Bleck...

Well, looks like I'm the proud owner of a cold! :( BOOOOO!!!!

I thought for sure that my over-active immune system would combat this one...but I guess I'm going into remission :( I'm not sure which one I'm happy about...not having hives every day but sick or not being sick with hives every day!!! Pooo...

Aside from that, I think it's time for a nap...

The humor in being a girl...

On Sunday afternoon I accompanied my mom, grandma, cousin, and aunt to a play down in Denver. It was called GIRL ONLY. It's a comedy on the various quirks of being a girl. One writer/actor in it is a good friend of our family and so we were able to receive free tickets from her! :) (Thankfully, cause I'm dirt poor and tickets are normally $29.00)



Anywho...the topics they made us laugh about ranged from diary entries when they were 12 years old, to feminine hygeine products and their many uses, to the crazy history of women! It was rather hilarious and honestly worth seeing if you're in the area. They're still trying to get a bid to travel with the show but it's hard to get the right kind of setting.

One particular skit they focused on was about how women throw "showers" for everything. We have parties for babies, for weddings, or everything!!! So they decided to have a spontaneous shower for nothing..and I just happened to be seated in the spotlight spot!!! Making it MY SHOWER! Haha...They stood next to me and sang a silly song and gave me a Little Debbie cake...and popped streamers over my head...and I got to wear a Princess paper crown! WHOOHOO!! It was super embarrassing but that's okay!!! :)

Here's their website: Girls Only

Be sure to check out the photos from the play...there's some hilarious ones!!! :)

MAC finding....

As I posted in my INS and OUTS post, I've found that I have a MAC eyeshadow!!! How, you ask, did I not know I had one?!?!?! Well, easy as this...I got it as a gift from Steven's mom with some lotions and lipsticks. Well, I'd never really thought about it much..just that it was pink and I never know what to do with pinks...so I just threw it into my makeup bag...well, I was sifting around this morning looking for something to put on my eyes..and I spotted it...picked it up...and gasped in shock!!! It's says MAC right on top...DUH!!! haha

Sooo...here's the eyeshadow that I have...the one and only..
and quite honestly, I don't know what to do with it...so I've just dusted it on my lids and lined my lower lid with it....Does anyone have a better idea?!?!?

INS and OUTS

This a popular post that goes around the blogs...so I thought I'd chance one myself!


INS:

-Busy weekend with a wedding shower and a play
-Cool nights
-Finding out that I have a MAC eyeshadow..haha
-Casual Fridays at work for which I'm wearing jeans and a Coca-Cola hoodie!
-Steven still loving me even though I'm a nutcase (typical girl)

OUTS:

-Steven's mom breaking a rib this morning...and now they're keeping her overnight at the hospital
-My dogs constantly waking us up early in the morning
-SPIDERS..we have BIG brown recluse popping up everywhere!
-Not making enough money to pay bills (woe-is-me..i know)
-No more flip-flops every day very very soon! :(

I TAG EVERYONE THAT READS MY BLOG TO DO THEIR OWN PERSONAL INS AND OUTS POST :)

FOR ALL YOU NAIL BUFFS....

I know....3rd post today!!! haha :)

I've fallen in love with the content of this magazine Interview!! It's great!!! AND..I've done enough online surveys with e-Rewards to get a year's subscription for FREE! :) YAY!!!

Anyways..here's a great article about the new nail trends that are hitting the runway and can definitely work for the ordinary person too!!! I'm so excited...I just want to go home and paint my nails! haha (such a girl sometimes...)

CHECK IT OUT!!!!Bottle Service: Glazed Nails

MUST SEE!!!!

You all should watch this short film!! It's beautiful....

Samuel Benchetrit's "Melinda"

Food...Noxzema..and Aussie...

Yes, another "WOE-IS-ME" post..but if you don't like it then get over it!!! Or you can just skip down to where I talk about a couple products I'm working with!

