Who loves free stuff and Shutterfly as much as I do?

Alright guys listen up. I love free stuff and good deals, ask anyone that knows me. I'm pretty good at finding them too. This is a cool promotion among many that shutterfly offers if you sign up for their website. I used shutterfly to print out my pictures for my wedding invitations and made a photobook with them, I love it! it's so convenient and fun to use. I have so many digital pictures and it's great to have actual prints of them. You can have them shipped directly to your house or to a target location near your house. When I saw on another blog that they have a 2010 Holiday Card collection promotion going on I wanted to share it with you guys. I definitely wanted to do my christmas cards through them this year and this just makes it that much better.

CLICK IT


That is the link to the actual form you fill out to be a part of this promotion. You need to have a blog that is not private and that's about the only requirement to sign up. They will send you specific instructions on what to do through your email after a couple of days. You guys have to hurry up though because it's only going on through December 10th!


I was searching other places for christmas cards and no one had the quality selection that shutterfly has. They have a style to suite all of you. Here are some examples...














So cute right? I saw at least 5 on each page that I really liked, and that is rare. I like that last one because there is a lot of room to write a little letter if you want and I haven't seen that on a photo card like this before. Pretty neat.

Check out the whole collection of designs for yourself here.

you can also take care of your thank you cards through them too! be sure to check those out.

and look at these adorable calendars.

I really want to make one of these desktop calendars for my desk at work.

You can personalize each item and that's what I love about it. The photobook I made is truly a book by ME for me and Taylor. We will have it forever and it is filled with so many great memories of our first year together, even he loves it and he's not the easiest to impress. And guess what? I got that photo book FOR FREE! through another promotion shutterfly had a few months back. They really do appreciate their customers and it shows!

I know this was a lot of info but in summary, If you are into pictures as much as I am check out Shutterfly and the promotion!

Everything is right, Everything is wrong

I just opened the window to cool the room down. I'm up in one of our spare bedrooms that has hardly been used since we moved in last April because it has been too hot. It's sad because this is where our computer is, and all of my future/half finished/ideas for art projects sit. In boxes, untouched for months. When we buy a house I now have a list of requirements. I want a one story. It is nearly impossible to keep the top level of a house at a decent temperature during the Arizona scorchers. I want hardwood floors. Carpet gets dirty too fast when you're in a house full of boys(taylor, and the dogs) I can only imagine having kids and trying to keep carpet clean. I would settle for tile but prefer the look of wood much more.I want privacy in our backyard. Our neighbors yard for some reason is elevated and every time we are out there we see his head and whoever else might be joining him that day. Don't get me wrong, i've always dreamt of living next to a "Wilson" type (I pretty much grew up watching home improvement) but sometimes you just want to go in your backyard and not feel like someone else can see your every move. I want a more closed floor plan. This one may seem weird but in the house we have right now the kitchen dining room and living room are all connected and it almost makes it feel like an apartment. Maybe its because I grew up living in apartments that I would like to have everything be a little more divided. I don't want 4 walls around every room... but something in between what we have now and a prison cell would be nice.

I honestly didn't sit down with the intentions of picking apart the house we are renting now, I actually really like our house and feel so lucky that we live in such a roomy place for such a good price. I'm glad we have this time to decide what we like and don't like rather than buying a place and feeling this way about a house that we are stuck with. Sooo dream house here we come!... some day.

Back to the room that I am in... or more importantly, the things in this room. I have had such a flow of creative energy lately but no motivation to do anything with it. So often I feel held back by money, or skills. I need to tell myself I can do it.... when I lack in skills, I can teach myself. Our generation got the shaft in a lot of ways but we did get lucky when it comes to the internet and the amount of information that is available to us. It can be a great tool for so many things. When I lack in money, I can improvise. There is nothing more valuable than a creative mind, and I like to think that I have one.

Another thing that holds me back is energy. I signed up for a weekly fitness boot camp at work and I am hoping this will be the push that I need to get the ball rolling. I know fitness bootcamp doesn't sound like a very creative thing, but healthy habbits lead to so many great things. I know I will feel better, be more motivated, and have so much energy once I start eating right and exercising again. It's true what they say about getting married and living next to a McDonalds... its a deadly combo. So we'll see how trying to get back on track right before the holidays pays off for me.

