hair.cut.

alright kids. i did it. i cut. my hair. 6 inches-gone in an instant.

i've been considering chopping it off for some time now,probably over a year. i was really tired of having all this long hair,but doing the same 3 hair styles over and over again,and was ready for some change. so, on saturday, i just went for it!

my roommate heidi is a photographer and was kind enough to give me my own mini photoshoot to show off my new 'do. so,without further adieu,i give you-my new (SHORT!) hair!








for those of you who are like "noooo andi! why'd you doooo it?? i looooooooved your long hair!" get over it. it'll be back...in about 2 years,ha.

SUPER special thanks to my hairstylist Dannielle Matison at A Head of Times salon(call her NOW to set up your appt!253-820-8849),my personal photographer Heidi Vladyka, and Photoshop for making me look gooooooood.

in other news,is this not THE cutest little boy you've ever seen in your LIFE??? soooo excited to see him in 2 weeks!!!!

can you see his faux hawk? he's totally rockin it


look who's learning to use the potty!!(he's totally gonna kill me for this in about 12 years)






til next time...bye!!!

a note of frustration

i'm in a weird mood today, feeling a bit frustrated,and i'm not sure there's anything i can do about it.


i'm frustrated with you.
i'm frustrated with me.
i'm frustrated with them.
i'm frustrated with being the last to know.
i'm frustrated with being the one who never finds out.
i'm frustrated in the things i can't see.
i'm frustrated in the things i can.
i'm frustrated with the things i want.
i'm frustrated with the things i don't want.
i'm frustrated with the things i have.
i'm frustrated with not feeling good enough.
i'm frustrated knowing i am.


(for the record, this is not directed towards one specific person or situation. it's just a general frustration blog post)

livin la vida loca

this may sound odd, but one thing i absolutely love about my job is the constant training we are provided. just when you think you know everything you need to know about childcare,and have used every single idea from your head that you could use, and exhausted every possible resource, there is some kind of training or event that is thrown my/our way to help us get some new,fresh thoughts in our head.

every year the company i work for gets all the area centers together and holds a "professional day" at the starbucks headquarters(or,sbux hq as i will refer to it from here on out). this may be the most dorkiest thing ever said in the world,but i LOVE professional day at sbux hq. free coffee/tea,catered breakfast(this year is was by krispy kreme),catered lunch(two words:JIMMY JOHN'S),there's raffles to win gift cards donated by parents, AND we get paid?? YES,PLEASE!!!

basically we all meet in the morning,eat breakfast, listen to the keynote speaker, head off to our first chosen class,eat lunch,head off to our second chosen class,then meet together one more time before heading out for the day(about 6.5 hrs total).

...here is how that day went for me. in pictures. duh.

first thing i did was check in and put on my fancy shmancy name tag:


i got there a tad late so i grabbed a banana,my first of many cups of coffee,and headed to sit with my coworkers and watch the keynote speaker,who had some interesting thoughts and ideas that i'm totally excited about bringing into my classroom:


after an hr of that,it was off to our first class,"documentation and display". the meeting rooms in sbux hq are all named after countries. my first class was in YEMEN(anyone who is a fan of the tv show friends will completely understand why this excited my soul)(also,for some reason my hand looks tiny,like the guy from the burger king commercial.i assure you i have normal sized human hands):


needless to day, it was a tad boring. we were definitely the troublemakers of the class who giggled and told lame jokes and tried to decide whether or not our teachers shirt CAME wrinkled,or she just forgot to iron it.

katie was a tad bored:


as was i:


so,as most of you know,the teaching profession is one that is dominated by women. and,well,the bathroom on our floor only has so many stalls...and when you gotta go,you gotta go...so me and my friends went. in the mens restroom.(this is something we also did last year. pretty sure it's become a tradition):



helllloooo from the mens room:


next it was the BEST part of the day...LUNCH!!!

so much jimmy,so little time:


yes,please and thank you:


the popular kids table:


it was at this point that i learned that i had won the raffle for a gift card to ross...which i promptly traded in for a gift card to the itunes store.

this may the biggest coffee cup i've seen in my life,as well as the coolest pot for plants:


after that amazing lunch it was time for our second class which was actually pretty fun. it was taught by one of the members of our leadership team. we played a game and our team won! i looooooooooove being a winner! our prize was these sweet foam fingers which we were proud to show off.

we got out of class a bit early and it was a gorgeous day so we went outside for a breath of fresh air...and discovered these AMAZING chair swing things right outside!(note:the foam fingers):


we ended the training at 3 pm. it was then a bunch of us decided to go to a local bar and unwind after a looooooooooooooong day. and by "unwinding" i mean we made friends with the new bartender at fado's, chewed out a friends ex husband for being an ass,tapped the back of a vw bug, getting lip sync serenaded to by a gay mexican liberace elvis,and learning how to salsa dance!
(my phone died around this point,hence the lack of pictures)

me and katie discovered we were feet twins! do you have ANY idea how hard it is to find someone else with a size 10 foot? trust me,almost impossible:


ohh la la,new glasses??? what do you think??


that's it for now...til next year!(assuming they let us back in,ha)

p.s. this is my 100th post!!! i'm going to celebrate by going to bed! goodnight!!!

