And all that JAZZ!!

The day AFTER I went to Jason Mraz, remember how I mentioned it was a REALLY fun week??!!, I went to the opening game for the Jazz. I went with my friend Jenn and her boyfriend, Keith, and some of his work friends. It was soo cool!! Not only was it the Jazz's opening game, but it was the first ever "Lights Out" Player Introductions for the Jazz. Their new Sound System cost more than a million dollars but definately got everyone charged and excited for the game...there were flashing lights, FIREWORKS (YAY!!), streamers, and the crowd was going wild...like I said, it was REALLY fun!! Also, Collin Raye performed the National Anthem, I was so happy to be there...haha I was like a little kid in a candy store. :) Here is the link if you want to check it out, it was the best I could find: http://thrillof.com/Utah_Jazz/video:lights-out-utah-jazz-intro/

REALLY...Obama??

This story was told to me this past weekend by my roommate, Tracy. Her friend Brad lives in New York and decided to have what he called a, "Social Experiment." He actually wrote about it on his Facebook and I just couldn't get enough of it and since he could tell it MUCH better than I, I copied and pasted it for you to read and enjoy: "A Social Experiment Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 2:45pm Redistributing wealth On my way to lunch recently, I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read “Vote Obama; I need the money.” I laughed. In a restaurant my server had on an “Obama 08″ tie. Again I laughed. Just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came, I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Barack-Obama-redistribution-of-wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need—the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I’ve decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient "deserved" money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application." --Brad Guynn

Story Time--with, the NOT so baby anymore, Haley!!

Ok so this memory still brings warm and fuzzies to my heart and now that I got the picture from Ben, I feel like I can share it with you!! :) A couple months ago I went to Ben and Joy's for my, "Birthday dinner." It was VERY fun. Joy's parents were there and her niece, Tressa, was there as well...it was a party. We had a good time, Joy prepared a wonderful dinner, and I even got the "Special Plate," which was a big deal at our house when we were growing up. (And I haven't had it since) After dinner we were sitting around talking and Ben told me to go check out their bedroom. Joy had redecorated and the bed spread was, "Oh my gosh, you have to go see it and feel it for yourself!!" Haha...It really is a beautiful masterpiece!! Very elegant...Anyway, the story of it is I hadn't gotten on the bed yet, just had touched it and marvelled at the whole room really. I helped Haley get up on the bed, she had a book with her, and acted like the Queen of the Castle, haha. It was soo CUTE!! She had her back up against the pillows, with the book open, as if she was reading it and her legs crossed. I laughed and was enjoying watching her when she looked right at me and patted the spot next to her, like you would do if you saw your friend and wanted him/her to come sit by you, and I could hear her saying, "Aunt Tina, come sit by me." (Even though she clearly can't talk yet) It was the sweetest thing EVER!! I just love her, she's so precious!! Can't wait to have some of my own SOMEDAY!! :) This picture is a random picture from this past Summer. I had slept over at Ben & Joy's and gone with them to Megan's soccer game. Haley looks like she's not happy about me holding her, but I love the picture anyway!! :)

"I'M YOURS!!!!!!"

So I'm not gonna lie, last week was a REALLY fun week!! My friend Becca and I went to another concert again!! We've become Concert amigas and I LOVE it!! :) I have liked Jason Mraz for a while now, and LOVE his "I'm Yours" song...so when I found out we could get REALLY good tickets to his show through work, I WAS ALL IN!! And of course so was Becca!! And as usual we had a BLAST!! We met up with her Sister, Jodi, and her Sister's Husband, Rex, and went to dinner at this really cool place in Sandy called, Bohemian Grill...it was VERY delicious!! The waiter, well he WASN'T our favorite, but we had a good time teasing and laughing about it. Afterwards we headed to the E Center and got there just in time for the show!! We had 7th ROW tickets!! SWEET SEATS!! We danced, sang, and screamed our hearts out!! Jason put on an incredible show, he's a very good entertainer, (a little weird at times), but VERY energetic...just kept playing for us. For his Encore he brought out Lisa Hannigan, from Ireland, and they performed "Lucky," and even after that song he kept going and would say, "Just one more song." My favorite part, the HIGHLIGHT, of the concert was this: At the end of the show he introduced his band to the audience. He had a Polaroid camera with him and after each band member he introduced he would snap a picture and throw it out into the audience while it developed. I thought it was such a neat idea...Anyway I had my eye set on the picture I wanted and was very sad when it was tossed to a different section than ours. But don't even worry, he introduced himself and then threw his picture right at us!! Rex got ahold of it and without any hesitation or thought handed it to me... Turns out he loved watching mine and Becca's excitement to be there and loved watching us have a good time. (He knew i was VERY much a Fan of Jason's and VERY HAPPY to be there) So I'm famous, and i have the picture to prove it!! Here's to Becca and our good times!!!!!! :) Love ya!!

