23

hmmm...today i am 23. kind of crazy cause that's grown up status. for reals.

i no longer go to school i do big girl working.

as of two days ago i paid my very first rent check out of my very own bank account for the first time.

and just for fun i'll write about the fact that i am very happy and excited for all of the wonderful things in my life that have popped up in the past year! i feel proud of myself that my life is slowly coming together. that i have set goals and worked hard to reach them :)...in the last year i have graduated from college, i have started a career, i signed a lease and am officially moving out of my house to stand on my very own two feet to live with my very best friend (sister!), i co-coach 23 of the most amazing girls with one of the very best people that i know of at lake oswego high school, i have danced in the rose garden--several times (thank you lumberjax :)...), and i'm certain that this next year...year 23 will continue to bring me amazing things :)

i am so very blessed for my family, and my friends, and my co-workers...my life wouldn't be anything without them. they.are.everything!

sharing some special things about this special day!
1. i woke up this morning from a text at 5:30 am...my phone was buzzing buzzing...it read "happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you! happy birthday to sisterr! happy birthday to youu! hope your day is super fabulous! love you always! opa chow! xoxo d"
early...but i loved it! thank you danielle! hugs hugs

2. sister surprised me last friday with missy higgins...i know i already wrote about it all but here are pictures. love her. (sister...well i love missy too, but i love sister for her amazing planning...and for spending her precious money on her...too too generous.)




3. my phone rang at 7:30 am. i was blow drying my hair so i didn't hear it. and its a good thing too because had i answered it i wouldn't have been left the best voice mail of my life. it was the most best perfect way to start off my morning. it was a message from the allen family (minus greg...) it was happy birthday ...sung remixed because the ending was really high and fancy...with special messages from denise, danielle, and best of all...mike! made.my.morning! i love them.

4. grandma called me. she was so worried she wouldn't get a hold of me at work...apparently even though i tell her i can talk on the phone at work she doesn't understand...at 7:58 i got a phone call and she sang me happy birthday (tradition) her words were a tiny slurred i don't think she had her teeth in yet this morning. but i loved it loved it anyway :) she's fabulous. if you don't know lillian learn about her. she lives in the nursing home behind clackamas town center...get to know her.

5. i babysat last night. meggie made me this.

then her, joseph, jonathan and his friend sang to me (mostly cause meggie was yelling at them to do it...but jonathan and his friend had to run back down stairs right after singing to work on their x-box and couldn't stay long enough for the ten second timer record)

then meggie did the candles for me :) she blew them both out so i think that means the wish came true...and i will probably end up with two new my little ponies or season 6 of full house.

ps - i got two candles...not cause i was turning two but because i was turning twenty but she couldn't remember how many twenties so i didn't get the other number just the two. love her.

6. my work is fabulous. i got fancy flowers, a fancy delicious candle, and everyday when it is nice i talk about wanting to make margaritas up on the roof and laying in the sun...i try to convince sean we need lap tops to work up there...but we are starting off with the margarita machine first...yes yes that is right! i got a margarita maker, tequila, margarita mix, and my very own bag of ice! see see!?

because heathers birthday is saturday we get to have birthday celebrations together and i love that! the most of all loving! we had champagne with raspberries, cute fancy cupcakes, and celebrated happy hour at mint yesterday. so nice, so cute, and i feel spoiled. i love them :)




7. my family stayed up extra late last night to do birthday celebration with me after babysitting :) we opened cards and gifts and everything about family birthdays i love. last year we spent the whole day on a plane coming home from mexico on my birthday...don't get me wrong mexico is fabulous gorgeous and amazing, but having to be on a plane on your birthday is not the best favorite. anyway this year i got to open adorable kitchen things -- mostly stuff for baking baby cupcakes with (my favorite thing to bake ever!) and also a new fancy purse that i am in love with i have it by my leg right now and i just keep looking at it, also some other things...but the best part is tomorrow we are going on family trip to hawaii! in celebration of my parents 25th wedding anniversary that was in march. but we are leaving the day after my birthday which means that tomorrow and for the next 10 days i don't have to be at work i get to be playing in the sun! waaahooo!