Taylor gets home soon from his new job at FedEX. It's a lot of work but he is doing amazing. I married a hard worker and I am so proud of him. I do have a lot of time alone after work now before he gets home. I decided I need more friends. Friends with things like creative minds, dry senses of humor, appreciation for a good book, or band. People like me. I was never good at making friends... girl friends. I have a few amazing friends who will always be in my life, but Now that I'm starting to really figure out who Christa is I think its time to make some new ones. How do I go about this? it's not like in high school where you could turn to the person sitting next to you who was wearing a band t shirt that you liked or something (which I never did anyways because I was awkward and terribly shy... not much has changed) It's a learning and growing process I guess. Just like everything else. It's definitely something I look forward to.

Check out these photos I took at this random farbric by the pound shop my mom took me and my sister too. It was an interesting little place









And check out these neat glasses I got for 50 cents each at goodwill, I think they are so cute. I had to share.



This weekend we are going to the dunes. I found out a couples days ago that I will be the only girl on the trip, wish me luck. I'm actually really excited. Our last dunes trip was so much fun and its been about a year since we have been. Hopefully when we get back, in time for halloween, I will make some yummy carmel apples. I have been craving carmel apples with chocolate and sprinkles and other really bad for me stuff. What was I saying about eating healthy? disregard that until halloween is over.

Road Trip...

So i'm posting a picture from an airplane. It doesn't make sense I know. But it is Utah and that is where we are going! We will be staying with my Brother and his wife for a week and I haven't been this excited for a while. There is something about Utah, especially at this time of the year. I'm a sucker for the fall colors and cool air, it's magical. A place that is almost too perfect to actually exist.

I haven't been keeping up with this blog like I had hoped, but I hope to get back on track soon. We added a new member to our family and he has been consuming my time. We got a puppy! Buckminster (bucky) Brimhall a.k.a. Chocolate chip, the buckster, buck nasty, and so on...Taylor brought him home as an anniversary surprise and things have been crazy ever since! house training, vet visits, chewed up articles of clothing... it's all a learning experience. I don't know how people with babies do it. I have a newfound appreciation.

Introducing....


It's pretty impossible to say no to this face... and those eyes.

Taylor and I have been married 5 months today. Wow has it flown right on by.... time please slow down now.

And then it rained

Yesterday. For dinner we had filiberto's super nachos and a diet coke. What is it about fili b's diet coke? or any soda from there for that matter. Is it simply the styrofoam cup and how every sip is ice cold? the fact that I can barely hold it with one hand? or do they just pump it with extra syrup? Maybe it's all of the above, but there is no way I can turn down a soda from that place.
I was hesitant to spend 8 dollars for nachos since we are trying really hard to save every bit we can right now. But when they handed us the bag that weighed about a pound I remembered why it was a good choice. Usually i'll pick through the nachos and save the "best chips" (you know, the chips that are so smothered in cheese and sour cream that they are almost soggy) for last. But when you get super nachos, every chip is the best. No fighting for the good stuff here, the whole thing is delicious and terrible for you. These are definietely a favorite.

Rain, rain, rain. The storms that have brought the most rain recently have looked the least intimidating. We had nights where dark cloud masses taunted and teased us but they brought only light sprinkles and we felt so deceived. Unexpectedly, last nights yellowish white sky really did deliver. It rained, it poured, puddles accumulated for our car tires to splash in, and I loved every minute of it.



The songs taylor was singing went right along with the sound of the storm, as if the cement were an instrument and the rain played it well.


Believe it or not we had another birthday celebration. It was my sisters birthday July 24th. I am very sad to say goodbye to the month of July. Here is to having just as much fun in August!



We love Cooper. He reminds us to relax and just laugh at life.

Tomorrow. We leave on a camping/hiking trip to Fossil Springs. I am so excited to get out of the city and be in nature. The hustle and bustle has really been getting to me lately. It should hopefully be a good chance to take some photographs as well.


Tonight. Packing and shopping for the weekend trip. Get excited.

nothing at all in my head to say to you, only the beat of the train i'm on

Life has kind of gotten in the way of blogging for a little bit. When I say life I mean actually having work to do, a holiday, birthdays, and having my husband home on the weekends. It's been nice. I have a lot of pictures that I need to upload onto my computer at home and I will probably post them later. For now, here is a short summary.

Work is the same as always. We have a team building activity tomorrow at an aquarium followed by arcade games and free food, all the while getting paid. I'll take it. This will probablly lead to some things I never thought I would see.


