5 Things

Annika from All The Live Long Day tagged me in her post titled 5 Things. When you are tagged you then post 5 things about yourself on your blog. I was very faltered that she picked me. I actually had a hard time thinking of five things for this post. I share a lot of my interests and hobbies already on the blog, but here is what I came up with....


1 // I HAD RED HAIR
When I was in the 7th grade I started dying my hair dark shades of red. I've been dying my hair ever since. In the above photo I am 14 years old and a freshmen in high school. It feels so long ago now. Every once in awhile I think about going back to red. I just don't think I would like it the way I used to. To go from platinum blonde to a dark red would be too much of a change for me I think.


2 // STOP WASTING WATER
This is a pet peeve of mine. We have been getting a lot of rain lately which is great because Mother Nature is feeding the grass and plants. After a night of rain, I was driving to work in the morning and I saw a sprinkler system in someones yard going full speed. I thought to myself, "What idiots. How wasteful." It had poured all night long! I think it's sad that there are many people in this world who do not have clean drinking water and we are so arrogant about our "green" lawns. Also, it's time to ditch bottled water. Buy a filter and a reusable bottle. Save money and the environment. Be thankful for the water that comes out of our faucets. Not everyone is that fortunate. The above photo is of my old house and really green lawn from rain.


3 // I'M A HUGE GREEN DAY FAN
I've been a Green Day fan since 1994. I still can sing along to all their albums. I've seen them live a few times and they are so fun to see on stage. I hope to see them again. Their music has always made me so happy. I'm so glad they are still around and continuing to make great albums. I used to be so obsessed with them and thought Billie Joe (the singer) was the hottest guy alive. I wrote I love Billie Joe on everything. The above photo is my teenage bedroom back in 1996. See photos HERE.


4 // I CUSS LIKE A SAILOR
My secret is out. hahaha I picked this photo of myself because I look so cute and innocent. Don't let my smile fool you. ;) I cuss like a sailor. It's a true story. I keep my blog clean from it because honestly I don't really like that I cuss. I think it's fine in the privacy of my home with Cody. Usually the curse words start flowing out of me when I'm stressed or mad. I want to learn to control it better because if I ever decide to have a baby, I don't want some of the words I use to be their first. I remember the first time I dropped an F-bomb in front of my parents when I was probably ten years old. It was on complete accident when I was talking about the restaurant Fuddruckers. I'm sure you can figure out what I said instead.


5 // MY FAVORITE JOB EVER, IKEA
A few years back I got a job working at IKEA. I had to quit that job because I moved out of state to be with Cody. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my job. Even though it was just a job in retail, they treated me great there and I felt like I belonged. My hard work was always appreciated and noticed. I always recommend working at IKEA to people. The bad thing now is that I compare my current job to IKEA. The bar is high since I loved it so much. I'm not happy at all, I just go through the motions everyday. Nothing feels right the way IKEA did. I know a lot of it had to do with the great coworkers I worked with. I loved my work as well though. I hope to move to a city where there is an IKEA so that if I want to work there again I have the opportunity to.

Did you learn something new about me? I can't believe how hard it was for me to think of five things.
I'd like to tag Kim, Peggy, Cazz, Angel and B. Please play along if you'd like. :)

Vedauwoo I Love You

Last week Cody and I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary. I had to work part of the day, but after that we decided to head up to our favorite park Vedauwoo National Forest. I've posted about this place before and it won't be the last that's for sure. Sadly our favorite areas were blocked off and not really open to the public yet. Not sure why, considering it was eighty degrees outside and the middle of May. It was gorgeous! The perfect day to for a hike in the woods.


There really is something special about a place like this. Being able to get lost within the trees and let your stress melt away. When we moved to Wyoming and I first visited Vedauwoo I realized what a gift nature really is. Being outside listening to happy birds chirping all around you along with water running through a creek, it's pure relaxation. Guess what the best part is? It's free.



