REBECCA BEESLEY

Zipline Adventures

2011-09-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Todays plan: zipping around the tree tops of Juneau.

This is the crew:

The Abominable Adam. Bonnie the Burninator.

Areodynamic Alex. Tiffany the Tree-Top Trampler.

And then there's me: Rebecca the Rambunctious Ranger.

In total we got to do six zips, one suspension bridge, and one cup of steamy-oh so nice-blueberry tea.

Windfall Lake

2011-09-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

Thank the heavens for the great outdoors. Just when I thought I was going to loose it on one of these tourist. Tourist: "What elevation are we at?" Me: "Well sir, how tall are you... Ya that's the elevation" Come one people I know you're on vacation but that doesn't give you the right to turn off your brain. Ok, so before I snapped I needed an escape. Camping. And I'm using the term 'camping' loosely. It was more like a cabin, on a lake, with a canoe, and a heater, it was nice.

Best moment of the night: When Bonnie offered/wanted to run around the cabin naked if, and only if, Tiffany would rise to the challenge of licking the table from edge to edge (mystery sticky spots included). Tiffany did. So Bonnie did.

Yes, that caterpillar looking creature would be Adam. And yes, I slept about a trillion times better than the last camping adventure. Thank you little blanket that I folded over about 8 times into a 1x3 rectangle to sleep on. You were softish.

On the way home we made a little pit stop at the other end of the road. Go to both ends of Juneau. Check. Regain my sanity. Check check.

Watering Hole

2011-09-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here is all you really need to know about the watering hole: it is fed by glacier water and they haven't been able to locate the bottom. Not like they don't know where it is -obviously down- but they don't know how far down. I convinced Alex, with as few details as possible, to come with me. She was a wee bit worried. This is the before shot.

First: I jumped (took me about two minutes to conjure up the courage but I did it). Second: Alex told me she would jump right after me so I jumped. Third: Alex told me she was serious this time and she'd jump right after me so I jumped, again. Fourth: Alex jumped (took about 30 minutes and some beggin and pleading but she did it). Fifth: I jumped again. Count it people that is four whole times I jumped. My feet felt like they were being cut by razor blades by the end. And yes glacier water is as cold as it sounds, probably even colder. Yes, actually colder.

This is the aftermath. See all smiles. It must of not been to terrible. And it just got checked off the Juneau To-Do List. Check.

Sunshine

2011-09-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Some good ol' fashion sunshine turns a 30 minute lunch into an hour or so stroll about town, mungo hotdogs from the corner, and a mini nap on the dock.

Last Chance Mining

2011-09-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Alex and I wandering up to the Last Chance Mining Museum. With each gate we'd walk through we were bombarded with signs *$4 Entrance Fee* but in true Beesley fashion I walked right past them. Right past the lady. And right into the Museum. Alex and I had a couple uninterupted minutes of Museum browsing. Then we got the boot. But let's be honest the real find was all the surrounding buildings and the rusted out mining carts.

Mt. Roberts

2011-09-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yet again I found myself with the day off and nothing to do... till Alex came and wisked me away for a hike to the top of Mt. Roberts. Now at the top of the mountain is the tram station and it used to be that if you hiked to the top you could get a free ride down: not the case anymore. They charge like $10. And if you are lucky enough to have a no cruise ship day and hike to the top it isn't even open. So Alex and I wandered around the buildings.

Measured our wingspan; around the size of a Canadian Goose.

Saw some local wildlife. And the punk almost took off with my pb&j.

Hiked to "The Cross".

Took some epic pictures.

And made it back safe and sound.

We ended the day off with some hot chocolate and bear lovin' (I just want everyone to know I have yet to see a bear... and when tourist who are only in Juneau for a little less than a day see one and me who has been here for 3 months doesn't. It's bothering me very much. I'm about ready to leave a trail of fish leading up to my door and wait at the peephole till I see one).

The Infinity Scarf

2011-09-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

I've combined my two loves (I have lots of loves but let's pretend for today it's only two): thrift store shopping and crocheting. As I was browsing about the local Salvation Army I stumbled upon a bin of yarn. Some scrummaging produced two slightly used skeins of yarn in the loveliest shade of grape. I scampered on home with my find and got on the interweb. Now Fall is my favorite season; I love the colors, the clothes, the canyon, the way gentelmen look... see more loves of mine. Well with the approach of Fall and the new infinity scarves we just got in at Cariloha -the store I work at- I knew what I was looking for. A chunky infinity scarf pattern with lots of visual texture. This pattern did just that. (I just looked over the pattern I used... oh man I was way off. I more or less improvised my scarf.)

Instructions - and this probably only make sense to me:

Ch loosely (to the lenght you like) around 72 and join with a sl st into back of chain, being careful not to twist your chain.

Row 1: Ch 1, sc in same ch as joining, ch 1, dc in same ch as sc. Skip two ch. *Sc, ch 1, dc in same ch as sc.* Repeat till beginning ch, sl st together.

Row 2: Basically repeat row 1 using your best judgement as to what looks good.

I repeated that for 8 rows and then tied it off

You might have to adjust it a bit for the yarn weight or hook size you have (or maybe just find a true pattern if you're not into the whole winging it idea). But this is the $2.00 yarn in all its glory.

Love My Days Off

2011-09-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much I love my days off. Like LOVE THEM! And I have this list of things I want to do while in Alaska and my days off seem like the prime time to check a couple of them off. So I got Alex and we headed to the Fish Hatchery. Now I tried to do this same thing another day but my sister Mariah sent me on a wild goose chace and I ended up walking 3ish miles in the wrong direction. This time, lesson learned, I looked up the directons myself and all it took was a simple bus ride.

