REMEMBER...

If you're looking for updates on my so fantastically exciting life... you won't find them here! Remember to update your blog lists to http://itsthefirstdayofmylife.blogspot.com/.
The fun awaits you...

It starts...

You asked for it,
You're getting it!
(ok, so you didn't really ask for it... but you're getting it anyway)

My new blog!!!
well, OUR new blog!

This Is The First Day of My Life

Comments welcome.
Always.
(Be sure to add this address to your blog lists
instead of my old one. It's pretty much dead now)
Enjoy :)

Coming Soon...

So... I'm married!!! I am now
MRS. JENNY ALAMA
I like it.
My signature will take some practice
but I've been wanting a new one lately anyway so it's perfect timing!

The day was absolutely perfect.
Non-stop smiles.
Great company.
Beautiful decorations.
One HOT groom!
Who could ask for more?
I don't have pictures yet but I do have a couple.
(courtesy of my wonderful mother)


That's all for now.
For more pictures and words of our (Fez and I) life,
check out our new blog.
Coming Soon...

Twosies

Some great things in life come in twos
(or that I like 2 of) :

* Shoes
* Socks!
* Scoops of ice cream
* Weeks until I am married
* Pieces of toast
* Earrings
(losing one doesn't work and is a sad day)
* Nostrils that work
* Twix bars
* Weeks until I am married
* Brownies and Ice Cream
* Telephone rings before answering
* Hours of napping
* Heads are better than one
(ok that was a stretch)
* Weeks until I am married!!!

Looked myself over... Check.

I have always thought of myself as a good person.
Friendly
Outgoing
Caring
Funny
Passionate
etc...
I came across this video the other day
and it had me double checking myself.
(as well as bringing me to tears)
I am guilty of what everyone was probably thinking as well.
EVERYONE is beautiful.
EVERYONE has talents.
EVERYONE deserves a chance.
and EVERYONE should watch this.

THANK YOU SUSAN BOYLE.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Goodness. We Are So Good Looking

Ok I'm just kidding with the title post but I really am happy with how our engagements turned out! I am not a fan of the posed, smile all fake-like pictures. At all. I love candid, caught in the moment, or just plain silly pictures. Our photographer was SO great though! He didn't make it awkward at all (although some of the poses were. my neck just doesn't turn that much, ok?). We were joking and laughing the whole time. He knew of a bunch of places here and there downtown so we walked around and took some shots.

I had anxiety over what we were going to wear. I mean, that is a HUGE deal! And, yes I am a girl, but I am not so keen on the whole fashion sense stuff sometimes, so I was kind of freaking out inside. We decided to just show up in something and bring a bunch of stuff to change. Our photographer looked at us and said he LOVED what we were wearing! PERFECT. That made it a lot easier. And I am very glad that we went with what we did.

So. The next step? Pick one for announcements. ONE. I feel the anxiety starting all over again. Ok, not really, but with 200 pictures there is bound to be more than one good one. Here are just a few of them. If you have Facebook you may have seen some of these already but I know you want to see them again. I am posting this for you :) Also, I may or may not be keeping some of the good ones to myself so you can see them in the announcement or at the reception. So that means you have to come! Mwahaha!... Well, you don't HAVE to, but I would love to see you there :)

Here they are!
What do you think?

Oopsie!

Brian and Ann bought a new house recently

(insert cheer here).
Fez has a manly truck
(insert Tim Taylor grunt here).
Truck got stuck in the mud
(insert 'wah wah' here).

Here is how the events played out:

We found as many sticks as we could to help get out. I think I found a twig.

Brian playing in the mud

We're such good cheerleaders!

My man hard at work :)

Flying mud!

What a way to meet new neighbors!

It was a fun adventure!

Ugh.

Remember when I said THANK YOU SPRING TIME???
Yeah, that was for real.
But I don't think spring time heard me.
I may have jinxed us all.
Oh. And remember how I'm supposed to get
engagement pictures taken tomorrow...
in the snow?
No no. That will not happen.

Stupid snow.

1, 2, 3, 4

I'm sitting here at work, actually doing work, and I get this urge to listen to this song. So I pull it up on YouTube and all work stops. I love this video! I love this song! It reminds me of my honey and I LOVE HIM!!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Who Will Be The Lucky 3?