Holiday The fourth of July was a lot of fun. It's not independence day without multiple barbecues to attend in the days leading up to and following it, right? so we had a couple of those, had some delicious red white and blue waffles (maiden voyage of the wedding waffle maker was a success), swam, almost burned Taylor's parents house to the ground (another requirement of the holiday) and managed to teach cooper what fireworks are.


Birthdays are always fun. Received 4 cakes (one of the cookie variety) some very sweet and much appreciated gifts, breakfast in bed, roses, quality family time, and a trip to sunsplash with my sweet husband. That trip lent its own gift to me, a little bit darker skin tone, which is a good thing.

Husband being married is fun. I think we are starting to get the hang of it; However, I still have not learned to keep the flowers/plants he gives me alive. A couple weekends ago we saw toy story 3 together and laughed more than anyone else in the theater. Every time I laughed I glanced over at him because I knew he would be laughing too. I loved it.

So for my birthday I forgot to drop hints that I wanted this book. I would love to see these photographs in person but for now having a collection of them in a book would be fantastic.




Check out more here. Am I the only one completely loving these? Note to self- Begin dropping hints that you want this for a Christmas present. Men don't think the same as woman, this may take some time ;) ps the presents I did get for my birthday were great and heartfelt. I am by no means complaining or wishing for anything other than what I got.


This post would be much more exciting with my pictures. I've got a swimming dog, waffles that will make you salivate, picnic baskets, and pyrotechnics. Stay tuned!!


Office update- I think the janitor (a forty-something hispanic woman) has a crush on me. Avoid the restrooms at all costs when she is cleaning so as to avoid another awkwardly stated and forward compliment.

cause you were all yellow

Life lesson. If you see something at goodwill that you like, buy it right away. Do not wait on it because it will always be gone. I've learned this lesson before but always make the same mistakes. I fell in love with a chair and was going to wait to see if I could get it half priced. It was in perfect condition and was my favorite color as of late (yellow). I hope it found a good home. I did get a shirt in a lovely shade of yellow but it definitely didn't make up for the loss of the chair. Now all I need to do is find the perfect color of navy blue nail polish, maybe that will cheer me up. I might also run by a little vintage furniture place called the "shabby shack" in mesa. I've been hearing about it, but I haven't checked it out yet. Think they have any perfect little yellow chairs?

I can feel the monsoons begging to move in and I can't wait. I enjoy all of it, the smell of the desert rain, the wind, the dust, and even the power outages. Oh and don't forget the thrilling live shots of people stuck ontop of their trucks because of a failed attempt at driving through an obviously flooded wash. There is just a feeling in the air around this time of year that is hard to describe but easily felt. I don't care what anyone says, I love Arizona.


(I didnt take this, thank you google images)

Well, it's going to be a long day even though I get off 2 hours early. Wish me luck.

Getting me through the day...

routine, killing me

I dont remember where that image is from, I just know I liked it. I get a quick break from the tedious job i'm doing today. Basically I've been searching a database for names that usually aren't there. Names that usually differ from the name before it by a single letter; For example, William johnson, Willie Johnson, Will Johnson, Wayne Johnson Wayman Johnson and so on.... When I dont find them I put a zero down on a spreadsheet. Yup... that's it, for 8 hours.

I could be in California by now or well on my way to somewhere else more exciting. I think about that a lot when I sit at work doing nothing. I think about how far I could have driven in the time i've been chained to this desk. Hours wasted, miles lost. Everybody's working for the weekend right? Except my husband who doesn't even get those anymore. Fourth of July is this weekend. I'm usually in Utah viewing the great "stadium of fire" from afar. It will be missed along with the snacks, people, and weather that coincide with it. Hopefully i'll get to see and/or set off some fireworks of my own this year. I've had a bundle waiting in my trunk since new years. Every time I load or unload groceries there is a little spark of excitement in my heart (pun intended) thinking about setting them off. And the pyro in me smiles. Does anyone have anything exciting going on for the holiday? I'm excited about it, I like getting into holidays no matter how corny, made up, or ridiculous some of them may be.

The only reason I got to take this quick sanity break was beacuse there was something wrong with the database I was working out of. I'm catching word that it is fixed now and the torture must go on. Two more hours until sweet freedom will once again be mine.

