hi mbale: first 36 hours

i made it! finally, after all these months of anticipation, it has come and it's incredible already.

in case you haven't seen my recent pics on Instagram here they are >>

i can't believe the amount of things we've done in 36 hours and how well adjusted i've been. 

read a semi more detailed description of my experience so far

hi mbale

god bless boston

thankful friday

mix of peace, joy, and the good kind of stress

1. pay day
2. placed anne b in bijou market this morning
3. anne b inquiries from andruby.com (KSL), boutique in arkansas, texas, and an online deals boutique in FRANCE!
4. hopeful job leads for when i get back in august
5. current job
6. my sore throat went away
7. leave for uganda in 1 month exactly
8. and even though i am missing my va beach/hampton roads arts peeps harrrrrd right now (missing the 25th anniversary), i am so grateful for how The Governor's School for the Arts helped me break out of my shell, find and develop my talents, and taught me how to give my whole heart to whatever i pursue in life. thank you to the many faculty  members who gave honest feedback and pushed me into new experiences because they believed in me AND to the amazing talent of the students i was surrounded by every single day! it's incredible seeing how everyone has found to use their talents 9 years later. there's nothing that compares to my experience at GSA.

ARIANNA. GSA Graduation 2004                      DOMINIC. Interned in LA 2011

ROBERT, LIZ, ARIANNA. Summer 2005 right before my family moved to Utah

Pippin with VMT after senior year 2004

CJ (Dancing Buddy). Visited NYC 2011          SAM. Met up and explored St George 2012

JUSTIN. Passing though LA for the night, 2012. Thank you Instagram. 

ADRIENNE. Interned in NY 2012 and saw her perform on the Today Show for Bring it On

everybody's gonna love today

today was pretty great. still haven't shared a valentine's day with a special someone, but this year i was still able to be with people who are pretty spectacular and inspirational.

1. broke it down in a harlem shake at my company's valentine's lunch hour. 

2. enjoyed a delicious meal with ladies who should not be single because they are simply amazing. 

3. spent 2 hours painting my stubby nails and catching up with girlie friends. 

4. rounding it up with yummy froyo and the forever inspiring and beautiful kristen. 

>>>>>>>>   and to end my evening/early morning, i want share with you my LOVE LIST. yes, a list i started over 5 YEARS ago of things that i absolutely love having, experiencing, seeing, hearing, doing. <<<<<<<<

sunsets and sunrises

skipping

eyelashes

honda element

mint chocolate chip

whose line is it anyway

ruby tuesday's salad bar

psalms

umbrellas

billiards

cute songs

funnel cake

grown men acting like little kids

sand volleyball

long car rides and looking around

sewing purses

stars

gerbara daisies

lightening storms

hiccups

comfy couches

silhouettes

chandeliers

toasted bagel with nutella and crunchy peanut butter

making people laugh

waking up from a nap

spinning on chairs

seeing power line poles line up while driving by

catching people staring at something

getting rid of spare change

fireworks

interstate interchanges

when my fingers are tan and in between fades to my normal color

popcorn kernals half popped

watching a movie in an abnormal position

funny commercials

falling asleep to rainstorms

hearing the single beep with you push the walk button to cross the street

purple m&m's

fat apples

sparkling grass in the winter

hopping into bed

the sound of a jar being opened for the first time

city lights from an airplane or high elevation

tearing up junk mail and old papers

little kids walking with a huge towel wrapped around them

light shining through leaves

standing in the middle of the road

wooden wind chimes

bonfires

seeing the swirl in a new container of butter

purple sunsets

seeing boats in a dock

snapping the ends off green beans

smell of lumpia

the last bite of an ice cream cone

throwing fruit remnants out a moving car window

the line waves leave when it comes up to the shore

driving on recently wet roads. not puddles, just a thin layer of water in the cracks

stopping doors with my foot

mike and ikes

my bangs

seeing q-tips in a small glass jar and swirled just right

seeing people walk into a theater
jimmy fallon's laugh
blue man group

what's on your love list??

[and you better believe that i also have a hate list]

american idol 2013

i haven't watched american idol in YEARS! 

but during my recent evening sewing sessions, i have tuned into this year's american idol competition. 

and let me know you, there are some amazing people in this nation!

bic for her pens

trust in the Lord

finally getting around to writing this overwhelming experience and hoping that there's a little lesson for all of us to learn from it.

if you know me, you'll know my terrible luck with cars in the last 2 years.

i had an experience yesterday (last sunday) that shook my emotions and nerves with the most frightening experience i've ever had.

i was headed up north to kaysville, utah for a close friend's mission farewell. i left my home at 8am to arrive at 9am. it snowed the night before so the morning snow on the ground was semi light/semi frozen. i decided to take my pathfinder because of the 4 wheel drive instead of my parent's van. the four wheel drive felt kinda funny, but maybe cause it hadn't been used in a while..? i don't know.

but i get onto bangerter highway just going 30 mph making sure i stay on semi solid ground. i tried to move out of some slippery patches, but failed and started to slide! and i'm not talking just a little swerve, but my whole car starts turning and all of a sudden i am moving with traffic but facing backwards.. my heart has stopped just thinking about it. i was freaking out not knowing how to stop or face forward. thankfully only a couple cars were passing and were able to dodge me. i wanted them to stop to help me, but obviously they couldn't. i did the one thing i knew about sliding is that you don't put your foot on the brake and just let go of your wheel. pretty much just let everything go and trust that it'll straighten out on its own. i didn't know it was true or would work with my situation. but i did it. and i stopped shortly after and facing kinda backwards at an angle, still facing against traffic.

i just paused for 30 seconds taking in what just happened and imagined the worse thing that could have happened. i was soo gratueful there weren't more cars traveling on the road and that i finally stopped.

the story doesn't end.

i slowly get moving again on bangerter, enter I-15, and get to about 11400 south exit, riding right next to an SUV, tried to dodge a slippery spot, failed and again, started to turn!! i was in even more shock because now i was on a freakin interstate!!! my car turned left and i was in deja vous facing against traffic. the next couple seconds become a blur and i suddenly found myself stopped and facing with traffic this time. i looked in my rear view mirror and thankfully noticed no one coming up the rear. i turn on my hazards and just took a deep breath in thanking my lucky stars. you can bet i was shaking. a lot.

i don't know how i got so lucky to not even hit anyone on the road, to hit a median, or even flip. i could have been severely injured or even lost my life. i was saved. by the grace of God i was saved. i have a greater purpose and work to do on this earth. and even greater reason to accomplish it.

lesson learned - just let go. let go of the wheel. don't hit the breaks. don't try to take control. just trust that everything with straighten out. God has control. He made you. He knows what your life path is. let go and put your trust in Him. also, make sure your vehicle is fit for the course. daily check up. fix errors immediately. and keep it clean of negative substances. i'm sure you can make those connections.

additionally, love others. and express your love. that's the only way you will then feel loved in return. and it's because it's the God's love you will be feeling in return as you serve and love others. it's the greatest love to receive and feel. you, me, and everyone deserves to be loved. God's love for all is eternal. we need to allow ourselves to find it and feel it. do it before it's too late. it's getting harder to live in this chaotic world. appreciate what you have and express your gratitude to those on earth and those above.