Tuesday

This week was unusual because John and I both had Tuesday off, which hasn't happened in a very long time. I was looking forward to having a whole extra day to spend with him, so we convinced my parents to come over and watch the baby so we could go hang out in Jerome. It was nice because we hadn't been there in a couple years (not since my friend Sydney was visiting from Maine! In 2009!) I got up early to get Kaetana ready and pick up the house a bit then went and got my parents.

Epic Tuesday morning bedhead // Cuddles with my love before we left

Then John and I got ready, and headed out around 11 am. The drive was beautiful, as always, but there were crews replacing sections of the guard rails so there was a 10-ish minute wait which was kind of annoying. It did give us a chance to take goofy photos - below is my favorite!

 

Eventually we got to Jerome and had a really great time. We went to The Spirit Room then had lunch at the Asylum Restaurant. The food there was good but the service was questionable. Next time we'll probably hit up Haunted Hamburger instead.

Then we went to Puffin' Stuff, of course, where we got a pretty frog pipe and new hookah. I had wanted a new one for a while so this is awesome. I also bought John a cigarette case because he's always crushing his when he takes naps haha. The frog pipe was originally $45 but a foot broke off so she gave it to me for $20. He's so cute. We also went to the Puscifer store.

 We wandered, went to the kaleidoscope store (always!) and ended up at a saloon where John tried to teach me how to play pool. I say tried because I SUCK at pool, apparently. It was fun though. After about 4 hours in Jerome we headed back to town. John wanted to go see Chernobyl Diaries so we did that and I didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't that scary and the whole premise felt over done. After the movie we went home, put our little lady to bed and smoked hookah together before I went and passed the eff out because I was so exhausted. It was a pretty spectacular day and I'm definitely going to be making it a point to have more like it, more often.

Inside one of the Kaleidoscopes.

Memorial Day

Today we went downtown to the Western Art Show on the square.

It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun.

Kaetana even got her first corn dog! She freaking loved it.

Some guy made her a ladybug balloon bracelette, too, and it made her whole day.

She carried around the kettle corn bag and freaked out if we tried taking it away,

we saw some really adorable puppies (I really wanted one!) and Kaetana had the best time hugging and petting one of them. I straight up would have brought it home if I could, it was that precious.

Oh, and there was funnel cake involved. Awesome.

It was a pretty excellent day, to say the least.