Well, to start off with the tough stuff...Steven and I swung into the Food Bank today. We broke down...and are asking for government assistance...*sigh*. This sucks. For those who don't know, the Food Bank is a place for low-income families to go and get free food that was donated by businesses in our area. We had to go in and be put into the computer and show proof of living in this county, monthly income, people living in the house, etc. When I told the lady what my monthly income was, she asked if we got Food Stamps (that's money the government gives low-income families to use at grocery stores). When I told her no, she asked why not...I really didn't know anything about them and just figured we didn't qualify...apparently we do...but I'm not sure if we're going to take that step.

SO...here's the set up while we walked into the place and how it made me feel like poo...Steven is sporting is nice green/white Adidas tennis shoes, great camo/floral shorts, and a fight shirt..and I'm sportin' my black pants, flip flops, white tank, and a Victoria's Secret zip up hoodie!!! HELLO!!! We don't look like we're destitute...*sigh*...but we are. We walk through the door and they hand us a cart with a box of things in it (I'm not sure what's in there..didn't get the chance to look) then we got to choose 3 breads. They were all breads that I've baked before when I worked in the bakery...yummy stuff (obviously close or out of date..but still good). They handed us a carton of eggs and a box of muffins. Then we got to choose some potatoes (few handfuls), cottage cheese (it's like a gallon of it!), squash (a few big ones), onions(had the option to take a 20lb bag, but we just grab a few), salads(big bags of it), strawberries(4 boxes of them), and some other stuff...needless to say, we got some great things...more than I thought we could get!!! I'm glad these places exist. I've always donated from the places I've worked (Bakery and now Coca-Cola), but I definitely never thought I'd be on the other end!!! Ahh well...when we're in need...we're in need...nothing we can do about it.

OOOOKKKKKK...now onto the "fun" stuff!!! The other day I was down to my last drop of make up remover and really just hating my natural bar of soap because it'd started to dry out my face. So we hit the store and I found a wonderful tub of the classic Noxzema!!!
Who doesn't love the effervescence of it and that tingling it leaves?!?!?! I certainly do!!! So, I'm just on day 2 of using it..but I can tell you now that my face isn't near as dry nor is it feeling quite as grimey!!! THEREFORE, I'm in love...haha...

Secondly, I bought an Aussie leave-in conditioner. My hair is naturally curly and it's the devil trying to comb it after my shower. I think I end up breaking more hair than I comb...ridiculous!!! Soooo...I opted for another classic (used it as a kid) product!! It smells like coconut and makes my hair comb sooooooooo much better!!! THANK GOODNESS!!! I lose enough as it is..I don't need it being pulled out too...whew...

Oi...

So, in the theme of recession, I'm absolutely, positively stressed out. I am the sole income for my family (2 adults, 2 dogs, 1 cat) and it's hard to even cover my bills. I need Steven to work but the employment rate keeps dropping here in our county.

I'm really, very lost on what to do...

At this point, I don't even know how we're going to get gas to even get me to work...

OI....

Photo edits...

I've found something fun to do to occupy my time while I "work"...yes, I do these things while being paid to wait around for other people to finish their jobs!! GREAT position I tell ya! :)

Well, here's a few shots....LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Some flowers Steven gave me awhile back..thought I'd play with colors

Same flowers, playing with the blurring

On Steven's birthday he took our friends motorcycle on a ride, I took this picture from our truck riding next to him at 70mph...thought I'd boost the colors

This was a natural phenomenon that we witnessed. The rainbow completely encircled the sun! I just deepened the colors.

Just gave it a B/W look and added a shadowing around the edges

Celebrate good times! COME ON!

Well, I took Friday off this past weekend in order to travel my happy little butt up to Cheyenne, Wyoming to enjoy a wedding reception for my friend who just returned from Iraq! He and his wife got married before he left a year ago in New Jersey so none of us were able to celebrate with them!!! SOOOO...they had a party this weekend!! :)

Here's a few shots from the event! :)
There is half of Jason, Donny (groom), Courtney (bride), and Rod. Both Rod and Donny were stationed in Iraq together!

Enjoying their first dance!

Steven caught the garter...of course! ;)

A pic of me and Steven...