This little creature, in the touch tank, is the reason underwater animals are not of this world! Like seriously he'd creep up on you and you wouldn't even know it.

I have no shame, I know it. I don't mind being a kid... anywhere. And parks seem like the best place to act just like a kid. The only problem acting like a kid is having a 22 year old body to go with it. I am not quite as agile as I once was. Note to self: if it looks to small it probably is.

And after we had tuckered ourself out we ended with lunch at Silverbow.

Gone Fishin'

2011-08-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Fishing: NOT ABOUT THE FISH. It's all about patience. From the moment we walked through the brightly lit hardward store up the steps and to the counter where all things fishing gather. Patience. We were going to be there a while. Between the fishing stories about fishes, fishing spots and fishing poles you have people like me who get distraced by all the shiny things (and trust me there are lots). Two hours roll by and we were finally on our way.

Patience. Trudging through the mud and muck to get to the perfect spot. Tiffany was unfortunate enough to be the one who got stuck. Like 10 minutes of heave-hoing and two poeple helping finally getting herself out.

Patience. For everytime I got my line stuck. Patience. For not catching a single thing.

And even with all that patience still having a really good time. Cold but good.

Ice Caves

2011-08-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

14 days. That would be 14 wretched days that Juneau has gone without seeing a drop of sunshine. I have been checking the weather religiously to see when the next day of decent weather would be... And people today is that day.

Alex, Channing, Tiffany and I: ice caves here we come.

The only way to get people to come with me on my adventures is to graze over the details. "Is the trail going to be hard?"... Possibly not quite sure, it should be fun though. "Do you know where you're going?"... I like to think I do.

The Mendenhall Glacier.

ICE CAVES

Tiffany fell 8+ times (which is suprising good for her), Alex 3, Channing 2, and me 1.

We made it out just in the nick of time. As we were walking to catch our bus (I know total drag) it started sprinkling and by the time we were home it was back to good ol' Juneau weather - rain. I'm already on the search for our next day of sunshine.

It's A Wrap

2011-08-24T19:33:00.001-07:00

Literally it's a wrap (look to my head if you're still not following). And if we want to get technical here I was hoping it looked more like a really fabulous turban. Formula for it all: bad hair day + mother's scarf + the ability to have your head squeezed till around 2:00 when you can't bear it anymore + oh and people love it if you can tell their future like a gypsy = wala you have yourself a quick fix for bad hair.

Long Time

2011-08-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

So here's the update: I won Project Red Dress. Thank you very much for my $3,000 large.

I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art in Fashion Design: Summa Cum Laude. And after I spoke at my graduation (I know I'm kind of a big deal) I said my good byes and left Seattle.

I turned 21.

I moved to London (this is where that $3,000 really came in handy).

While there I visited Wales. Seriously I did not know that Wales and Scotland were on the same island as England. And to think I'm a college graduate...

And Paris, France.

Dublin, Ireland.

Munich and Nuremberg, Germany.

Lots, and I mean a lot, of airports.

Mallorca (not by choice but a much needed 48 hour layover) and Madrid, Spain.

And ended it all back in London.

To only fly back to UTAH! Two years in the making and it was home sweet home.

Went up to our cabin.

Shot a couple guns.

Played with those baby boys. Oh and the sisters.

Took a couple classic Beesley Family photos.

Went on a cruise to Hawaii. Thanks Papa and Kim.

Made a ginerbread house.

Went on some epic sled runs.

More classic Beesley Family photos.

2011?!.. Already. Ok, Happy New Year!

Oh went on another cruise. This time to the Eastern Caribbean.

Then decided I needed some one on one time with some sunshine. So I moved. To St. Thomas. And LOVED every moment of it.

Moved home. Shot another gun.

Why is it that people never tour/travel their own state?... I am on an adventure mission. So I toured a bit of Utah.

Turned 22. This is the first year that I have ever, I mean ever felt old. And I feel old.

3 weeks came and went and the itch was back. Alaska here I come.

So... that about sums it up. Give or take a few thousand photos.

Latino Flavor

2010-06-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I met with a man named Mateo Monda at a Starbucks in Burien. He writes/started an online publication called El Diablito el Alternativo Latino and wanted to do an interview about the Project Red Dress competition. It was really awesome and I hope that there are many more interviews in my future.

http://www.eldiablito.com/Perfiles/rebecca-beesley-is-the-bees-knees

Makeup? Help!

2010-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Imagine being a little girl; you’re sitting in front of the mirror watching your mom apply her makeup and as you grow up you come to understand how to use and apply it… This was not the case for me. My mom was blessed with good looks. She didn’t have to spend much time in front of the mirror primping herself. She was absolutely gorgeous with what seemed like no effort at all. Now unfortunately I’m a 20 year old with not a clue about makeup. Honestly why would you need 10 different little brushes that all look the same to apply eye shadow? I’ll just keep hoping that my good looks last me.So in my desperate effort to put forth minimal effort but still look good I thought I would try out red lipstick.

Honestly though lipstick might be more than I can handle.

Christmas

2010-01-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas in the life of the Beesley's. Of course there was much gingerbread making and game playing. Dallin and I opted to follow our theme of gruesome acts; this year it was a beheading of a gummy bear with a guillotine.

Christmas morning came and passed, it was really low key. I made out like a bandit though: new dress, earrings, perfume, clutch, and the boots that I have been searching long and hard for. Honestly, in November I called every store in the state of Wa. looking for these boots and when I couldn't find them I had Mariah go get them for me from a store in Ut. They are definitely worth it!

