'm not talking about those spray on or stencil artists you find at a lot of festivals. My friend Darla is a true artist. She makes up these crazy, beautiful, elaborate designs in her head and does them all free hand on my body. Having henna done is a great cure for stress. I go to the Globe, get some Chai tea, and let Darla go to work and it's so relaxing. I instantly feel better about whatever was bugging me. I also like bindhis (I used to wear them all the time), bangles, sari print pillows, curtains and bedding, Sarees - (http://www.utsavsarees.com/pages/saree-large.asp?icode=SLSVP6) I know I'd look ridiculous - but they're so beautiful. I'd wear it everywhere. Ok... I guess I like a lot of things India. The women are beautiful and exotic. India gave us Kumar. I like Ganesh and Shiva and the rest of their mythology. I have a Bollywood dance video - and I feel like a complete ass when I do it, but I really wish I could move that way. And I'll keep working at it (so long as no one is looking) until I have it down.

9. Long baths - My favorite way to relax at the end of the day. I fill the tub with hot water and throw in some bath salts, bubble bath or a bath bomb. I bring in a good book, sometimes light some candles, sometimes bring in a glass of wine or a captain and coke, and I can spend over an hour in tub. I come out a little wrinkly but I smell good and I'm stress free. I love baths - they are ok plain but they are so much better with smelly stuff. I've already mentioned how much I love Lush. I also like www.bubblesofrockport.com bath bombs - especially the Halloween scented and fairy scented ones, www.scentsationalsoaps.biz pear body butter, http://sugarliciousscrubs.com/Kashmir-Saffron-Cedar-Scrub-Sundae-pr-17.html kashmir saffron sugar scrub, http://www.sisteragnes.com/ soaps in Cinnamon apple Peach, and Bird of paradise, www.pixiepotions.com tub truffles in chocolate orange, and goatsmilk lotion in Faerie Candy. Those are my favorites but I'm always trying new products and companies.

February Book Log

13. "Cross" by James Patterson 393 pages

14. "A Lick of Frost" by Laurell K. Hamilton 274 pages

15. "All Families Are Psychotic" by Douglas Coupland 279 pages

16. "To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee 323 pages

17. "Envy" by Sandra Brown (audio book)

18. "4th of July" by James PAtterson 344 pages

19. "Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs 320 pages

20. "The Boys of My Youth" by Jo Ann Beard 224 pages

I loved "All Families Are Psychotic"... I laughed a lot. It was well written, and the characters though severely dysfunctional were extremely likable. I also really liked "To Kill A Mockingbird"... I should have read it ages ago. Thanks to Emily for loaning me "The Boys of My Youth" for my trip. It was a quick read, good writing style.

Arizona

Arizona was great. I wish I was there right now. Everything was pretty much final before, but now that I’ve been there, I’m 100% sure about moving. I didn’t see too much of Phoenix, just a small section by the airport, but I like Prescott a lot better. It’s a smaller town... but it just feels better. I’ll be ok when in two years it’s time to move to Phoenix... but I’m pretty sure once I’m done with my degree I will want to get out of there. Too big. Too hot. I’m not opposed to big cities... it’s just that it’s not a Seattle or NYC. It’s more like an Atlanta to me.

I checked out the college while I was there, and Yavapai seems pretty much like SPC in layout. I met with the academic advisor there. They want me to take another math - Concepts in College Math - which I think is ridiculous considering I’ve already take College Algebra and Statistics which are both higher level courses. Also because In AZ the science classes are 4 credits instead of 3, and require a lab, I have to take another science class. My biggest irritation is that they want me to take Western Civilizations 1, 2, & 3 when I’ve already done Western Humanities 1 & 2. Professor Pennington forwarded over the course outlines & syllabus for Humanities, so we are trying to see if we can get around it. My advisor is also talking to someone at ASU to see if I can getaway with not taking these classes since I will already have my AA. Regardless of what classes I have to take there... I’d rather be there taking them now than here. I’m really over my classes here, and ready to be out of here. I saved Speech for last because I dreaded it. The Drawing class was kind of a last minute surprise. The Spanish I like but now she expects us to give a 5 minute speech about the last two years of our lives and we aren’t allowed to use an outline or notecards. Public speaking is not one of my strengths... I freeze up... I shake the podium. I can’t even give a speech in English for 5 minutes with out notecards/outline because i forget what I’m going to say the moment I get up there and everyone is staring at me.