Proud MAMMA!!!!!!

"My BOYS DID it & I couldn't be prouder!! I believed in them ALL THE WAY"--Tina Lourenco, a TRUE Red Sox Fan OVERJOYED doesn't even begin to describe how i feel after watching last nite's Red Sox game!! I was soo happy and NEVER doubted their capabilities, hello did anyone see the 2004 Wold Series??!! I wore my Shirt yesterday, GOTTA SUPPORT, It says, "NUFF SAID," on the front and "I only root for 2 teams, the Red Sox and whoever plays the Yankees, NUFF SAID!," on the back, (Thank you K!! :) ). Don't even worry, I had people left and right, including my boss, telling me it's over. They're not going to win, how can they??...Blah, blah, blah. But you know what, they did and I didn't for one second think they couldn't!! The first 6 innings were absolutely PAINFUL, you just want to slap them around and say, "WHAT are you doing, cause you sure aren't playing Baseball!!" But once in the 7th inning, when Pedroia hit the RBI single, and Ortiz hit his homer, there was the light at the end of the tunnel...the rest is history, we FOUGHT to protect our possible win and we STOPPED the Rays, we NEVER GAVE UP and we did it!! What was funny was that I watched the whole game, but once we got into the 8th inning I had to run and switch my laundry...Well when I got back up to the t.v. the score was 7 Rays, 6 Us, (Red Sox),...So I thought, I can't watch the game...they won't win If I do now, I didn't want to jinxx it...so I sat in the Kitchen doing a puzzle, and I would go run to the t.v. when I heard cheering...I also turned the t.v. up really loud so I could hear it from the Kitchen...haha oh dear, good thing I was home alone. :) YAY for the Red Sox, Yay for Boston, the best place on Earth to be from!! I'm a diehard fan, always have been and ALWAYS will be!! Don't mess with us, we bring the maddness and mean business!!!!!! I'm EXCITED, I'm PUMPED, I'm fired up!! Life is GOOD!! (Now if only the Patriots would catch the bug!! ;) )

S.O.S. Please Someone Help Me

Ok so this story happened awhile ago, but i retold it recently and thought it was Blog worthy. :) This past August, the day my roommates and I moved out of our apt., (Aug. 21), we had to be present for clean checks. Not only was the Supervisor in charge of checking our apt. late, but she was a tad bit picky...luckily she allowed us to fix the details she pointed out. My roommate Kendra was in charge of the stove and apparently they were NOT scrubbed shiny enough for her liking. She recommended Kendra purchase some S.O.S. pads, scrub them down again, and she would return to recheck them. I didn't want to leave Kendra to do this alone, as we had all lived there and therefore contributed to the black ick stuck on the burners, so I told Kendra I would help. We went to Target and searched and searched through the kitchen/cleaning isles for these pads. (Kendra had never heard of them, which i was kindda surprised about...our family had them by the dozen it seems, so i thought everyone knew about them) I decided to STOP wasting time looking and instead go ask someone who worked there if they knew where we could find them. The only employee I could find at the time was a cashier, who was actually checking out another employee who seemed as though she was going to lunch. The cashier could tell I was in a hurry and somewhat puzzled and asked if she could help me with anything. I asked if she knew what isle I could find S.O.S. pads. She got this confused look on her face and asked me to repeat what I was looking for. I told her again and she HAD NO IDEA what S.O.S. pads were. (Am i that old that I can say S.O.S. pads are from "my day??!!" I couldn't help but thinking, seriously come on now!! Geez...i won't even get started on what i proceeded to think, as she was a blonde...) She asks me, is that make-up?? Umm, NO!! AND the other employee looks at me and says, "Oh i think I know what that is, it's medicine, isn't it??" Umm, NO!! What the?? I told them nevermind and chuckled as I walked away. It was pretty funny to me, but at the same time REALLY made me feel like I never imagined I would, OLD!! At that point, I figured we could just stop by a grocery store on the way home, as that's where I've seen and purchased some before. Sure enough, we found them at a local Smith's, went home, scrubbed our black burners, till they looked like Sparkling Beauties!! Oh the joy's of everyday life!! :) This is a picture of my dear friend and used to be roommate, :(, Kendra...Oh how i miss her!! We used to have soo much fun talking, laughing, watching shows together and movies...She comes from a beautiful family and I'm so glad I've gotten to know her and have her as a friend!! :) Love you!! P.S. This is NOT her favorite pitcure of us, but she sacrificed in letting me use it for my post!!