I also went sledding. I dragged Dallin to go with me. He struggled at first but once he saw me in my oversized/add 40lb jacket he just couldn't resist. He thought that it was necessary to point out that we had at least 10 years on anyone out sledding, but I throw my inhibitions to whind when it comes to sledding. Sledding isn't quite like what it used to be though, I can only climb to the top of the giant hill a few times before I'm totaly worn out. Sad but true. And I went out to dinner with some old girlfriends.People say that Christmas looses its' magic when you're older... I think people need to take a page from kids, just get ridiculously-out of control-over excited! Let loose and live a little.

Draping II Final

2009-12-12T00:04:00.001-08:00

72 hours and my sanity later, it is finished. Viola'!

Happy Halloween

2009-12-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

The offer still stands; I’m willing to squeegee your window with dirty water or maybe even just sit and look pretty for some Jimmy Choo’s.

I didn’t have any plans for Halloween but when a party came up I just couldn’t resist. I rushed home after work and threw on the first thing that came to mind. Rub a little dirt on the face, mess up the hair, wear dirty clothes out of the laundry basket and I was good to go as a homeless person. I first went over to Lindsay's house and then to a skating rink. It was very obvious that I had not been quad skating in very very long time. Also I haven't been to a Halloween party in a really long time, I think up until I was 16 years old I went trick-or-treating every year. And if people wouldn't give me guff about it I would probably still go trick-or-treating.
All in all I had a really spooky Halloween.

NeedToBreath

2009-11-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Shannon's favorite band is NeedToBreath and about a week before the concert I made NeedToBreath my favorite band too.

While we were standing in line, Shannon and I saw some of the band get out of their bus and head into the venue. Looking back I wish I would have said something, at least gotten a picture. After the opening acts Shannon and I shimmied our way up to the front and center, we could have reached out and touched the band. Though I didn’t know every single song (despite my week long cram session of listening) I sang my little heart out, even if I did have to make up the words. The concert was amazing! Afterwards Shannon bought a t-shirt and we hung out till every member of the band had signed it.

For the real last song (not the one where they say it is their last one but really they come back out and play an encore) they unplugged their guitars and played it acoustic, thankfully I got it all on video. Enjoy.

I'm an Auntie!!

2009-10-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Sue's water broke at 4:30AM this morning. At 6:00AM she and Mike arrived at the hospital and where admitted and monitored till around 8:00AM. She was having major contractions and at 8:15AM she went into the operating room. She delivered c-section because one baby was feet first and the other was sideways. Once Owen made his appearance at 8:53am Mike passed out as well as a nurse. At 8:55am Caleb was born (just so everyone knows I was the one who suggested to Mike and Sue the name Caleb). Both babies are doing great. They were born at 35 weeks and Owen is 5lb 11oz and 19 inches long and Caleb is 4lb 10oz and 18 inches long. Both Sue and Mike are doing great and so excited for this new adventure.

Unfortunately Sue and Mike did not take me into consideration when they were planning out their lives because for the next month I won’t be able to see my new nephews. I told Sue she had to keep them cooking till November 13th so I could be home when they were born. She said she would try her best but I guess the little guys had other plans. I am so excited for Sue and Mike to start this new adventure in their lives; I hope that I can be there to share it with them (I also hope I don’t get on Mike’s “banned for the next 18 years” list).

Pumpkin Pickin'

2009-10-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

Shannon and I decided to vamp up our Halloween spirits by going to the pumpkin patch. I thought Shannon was going a little over the top by pilling on the high-top boots, beanie and a winter jacket; thankfully I followed her advice because it started raining as soon as we got there… of course. So sloshing through the mud we searched for the perfect pumpkins. Shannon really really likes green so she wanted a half green half orange one and I just wanted anything that tickled my fancy. We had to search far and wide till we found the right ones but we were successful in our endeavors.

We are going to carve the pumpkins and then try and make pumpkin pie. Now I know we are being very ambitious in the attempts to make pumpkin pie, but how bad could it be...

Dress forms? Yes please!

2009-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

I think one of the few reasons I work at David’s Bridal is moments like this (I’m just kidding, I love work if anyone from David’s reads this) I received four dress forms. A size 8, a plus size, a child size and a prego form and I am still looking for more. So please share the love, if you have any extra dress forms that I could take off your hands, let me know.

Romeo and Juliet

2009-10-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

Oh Romeo oh Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo… well on this particular Saturday night he was performing with the Pacific Northwest Ballet at McCaw Hall. Shannon and I decided to treat ourselves to an evening of dancing and dessert. We were running a little late after getting ourselves all dolled up to go out so we had to make a mad dash (I thought my legs might give, I’m sorry but high heels are not the ideal running shoe) across the Seattle Center to McCaw Hall. We then had to climb about 8 flights of stairs to get to our relatively inexpensive but quite high, need your binoculars for this show seats. We honestly made it there with a minute to spare.

It was only till about halfway through the first act that Shannon and I figured out who was acting as Romeo and Juliet. We thought they were someone else till the dancers with the gold costumes came on stage and danced through the balcony scene. It is just that with no talking it makes it a little harder to tell what is going on. None the less the movement and grace from all the dancers was absolutely beautiful! After the Ballet we make the trek back to our car and headed to get dessert. We went to the Purple Café and Wine bar, the restaurant has this huge column in the middle of the room that holds all the wine and has a winding staircase that wraps around it and goes all the way to the ceiling; it has a really cool atmosphere. The only problem was that when a waiter or waitress tells you that the desserts are about 6-10 bites big that basically means you could eat it in one. It was a teaser is what it really was.