Enough complaining...I was really nervous about meeting his friends and parents. His friends are cool. They’re all funny, down-to-earth, and easy to like. It’s really cool that these people have been his friends forever. One of them he went to elementary school with. They’re all kind of like family. I really like his mom. She’s very sweet and funny too. She has great tastes in books (always a plus with me). I only met his dad twice and we’re facebook and myspace buddies now. He’s really nice too. I can’t wait to get to know them both better.

We went to Jerome and Sedona while I was there. I loved Jerome - hated the ride up. The ride up is something like 10 miles, 150 curves, hardly any guard rails, and straight down drop offs. It wasn’t too bad until close to the top. The view was spectacular and then I looked down. No guard rail. Thousands of feet of air down to the bottom. I was holding on for dear life. Jerome is kind of a hippie down hanging off the side of a mountain. Seriously, I don’t know what’s holding some of the house up. It’s also kind of an artsy town... little galleries, funky shops, handmade jewelry, blown glass, fairy balls, kaleidascopes. It was cool. Lots to look at. We ate at The Haunted Hamburger. The food was really good. They are famous for their cakes. The people next to us split a piece, and it was the size of a small child. We had a drink in a bar that used to be a brothel. A lot of the buildings were really old and interesting. The hotel used to be the assylum. I will definately want to hang out there some more, and thankfully there is another road that isn’t so curvy to get there. Sedona was beautiful. When I go back, I’d like to go into some of the parks and go hiking. I got carsick on the way home. Mostly because the road is windy and I would be looking out the window at a scene and it would just suddenly shift as we went around a curve.

I was a little sad about the lack of green in Prescott (and Phoenix too), but the view from Jerome and Sedona made that ok. We’ll just get lots of house plants. And honestly, since I’ve been back home, I don’t really care about the green I’m surrounded by. I just want to be there, with Steve, and that’s really all that’s important. It was really hard leaving. I cried when he left Florida. But this was worse - me being the one that had to actually get on a plane and fly away. I’ve actually been a little depressed since being home. I hate being apart. This relationship was sixteen years in the making, so four more months shouldn’t kill me, but sometimes it feels like it. He decided to fly out in May for my graduation... neither one of us wanted to wait until July. It’s just amazing to finally be with the one I’ve wanted forever. To be with someone who knows me... all the bad and the good - since I was young - and he accepts me for who I am and doesn’t want to change me. He’s just so beautiful in every way and I can’t wait to grow old together.

There are two Thai restaurants in the Prescott area. One was closed the day we went to try it. The other one is ok, but it’s no where near as good as my place here. The panang curry is completely different. I suppose I can live with it... but I will also miss Ying. She bought me fried bananas for my birthday when I went in on Saturday to eat. And my place has the best soup ever. Oh well. I’ll adjust. There is absolutely no Indian that I could see... so I will have to save samosas, masala, and rose ice cream for when I come home to visit. I will also have to save Lush for special occasions now... because the closest one to where I will be living is in Scottsdale (long drive) and stuff will melt in the AZ heat if I order it from the website. It’s too expensive anyway. Other than those things, and no ocean - Arizona is going to be great.

Oh, and all those tall cacti on the way to Phoenix made me laugh. I don’t know why, I just found them extremely amusing.

Now I’m just counting down the days until I move. I’ve already started packing. Mom gave us her dishes. I’ve been shopping Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls when I can, to try to pick up the things we need. It makes me really happy to go out and find stuff for "our" place. Mom is out looking for things too... and cleaning out her cabinets to find stuff she can give me. Oh, and another positive thing - I will finally have use for all the lotion people buy/give me all the time that I’ve had no use for in Florida.