jill of all trades

if you know me... i have a tendency to acquire multiple jobs.
this summer happened to be four.
(coaching swim + nannying + nannying again + dental office)

However, with school this semester I've narrowed it down to two with an occasional three.

I have the best job.. well jobs in the world.
I spend MOST of my time as a nanny for the most adorable boy, Brennan.
Today we made edible play-doh.
(PB + honey + powdered sugar)
Isn't he just adorable?





When I'm not nannying, you will find me here:



I work at Bella Vita transferring all paper medical records to electronic ones with other college kids (all strangely enough Clovis West grads).
It is stimulating work, and I think Evan summed it up best yesterday by saying,
"What I love most about working here, is that everyday is something new. A new challenege. I never know what to expect."
I don't know if you can detect the slight hint of sarcasm there. haha
Needless to say, I LOVE the people there.
Although in 2 weeks I will be relieved of computer duties to deliver holiday goody baskets to medical offices in the valley. wahoooo. Nothing like bringing joy to offices : )

However, if you can't find me at the plastic surgery office, I am most likely wearing these:



yes, baby phat scrubs (in black) at dr. malan's office as his receptionist. ha
Again, LOVE the people. haha.
I love Tina's boyfriends porno tattoos.
Give Ashley boyfriend advice.
And Amy &everyone else in the office tries to convince me that dental hygiene is WAY better than nursing. haha
Somehow I manage to unintentionally make everyone laugh when I go in.

The other week blinds were being installed and the lady called and needed to speak to doctor.
So of course, I go over into his office and tell him "doctor, the blind lady is on the phone for you"
I swear he looked at me for like 10 seconds and then Ashley bursts up laughing...
Then I had to clarify, "no! she's not blind. hahaha. the blinds. window coverings"
He even cracked a little laugh, and dentists are hard to crack.
haha.

I can definitely see patterns in the progression of the jobs that I've had.
Here comes the timeline.

Retail:
-abercrombie kids (ha!)
-the bread mill ( one of my favorites : )
-jamba juice ( If you ever want to know where all the crazies are in your town.. go here. That's where they are allll working. hahahahah ohmygosh. SO MUCH FUN! However, it is a hard job! )


Kids:
-nannying for h.s. counsleor's girls
-swim america swim coach
-nanny for bricen + brielle
- nanny for gregory's


Nannies come and nannies go, but are never far away... They leave a lasting impression, its their attitudes that stay.
-nanny for brennan ( NOW )

The Medical Stage:
-Dr. Malan's office, dental receptionist
- Bella Vita/ Regional Hand Center

I feel like this last stage is going to stick : )
miss nurse lauren needs to hurry up already.

meet the family.

pictures are in...
sneak a peak.




featured:
momma, karen.
step-pops, roger
oldest sister, kristin
sister's hubby, clark
nephew, wyatt
little sister, kayla
little brother, logan



i'm not sure which one you'll be getting in the mail this year. . .
nicole madsen did an amazing job : )

california fall.

i think i'm in love.

i like this whole being home thing.

we headed out this afternoon and took family pictures.

it was literally raining leaves & absolutely picture perfect.

My sister Kristin & I snuck these few with my camera while the photographer was getting the

boys.

I was put in charge this year of the wardrobe styling, and I think they are going to turn out

smoking hot.

The orchard was behind the cutest little ranch home.

I WANT a mini-farm much like the one that they had.

[Put in a good word for santa for me ( : ]

The most friendly horse, billy goats and a handful of chickens.

perfection.

alternative forms of birth control

makemebabies.com.
you might re-think ever having children.
case in point.



i think i might be looking into genetic counseling.
on second thought, maybe one of these would be a better idea.

I'm adding it to my Christmas wish list.
On sale for only $34.97 at Wal-Mart

features:

Baby Born needs your little girl to take good care of her. She'll love to feed her, give her water, change her diaper, and, when she is ready, place her on her potty.

Realistic Baby Features:

She "drinks"

She "pees"

She "eats"

She "poops"

She cries real tears

Moveable arms

Moveable legs

Her eyes close when she is laid on her back

Quite a STEAL considering a REAL child costs $266,698
don't believe me?
check it out here.

under the mistletoe

1) andy & i went to home depot the other day & are now the proud parents of:
A VENUS FLY TRAP & assorted other plants + pots.
we planted each of the plants and their new home is in his kitchen window.
home-y. i know. ha. We also picked up a Christmas-y tablecloth. (I figured that I had to act quickly! Anding was talking about getting a CAMO tablecloth!!! haha) It is looking less and less like a bachelor pad by the second. haaaa.