We went home wishing that our Romeo would be waiting for us there and more huckleberry icecream (the huckleberry icecream seems more realistic).

Bunka Fashion Show

2009-09-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

Usually the last Sunday in September the Bunka Women’s University from Tokyo, Japan puts on a Fashion show held in Seattle. Now I’m not sure if I could pull off any of these outfits but there were definitely inspirational. My favorite collection (that I would actually wear) was the deep rouge and forest green trench coats. There was a green coat that was tightly fitted through the bodice till about the high hip it was belted around the waist and a full skirt. I would have taken it right off the model if I could have gotten close enough. All in all the collections were interesting...

Puyallup Fair

2009-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have ‘desperate for friends’ plastered on my forehead and I think that I am totally ok with it. I was invited to go to the Puyallup Fair with two girls, Vera and Deborah, from work.

Deborah worked at the fair for about 6 years a while back so she knew the ins-and-outs of the fair. She took us to see the garments she entered into the fairs’ competition, got some famous onion burgers, made a couple of trips to get free samples of chocolate milk (I’m pretty sure that by the end of the day I had drank a full gallon of delicious chocolate milk).

We saw some new born piglets, went on the rollercoaster and the giant slide, and tried to get every free food sample possible.

We went and watched the Mutton Bustin’ which is where the little kids ride on the backs of the sheep as if there were real cowboys. It made me laugh so hard because every time they would fall off they would get a face full of dirt, one of the grown-ups would come and pat them on the back of the head to get all of the dirt out of their helmets. It was adorable!

We finished off the day by going to a hypnotist show and it was some good times. Oh my goodness there were two girls who choose to wear the WRONG underwear or lack there of on this particular day. While they were rolling around on the ground thinking that everyone and everything was their pillow you could totally see their thong and buttcrack hanging out. But the guys made up for it because by the end of the show some of them were taking off their shirts flexing for the crowd (not the hottest bods either).

Lastly I am looking for a new hair style, if any one has any suggestions please let me know. I think this one compliments the shape of my head but the color does nothing for my skin tone.

All in all it was a wonderful day at the fair.

IADT Fashion Show

2009-09-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

I accomplished another item on my list of things I’d like to do before I pass… work backstage at a fashion show. I know that this show was put on by my college rather than a high end designer (or one day eventually me) in Paris, Milan or New York, but just in case I never get around to doing it then I’m just going to count this. It was definitely last minute but I tried to help as best as I could. I was Janette’s, who is my favorite teacher at I.A.D.T., little shadow for the day. I did what I was told even if I didn’t know exactly what it was that I was supposed to be doing. I was thrown into a backroom with a bunch of models trying to do last minute garment changes, making sure designers brought back their garments from being steamed, pulling garments to be judged, ect. Finally I helped in any way that I could during the show back stage.

I don’t know if I have a blinking sign above my head saying desperate for good ol’ fashion beautifying or anything but as I was walking down the hall before the show and I got pulled into a room to get my hair and make-up done. As most know I do not wear much make-up let alone even know how to put it on so it was quite a treat to be all dolled up. The teasing of the hair was a bit extreme and took me about an hour to comb out though.

So now not only have I created/modeled my own designs at a fashion show, but I have also worked backstage at one. Next step enjoy watching a fashion show, then having my own fashion show.

Another Summer Break

2009-09-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sue has already stolen my thunder regarding all the many cute baby decorations that we created while I was home on break. I’ll just post the pictures again and draw your attention to the adorable blue dinosaur that I painted all by myself (secretly Sue thinks it is the cutest too).

Also while I was home I had the opportunity to feel Sue’s babies kick, now I don’t recall ever touching a pregnant persons belly before Sue’s so feeling the babies kick was definitely a first for me. She also let me come with her to one of her doctors appointments with her, I know I am not stupid but for the life of me when they were pointing out the belly, arms, and legs… no clue. Everything just looked like a bunch of squiggles up there. There are even two babies and I couldn't even get it right.

I went down and visited Rachel in her sweet Provo apartment. I tried to convince her to come back to Seattle… not happening. She kept saying that she needs to graduate or something like that, lame!

Dallin also took me out on a couple dates while I was home. We went and saw Snooty and the Beast at the Desert Star Play House. I loved it! Dallin was afraid that he was going to get picked on so he quivered in fear behind me every time the actors came out into the audience. Probably my favorite date was that we went to dinner at the Pie and then just walked around downtown chattin it up.

And of course I played lots of games and hung out with the family.

(Unfortunately we just didn’t take any pictures of all the rest of that stuff.)

Design I

2009-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

For my Design I class we were asked to look at an inspiration board, that our teacher put together, and design an article of clothing that a Nordstrom customer would be interested in. We had to fit our garment on our fit model Elizabeth (seen below) and come up with three other designs that would complete the look (seen above). I chose the department Individualist and used fabrics like wool gabardine, lace and a rayon lining to create my dress. Now I don’t want to sound boastful or anything but I think that it turned out pretty nice.

And thankfully it fits me too.

Girl Date

2009-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

So I met someone... her name is Rachel Norby. I asked her out. We had a girl date.

I spotted her from across the chapel hall and I it was friends from first sight, well at least for me, Rachel just acted like I wasn’t there. But after much persistence we finally became friends.