20 minute taco salad

so, i'm a little bit obsessed with tacos. specifically making tacos and trying to achieve the perfect taco recipe. i'm always adding and subtracting things to my personal taco recipe to make it better. not gonna lie,in my little circle of friends,i'm kind of "known"for my tacos. i THINK the secret is the homemade shells...but my other secret is that it's SUPER easy and quick and any kitchen amateur could make them.

however,lately i've been trying to be a little more health conscious so i've been trying to create the perfect taco salad recipe. the best part is that it's almost exactly like my regular taco recipe,minus the shells. so if you're having a crappy day,or just NEED that extra awesomeness the shells bring, you can just add them in.(speaking of, i've found these great 100% whole wheat soft taco shells made by La Tortilla Family that are really good,if you're looking for a healthier shell alternative)

alright,here it is...my coveted 20 minute taco salad recipe:

(serves 3-4 adults)

*1 lb ground turkey (i know many of you are like ew,gross,but trust me,once you add the taco seasoning,you can't even tell it's not beef)
*2 bags pre shredded lettuce
*1 bag mexican style pre shredded cheese
*fat free sour cream(again,there's so many flavors going on in this thing you won't notice any difference in flavor from regular sour cream)
*2 medium tomatoes
*salsa
*1 avacado
*1 package low sodium taco seasoning

cook the turkey til it's all brown(no pink!) in a medium sized pot.add taco seasoning.mix together well and simmer until all the water has evaporated.(sometimes i'll cook an onion in with the turkey)

TIP:mix the taco seasoning with the one cup of water BEFORE adding it to the turkey,i feel that doing this gives the turkey more time to soak in the flavor of the seasoning.

while the turkey is cooking put about a cup and a half of lettuce on a plate,chop up the tomatoes and avocado.

when the turkey is done,and all the water is gone put about 1/4 of a cup of turkey on top of your plate of shredded lettuce. then add tomatoes,avocado,shredded cheese,and finally top it off with a spoonful of sour cream and salsa.

THAT'S IT!

and the best part is,this whole meal is under 300 calories! second best part,there's almost always enough for leftovers the next day(maybe i subconsciously make more than i need SO i'll have leftovers? hmmmm :)


this is the leftover taco salad i had for dinner tonight! it was amazing and it was SO big,i had to put some away for lunch tomorrow!

i can't even think of a creative title for this

you will NOT believe what i did last thursday night...i'll give you some hints:

1.got hot looking
2.went to a restaurant
3.had a drink and appetizers
4.had a 5 minute conversation with 9 different guys.

if your guess was SPEED dating,then you are correct! if your answer wasn't speed dating,then i'm defintely interested what it was you thought i was doing,haha.

stillll continuing on with my theme of experiencing new things this year,i decided i would like to try speed dating. i was going to go with no expectations,just to have fun and maybe make a new friend or two. so,i invited a few co-workers,we picked a date to go,and we went!

there are several speed dating company options in the seattle area, i chose Seattle Speed Dating UK Style just because it seemed really fancy and nice and i'm a fancy and nice kind of girl!(or so i like to think)

it started at 8 and lasted until about 11. basically all of us girls sat at our own table and the guys rotated tables, talking to each one of us for 5 minutes. we all had cards where we wrote the other persons name. at the end of the night all the guys and girls score each other. the people in charge then look for matches and you are emailed within 24 hrs of your potential future lady or man.

however

the company lost our score cards! which was pretty ok with us i think,because we really just going for fun and for the experience. they did offer us a free night on a date of our choosing...not sure yet if we're gonna take them up on that offer,but at least it's an option!

it was kind of funny that EVERY dude who was there:

1.worked for microsoft(except for 1,he was a honda dealer)
2.had never been speed dating before(i find that highly unlikely,but whatevs)
3.LOVED traveling and had been to all sorts of exotic countries like Bali,India,and Indonisia.

there was a contest in the middle of the "dating" where whoever found a white bear that was hidden in the restaurant got $50...and my coworker found it! lucky,lucky.

alright,finally,PICTURES!(my favorite part!)

Mere,ready for all her dates!


moi,about as ready as i could be:


Mere AND me:


we all picked "characters" we were going to be this night. Estelle was the "dirrty"girl,Schimere was the "token black girl",I was the "girl next door" and Patricia was the "punk/goth/rocker"girl:


Mere and the bear she found!