Yesterday. I fell asleep at 8:30 p.m. Woke up at 1:00 a.m. shared a musical, lucid moment with my husband to the tune of ray lamontagne, Woke up at 6:00 a.m. for work and realized I had slept the entire evening away. Kind of depressing, kind of refreshing. 2 day headache is gone, body and mind are rested.

Today. Sleep normal hours.

Tomorrow. Hump day.

Well, we're all in the mood for a melody

So Saturday's exploration had to be postponed. It started out a little something like this....




lots of laundry and cleaning. When I was younger if you would have told me someday I would WANT to clean and it would actually be my choice and that i'd enjoy it, I would not have believed you; However, that is the truth today. When it's my house and my stuff there is nothing better than making it look the best that it can. A clean house is just the best feeling. BUT I will always hate laundry and with Taylor's work uniforms, and a dryer that isn't functioning properly, it never seems to end. Blah. So after I got the house looking good I was going to still head out for some photos, but then I had to help my mom out with a dead car battery. I gave her a jump and then followed her down to checker auto to get that taken care of. Never fun. By that time Taylor had actually beaten me home so I decided the photography would have to happen another weekend. I did however have a mini photo shoot with the lemonade I made on Sunday. Can you tell i'm desperate to start taking pictures again? I wish my work computer had photoshop on it, these are edited with microsoft paint :) and when I say edited I mean resized, and that's about it.




It was so good! Taylor was out working hard on the lawn sweating like crazy and I had to run to walmart, so I decided to pick up the stuff to make it while I was there. Best idea ever. Then while I was making it at home I got the idea to do the sugar around the rim of the glasses... scratch what I said before, this was the best idea ever. I dipped the glasses in lime juice first to make it stick and it was so yummy, try it! it added a sweet touch to the tangy lemonade. We drank way too much of this.

Yesterday. Taylor tuned the piano that his mom gave us. This was actually the piano that he learned to play the piano on. Where it all began. There is something so sweet about watching him sit there and play it, I think about little Taylor playing it and how I wish I knew him back then. He borrowed a tuning kit from his old roommate Trevor and jumped right in, he amazes me sometimes.


(Note the refreshing glass of lemonade atop the piano)

At last count I think he had done 16 keys and had 80 something left?? yikes. He wont stop until it's perfect.

So that brings us to Today. Back at work. Still not a lot of work to do. This is when people get bored and start to make up things to do. We are having a Wii mario kart tournament and "healthy snack day". I brought in some of my zucchini muffins which aren't really healthy at all. But if it has zucchini and nuts in it I say count it. They are already gone, I guess people liked them. Must find something interesting to do today.... I'm going to dinner with my friend Vicki tonight so at least I have something to look forward to. Until then... I am taking suggestions.

Tomorrow. Well not really tomorrow but some day in the near future I want to take the kayaks out. Taylor went and got them from his old house. That is something i'm really excited about doing. We went once when we were dating and had a blast. I remember how nervous I was to get in my swimsuit in front of him, and how I wanted to make sure and act tough like I wasn't completely scared about being horrible at it. So funny how things change. Where are good places to go kayaking in Ariona?

Be my winding wheel.

Bread and Nutella. That's all it takes to start this girls morning right. Mmm Mmm Mmm. Stopped at the always fun walmart last night on the way home from work, kitchen adventures ensued. I made zucchini muffins, guacamummus (a hybrid of hummus and guacamole), and then for dinner I made some simple burritos. We had a huge stack of massive zucchinis from my mother in laws garden. I'm talking county fair, blue ribbon winnin' zucchinis... Huge! She's got a great garden that I am so envious of. I'd love to have a garden some day with lots of fruits and veggies, especially an herb garden. Goal. To go grocery shopping in my own back yard. How lovely that would be. I went off on a tangent. The zucchini muffins were a hit with Taylor and I really enjoyed them too. To do. take a plate of the muffins over to Taylor's mom as a thank you, and to let her know the zucchini's went to a good cause.

The guacamummus was a recipe I found online and was so excited about. I love guacamole, and I love hummus even more; However, I was not a fan of this fusion. I think the recipe called for too much cumin, or my taste buds are just too sensitive to the spice but it was a little overpowering for me. Still pretty tasty, I just don't think I'll make it again. It went well with some tortilla chips and our yummy burritos! The burritos were just simple beef and bean done up enchilada style topped with lots of sour cream and black olives, my favorite. I love cooking and I want to get better at it. I'm thinking i'm better at baking right now, but I can't steal that from my sister. Lisa is a great baker (take a look at our wedding cakes) It's just a fun thing to do when I come home, it really helped me wind down. One thing I need to work on is mess control.