I responded to one of these a bit ago and realized that part of my response meant that I was supposed to post this too. Oops. So... here it is! The first THREE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It'll be done this year.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be a joke book, autographed picture of myself, handmade bag, or a little invention of my own! I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows?

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play!

Spring is Here

You know spring has sprung when you go to the grocery store
and you instantly hear the small plea for you to come
and partake of the goodness that are these:

Now, one of the only reasons CADBURY MINI EGGS are worse
(or better depending on how you look at it)
than DOVE CARAMEL PROMISES
(see post below)
is that you can only get them during the spring time.

How cruel is that?

I have thought about stocking up so that I can indulge in its yumminess whenever I want.
But then I would do that far more often than I should.
So really Cadbury is doing us all a wonderful favor.
Thank you Cadbury.
Thank you spring time.

Today's Enemy

DOVE CARAMEL PROMISES
Delicious.
Not nutritious.
"Promises" have been better.
But never ceases to satisfy.
Once ate a whole bag in 10 minutes with 3 other girls.
Loved EVERY minute of it.
Today's count: 3 (and counting...)

Just Be"CAUSE"

If you don't know I work for a non-profit organization called Enterprise Mentors International. Mentors provides business training, mentoring, and microfinance services to struggling entrepeneurs in developing nations. I helped out with their gala last November (What up now???) and the success was awesome!!! I was hired full time and have loved it so much!

My co-worker and I have been working on ways to get the Mentors name out in the community more. Mentors helps so many people in need in other countries but because it is international many locals haven't heard of it. So, I'm making this post!

I have added a DONATE NOW button to the right column of my blog page that will take you directly to the PayPal site under Mentors name. I know that the economy is in such a state that there is cash coming out of your ears and you don't know what to do with it. Ok, maybe that's not true, but with only $50 someone immersed in poverty can get the training and resources necessary to become self-sufficient. Then they repay the loan and it goes to help another in need! How wonderful is that?!

For those of you on Facebook, Enteprise Mentors International has a group that would love you to be a member of! You can find updates for monthly events the Youth Outreach Committee is a part of as well as client and organization information. Also, Mentors has just created a CAUSE application. I have pledged to raise $100 before April 5 so if you are willing and able to donate please click HERE to help out!

I could go on about Mentors and how great it is (kinda biased because I do work there, but really). I am not going to post much about this because I don't want this to turn into a work blog. We have one already - MENTORS. Please check it out for updates or more info or visit our website at www.enterprise-mentors.org.

P.S. Any social media experts out there? Any advice you may have is greatly appreciated :)

It's Been One Week...

...Since I got ENGAGED!!! Last Wednesday my wonderful sweetheart proposed and I said YES! There have been so many emotions the past few weeks, and that will only continue the next few months, but I am so happy! I love him so much and am excited to be married for all eternity to him.

Here are a few quick tidbits:

Save the Date - Tuesday, May 26
Fiance - Brian (Fez) Alama (Fez is his nickname and his last name is Alama. Not Alma. He is part Hawaiian. Hopefully our children get his skin)
When we met - originally met in high school but re-met end of September at a mutual friends' house party (thanks Amanda and Tricia!!!). Seen him every day since then... quite literally :)
Why I love him - this actually is for a completely separate post but basically he is the guy version of me (hopefully you see that as a good thing. I do.) He completes me if you will... awe!

The night we got engaged. Don't mind that we both look kinda funny in the picture. We really are happy :)

Close up of my gorgeous ring! He made it black and white and kept the green. It's just so PRITTY!!!

Thoughts

So I'm not one for thinking too much. Kind of seems odd that I don't but I usually just... do rather than think. I do like to try and see all perspectives, although I may not agree with them, and that requires thinking. I decided to compile a list of thoughts I have been thinking about today. So... here it goes.