Rod's fiance was unable to join him so he was there stag. Steven decided that they should dance together!

Two of my favorite people in the whole world!! Steven and Donny! :)

After the formal festivities we headed up to a hotel room and continued the after-party! It was great to see my old friends again after they'd been gone for so long! I really do miss them terribly!!! PLUS, a huge PLUS, Steven and the guys got along famously! :)

All in all, we spent a healthy 12 hours away from home and enjoyed every second of it!

The rest of the weekend was definitely spent recovering...haha

Oh, if only!!!

I'm in complete and total awe of this photographer!!! His work is AMAZING!!!

Don Hales Photography

Ugh, I just don't even know what to say...you just have to look!!!

Oh, and not to mention, his featured model right now, Kelly Eden, is phenomenal!!!

*sigh*...I want to do a shoot with him...

Lets test my passion one more time...

Fair warning, this post is fairly opinionated...if you have any comments or concerns, do let me know!


Well, yesterday was hard...very hard...

Steven was up for a job as an ISS teacher. Basically, monitoring the troubled kids at the middle school he coaches football at. Well, the principal and vice principal of the school were very excited about his interview and his answers. They were gung-hoe and wanted him in there without a doubt...it passed through to the district...after being widdled down from 15 candidates to 2...the district looked at Steven's background and then at the other guys. What detered them from hiring Steven???? The other guy has his teaching certificate (not required for this position) and if he was there then they wouldn't have to hire out a substitute teacher all the time. (Except..if they use him as a sub..then who watches ISS..perplexing, I know) Therefore, Steven wasn't hired for the job.

The kicker (and the part that triggers my passion), while in interview Steven was adamant about saying that he's there for the kids, that the wants to simply reach out and help them for the greater good. The other guy, simply wants a job! (This information was shared from the vice principal since he was quite disappointed with the districts decision).

While I was in education courses a few years back I'd always felt the need to help more than teach. I wanted to EDUCATE rather than TEACH. The difference you ask??

ed-u-cate: –verb (used with object) to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.

teach: -verb (used with object) to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in

I see a HUGE difference between these two. I've always wanted to help a person grow from the core knowledge and the true person that they are; never simply give them the information that a state dictates so that my school could earn more money for their positive test scores! (Hence why standardized testing is a mess; you can't put a standard on a society of individuals)

What tore at my heart (and made me cry for nearly an hour) is the fact that this specific school is nearly half filled with foster kids or single-parented kids. They need someone who is willing to look at them as individuals, treat them as adults, giving respect that they so desparately need, so that they might not cause as much trouble, or honestly, they just might do their school-work and better themselves in the long run. But, instead, they've handed this very delicate position to a person that doesn't care what the kids are going through, hasn't reached out already in his current position (he's the 7th grade volleyball coach) to help them regardless of pay...whilst Steven has had one of the "hardest" kids in the school quit football only to come back the next day and say he's sorry for what was said and that he'd really like a second chance. The respect that comes from that, that grows in that specific kid (let alone in the school) is something that is not attained from being the TEACHER...for God's sake people...EDUCATE!!!!!!

I know I'm simply rambling..and really off in a passionate tangent that probably doesn't make any sense...oh, and I'm sorry to my international readers, I know your school system is run much differently from ours...but I'm disappointed right now. I'm not sad about the money we're missing out on...I'm sad about the kids and the person that is going to be overseeing them...the person who doesn't care...who just wanted a damn job...

Lookin' through beauty time...

Thanks to a great post by Lydia at .Alice in a New Wonderland I've been inspired to take a look at our changes in beauty over time as far as Miss America (she did hers with Miss Italy)!

1965 Vonda Van Dyke


1977 Dorothy Benham


1985 Susan Akin


1995 Heather Whitestone


2009 Katie Stam


Miss America really hasn't changed a whole lot. They all seem to at least (thankfully) have a some-what curvy body regardless of being thin. I'm happy to see this trend but I see what my friend had posted and realize there's still a specific body type that all pageants are looking for. They want something that is attainable but in general can promote the wrong idea for many many girls.