On our MEGA-Saturday-all-day-date we first strolled around Freemont, visiting the stinky troll and the people (whose clothes they change on occasion) at the bus stop. We went to a couple of thrift shops and decided that we are both very grateful that we were not born in the 60’s because there was some very odd fashions/home deco going on at that time. We also walked around some boutiques and I found a pair of flats by some designer that I have never heard of for $375, what a steal… NOT!!

We went the Queen Ann overlook (I only managed to get lost once, yay!).

We went to Gas Works Park and wandered around while the bike festival was going on. I really wanted to give those bikers a piece of my mind. They are always getting in my way on the road. One day while driving I might just hit one of them, not hard just a slight bump from behind.

We went to the Temple where I proceeded to pick apart all of the wedding dresses that I saw because they all looked exactly the same. People if you don’t believe me think of all of your friends who have just recently gotten married in the temple, did you just picture an A-line scoop or square neck with capped sleeves with either pick-ups or slight embroidery on the bottom of the gown… That’s what I thought (if not my apologies, send me a picture).

We had the sudden urge for Thai food and roamed the streets till we found a restaurant. I tried to discretely use my Magellan while roaming the streets of Seattle, but you can only do that for so long till you start to look a little crazy.

On a completely separate girl date we went to Chitteden Locks. We watched a boat being raised by the power of water, oh awe, it’s cooler than it sounds people.

Also when Rachel and I hang out again we are looking for someone who would like to come hang out and be the designated photo taker. Might I mention it is not at all fun to have two people who love getting their pictures taken not able to be in the same photo together. I have duplicates of all of these photos just with Rachel in them instead of me. We tried the self timer and if only took 20 minutes and 100 pictures till be got one that looked just right.

Seattle Pride Parade

2009-06-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday June 28th Nicole (my old roommate) and I decided to participate in the Seattle Pride Parade. Now I just want everyone to know that I’m pretty much a big deal. People in the crowds were screaming my name, flashing or stripping down to their skimpies to show me their bodies while I walked down the street… or maybe that is just what you have to expect when you go to a Pride Parade.

Honestly I have never seen so many scantily clad dressed men, women, and those of whom I wasn’t quit sure.

I must admit there was a whole lot of love going on that day... a lady even gave me big juicy hug (or at least I thought it was a lady) she might have even slipped in a little tush pinch.

Summer Break... never long enough (especially now that it is only a week long)

2009-06-23T11:32:00.001-07:00

This is a small gallery of my adventures while I was home for summer break.

We celebrated my BIG 20th Birthday while I was home. I would tell you what I wished for but then it wouldn’t come true and I just can’t take that risk.

I played with my girlfriend Courtney Muench. We got a little carried away with taking pictures.

My dad, Will, Sue, Zane and I headed but to the cabin for a little get away. (Mariah is lame and has a “real” job, so she couldn’t come.) They boys were supposed to make it to Gannett Peak this year, but there was just way to much snow and they didn't want to post-hole it the whole 40ish miles. Honestly I think it was because Brian Beesley cursed them so they wouldn't make it.

We were also able to take a stroll down to the boatdock and go for a delightful boat ride.

Since the boys weren't able to on their hike and the weather for the most part was rainy we spent most of our time playing games, finding out the meaning to life by putting together Harry Potter puzzles, and work parties.

The only day that it didn’t rain while I was home we went to a rodeo. I’m a true hick at heart!

And of course it wouldn't be a home if lots and lots of games weren't involved.

I just want to make things clear because everyone is blaming me for bringing the rainy weather with me to Utah... it had been gorgeous weather in Seattle the two weeks before my break. It was very dissappointing Utah I expected hotter weather from you. The only thing I didn't get to do while I was home for the break was go swimming.

The break home was wonderful anyway! Oh I also touch Sue's baby belly, it was the first pregnant belly I have ever touched that I can remember. I am excited for when it is actually two babies rather than a belly. I can't wait to come home again for the next break. Again the offer stands anyone who would like to come and visit there is a place for you to stay and I might even pitch in a couple of home cooked meals.

Sunshine & Snuggling

2009-05-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was fortunately able to convince Rebecca to take time out of her busy (cough) life and fly out to visit me. Despite her being here on a few days that I had to work, we managed to make the most out of the time that we had, lets just say that work didn’t take much precedence.

Most of the time that we spent was over dinner and movies back home, but we were able to get to the beach on Sunday, after some foiled plans on days before. With it being Memorial day weekend, most of the state seemed to share the same idea. We took the drive to Wrightsville beach, and spent nearly an hour bickering over parking spots, those of which spread few and far between. The beach proved to be quite the sight, but I would credit that mostly to the massive quantities of people there as opposed to the sand and the water. As far as the eye could see, there was hardly a place to lay down a towel with so many people populating the beaches. We were able to squeeze in and make it out to the water. The ocean waves felt great with the sun burning us alive. We weren’t able to stay long, but I think that Rebecca and I would both agree the beach was the best part of her visit.

Mainers vs. Red Soxs

2009-05-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

16oz of Lemonade: $8.00

1 Bag of Peanuts: $15.00

Ticket in the Nosebleed Section: $25.00

Remembering Why You Never Liked Coming To Baseball Games in the First Place: Priceless

This was my first Major Legue Game and.... the Mainers lost. To say the least I wasn't impressed. I have come to realization that sitting in a slightly sticky seat, in a section where you need to get your granny glasses to see the field, with grown men acting as if they were prepubescent boys spilling their beer on you just isn’t my idea of fun. And sorry for all of those who are hardcore baseball fans, but it’s boring. Five hours of nothing but maybe two good hits and a home run. The game should really only last 4 innings.