8. my birthday present to myself! all my favorites doing a fancy dinner tonight at henrys and after dinner a limo. wahoo! that means i get to sing apple bottom jeans and lollipop at the top of my lungs wearing a dress and having a dance party. it is my favorite. and i can't wait. i will post about that (as i am certain it will need its very own post) when i get home from hawaii :)

thank you for everyone who has made me feel so loved! good thing i was born so i could do all this fancy stuff!!

it says lizzrd

i don't really think this picture needs many words to explain it...it's basically one of those that pretty much says it all...you know about that phrase that says "a picture speaks a thousand words" ? yes, it would be one of those.

i will tell you that i saw this car when i was going to the high school in lake o...i'm not too sure i understand but i'm sharing about it cause its funny and whenever i see funny stuff on the road that's what i like to do.

as promised.

here it is...the random thing...

so ashley, my co-worker, she was very nice to upload this picture, e-mail it to me yesterday...and remind me of the day i felt like ass hole.

the day was the one after that event called r/west turns 11. that fabulous night i decided to drink
- 2 grey goose & grapefruits
- a "rita" - the signature margarita
- a r-ong island - the signature drink
- a washington apple shot
- a duck fart shot
- shot of patron
- a vodka tonic

hmmm that's all i can remember...yeah but surprised i wasn't dead? ha...me too, i laugh now...i wasn't laughing on the day after. my whole body hurt, my fingers were too sore to type...i went to work for about 15 minutes...and then went home and slept the whole day.

this is me. this is basically how i would look if i got hit by a bus cause i'm pretty sure that's how i would feel. thanks ashley for the reminder.

p.s - that was on april 22. i haven't had alcohol in a month.

a breath of air

not too long ago one of my friends was reading to me from this book. i don't remember what it was called but it was something like one of those inspirational, self-help type books...and one of the parts in there said that when a woman sighs it means she is quietly screaming. it's taken me a while to really agree with that...but today it makes sense.

i've never been the type to scream. it seems awkward, weird, and obnoxious to just open my mouth and scream at the top of my lungs (though i do have moments where i just feel like it only im at places like the store, the office, dance class, dance competitions (**cough cough, state), a client meeting, most all of these would definitely be awkward places to scream...) anyway, screaming to me is often associated with anger and frustration...so what does that mean? every time i take a big breath of air i am secretly expressing anger and frustration? no not necessarily...i think the reason people scream is for that moment of relief at the end, the fresh newness that comes the moment you stop screaming...today i decided that is where signing relates to screaming...if i breath in really really big right now...and then release it. it just feels cleansing, kind of like a momentary fresh start.

i've been taking lots of signs in the last week. this week has been an interesting week for me...and i said in my post from sunday that the reason i haven't been doing as regular of blogging is because there were things i just didn't feel like writing about. i suppose today i'm going to write about them.

it isn't too often that i write these type of posts...mostly cause they are probably boring for whoever reads these...i realize it's much more fun to read about the randomness that somehow is attracted to my life (oh and not to worry...i have a random thing that can be posted on here next...thanks of my co-worker ashley.)at any rate sometimes they are helpful.

when sister took me to missy higginsin concert friday, i fell in love with the song steer. i have this song on my ipod, and i have had it on there for quite some time...but something about listening to her sing it live right after describing her reasons for writing the song made it have a whole new meaning for me...

"but the search ends here
where the night is totally clear
and your heart is fierce
so now you finally know
that you control where you go..you can steer"

this week i am moving out of my parents house for what i like to call permanent...about ready to embark on a journey that is my life, fully and completely...i am cutting the last bits of cord...and if feels new and exciting...i anticipate times when all i want to do is go out for dinner but can't afford to, times when i have to suggest going on a walk rather than the movies due to lack of funds and moments when it would be oh so great to just buy that shirt from nordstrom...but hey, forever has just as cute of stuff! i have been waiting to move out since the day i moved in. i love my family, i love having a bottomless pantry, i love our cleaning lady, i love the laundry facilities...but there have been other things that i don't love so much about living at home. things that are hard to write about cause unless you are living them with me everyday, reading about them won't really make you understand....if you know me well enough you know why living at home is hard for me...

anyway, i have decided that growing up is exciting because for the first time in my life i am starting to see that i am allowed to decide on things for myself. i understand finally that i get one shot at life, no such thing as dress rehearsals for these moments. i can choose when to be influenced by others opinions or when not to. sometimes i forget that friends and family are there to support me and to encourage me and to lift me up...when they start to hurt me, discourage me, lie to me and disappoint me i have the right to choose to fill my world with better people. i also understand that i can forgive. i can do what i want to do, always. and mostly i trust that i have been given the tools by my parents, sister, friends, teachers, co-workers and random acquaintances to take opportunities that strengthen me as a person.

i have hopes for the coming couple months...these hopes are:
1. my family will figure our our shit and after lots of years finally function normal again
2. i build a fabulous new home for my very own self with my very own money and my very own hard work
3. i do a good job coaching...i know i didn't really write about this anywhere else in this post, but officially this year i am taking on the enormous task of head coaching....i'm nervous for it, i'm excited about it, and i love it!

i'm learning to steer my own ship...and i'm totally excited about it :)

a special day

today is a special day. well technically it was yesterday...but that's fine cause the celebration is today...but today's celebration marks the fact that i have officially been at r/west for over a year now...that's right people a whole year!

to commemorate this special day (and the fact that the fabulous pr department is now one year old) here is a list of 12 of my favorite best memories that have made this one fabulous special -- and for lack of better words (or for lack of keeping this blog appropriate...) -- memorable year!

