ten things tuesday

1. I crave Costco’s combo pizza like ALL the time. I love it. Also, their polish dogs and hot dogs give people the nastiest breath that literally makes me sick to my stomach sick sick sick.

2. Speaking of cravings, I also crave Disneyland. Didn’t know that was possible? Well it is. And it happens to me like every couple of months. Good thing I’ve got myself an annual pass thanks to my one and only Michael Rudd! It’s like he knows me.

3. I hate blow drying my hair. And I rarely do because my hair is pin straight and needs nothing but a pick run through it after my shower in the morning. Air drying it is! Just another reason why I hate the winter...Because it’s too cold outside for me to leave the house with wet hair! Lame.

4. This weekend, I started reading Harry Potter again. I stinking love those books. Here’s to round 7! 8? 9? 10 points for Gryffindor.

5. Subway is my go-to. I have gotten the same thing almost every time I go since I was 10. Chick bacon ranch on white with provolone, toasted. Lettuce, tomato, lots of black olives and LOTs of ranch. I gross the sandwich makers out every single time with how much ranch I want on that thing. But it is go-od, so who even cares.

6. I have been to many a concert in my time, but I have never danced at one. Until last week when MRudd took me to see Rascal Flatts. And it was there, under that hot Arizona sky that I danced at a concert like I’ve never danced before. Or for the first time in the history of my concert-going ever. Same thing. Rascal Flatts was the best concert I’ve ever been to, by the way.

7. At one time in my life, I had acrylics for like two straight years. My Aunt DoeDoe did them for me for free.99 and so why not?! And then she moved to Sahuarita aka two lame hours away and thus ended my fake nail wearing days. Then, a couple weekends ago, my bmf Kylee was telling me about this semi-ghetto nail salon that she goes to that only charges $15 to do a set of acrylics. Yeah, I went the next day. Just for fun. Got myself fake nailified. Mhmm. Anyway, these things are driving me straight up the wall crazy. I can’t type. I can’t play the piano. I can’t pop zits. I’m having a hard time remembering why I ever loved these things. Oh wait, because they’re fun and fancy and all pretty and what not. Plus, they’re great head slash back scratchers. Basically, I want to rip them off.

8. I have what MRudd calls my crazy cleaning mood. Basically, I go nuts and clean everything all at one time. We’re talking more than just routine cleaning such as sweeping and mopping the floor, cleaning the bathroom, etc. which all gets done on a regular basis anyway...We’re talking taking apart floor fans and wiping down every inch of them, scrubbing down baseboards, cupboards, and doors, re-organizing cupboards and drawers and closets…It happens every couple of months. I think it’s great, MRudd thinks it’s torture and hopes he’s never around when this mood comes on so that he doesn’t have to participate. Bless his heart.

9. I work as a PI paralegal, which means I’m thinking about car accidents all day every day. Consequently, I secretly have a really hard time with just about everyone’s driving, even my own, but especially if I’m a passenger in someone else’s car. Straight up fear that I’m/we’re going to get in an accident at any second due to a whole number of reasons. I don’t let my stress and worry and panic and anxiety be known to anyone who is driving….unless it’s MRudd. Again, I say bless his heart. Poor boy thinks I think he’s an awful driver. Now, while he does not have a particularly clean record (ask him about that one time he flipped a car...on his mission…), this is not the case and I do trust his driving. Even if it does give me an occasional panic attack of life-flashing-before-my-eyes kind of an experience.

10. I really really really want to learn blog design stuff, so if any of you lovelies are in the know-how in this area and would be so kind to help a lady out...I would basically love you forever and owe you I don’t know, something real good. Please?

my best friend is heaven sent

Background: I am the oldest grandkid on my mom's side, and was the only grandkid for the first part of my life. It goes without saying I was loved, I was adored, by my aunts, my uncles (they even got me a card for the first time I peed on the potty...true story, it's in my scrapbook), but especially by my grandma. I was super close to my grandma all growing up. I looked up to her, I loved her, I wanted to spend all my time with her. She adored me, but I also adored her.

Then, in 2007, a week before Christmas, my grandma was in an awful car accident. She had been hit head on by a drunk driver and killed almost instantly. That experience was sudden and tragic and one I hate remembering. Someone I had loved SO much was taken. And I took that hard. 

Shortly after the accident, I was given a priesthood blessing in an attempt to find some kind of comfort. I knew of the truthfulness of the plan of salvation, but sometimes in the very dark and raw moments, that was not enough and did not bring sufficient solace. I had heard the man giving me the blessing talk before in casual conversation that he did not believe in guardian angels, that he believed angels were not primarily concerned with helping those still on this earth, but busied with teaching those on the other side. However, in the blessing that he gave me that night, I was promised that my grandma would be my guardian angel, that she would always be watching over me. I knew for a fact that this was not something coming from the one giving the blessing, but from God, that not only would He be watching over me, but so would she.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had just started my freshman year at ASU. All of my friends had chosen to go to school elsewhere, and I was left all alone. I knew no one my first couple of weeks in college. I was still struggling with losing my grandma, and taking that along with everything else in put me at what was probably my lowest low. I cried more in that first little bit than I think I had in the first 15 years of my life. I was so alone, so...down. I didn't know how to cope, but I knew I needed someone. I would pray all day every day, "Heavenly Father, I just need a friend. I just need a friend." 