• Work is a love/hate relationship. Love the people and the job as a whole, but not so much some of the things that come with it such as: working 8 hours a day, limited pto, thinking of work to do, having a billion things to do, etc.
• I love my family! I enjoy spending time with my parents and siblings families (even though some are not here - miss you!). We always have something to laugh about or a movie/tv show to quote. Good times are a guarantee.
• Speaking of quoting it sometimes is bothersome to me that I can watch a movie/tv show or listen to a song just once and pretty much have it memorized (more or less). But when it comes to remembering what I learned in Sunday School or memorizing a scripture reference I, for the life of me, can't remember it past maybe a week at the most. Arg! Something to work on...
• Love... is so many things. Most can't really be put into words. I know I feel it and I know that it's there. How can I love multiple things at once on many different levels? Love is amazing. There are unnumerable people and things that I love. You are one of them :) (I'm talking about you!)
• I am so blessed. Seriously. I work for a non-profit that microfinancing in third world countries and to see some of the pictures and hear of their stories I cannot complain about my life. Yes I have trials that come my way but they are what I can handle and I am grateful for the life I have.
• Timing is EVERYTHING
• Can't ever have enough lunch/dinner dates with great friends. I'm always up for it so let me know!
• Facebook is ridiculous sometimes. Actually, my addiction to Facebook is ridiculous.
• Social media is rather interesting to me lately. My co-worker and I are getting into it more for work and I am liking it. Any suggestions from all you experts out there?
• I am such a good secret keeper. I don't know if it's because I am really trustworthy or because once I'm told something I forget about it (depending on what it is). If something is itching at you, you can tell me. Really. I won't tell. Unless you broke the law or something drastic. Then I might tell and be afraid of you.
• I am liking this blog thing more and more I do it.

So... there it is. A little glimpse into my head this day. Of course there are a lot of other things going on in there. Some not worth speaking about, others shouldn't be out for the world to see even though only a handful actually read this, and others, well refer to the second to last bullet point. :)

Oh To Be Able To Breathe...

I wonder why this invention didn't go big...

For a week now I have been sick with a cold. Ick. I could feel something was coming on so I was trying to prevent it, but I failed. Not miserably, but failed nonetheless. I had the congested/runny nose, slight cough, and just feeling blah. Nothing too major but still sick.

But what I really have missed is being able to breathe out of both my nostrils at once with clarity. (This may be a little too much information for some of you, and I apologize for that, but I promised to blog more and this is what's up right now.)

This morning I saw a glimmer of sunshine though. The left nostril (the one giving me most/all the problems) had opened a teeny space for some airflow and it was great. There is hope. I have been taking meds like a crazy (don't worry- the good kind) and drinking as much water as I can. This in turn makes me have to use the bathroom oh so often, which I hate, but that is a story for a different post at a different time. And so it continues... meds, sleep, vitamin c, and lots of agua.

"Here comes the sun (du dn du du)..."

44 and counting...

I've seen a few people do this and thought, why not?

It's cool to see what I have done and what I still want to do.

This list really could go on and on (like that Titanic song) but we'll keep it at 100 for now.

So the bolded items are ones that I have done.

Enjoy...

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

(working on it. Yeah Mentors!)

7. Been to Disneyland!

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a Praying Mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

(on the bucket list)

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched an amazing lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning...

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

(never!)

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Ran a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

(does the Wii count?)

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

(working on the whole Spanish thing)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

(in the summer and winter now!)

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

(does made for tv movie that never got aired count?)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

(LOVE this!)

64. Donated blood

65. Gone sky diving

(higher up on the bucket list)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

(want to sooooo bad!)

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

(I've started 3 but haven't 'pieced' any of them together yet...)

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

(if stood outside the iron fence and visited guards with guns counts, than yes)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

(maybe unknowingly?)

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Visited Italy

I really owe most of these to my parents for sacrificing so much so that I could have so many cool things to be able to bold. So THANKS PARENTS! You guys are seriously the BEST! :)

Too Funny

I don't recommend trying this, and I do feel a little bad for thinking it is as hilarious as I do, but I just wanted to share it.

Scarlet Take A Tumble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIwTYL1fwJk&feature=related

Um, I Promise I'm Not Dead

So lately I have not been so good at the whole blog post thing...

Obviously.

I love to check up on other's but more or less I've just been lazy.

Ugh.

I don't like being lazy so starting today I am going to be better.

A blog post a day?

Let's not get carried away.

I said better. Not perfect.

But if you have any interest in my life you can be expecting some updates.

COMING SOON...