I, myself, am curvy, but heavy-set. While I would love to be the next Katie Stam, Megan Fox, Jamie Eason, etc, I'm not going to kill myself and trick myself into believing that I am something more than just me! Fact is, I love my body (maybe minus about 10lbs) and I have no lack of care from Steven or other people for who I really, really am! :)

Patriot Day

Well, today marks the 8 year anniversary of when the US was brutally attacked through highjacking. I can remember where I was when everything was going down. It was 7am and I was getting ready for school when they were broadcasting about the first plane hitting one building. Then, as I was watching the news, I saw the 2nd plane hit. We continued to watch newscasts once at school in the library. That's where I saw the first tower fall...It's a haunting image, something that will never, ever go away.

In a way, I'm thankful to have experienced such a catastrophy. I feel horrible for the families that were affected and are still being affected but in the same breath it has shed some sort of modesty to my life. Shown me that life is fragile and it's something we ought to be cherishing every chance we get.

I know a great quote from Mark Twain that states: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." I love those words, "...Explore. Dream. Discover." Why shouldn't we just take the chances? Jump the fence and enjoy the rush that we might encounter?

Today...it's a humbling day...a contemplative day...a day worth sitting back and really looking at your life. Realizing there's no such thing as mistakes, they're all learning experiences. Noticing that we have chances times a million to reach out to people and let them in our hearts. Feel what it's like to have a bad day, a heart break, a good cry, because without those we wouldn't be able to cherish the good days, the unconditional love, and the incontrollable laughter...

**Take a moment...take a moment of silence...reflect on the exact spot you're in right now**

God bless everyone!

Karaoke re-vamp...

Tonight is yet another Karaoke Competition....granted last week, I took first and don't really need to try...but I still need a reworking of my current song list! I'm getting bored...and karaoke should never be boring! My karaoke history has been touch and go and has taken off in the last few months...It goes like this:

Oct 2008- first timer, wouldn't look at the audience, was very scared
Jan 2009- Rockstar of the Month..meaning I beat out 8 other competitors that had qualified for the finals the 3 weeks prior.
Feb 2009- Sang in front of parents..very scary
June 2009- sang at the Stampede at a Comcast fun stage in front of a crowd of people
July 2009- Rockstar of the Month yet again..
Aug 2009- Sang in front of my g'ma and aunts, very nerve-wracking
Sept 2009- Won first weeks Rockstar of the Week competition..qualified for the Rockstar of the Month...

Now I just need a re-vamp...some new songs...expose myself to fun stuff so that I don't keep getting bored...or so it's not so easy for me to win (not trying to have a big head).

My typical songs come from Carrie Underwood , Pat Benatar , Sugarland ,
Melissa Etheridge , Mariah Carey , Toni Braxton , Dixie Chicks , and Faith Hill

Ok, enough of the pictures....but you get the idea! Sooo...here's what I'm asking...y'all listen to music, everyone does!!! Is there some song that I should try out that you just happen to love and I'm totally missing?!!? I'm open to anything...and the karaoke people have over 100,000 songs..and if they don't have it they can get it...so really, ANYTHING! :) Just, please, let me know! Don't let my karaoke days die! ;)

Just a THANK YOU!

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to my 9 followers! ;) I can't express how excited I am to have people actually read my blog...even if I have no direction to it whatsoever!


HEY..how about my faithful followers tell me what they would like me to blog about more!!! :)

LET ME KNOW!