Let’s not kid ourselves America’s favorite past time is just an excuse to drink overpriced beer and yell at the other teams’ fans.

V-day Lovin'

2009-02-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

One fine day Mariah was surfing the internet when she spotted that Southwest was having half priced tickets to and from Seattle. Though the grapevine Dallin, my boy-toy, heard about this amazing deal and hurried and bought some tickets so he could come visit me. Much to my dismay no one else in my family bought any… (probably because Mariah would charge them a finders fee for seeing the tickets, she is still trying to charge Dallin). None the less I was ecstatic to have Dallin come up for Valentines weekend!!
The weekend consisted of going on a ferry ride, walking along the beach, freezing our bums off while at the beach, holding hands, dinner on Alki beach, movies, walks to libraries that are not open (how was I supposed to know that they close at two, like seriously who closes at two?), working at David’s Bridal, making pizza together, nap-time, kissin’, Freemont Market, Pikes Market, walking around Bellevue, the classic hot coco at Starbucks, more work, a little school, and unfortunately goodbyes.

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

My Holiday was packed to the maximum with Family, the few Friends I have (Courtney), kitties, and my Boyfriend.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!
Dallin and I were definately the best looking couple there, to be honest we were the only couple there. We decked out in our cheesiest sweaters, mine was a Beesley christmas sweater from about 15 years ago. We also participated in the exchanging of white elephants. Dallin gave a yoddeling pickel and in turn he got "lovely garden frogs". I recieved the first editions of New Kids on the Block comic books, compared to the other gifts I was quite happy.

Beesley Christmas Party

It was so nice to see everyone at the Beesley Christmas Party!! Our family is HUGE. I can hardly remember the names of all the litte chillins running around. The party had great food, entertaing company, and thankfully Santa came to hear my list of things I desperately need for Christmas. As Mike would like to say it was one of the best family-party-freak-outs I have been to in a long time.

Gingerbread Houses
This years world's most amazing gingerbread house contest goes to... drum roll please... Dallin and Rebecca. We made an depiction of terror: an Ancient Mayan Temple beheading a gummy bear as a sacrafice to the Mayan gods.

Will and Heather spent most of their time working on the construction of the house, so once they finally got to decorating it with candy they were all burnt out.

Sue of coure did something classic and spent most of her time loading it with candy that she eventually won't eat. While Mike tagged along for the pizza, but made a house for kicks and giggles.

Mariah was the first one done and the first one to have all of the candy off of her house completely eaten. No one really knew what Nick was building, and even when he was finished we still didn't really know.

Christmas Morning/Afternoonish
We had Christmas brunch at Mike and Sue's house. I got exactly what I wanted, a pair of boots. (I bought them myself and then told Mike to give them to me, it was perfect.) My favorite gift was from my dad and mom, they gave me one of my mom's rings. I think that it was her ten year anniversary, it is the one with the emerald, but I will have to look it up to be sure. My dad and Julie gave me a gps so I won't get lost as much anymore :)

It was a wonderful break and I'm a little sad to head back to Seattle but I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and hopefully a Happy New Year.

Let it SNOW!!

2008-12-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

On very rare occasions does snow bless the city of Seattle... today was one of those days. With all the snow that Annalina (she lives in the the apartment two floors about me) and I could gather together from cars, we made a mini snowman. We outfitted him with dirty rocks we found in the gutter and a stick that fell from a tree. He might not be much, but he's ours and his little friend that we couldn't find a face for is ours too.

Annalina and I wanted to share this occasions with anyone who was crazy enough to freeze their butt off in the snow. By the time that we forced/rounded up some people and went back outside, all the snow had melted. So lame!!

Unconventional Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T16:56:00.001-08:00

This year instead of doing the traditional family/home for the holidays/ around a table Thanksgiving, I drove down to Portland, Oregon and spent Thanksgiving with my girlfriend Courtney Muench, her boyfriend Jaron, his brother and some friends. Courtney and I were in charge of making dessert. This should have been the easiest part of the meal, but I don’t really like pie all that much so the only thing I wanted Courtney to do was decide what pie we should make. Holy smokes it like I had asked her tell me what quantum physics is… she was being difficult. After much argument with Courtney we decided to make Pumpkin Pie and Cherry Pie, which actually turned out to be cherry cheesecake. We slaved over our pies all afternoon (a.k.a. about 15 minutes), while Jaron busied around the kitchen basting the turkey, preparing all of the food for dinner, and shooing us away from the mashed potatoes and any other food we could get our hands on.

Finally, at six o’clock we sat down to dinner on some cracked out couches, chatted, and gorged ourselves. I have to say for being a bunch of college kids we did a mighty fine job. My favorite, by far, was the mashed potatoes; I had three huge helpings, at the end of the night I had to loosen my belt a couple of notches. By the next day all the leftovers were gone.

The rest of the weekend was spent playing with her new kitten, Hercules, and kitty crush Nike, staying up late, watching the boys play Halo, shopping, going to Saturday market, eat sushi off of a train (so cool!!), watching movies, and just hanging out. Let’s just say I had a really enjoyable weekend.

Seattle + Dallin = Pure Goodness

2008-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

My lover, Dallin Koski, was able to come for a weekend and visit me in Seattle. YAY!!

One of our first touristy stops was the Space Needle. Though it was a outrageous $10 to take an elevator ride to the top, it is one of the must see's in Seattle.

This is the view from the Space Needle.

The Freemont Troll: it's big, ugly, and smells slightly of urine.