2) i made persimmon cookies yesterday. They are absolutely delicious and use less fat since the fruit takes the place of alot of butter. ( : mmm they taste like the holidays. If you want to make some I can drop some persimmons by, WE HAVE TONS!


3)Andy has gotten me addicted to home alone. Yes, obsessed. ps. I just realized the updated creeper in the first picture. I didn't know that he was there at first, but I like. RIP MJ. I feel so festive watching these two movies and cuddling up which brings me to...


4)BLANKETS and CUDDLING! The cold has come, even though the sun is still shining, it at least feels cold. haha. For christmas, I made Andy a huge fleece tie blanket with this bear + moose pattern (simliar to the one on the bottom) backed with a faint camo. It is GORGEOUS and comfy and all things good. So good in fact, that I couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to him. We broke it in last night and it is "the best blanket ever" according to andy. That's one thing that I'm not good at surprises... or maybe delaying gratification. I just can't wait to give presents!!! Luckily, he's has lots more coming. haha. I'm rationing the rest.





5) I've been listening to Christmas Music... NONSTOP. I am obssessed. 98.9. It will change your life.
Oh, I just LOVE the holidays.

how to get on santa's nice list:

make THIS for your friends and family.



just be sure to share! (unless you want some extra friends hanging out on your hips)

check out the recipe here.

she has absolutely THE best recipes.

They all look delicious ( :

a few of my favorite things as of lately

1) this boy puts the biggest smile on my face.
I even like it when he brings home duck from hunting for me to make duck tacos. haha.
Although, he's winning over everyone's heart a little too quickly.
My mom told me the other day, "well we love Andy as much as we love you so he's welcome anytime"
My reply, "Wait I thought I had 19 extra years on him, doesn't that count for anything"?
Apparantly quality over quantity and he is one quality guy.



2) insanity. andy's roommate sergio got this to get ready for the CHP and we all hopped on board. If you are looking to DIE this work out is for you. 50 minutes of THE most intense workout of your life. What claims to be the hardest workout dvd definitely delivers. From the same producers of P-90X, insanity focuses on cardio along with muscle toning. Don't say I didn't warn you... ( : youtube it here Or contact me and jump on board. Andy, Brian, Sergio and I do it in Andy's garage/aka gym.



3) career switch. So after thinking about dental hygiene for a very long time and nursing for an even longer time I've decided that I'm going to NURSING SCHOOL. I'm going to join the masses of these crazies.



Good news is that the nursing pre-reqs are the same for dental hygiene so I'm still on track. I feel like it will be a better fit and a little bit more creativity needed. I am seriously excited about it. I was apprehensive about being able to get into a school since it's extremely competitive, but where there's a will there's a way... right? I most likely will end up going to an accelerated program bypassing all the lottery admissions .

4) homemade pizza.
trader joes whole wheat pizza dough + sauce + tomatoes + a little bit of cheese + lean canadian bacon + pineapple = DELICIOUS.
the dough that is supposed to make one pizza, we get two with a little creative stretching and it's only around $1!!
Andy and I are sort of obsessed.
Who says pizza cant be healthy?
When you make it yourself you can take out all the grease and replace it with your favorite veggies/fruit.



5) the holidays are around the corner.
Andy & I the other day made #4 on the list and then watched elf in celebration of Christmas approaching.
I can't wait for breaks from school and work and a little Christmas spirit.
Turkey day will also be quite exciting with TWO dinners this year.
I will DEFINITELY be doubling up on insanity workouts : )



Oh, did I mention that my sister and her little troublemaker will be making their way West? haha oh little wyatt, 9 months and walking.



Not to mention the traditional Christmas tree lane stroll with a hunky hand in mine.





oh life is good.

no more coookies!

Work today:
Making a million cookies & watching the little pumpkin ( Brennan ) : )
I have the BEST JOB ever, however I don't plan on making cookies until at least next halloween.

sto lat!

When I lived in Roseville; Michelle, Leslie and I started a tradition of singing the polish version of happy birthday:

Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje zyje nam.
Good luck, good cheer, may you live a hundred years. Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje zyje nam.
Good luck, good cheer, may you live a hundred years. Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech zyje, zyje nam.
Good luck, good cheer, may you live a hundred years. One hundred years!