(12 memories...for 12 months of gorgeousness)

1. my very first day. i was unaware we had a parking lot, unaware that if you show up before 830 you need an elevator little pass thingy, unaware that the third floor door is never unlocked from the stairwell and unaware that i was the only employee in the pr department. it was fine though i had graduated with a degree in history and a minor in theology the day before so that basically means i can run a pr department by myself. after a successful 5 hour day in the office using a login from the previous pr intern to get internet access and do important facebook messaging to my friends telling them about how i had no clue what i was even doing with anything, i went down to my car to find a $25 parking pass on my windshield...had i left work two hours sooner not only would i have avoided the parking ticket, i would have saved myself money (as what i was paid for that two hours didn't even cover my expenses) -- and i would have been able to work out.

2. my first random lunch wednesday. esparza's tex mex off of burnside. that was also the day i had my first shot of patron silver. at 12:14 in the afternoon. with my co-workers i had just met 14 days prior. at my first real job ever. weird? yeah...it was weird. also peter bought a blue eight-track cassette tape at a junk store down the street. i didn't know who peter even was at the time but that was also weird to me...mostly the only thing i knew was i wanted to make a good impression and that meant salt the lime, throw it back and secretly take short quick breaths to avoid throwing up the $18 shot sean had just bought me.

3. heather's first day...at least according to sean...it was suppose to be in june. i dressed nice everyday for 17 days straight. until i ran out of nice clothes (in hopes of making a good impression) she didn't end up starting till sometime late in july. the day she started i was wearing cut off sweats.

4. working hard riding rides

and truly one of the best days cause it was one of heather and i's first bonding days :) see? i loved her from the start!


5. my first time at bridgeport brewery...hop harvest bottling. i will admit that drinking beer at work is pretty awesome. it probably would have been inappropriate to drink beer while teaching history...so this day was also one of the days that was an indicator that i had chosen the correct career path.


6. kickball. we were basically fabulous. one time i blogged about our fabulousness that was recess time so if you want to read about our team you can go here recess time blog but basically this was us:

this picture is hard to see our faces...so here is a close up:


7: the day of franz. where i learned about the capacity of volkeswagon bugs and also that it is physically impossible to eat two slices of franz white bread in two minutes...(for all of you who take challenges seriously...then i dare you. try it...it really is impossible! r/west didn't believe it so pr team held a challenge...we had a prize package with money and beer and game factory nintendo games and bbq sauce...and even for all of those prizes not one person could do it!)



8. the day burger king came to visit.

for everyone that didn't meet him. ask to see the video of the king's trip to the local burger king. hilarious amazing and awesome filming done by non other than john gentle...r/west does halloween right.



9. the day i spent $600 at nike and all i had to do was name drop my name. that's like how famous people do it i think. probably famous people then come back to their work and place dress up too...


10. the day julieanna started. also the day i got my second parking ticket. this day was great because we were both sick--hence the parking ticket...my fever made me delirious or something and i forgot about paying the meter (?) when i took her to mothers bistro for lunch. julieanna had stomach flu. i had strep throat. we both left early. (heather was still gone in new york) and the pr department started the year off strong with no one in the office for the first week.

11. one word. < mint >


12. my favorite bestest bests! and the most fabulous party ever planned.
drinks. wigs. drinks. fancy glasses. drinks. photobooths. drinks. dj evil. drinks. cupcakes. drinks.

oh and drinks.



so many memories...so not enough time to write about them. happy one year anniversary!! my work is fabulous :) and so are the three lovely ladies i work with.
heather - who has taught me everything i know about everything! i love her to death. and i'm pretty sure if it wasn't for her i wouldn't have the amazing job that i have. (and trust me it is important to have a job you love because when you are in the same place for 8 hours a day it's important to like what you do!)
julieanna - who cracks me up, teaches me more than i could ever possibly think there was to know about social media &celebrity gossip, and she sings me "bleeding love"
brittney - i have a feeling the one who will turn me into a camper.

cheers!