BEWARE of BOA CONSTRICTORS

This post is dedicated to the girls I work with, Hillary, (she's the one who actually told me this story), Jenn, Jimi, and Rebecca. The Four of us, Jenn, Hillary, Jimi and I all share the same office at work, which can be fun, but can have its moments (haha)...Anyway, the fun side of it is we constantly shoot the breeze about random topics, jokes, or even questions one of us will ask. And with the four of us being so different, our conversations get so interesting and so funny at times, and usually we seem to incorporate our stories or jokes into later conversations throughout the day. This past Monday (6th), I'm not sure how we got started talking about it, but Hillary told us this INSANELY, CRAZZY story about a Boa constrictor. I have this indescribable FEAR of SNAKES, always have and always will, so when she first told the story i tuned out. But later, as it was repeated over and over again, I wanted to hear it, and even tried to retell it myself adding my "own add-ins" of how i thought it went down. (haha) But here it is, so see for yourself and tell me what you think: Hillary's husband's Sister works @ the Provo Hospital and heard this story there: A family living in Springville owned a Boa constrictor as their family pet, I repeat, AS THEIR FAMILY PET. (whatever) Anyway, this "family pet" slept at the foot of the bed. It ate mice that the family kept in cages in the Garage, apparently it would slither off the bed to get its own food...Until all of a sudden they noticed it stopped eating and thought it was sick. The Mom took it into the vet to get it checked out. The vet told her there was nothing wrong, so she took it home, but it still continued to NOT eat. One day, (this is my add-in), she was in the kitchen fixing a turkey sandwich, wathching the Red Sox play, when she got a panick attack and started to worry about her family's precious pet, so she decided to go check in on it. (Ok this part is really what happened) She went into the bedroom and saw the Boa constrictor stretched out length wise on HER side of the bed...it was unusual. She called the Vet and told him what was going on and he told her it was sizing her, measuring her, to EAT her and she NEEDED to put it to sleep A.S.A.P. or even shoot it. (This is where i screamed and got a sick feeling in my stomach and where the Lady passed out with visions of the Snake's WIDE open mouth about to eat her...again, my add-in) But the story goes that she didn't want to put her FAMILY PET down and was torn about doing so, (this is where i CAN'T relate!!), but brought it back into the Vet and had it put to sleep. Can you belive that after what the Vet told her, she BROUGHT it back into him again??!! I seriously would've arranged for that beast to SHOT A.S.A.P./I wouldn't have even had the pet to begin with!! People can be SO CRAZZY!! I heard that story, got the hee bee gee bees and thought i'd share it with you!! :) These are the girls I work with, minus Jenn...I still NEED to get a picture with her!! (From left to right: Hillary, Me, Becca, and Jimi)

My Buddy, My Buddy, My Buddy & Me!!