One day, I was walking around institute, trying to find a place to sit. I turned a corner and saw Celeste, a girl I had gone to high school with. Celeste and I had several classes together in high school. We sat next to each other and edited one another's papers, but we weren't really friends outside of class. That day, she invited me to sit down and eat lunch with the group of girls she was already sitting with, and I did. I started meeting up with Celeste every day after that and pretty soon, we were inseparable. Eventually we became roommates, and literally spent just about every second together. We went on a dozen trips, we worked right across the street from each other, we took the exact same classes throughout our times at ASU...It was rare to see us apart. And we liked it that way!

Then I got married. And eight months later, Celeste got married.

On the day of her wedding, I was sitting next to my mom in the sealing room of the temple as we waiting. My mom asked if I knew who the woman sitting across from us was. I told her it was Celeste's grandma. That wasn't enough for my mom; she knew her from somewhere and she needed to know her name, like now. A couple hours later, at the luncheon, my mom went up to Celeste's grandma, wanting to figure out where she knew her from. Celeste's grandma told her that her name was Arvana, and my mom connected the dots instantly. She turned around to face me a few tables over and motioned for me to come to her. She did the same to Celeste. We got to where she was and my mom said to me, to us, "Celeste, this is your grandma? (turning to me), This is Arvana. She was Grandma's best friend for years and years and years, up until the accident." 

Immediately, I started crying, shaking. I grabbed Celeste and we hugged for a very....long time. All I could think was my grandma, my promised guardian angel, had watched over me when I was in my darkest hour, had seen that I needed a best friend, and thought that her best friend's granddaughter would be the perfect fit. 

Those few moments, where all the dots were connected, all the pieces came together, are ones I will never forget. Those few moments made me love Celeste even more than I already did, and put an even higher value on our friendship. I had always know that Celeste was an answer to my prayers, but I hadn't the slightest idea of the miracle, the angelic work, that had taken place behind the scenes.

So there you have it. My grandma and my best friend's grandma were best friends. And now, without any prior knowledge of their special friendship, their granddaughters are best friends. 

Coincidence? I wouldn't agree to that label if I was offered a million dollars. The Lord watches over us, He hears our prayers and our pleas. But He isn't the only one. We are not alone, and we are not forgotten. There are others, others whom we are important to, that are keeping watch.

This is Celeste and I, on my wedding day and hers. 

  

I know for a fact...This girl, my best friend, is heaven sent.

ten things tuesday

1. I hadn’t bought (or as my sweet Michael Rudd would say, “I hadn’t ‘boughten’”) a new swimsuit in five years because of a certain, um, situation (read: my big freaking boobs) until this weekend when Lime Ricki had an awesome Labor Day sale. I had just pinned a bunch of their tankini tops last week and decided this sale was the perfect opportunity to try my chances at finding a swimsuit that I don’t fall out of. Hoping they’ll actually work!

2. I crave salty and sweet things at the same time. I rarely crave them separately.

3. I often wake up with my silky soft fleece $10 blanket from Costco wrapped around my head slash face but never covering anything else. Obviously, it’s one of those blankets you just have to rub your face all over because of it’s killer softness.

4. The hardest decisions I ever have to make are what to eat. Breakfast is easy, I just have a cup of chocolate milk. But lunch and dinner? It’s like I forget what kinds of food exist and can come up with absolutely nothing. Michael Rudd kind of hates me for this sometimes. Or a lot of times.

5. I am horrible at returning phone calls. Like, I avoid it. Confrontational problems maybe??

6. I also hate listening to voicemails. I will let a voicemail sit in my inbox for days, even (and especially) if it’s from a number I don’t recognize.

7. My Aunt DoeDoe (Angel is her real name, btw) is one of my best friends. She knows how to put every feeling out there into words, and she is the best and understanding all sides of every situation. Basically, she’s my go-to and built-in therapist and I love her like crazy.

8. Speaking of best friends, the grandma of my best friend, Celeste, was best friends with my grandma. And no, our grandmas didn’t introduce us to one another. That story is one I should share. Soon.

9. I love popping zits. Love. It. My siblings ask when the next time I’m going to come over is because they need a fatty zit popped. It happens.

10. I love sitting in front of my bathroom mirror and turning the light on and off so I can watch my eyes dilate back and forth. Fascinating. Really.