things

i haven't written words on here in kind of too long. not because things haven't been happening, they have...just some of the things that have been happening are not really blog worthy. mostly cause they are just kind of serious and personal, and i have considered writing about them....but i haven't felt like it yet...maybe another day...other things that have been happening have been kind of dumb or annoying to write about--anyway i don't really have a purpose for this post...the parrot is still missing, i haven't seen any naked people in lloyd center, no mint altoids for the office...however that does remind me...i did celebrate my one year anniversary at r/west last week...which that is kind of wild to think i have already one year of being an adult under my belt still feels like i just graduated, like yesterday...weird. anyway i wrote a big post about it on the r/west pr girls' blog...which if you ever want to read about us we are kind of awesome... you should add our blog to your favorite morning reads...pr fabulousness but i think i will post my one year anniversary blog on here in a minute.

anyway here are other things to update you on my life.
1. i turn 23 on thursday...that is crazy! some days i still feel like i am 19 or 20...but its ok cause i am having some of the best times ever! i love my laker dancers, i love my job, i love my sister, i love my friends....
2. for my birthday sister surprised me with missy higgins concert on friday night...i loved her, she was so cute! and so amazing...i highly recommend next time she is in your town....GO SEE HER!
3. i planned fabulous plans for thursday night....but my friends don't all know about it...so it is staying a secret...i am sure i will have a huge amazing blog post for that night.
4. in 48 hours i get the keys to my new house
5. friday i leave for hawaii for 8 days

and those mostly are the five big things i can think of to update on...that or i just don't feel like thinking of more stuff...

but i'm back to normal blogging now so my thousands and thousands of millions of billions of blog readers don't have to worry anymore. :)

the parrot trap

not to be confused with the parent trap.

nope wait, i'm lying. absolutely to be confused with the parent trap. because apparently the parrot trap can also trap parents.

remember about my dad's brilliant trap? (yes the parrot is still MIA) well the white crate is back in the house...and sitting upstairs in the hallway...allie moved home last weekend from college and has been working on cleaning out her room/closet...the crate is sitting in the hall full of shit-old black high heels, pink bathrobe, white washcloth with a ballerina on it, my black taffeta skirt from when i was in the detail hip hop show last march, coconut shell bra, and kind of a lot of other random stuff. at any rate, it is in the hall pushed up against the wall outside of allies room.

last night my dad came in to say goodnight to sister and i (mostly we do sleepovers when she is home, it is more fun that way plus we just like to...we have since we were little, when i used to take her pacifier and scrape the paint off of her headboard to write words-it was repainted three times) anyway he came to say goodnight and decided for some reason it was a good idea to walk down the hall in the pitch black. he tripped on the trap. he punched a hole in the wall. and now the wall looks like this.

and so i write to some stuff...

dear dad,
i think this is what the parrot would call karma.
xox, kendall

the backyard pt. 2

update on the zoo...

we learned about the parrot over the weekend...the woman at the bird shop said he was from australia and that he most likely escaped from someones house cause those kinds of birds don't just roam wild around here. she suggested that we catch him and put him in a cage, otherwise he probably won't be doing much more banana chomping in the tree he will most likely be the one getting chomped, by the hawks...so we bought a $20 used cage from this bird shop. also at the shop we met other birds...like this one

he was eating his way out of the cage. apparently parrots are really smart and are good at escaping so if you ever get a parrot double locks might not be a bad idea.

anyway we brought the cage home and as soon as we got home dad set up a booby trap to catch the bird...it looked retarded and according to my mom (who was totally right might i add) "that parrot would have to be a dumb ass to walk under that contraption your dad is out there rigging up in the yard"

i don't have a picture unfortunately...but imagine this - a white crate the size of a suitcase you would take with you to europe for a month...propped up on the two front ends with sticks, attached to one of the sticks? a rope...and underneath the crate, a huge pile of food...yeah he would have to be a dumb ass for sure..."here bird...here, come walk under this big white huge box that doesn't look sketchy at all...don't worry you won't get caught."

we haven't seen the bird in two days.

all i have to say is that if that bird doesn't come back sister and i are gonna be pissed because we were suppose to trade that bird to the cat breeder for this little baby...the one on the left...the calico one...

dad better start praying that that bird gets his shit back into that tree...and fast.

classy.

admittedly i stole this from another blog that i read. but it was too good not to post. i'm not sure i knew we were suppose to dress up when going to walmart, but thankfully i am aware now how fancy classy walmart is! i definitely won't be going there in my sweats anymore...no wonder why i always get such bad customer service when i go there. i just thought it was cause every dumb ass in front of me in line was arguing to save money with expired coupons or get discounts for damaged packaging or cause they are trying to coordinate their 18 kids running in 12 directions...this whole time it was just my sweats! gahhh.