100 Questions

1. Are you young at heart, or an old soul? I guess a mixture of both, but more so towards the old side.
2. What makes someone a best friend? Things in common, not being judgmental.
3. What Christmas (or Hanukkah) present do you remember the most? The laptop my grandparents got me Junior year but forgot to actually give me. I was the only one without a "big" present under the tree.
4. Tell me about a movie/song/tv show/play/book that has changed your life. Harry Potter - I know that's so nerdy but it got me through a lot of crap when I was younger.
5. Name one physical feature that you like about yourself, and one you dislike. I think I have pretty eyes, and have always hated the way my mouth is shaped.
6. Would you like to reconnect with any friends you’ve lost contact with? Not really. 
7. What’s more important in a relationship: physical attraction or emotional connection? Emotional connection.
8. Name a movie that you knew would be terrible just from reading the title. The Human Centipede. Ha!
9. What holiday do you most look forward to? Christmas. No shame.
10. How is the relationship between you and your parents? It's gotten better over the years. We still have issues, but it's not so bad.
11. You’ve got the TV on, but you’re not really watching. What channel is the TV on? Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network.
12. Name a song that never fails to make you happy. Help - The Beatles
13. You know at least one person named Michael. Tell me about him. Ha. I used to have a friend named Michael. He liked video games.
14. Have you ever read the “missed connections” on Craigslist? Have you ever posted one, or wanted to? John and I read them sometimes. They're so funny. I've never posted one.
15. If you could pick anywhere to live the rest of your life, where would it be? Portland. It's so pretty up there, and I'm down with all the rain.
16. Can money buy happiness? Hell yes. Anyone who disagrees has never been poor, obviously.
17. Do you drink? Smoke? Do drugs? Why, or why not? I don't drink often (maybe a handful of times a year), I don't smoke, I have done drugs because I didn't care back then.
18. Is there anyone close to you that you know you can’t trust? You don’t have to give names. Yes.
19. Where was your favorite place to go when you were a little kid? My Grandparents'.
20. Have you ever spent a night in the hospital? Yes, when I had Kaetana.
21. Do you enjoy being with only one or two friends, or with a large group of people? I like being with a few friends.
22. Do you like the type of music your parents listen to? Do your parents like the type of music you listen to? I like some of the music my parents do. They don't like any of the music I do.
23. Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied anyone else? Both.
24. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Cereal.
25. If your partner wanted to wait until marriage before having sex, would you stay in that relationship? Of course.
26. Do you believe in a god? No.
27. Of all the social networks in the world, why use twitter? It's addicting, and lets me talk to a few people I would never talk to otherwise.
28. What’s your favorite hashtag to track? I don't.
29. Would you call yourself/your family “middle class?” Nope. We're below it.
30. Name a TV series you didn’t enjoy until after it ended. I can't think of anything. o.O
31. Have you ever bought a product from an infomercial? Nope.
32. If you could give up your car and never have to drive again, would you? No.
33. If you go back to one point in time to give advice to yourself, when would you go and what would you say? I'm copying Jess' answer and saying I'd stop myself from getting that credit card. I still haven't paid it off and it's fucking with me.
34. What’s your “quirkiest” habit? Uuuhhh.
35. What is “normal?” Are you normal? I don't believe in "normal."
36. Someone close to you is dying. You have the choice to let this person live for 10 more years, but if you do, you cause the death of 10 strangers. You don’t have to see them die. Do you take the offer? Yes. 
37. What is one thing you could never forgive? Anyone that hurts my baby, and cheating. I don't do cheaters.
38. Would you rather be in a relationship after the honeymoon period ends, or be single? Of course be in a relationship.
39. Is it possible for guys and girls to be just friends? Sometimes. It depends on the people.
40. Where do you and your friends go to hang out? I don't have many friends, honestly, and the ones I do have don't even live in the same county as me. We don't hang out.
41. Write the first sentence of your obituary. :/
42. What is the best TV theme song ever? Misfits.
    
43. When you were young, what would you dream you would be when you grew up? A veterinarian. Cliche. 
44. When you’re alone in your own home, do you walk around naked? Nooo.
45. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Kaetana, or work.
46. Do you want to have more friends than you have right now? Yes. I need friends!
47. What part of the past year sticks out in your mind? Getting married. :)
48. You win a scratch-off lottery game that gives you $2000 a week (after taxes) for the rest of your life. Do you keep your job? No way! I can totally live off 8k a month.
49. Could you be in a long-distance relationship? If you’re in one, what makes yours work? I haven't ever been in one. I would hate it.
50. What’s the best route to your heart? Just love me, appreciate me, and show it.
51. Have you ever met someone through the internet, then met them in real life? Yes.
52. What is your favorite sport? None.
53. What has been troubling you lately? Money. Go figure.
54. Did you enjoy your high school prom? If you haven’t gotten there yet, do you look forward to it? If you didn’t go, why not? I didn't go.
55. What do you use more often: your intuition or logical reasoning? Intuition.
56. Do you know what makes you happy? Not always.
57. Tell me about the last book you read. I'm reading Crossed. It's a sequel and I like it.
58. What is the nicest compliment you’ve ever been given? *shrug*
59. Who was your first crush? Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin.
60. Do you believe that there is life on other planets? Yeah, sure. We can't be the only one.
61. Predict what your life will look like a year from now. Pretty much this.
62. Often, people will ask how your last relationship ended. I want to know how it began. With a sweatshirt.
63. Where is your favorite place to go out and eat? Olive Garden. So delicious.
64. What is something you want to change about your current situation? MO MONEY MO MONEY. (I just went ahead and kept Jess' answer, because, well, yes.)
65. Early bird or night owl? I like the daytime.
66. Are there any childhood possessions you still hold on to? No.
67. Give me an unpopular opinion you have. I dislike Nirvana.
68. What was the last song that was stuck in your head? Broken Hearted - Karmin. That song sucks but is always on the radio.
69. Where do you live? Be as general or specific as you want. Prescott Valley, AZ.
70. Do you believe in giving kids medals and trophies for participation? No. I see no point in encouraging mediocrity.
71. What was the longest car ride you’ve ever taken? From Prescott to Mexico. Sucked.
72. Have you ever taken part in a protest? No.
73. Would you ever use an online dating service? No.
74. What is your ethnic heritage? Irish/German/Norwegian mostly.
75. Describe a person that inspires you. Inspiration? Hmm.
76. If you earn minimum wage doing what you love, would you? Sure.
77. Do you believe in luck? No.
78. Describe the last time you were very angry at someone. Frustrated, more like.
79. Do you want to live until you’re 100? If I'm healthy.
80. Do people change? If so, how do you keep a relationship together when both of you start to change? Yes. You have to accept that fact and know that you're going to love them no matter what.
81. Have you ever risked a friendship by telling someone you liked them? No?
82. Would you rather be alone doing something you enjoy, or doing something you don’t like with your best friends? Something I enjoy.
83. Do you practice what you preach? Not usually.
84. If you take precautions to stay safe, do you ultimately act more recklessly? Depends on the situation, I suppose.
85. What do you value more in a significant other: Attractiveness or intelligence? Intelligence.
86. Are you hard-headed? I can be.
87. Have you ever laughed uncontrollably when it was socially inappropriate? Oooh yes.
88. When have you felt most alive? No specific instances occur to me.
89. Would you prefer to live? A city? The suburbs? The countryside? The mountains? Countryside.
90. Do you often skip breakfast? No. I work early in the morning and have to eat.
91. How do you know what true love is? When you're in it, you just know.
92. Would you want to know the exact date and time you were going to die? No, never.
93. Where is “home” for you? Prescott. I grew up here, I met my love here, I had my baby here. This is pretty much it for me.
94. What song best describes your life right now? Um, I don't know.
95. Do you want to be perfect? No, that would be so boring.
96. What have you never tried, but would really like to someday? What’s holding you back? Starting a business. Money.
97. How do you express your creativity? I'm not creative, actually.
98. Describe your neighborhood. Ghetto fabulous?
99. Name something you only liked because it was popular. Vintage anything. For a long time I was really in to it because it was everywhere. But I'm figuring out that apart from the occasional thing (and little dresses for Kaetana) I'm actually not a big fan.
100. Give me the story of your life in six words. Interesting, Fun, Random, Challenging, Exciting, Amazing