50 Questions...

Just in case you wanted to know more about me! HAHA :)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30am
2.How do you like your steak? Medium..little pink
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Wow, umm...I dont know, was that long ago!
4. What is your favorite TV show? Well, I don't watch TV...so I can't say...
5. Where would you like to live if you could choose anywhere in the world? Honestly, I'd like to be a sort of "nomad"..live in a camper and travel all around!
6. What did you have for breakfast? breakfast burrito
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican or Italian
8. What foods do you dislike? Raw tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon
9. Favorite place to eat? I like when Steven cooks for me :)
10. Favorite dressing? Red-wine vinegarette
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Don't drive right now..but own an Explorer and a Saturn
12. What are your favorite clothes? Cardigans
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, Italy, France (all again), Germany, Scotland, Spain, and Egypt...just to start ;)
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Full :)
15. Where would you want to retire? Oregon..
16. Favorite time of day? Night
17. Where were you born? Greeley, Colorado
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Anyone can do this...
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Anyone...
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone!
22. Bird watcher? Sometimes..but not really
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
24. Do you have any pets? Yes, 2 dogs, 1 cat
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Steven might be getting a job this week!!!
26. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher, Archeologist
27. What is your best childhood memory? Taking a long vacation around the Western U.S.
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cats
29. Are you married? No, divorced...but live with my boyfriend and we're, I guess, common-law now...
30. Always wear your seat belt? haha no
31. Been in a car accident? Nope
32. Any pet peeves? People who are super full of themselves, macho attitudes, blowing your nose at the dinner table....
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Sausage, pepperoni
34. Favorite Flower? Bird of Paradise
35. Favorite ice cream? vanilla
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Umm...don't really know...guess Tacos Rapidos ;)
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None
38. From whom did you get your last email? Sparkpeople
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? New York & Co.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Umm..not really
41. Like your job? Sometimes
42. Broccoli? LOVE IT!
43. What was your favorite vacation? The semester in Ireland
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Steven
45. What are you listening to right now? Nothing, at work
46. What is your favorite color? Green
47. How many tattoos do you have? 3
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? open tag
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 4:37pm
50. Coffee drinker? Sometimes

I tag everyone that reads this!!! :) And let me know if you do it so that I can be sure to read it!

Many sides of me...

So, I'm in a pondering mood today and I've been wondering about the many sides I wish I could portray every day!

First off, I have the side of me that is very classic and enjoys a nice comfortable cardigan, a cup of chai tea, and a good book. This person is the one that wishes to be the perpetual student and learn everything there is to know in the world! I want to cater to this "Kendra" and spend more time in bookstores and wear my hair pinned up with minimal makeup and solid, classic colors in my clothes.

Secondly, there's the side that influences my tattoos and piercings. I have 3 tattoos and 10 piercings. I love to wear black eyeliner and wear my hair straight as a nail or curly and WILD! I like to paint my nails black and wear basically dark clothes plus enjoy my super pale skin. That's an awfully blurry pic but essentially this "Kendra" loves to head out to the bar and is super, duper attracted to her tattooed boyfriend even more! haha...I want to appease to this side and get more tattoos, more piercings, color my hair dark browns and reds, and feel the edge creatively seep out.

Lastly, there's the side that I'm just now finding. This part likes the model persona and enjoys the camera. While I've only done one photoshoot, I could feel the rush within me. This part goes hand in hand with the fitness "Kendra" too. This side is almost superficial on the way she looks and wants to constantly make myself better and create beautiful, sexy pictures. This "Kendra" makes me want to workout at least 6 days a week and eat properly no matter the cravings I get.

So, with that all said...the third "Kendra" can really fit into either of the other two...but how in the world do I make the first two happy together?!?!?!

Many fails this morning...

So, I can't believe how bad this morning started off!!! I was so frustrated and I really hope its not a precursor to the rest of the day...


I was getting ready and I ended up dropping my favorite eyeshadow that I use as my base color every day. It was totally busted to pieces! I picked up the biggest pieces I could and have enough to probably last me a couple weeks. But now I'm super sad about it! :(


Then, if that wasn't enough, I was putting on my mascara and I dropped it putting a HUGE black smear on my white tank top and then it fell to the floor. But not without putting a black streak on the wall and floor. I picked it up..pulled all the nasties off of it..and started over.

I'm so glad we have a 3 day weekend!! Whew...

More of -my- favs from the photoshoot...

Again, wasn't too happy with my hair and whatever...but here's some more shots! I hope to one day have more intense, editorial photos instead of just glamor/fashion shots! :) Let me know what y'all think!


Infrared

Infrared

Leaning against a rock

Peering through a tree

Holding that tree up!