I have had soo much fun this summer with my friend Jamie, I decided to dedicate a post to her. :) From Kanab to Toby Keith, we know how to live it up and laugh our way to an amazing time together!! We met when i lived in Timpanogos Gateway, (the apt. i just moved from), she lived below me and we suddenly, without me remembering all the details, just started hanging out. It's funny because we had mutual friends in the same social circles, but for whatever reason hadn't met any sooner. We share the same love of sports and same way of living, simple and enjoying every minute. In June I made the TREK, haha but seriously it's about 4 almost 5 hrs. away from Provo, down to Kanab to visit her and her family. She's a teacher and since she had the summer off most of her time was spent home with her family and for me a summer was too long to go without seeing her. :) We had such a blast. We went to Zion's National Park and hiked different trails, it's soo BEAUTIFUL, it's breathtaking!! While we were driving down into the park this gorgeous Hawk kept following us...we got it on camera, it was soo cool!! We saw the Sand Dunes after, I of course loved it and wished i had a four wheeler to ride. :( Pops, Jamie's Dad, made me saddle up on a Horse, which is something i NEVER thought i would EVER do AGAIN in my life--my family knows why...one word LIGHTNING!! It was VERY scary, but as i look at the pictures, i can see why Jamie and her Dad could NOT stop laughing. Jamie took me to their Ranch, and it was just as beautiful as Zion's Park. I loved being in the country and just feeling so calm and relaxed. We had a barbecue, watched the Celtics tear it up and laughed our heads off...It definately was long trip worth taking. :) Anyway, since then we've both moved...but truns out we're only a couple blocks away from each other. Not something we planned but i've loved seeing her more and more. Last weekend we went to Toby Keith together. I must admit...I didn't have the best attitude about going, Toby Keith is NOT my favorite county star, but i knew if Jamie and I were going together we would have a BLAST as usual. And quite the blast it was. :) It wasn't the best weather, it would rain a little, then stop and then rain a little and then stop. But luckily, it never really poured...so we just wore hoodies and sang our hearts out!! When we first got there we had some time to kill. I told her we should take a picture and at the same time noticed the guy in front of us had a Serious Billy Ray Cyrus mullet!! HAha...I Loved it!! I know it's probably really rude, but i moved down a couple seats and we took a couple pictures showing off his sweet hairdo. (The way i see it, he's gotta know, with hair like that of couse people are gonna want to take pictues of it...come on now!!) It was great. Loved every minute and of course LOVE JAMIE!! :)

M is for Missouri (a)

Mis·sour·i Pronunciation: /mɪˈzʊəri, -ˈzʊərə/ [mi-zoor-ee, by some residents mi-zoor-uh] –noun, plural -sour·is, (especially collectively) -sour·i for 3. 1. A state in the central United States. Capital Jefferson City area 69,697 square miles (180,515 square kilometers), population 5,595,211 2. (My Definition) Home of my Sister and BESTEST friend EVER (Jeannette), and her husband, James. Where rain is the common form of weather, people DON'T have to go to Driving School, therefore have no understanding of HOW TO DRIVE!!, and... Haha...ok ok, all joking aside, Missouri really is a lovely place, ish...I've only been there on the hollidays so maybe i'm not the best judge though. :) This past Christmas was my first trip out. I came at an interesting time...there had been an ice storm about a couple weeks or so before and the State was in recovery. Luckily when i got there, there was power and heat. James and Jeannette were working on remodeling their home, and i was grateful they let me come and be part of the chaos. I had such a blast just spending time with Jennie, we have so much fun together no matter what we do. I also had fun getting to know James and it just felt like the three of us have been friends for a long time. We spent Christmas with Jared, James' best friend, and his family. They were so nice to invite us for breakfast and keep us till dinner. :) We took rides on the ATV, Jared's Sister's husband was generous enough to let us, played Guitar Hero, took naps, and of course ate. James took me for a ride on the ATV and i'm pretty sure my face says it all. haha. Jennie and I had some fun with the camera too. :) 4th OF JULY was my NEXT trip!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the 4th OF JULY and this year i was exxtra excited to be spending it with James & Jeannette and even Jared!! :) I got there on Thursday the 3rd at about midnite...And of course Jennie knew how to start the trip off, with her camera in hand at the airport ready to take a picture as i'm walking out to meet them. Haha, OH DEAR. We spent the 4th with Jared and his family again. We had dinner and played some more Guitar Hero, talked and went to the park for the fireworks. My favorite was the after party!! They bought about $400 worth of fireworks and lit them off in James & Jeannette's front yard. BEST firework show EVER!! I was in my place!! I love fireworks and fire and lighting things off and the smell...Mmm good times!! :) The rest of the trip was spent laughing, playing games, watching movies, running errands with Jeannette, teasing James and supporting him while he rebuilt this old truck he bought, going on a special date with the cutest boy ever... it was one of the BEST trips i've EVER had!! Missouri 2008 is a memory i will cherish forever!! :)