Whiskey Row Fire 2012

A few nights ago, I was perusing Facebook and was flooded with photos of Whiskey Row, which was on fire. This is a huge deal and everyone was freaking out about it - including me and John. I wanted to go down and take a look but Kaetana was in bed and I couldn't drag her out for that. So we stayed home and got updates online. Then, yesterday afternoon, we went downtown to check out the damage to the building (which housed 3 businesses, including the famous Bird Cage Saloon) and reminisce and such. It was pretty devastating, actually, to witness. Here are a couple photos I took:

This was, perhaps, the most heartbreaking. I spent a lot of time in this place as a teenager.

Inside The Bird cage. My mother in law took this, she has firefighter friends and they let her go close ;)

We climbed up to the top of the parking garage behind Whiskey Row to see the roof damage.

It was sad, and the Row won't be the same without these places. The town has already set up a fundraiser block party on the 20th which I'm looking forward to, and I heard that the owners of the food store are already looking for a new location. All in all, I think the town is coming together beautifully which is no surprise. I really love the place we live, and the sense of community we have.

Life according to Instagram

It's been a while since I've posted on here. I guess I just don't have much motivation to write. Plus, my nice camera took a shit on me and won't take a decent photo. I don't know what that's about, but I need a new one. And until I do, I imagine I won't be posting very often, because I want pretty photos dammit.

But anyways, here's what's been going down over here lately, according to Instagram.

Dropping me off at work // Quiche! // Target run // Walmart run

Enjoying the beautiful day, followed by a bath

Story time // Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcake = DELICIOUS // New hair // Ranch lover

Trying on Mommy's shoes // Thrift find // Dinner // First stickygram order!

Work // Babysitting the most distraught little girl ever // John finally finished his tattoo, and brought me home Thai house

Too much energy, too late // Beautiful thrifted dress // Annabelle // More thrift finds

Sitting at the big girl table // Loading up our new grill! // Passed the EFF out // Dirty Chai

I made her a teepee today // Hanging out at Grandma's // Breakfast, like a boss // The price of gas hurts

You can follow along my Instagram nonsense if you want, I'm @mandyvallejo