I listened to Ryan Adams Heartbreaker while cooking last night. I love how music makes every activity so much more enjoyable. This album put a little boogie in my step. Love it. Some people probably think this album is "sad" sounding, but most of the songs just make me dance and sing. It's really good.

Today.
I got in a fight with a big truck on the freeway. He threw rocks at my windshield... and won. It wasn't even my car. Long story.

Tomorrow. Saturday, exploration day. Self exploration and outdoor exploration. Taking the camera to capture the result, will probably melt.

Yesterday. Felt good to do some home cookin'. Do this more often. Look up fun recipes online and expirment.

I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul

Taylor got the final piece to his recording studio in the mail yesterday, a power cord. I am so excited to hear all of the new music he will make because I know it will blow me away. While he was in his room setting up his recording equipment (we have 2 extra bedrooms in our house, one for Taylor's recording and one for me to do what I want with) I sat in the other spare room that is now filled with boxes full of random pieces of wood, paper scraps, glues, scissors, and stamps...the beginnings of future projects hopefully. As I sat there I tried to imagine what it would become. I want it to be my sanctuary. A place I go to learn about myself and my talents, something i've never really explored before. I got used to telling myself I don't have anything that i'm REALLY good at. I truly believe that's because i've never really tried. I worried too much as a child and didn't have time to focus on the things that mattered. Now that I don't have to worry, I give up too easily. I have good ideas and in the past few months especially I have proven to myself (in little ways) that I can create things and I am good at it. There is nothing better than the pride I feel after creating a piece of art, a decoration, or even a blog post. Writing here makes me feel proud. I have a good eye for composition and design and i'm going to start using it.



A goal- this weekend I want to take my camera out and take some photos of something, of anything, of everything. I'm excited about it. Taylor has been working saturdays so that will work out perfectly. Explore what this state has to offer through the lens of my camera. I would like to get my computer in better shape so that I can install photo shop and practice my photo editing as well. The ultimate goal is to learn how to use my camera so well that not much editing will be needed, that is defniately not where i'm at as of now. I think it will be really cool to get a good shot this weekend that I can print up and hang in my "sanctuary" it will be the first piece on the wall and motivate me to create more.



June 24th, 2010 Office Update
The janitorial crew has finally gotten smart and added automatic air freshner dispensers to the restrooms. This was a VERY good move.

The perks of being a wallflower

So my first post is coming to you from my desk here at work. Surrounded by the deafening silence....papers being shuffled, the air conditioner fighting the heat that this many bodies gives off, mouse clicks, white noise. Every now and then the silence is broken by my thoughts screaming to get out. That's the reason I made this blog. An office job is boring, plain and simple. A lot of people aren't cut out for it. I'm starting to believe I may be one of them. There is one "perk" of having this office job in particular, and that is the mostly unrestricted interenet access. It helps lessen the dullness of the day and sometimes shoots a bit of inspiration into the brain. I'm hoping this blog will help me keep track of those inspiring thoughts, let out the bottled up ones, and provide an outlet for me to form new ones.

Today. June 23rd, 2010. The processing of locations (the main part of my job) is basically completed for the month. This means about 1-2 weeks of a lot of free time. That is, if they don't send us home. They are fickle, and not very smart. Taylor gave me a book to read called Self Matters. A bold and simple statement that I am learning the importance of every single day. It's a Dr.Phil book, which made me laugh. How amazing it is to have a man that encourages me to focus on myself and uncover the beauty and potential that lies beaneath the layers of armor and masks I have put on over the years. He really tries. That is the best part of our relationship. Of course there are the usual loves and hugs and kisses but I think the way that we force eachother to grow each and every day is exactly what I need. We can never seem to do things the easy way the first time around either, but I guess that's why we learn so much.




He's the cutest.

I don't want to try to tackle too much in my first post, though I do have a lot just itching to get out of this head of mine. Projects I want to do, books I want to read, questions I want answered, goals I want to reach. One step at time.... a hard conept for me to grasp.

Tomorrow. June 24th, 2010. A thursday. A new day with new ideas. The day before Friday. Start setting weekend goals.