Me and my POLISH SISTERS back in the day .
we all have polish heritages. cool, huh?
Michelle is legit though, and she's the one who taught us the song.





The Point of all that translation & explanation:
I STOLAT-ED IT UP THIS WEEKEND!!!
I am 4 (this picture) x 5!!!
that's pretty old..
although I am happy to say that I am ready to leave my teenage years behind!
I feel like I've been in my twenties for a while though.
Now reality is finally catching up : )



My actual birthday was on Friday, the same day as a Halloween dance was going down.
Soooo... I decided to have a little dinner dress up pre-dance party.
Can you guess who we are?



Can't you see it???
COWBOY AND INDIAN
or
POCAHONTAS & JOHN SMITH



I channeled my inner native american.
Below is proof of my cherokee hertiage.
Check out my pops.
He is dark all over, then i'm this white blondie.
ha.
The only thing dark i seemed to get are my eyebrows + lashes!
Crazy... althought they came in handy to match the WIG : )


haha...
okay, so we were sort of a modern intrepration...
i didn't want to go all out, since it WAS my birthday.
But my shirt has feathers printed on it,
and a tie with feathers on it...
and Andy wore his cowboy boots, pearl snap shirt
and even upgraded with a cowboy hat later in the evening.




Andy gave me my birthday present after dancing and yummy food.
He is such a sweetheart & a goooood gifter : )
no, it was NOT a ring for all you crazies out there. haha.

The next day we headed out to...

SANTA CRUZ!
We made a pitstop at Gilroy's outlets and Andy let me go shopping!
He kept talking about how he is going to take me to Bass Pro Shop,
I think he's thinking that that's going to be some kind of revenge...
I admit, I like to take my time while I shop and I was loving Saks Fifth.
I ended up with two shirts that I am in love with.
I even changed into one for the below photos
( I had worn long sleeves thinking we were going to Monterey... then we changed our minds)

We headed over to the boardwalk...


BUT ended up finding a sunny spot, laid down our blanket and enjoyed the GORGEOUS Weather... and I enjoyed this handsome guy next me : )




We ended up stopping in Los Banos (yes, it really is called 'the bathrooms') at some hole in the wall mexican food place...
THE BURRITOS were so good.
You can always judge a good burrito by how uncomfortable you feel going into a restaurant.
Andy and I definitely didn't blend in.
But, you gotta do what you gotta do to get a good burrito : )
Andy even tried telling me that the reason they put so much cilantro on everything, is because it kills bacteria...
I'm sort of a skeptic, so I looked at up &...
OHMYGOSH... HE WAS RIGHT!
check it out, click here

It was a perfect day!
snaps for andy for being the best boyfriend ever

Today I am celebrating with my family.
I am looking forward to a menu consisting of: salmon red potatoes broccoli rolls and... drumroll please...

ice cream and cake do the ice cream and cake.
one of these beauties.
Of course, mine says HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN because my mom is THE BEST.
Andy & I were daydreaming about it in church.
chocolate cake + cookie dough ice cream = bliss.



I am a lucky girl to have so many wonderful people in my life.
My twenties are going to be my favorite, I can just feel it : )

big big big fresno fair

Parker, Boris, Pat, Bethany, Lauren, Brendan, Lindee, Andy & I all headed over to the:
Big. BIG. big. Fresno Fair last night.
It was soo much fun : )
Sorry for the lack of a group picture, miss lindee has that in her camera.



Why Andy is the coolest: exhibit A.
helloooo camo. ha.
not to mention to not so apparent deer head on his shirt.



the cows were seriously trying to kill each other.
I was concerned.
mad. cow. period.


in the reptile room I FOUND A TOUCAN.
aka fruit loop mascot.
I tried to take a picture by the cage then this fine gentleman BROUGHT IT OUT : )
The first words out of reptile's man mouth were:
"Dont worry, HE BITES... but it doesnt hurt,
oh and he doesn't like girls for some reason"
hello, have you seen a toucan's beak?!
haha.



I drew a crowd from this toucan charade.
Everyone wanted to know why this bird was attacking me.


lesson learned from the day: I am not so photogenic. No candid shots for me.
They sure are fun to look at though. ha.