I decided to give a one size fits all International Academy of Design & Technology t-shirt to Dallin and we had a tiny t-shirt contest... Dallin won.

The night before Dallin had to fly home we were able to see the Aquarium in downtown Seattle.

The octupus wanted Dallin's Body.

I was sad to see him go but we had a really good weekend. For all those who come to visit me it will be lots of fun (hint hint come visit).

Rated PG-13

2008-11-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Parents be advised the content of this blog may be innappropriate for children under the ages of thirteen.

Also include any males into that warning too.

I'm sad to say that those are my legs. Since I moved to Seattle I have decieded to embrace my inner hippy and not shave my legs, well that or my shower goes cold after 7 minutes and it is either shave my legs or wash my hair and hair always takes presidence. So for a little over a month now I have not shaven my legs. Nor has anyone but my roommates and maybe a couple of people at Costco (while at Costco I was scratching my leg and Nicole told me I had to put my pant legs down because I was embarrasing her) have seen my legs... till now, I've decided to share these hairy yet hillarious pictures. Please remember that these pictures don't quite give my legs justice for how hairy they really were. It took me a little over a half hour and one brand new razor to completely shave both legs. I don't think that men really understand how much effort goes into being the good looking ladies that we are. Well now that my legs are shaved I can't really remember why I shave them in the first place; no one ever sees my legs, no one touches my legs, it is cost efficient not to, it takes up precious time in the shower that could be better spent on enjoying the water while it is still hot, I could go on and on...

There is only one reason to shave, it is to enjoy the silky smoothness.

Spooky Pumpkins

2008-11-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

My roommate (well technically ex-roommate) Nicole and I decided the night before Halloween we wanted to carve pumpkins. After searching the pumpkin-patches far and wide across Tukwila, we stumbled upon Fred Meyer to find our perfect pumpkins. We had to dig deep and avoid the rotting/half smashed pumpkins but we found some that would do the job just fine.

I took my sweet sweet time carefully sketching out my ideas, deciding if I wanted a circle nose or a triangle or even a square, and tracing it onto my pumpkin. While Nicole decided to go for more of the "I just want to get this thing carved" approach. Towards the end I might have been getting a little to into carving pumpkins, my pumpkins face and mine started looking a whole lot alike.

Happy Halloween!!

Fashion Sketching

2008-10-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

Now I don’t want to brag or anything but I would just like everyone to know that I am basically pro at life and as a matter of fact anything else I try (or at least I think so).

I am in fashion sketching class at school and our homework for the week was to draw a face that had an accessory of some sort (the flower in her hair) and was no smaller than 8 ½ x 11 (mine is 12 x 16). I spent 4 greuling hours working on this drawing, 3 of thouse hours were spent carefully shading her upper lip with pastels and colored pencils. With no prior experience in drawing, unless you count all those stick figures with somewhat uneven arms and really long necks and triangles for skirts, I didn’t do half bad of a job. Mostly I'm just proud that her face doesn't look like this :).

A Whole Lot of Free Time

2008-10-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

No job, no real social life, and nothing better to do I have resorted to entertaining myself in the only way I know possible... crocheting.

Though I have tried many times before to learn how to crochet - all being unsuccessful – around the 9th grade I was finally at an age when I could really appreciate an old lady skill such as crocheting. My mom taught me the basics and let me piece together the rest. With books like “How to Crochet for Dummies”, little old ladies at Jo-Anns, and just about anyone else who would listen to the latest stitch I didn't know how to do, I have haphazardly learned how to crochet.

The picture on the left are of two blankets that I made previous to leaving for Seattle. The lighter/more baby colored on is called rainbow ripples and was a pain in the butt. It took me the entire summer to complete and much to Sue's dismay I don't plan on giving it away. The brighter colored blanket is one that my mom help me make. Some odd years later I put the border on it and will never have to deal with it again. The picture up above is of a blanket that I made while here in Seattle during my many hours of free time.

Seattle Wa Top 5 Cardinal Sin Countdown

2008-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

5. Not owning at least one pair of waterproof shoes and ten extremely warm jackets.

4. Not knowing how to parallel park. (This is a sin that I have already committed, I had to get out and have my roommate Nicole pull into the spot for me.)

3. If you don't know at least one hippe/environmentalist/vegan or animal rights activist, not have you only committed a serious sin but you need to get out more.

2. Carrying an umbrella around. This is a serious serious sin you will instantly be tagged as a tourist.

1. The number one cardinal sin is not drinking coffee (hot chocolate in my case) in one of the many Starbucks that keep this city sane.

Skydiving 101

2008-09-14T15:43:00.001-07:00

Harnessed to a parchute and attached to a veteran jumper, yesterday, Sept. 13th, I did a back flip out of a plane at 13,500 ft.

In celebration of my boyfriend's birthday (2 months early) we went Sky Diving at the Tooele airport with a company called SkyDive Utah. It was a fairly busy afternoon for the humble skydive facility. Immeditaley upon our arrival, we were rushed in to a cramped screen room where they were playing a video that prompted us about skydiving before our actual jump. The very first thing that Dallin and I witnessed on the screen was an attorney talking about liability, and the how "by signing this document, you do hereby agree not to sue." What a great way to jump start your experience. If I wasn't feeling a little nervous before, I sure was now. The next portion of the video went in to the details of the jump procedures. A man went through the three key steps to the sky dive.

Bellybutton.
Breathe.
Banana.

The Bellybutton step was described as the way that we should exit the aircraft. Bellybutton first, head and shoulders back.