3/4 of us and some girl we met in the bathroom and dished about all the guys with..turned out she brought 3 of them!:


Stelle and Mere:


I have another new experience next saturday night...can't wait to tell you all about it!

today,i found it

...the perfect song.

a saturday in seattle

i love seattle,and i will honestly admit that i don't spend enough time there. i've lived here for 14 years and last year was the first time i ever went up the space needle! one of the main reasons i love it is because you can go there and experience something different every time. no two trips to seattle are exactly alike. there's always hidden treasures in the city to find and crazy people on the streets. with mine and my friends schedules,i don't get to venture up there to often,but when the opportunity arises, i jump at the chance!

that's what happened this weekend. my sister from another mister,amanda(or bee elle,as she will be referred to from here on...)got invited to some tupperware convention in lynnwood.(oh wait,according to the head tupperware mistress it wasn't a convention,because conventions involve suits. this was a tupperware PARTY!!).
that was an interesting experience just in itself. when they started giving away FREE,RARE,NEVER BEFORE SEEN tupperware i can only explain it as like an episode of oprahs favorite things. you know,the one where she gives away ridiculously expensive items that only the rich and famous can afford to buy and use. there is usually some amount of screaming,gasping,fainting,cheering,and not to mention,crying(out of peer joy). yep. just like that.for two hours. it was an all around ok experience. i did get 3 pieces of tupperware for a dollar! please,control your jealousy.

since seattle is on the way back home,we decided to make a pit stop and spend some time in the emerald city. we were STARVING and i had a craving for a dirty martini(ok,so when DON'T i have a craving for a dirty martini?)so we decided to eat at Von's, a place that several people,knowing i LOVE a good martini,have recommended to me. needless to say,it was pretty good! they have this cool wheel thing that they spin every half hour to pick what the special will be for that half hour. but the best part was...my dirty martinis were only $3.50!! That totally blew my mind because usually they're $6-8. annnd they were pretty damn good,if i do say so myself.

our official first stop...breakfast of champions:



our super cool, high tech tupperware nametags:



the wheel that got spun that picked the specials!



the special while we were there...the melontini



a sign that was next to us...only 323 days left til christmas! can't wait!!!!



mmmm chicken strips



my friends are weird and like to take pictures sitting on the counter in the bathrooms of restaurants.



i have recently acquired a flip video camera, so most likely you will be seeing a lot more video from me. yea?? here's me and bee elle chatting at von's(warning:there is some mild language. sorry grandma(s)):

!!if anyone has a capable computer,a video editing program,and some time, i have a few clips from this adventure that i would like to combine into one kick ass video. if i could PLEASE use you and your computer that would be amazing. i'll give you a hug!(i'm a GREAT hugger,i swear).email/text/fb moi!!



next stop...pikes place market!



apparently there's a cheese making factory right outside of the market. i had no idea!

cheese making!


they gave out free curds which were pretty good! it was fun how it squeaked in your teeth. according to bee elle this is the same stuff they give away at the tillamook factory and call it "squeaky cheese".

the famous original starbucks!(sarah,you've BEEN here!!)


one of my favorite things about pikes place is the infamous fish throwing dudes. for YEARS there's been this one fish throwing dude that i've found particularly adorable...

this one!(no idea what his actual name is...for now he's just "adorable fish throwing dude")



i allowed bee elle to take a picture with him too(you're welcome)


while walking back to pacific place to leave we saw this pretty cool street magician(does anyone know how he did this?? i can't figure it out!)



that's about all that happened...once i (hopefully!) get my clip video made i'll show you all the other super cool stuff we did! like contribute to the infamous gum wall,sponsor a child,and discovering the hard rock cafe...among other things.



today is super bowl sunday,i'm headed to my coworker katies house to have fun,laugh,cheer, and eat! go colts!!....or saints!!

look-alike

everyone knows someone who looks like someone else. for most of my adult life i have had people come up to me and ask "did you play softball with my daughter?" or "you look like this girl i went to church with...". 99 percent of the time, i am not the person they think.

another thing i get a lot is that i look like Lauren Graham, the woman that plays the mom on the tv show gilmore girls. when the tv show providence was on i got told i looked like one of those characters too! you be the judge...

moi:



providence lady Paula Cale:


Lauren Graham:



my point being,i have always found people who look similar to other people kind of facinating. you can take two completely seperate families from two completely different parts of the world, two completely different genetic codes, and make 2 very similar products. that's so crazy and weird to me! even in my own life, me and my best friend get confused for sisters more often than me and my ACTUAL sister ever will.

(for those of you who are about to call me out,yes,this post was inspired by Facebook Doppelganger week)

Mini update:

went to the doctor to check out my lovely lady head lumps. she told me she thought they were probably cysts(as opposed to tumors),but referred me to a plastic surgeon to have them removed and tested to make sure. i'll be making that appt next week.crossed fingers!

ALSO! i officially booked my next flight to Houston to visit sister,bro in law and nephew!! i'll be going march 13-17. SO excited,i hope the time flies by!

everyone have a great weekend!