READY, SET, GO!!

Haha, so i've been a "Blogger" for about a month or so now, but have never actually gone as far as to post anything...I'm LAME, i know. But here i am, a little scared, not gonna lie...I have no idea what i'm doing, but here i go!! :) FYI--For those who i haven't been in touch with... I've been living in Utah for the past 2ish years, in Provo to be exact. I'm about to move, yet again, seems like that's all i've done since i've been out here but oh well, I'm moving in with my friend Tracy. She lives in a condo South Provo and i can't wait...I'll be about 15 min. closer to work, and yay I can sleep longer!! I work in Payson, for a company called Temkin International. Our company manufactures film packaging...basically we manufacture and design the clear wrap that can typically be found around flowers...The owner, Danny Temkin, started the company out of his garage and it's now one of the fastest growing companies!! I work in the Accounting Department, under my boss, Dalan Andersen, the Controller. This is me at my lovely desk!! Where i spend MORE time than anywhere else!! Really though, i do love my job and feel so blessed to be able to say that!! Besides Work i love to PLAY!! I've really enjoyed having family nearby...it's been soo fun!! Without Ben and his family I would be soo homesick and sad...I love them so much!! I visit them a lot, sometimes i baby sitt, sometimes i drive them to the airport at 3 in the AM, sometimes i watch movies with them and American Idol, sometimes we go to the pool, sometimes we go to watch one of the kids play whatever sport they're into, sometimes we eat dinner, sometimes we color Easter Eggs and have Easter Egg Hunts, sometimes we laugh so hard we cry, and sometimes Ben reads me his book, sometimes i go to his ward and STRESS OUT while watching his kids so he and his wife can give talks...BUT no matter what we do, IT'S ALWAYS FUN!! Haha, I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH my BROTHER BEN, and his BEAUTIFUL WIFE JOY, and THEIR 5 CHILDREN. This year has been quite the year of concerts for me....I've gone to see One Republic, Gwen Stefani, Lifehouse, Matchbox Twenty, Royal Bliss...I just love seeing it live, and smelling the sweat!! No really i love to sing and dance along...It's one of my favoite pasttimes. Especially when it comes to KENNY CHESNEY!! EVERY YEAR no matter where i am, that's one concert you can count me in for!! Love it!! This year was extra fun. I went with one of my best friends i met at work. Since Kenny wasn't coming to Utah this year, we decided to go to Vegas to see him. Kindda crazzy, but hey i'm still young and single, so i can be crazzy!! :) Anyway, it was a very QUICK trip, but such a BLAST!! We left on a Thursday, right after work, and drove for about 4 hrs, to our hotel, in Mesquite. (We stayed at the Casa Blanca) The next day we layed out by the pool for the afternoon and then drove the rest of the way to the MGM Grand Hotel, where the concert was held. We sang our hearts out for our favortie Kenny Chesney and then drove home as soon as the concert was over...I was VERY tired, as i drove the entire way...but IT WAS WORTH IT!! Vegas was not my favorite, and even Kenny made some comments implying it was not his either...but either way I LOVED SEEING KENNY again!! Other than that, i can be found hanging out with my friends, watching movies, or laying out by the pool, going to church activites or MOVING, haha...I'm having a blast!! YAY!! I got through my first Post, be proud!! Miss you all dearly, (Family)!!