He then talked about breathing during the fall. At the high speeds that you would be traveling in a free fall, opening your mouth to try and gasp for air would be similar to what he illustrated as drinking out of a fire hose. There would simply be too much pressure. In order to have any chance at getting some proper air flow, you would have to breathe through your teeth.

Finally, Banana. Once you get stable after the lunge out of the plane, your instructor would move your arms into place. The man on the video described this as "flossing your brain," which really was a poor way to describe it if you ask me. You also had to arch your back and lift up your legs, hence the banana analogy.

The video ended shortly thereafter and we were all ushered out of the room to sign what looked like a five page ledger of soul selling. We must have had to initial about 30 times that we would not sue or take legal action against the company "should an accident occur."

We took some pictures, lounged around a bit and watched other people drop through the skies on their chutes, slowly floating back to the planet. This helped to relieve some of the pre-jump wigglies. After about a ten minute wait, our names were called over an intercome and we were sent over to meet our tandum partners. My partner was a short, stalky guy that was called Utah. Dallin's was a skinny homie with brown teeth. I felt kind of bad, but I was glad that I didn't get captain fugly.

They fastened us into our harnesses and began to chit chat about this and that. Both Dallin and I inquired about their jump history and stuff like that. After all, we both wanted to know if these guys, who were going to have our lives in their hands, had any idea what they were doing. Dallin's partner, Brian, had just hit is 700th drop. Utah had well over 2,500.

Once they were finished cramming us into the harnesses, and when I say cram, I really mean it, they walked us over to the strip. Brian was eating a cheeseburger that he had just grilled and Utah was talking about his daughter. All I could think about was that I was soon to be plumeting out of a moving plane toward the solid ground. What if my chute didn't work? What if Dallin's didn't work? What if? What if? I could tell Dallin was feeling the same by the way he was brushing off the questions Brian was asking him with one word answers and nods.

The plane landed and Utah grabbed a ladder laying on the runway. We all crawled into the tiny airplane with four other single jumpers. The pilot pulled around, sped up and took off. We were airborne, no going back now. I was going to jump. As we began our climb, the creeping feeling that I needed to throw up began to surface in my stomache. I don't do well with motion sickness. Yeah, this is not good, I thought to myself.

The other jumpers talked casually about this and that. I was amazed that no one was having a freak session in their heads like I was. Utah and Brian began to attach their suits to our harnesses and started repeating some procedures for the jump. We cruised up to about 13,500 ft. and the clear plastic hatch suddenly slid open. Heart pouding at an obnoxious rate - check. The four single jumpers, without so much as a look back to the other passengers, lunged out of the plane one by one.

Dallin and Brian began to skoot up. Dallin looked hilarious cramped into the tiny plane. He put his toes out over the edge. Brian rocked him back and forth one time and then out they went!

Utah had me all hooked up and we followed in suite. Toes out the edge. This was it. I looked down. We were high up. This was it. I could see the miniature runway below, the Great Salt Lake beaming off to my left, and the mountains sitting far off in the distance. Utah rocked once forth, then once back and "here we go!" Bellybutton out, we did a back flip out of "King Air." I barely caught a glimpse of it gliding above as we fell. The world was spinning. I tried to regain some composure. After a few short seconds we seemed to stabalize. The tickling feeling in my stomache began to dissipate. The ground was still so, so far down. It didn't seem like we were falling at all, but rather suspended in mid-air.

Utah tapped my arms. Thats my cue to quote, floss my brain. I arched my back and felt my the airs resistance in my arms, I swear they were about to tear off. I recognized the feeling from the wind tunnel that we had gone to before, mimicing the feeling of a skydive. The wind rushed against my whole body. I began to breathe through my teeth, in and out. This is amazing, I thought. I looked to my right and saw the dots of houses and trees, straight down I could make out some chutes being deployed. To my left the lake was still there. Cruising through the afternoon sky, we hit a top speed of what I was later told was 149 MPH. It was a perfect day, not a cloud could be spotted in any direction. I felt weightless, like a feather. Well, maybe a speed-demon feather?

With a sudden pop, our parachute expanded from Utah's suit and yanked harshly at my body in resistance to our momentum. I won't lie, I bet Dallin felt that one.

WOW! Was all I could exclaim. I looked down again, we were still so far off. 2,000 ft. We had hit the deck. Utah asked me how I felt. "Great!" I said, "that was so awesome!" He began to adjust a few things on the harness so that it wasn't so uncomfortable. I looked around for Dallin, but I wasn't able to find him. I could see the other jumpers below, gently landing on the grass. My heart was still beating so hard.

Utah let me take control of the parachute. I held down one side and we began to do spirals. I had to stop after a few seconds. It made my legs feel like they were going to pop. After about two minutes we made it down to the grassy landing area. "Legs up," Utah said.

Yeah right, I thought. I could barely feel my legs at this point. We ended up landing quite gently and stood right up. Normally you're supposed to land on your butt. Meh. I looked up and could see Dallin and Brian coming down not far behind us. We must have cruised passed them. Dallin looked silly hanging from a harness, especially one that was attached to a guy half his size. They landed on their feet as well.

Utah and Brian both commended us on a job well done. Utah even went as far as saying that I was the best jump partner that he had all day. Pro skills.

Let's just say that the throw-up feeling wasn't going anywhere. The drive home was certainly not pleasant. But we made it. I had just jumped out of an airplane at 13,500 ft at a 149 MPH.

Cross that off the list, along with bungie jumping. I wonder what other insane acts of adrenline we will do next.