If you look closely at the above photo you can see the Rocky Mountains covered in a layer of snow.
The photo can not capture the beauty that I actually see with my eyes.

It was great taking the dogs with us. Little Muffins hadn't been on an adventure in a long time. She is doing really well since I switched her to a new dog food. I plan to do a post about it sometime. All I know is that since switching her to a vegan dog food she doesn't lay around all day as if she is on her death bed. We saw results almost immediately and now she is able to walk again. It's amazing really.



Yes, she looks like a little Chewbacca. She will get a nice haircut soon. She hates being groomed.


Now that the snow has finally left us we have been enjoying things like going to Vedauwoo, walking the dogs and riding our bikes. It means that my blog and computer time in general has taken the back burner. I have realized that living life and doing stuff is more important to me then designing some cute collage for the blog. The past few weeks I haven't followed a blogging plan or agenda. (Usually I do.) It's felt great to just share the things I have been actually going out and doing. Taking a step back from the online world has been very good for me. Designing posts can just be too much of a burden on me at times.


If I want to be a good cyclist that means I have to keep my butt moving. ;) The bike rides are getting longer and harder. Which means less time indoors and online. Our summer and warm weather seems short here in Wyoming. I need to be outdoors as much as I can stand it!!! I hope you are all doing some great things as well. The above quote is one of my favorites, "Look deep inside nature and then you will understand everything better." I urge you to find the closest National Park or State Park near you and visit it often. Get lost in nature and enjoy doing nothing. It's great for the soul.

See other pictures and posts of Vedauwoo HERE.

Is it Collecting or Hoardering?

I started collecting vintage toys over ten years ago. My first real job was working at an antique mall where I was surrounded by collectables and vintage items daily. It's hard not to start collecting something when you work in an environment full of temptation. Items that may remind you of your childhood or items from a completely different era that simply just fascinate you. My collecting all started with one tiny Smurf figurine....


Smurfs were a huge part of my childhood. I remember playing with the cute little figurines and watching the cartoon daily. At the time when I started collecting it seemed really harmless. I bought a few figurines here and there. Soon though it turned into over 150! Then the mushrooms houses came, along with anything else that had a Smurf on it. I currently have four totes devoted to just Smurf items. Only for the first years of my collecting I had it all on display. Fast forward through time, I moved into my first house and got married. After that most of the toy collection ended up just stored in plastic totes stacked to the ceiling. You need a lot of room to display an entire collection.

The Mickey Mouse in the photo is actually from my childhood visit to Disney World.
That entire collection turned into also collecting CareBears, Rainbow Bright, Wuzzles, lunchboxes, books, many little figurines, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Little People, My Little Ponies, Trolls, Garfield, PowerPuff Girls and many more items. (I think you get the idea.) While working at the antique mall the business of reselling vintage items really sucked me in. I sold items in my own booth for awhile. It was really fun. That meant shopping for inventory on a weekly basis. While thrifting I would find vintage toys almost every time. Making my collection grow larger and LARGER!! When you find a cute stuffed animal for nine cents it's hard to pass up. Looking back now I wish I would of!


All the things that I am sharing photos of are things that are currently displayed in my office. They are the items that I seem to still be drawn to. When we moved across the country almost two years ago I realized how much stuff I really do have. Especially when it comes to my collection. Sadly I "thought" I had downsized before our big move but I will never forget the day when the semi-truck came to our tiny apartment with all my stuff. I counted thirty totes full of just my toy collection alone. Please know that as I'm typing this I'm busting out laughing at myself. Thirty totes? Really? I have never ever considered myself a hoarder. But that statement of thirty totes doesn't help my case.


However there is a light at the end of tunnel for me. I am finally sick of moving totes and more totes around the country back and forth. I'm not ready to get rid of everything yet, but I am planning to downsize the collection. Some of my collection is some of my original toys that were mine from my childhood. I still have my very first baby doll and some of the Barbies I played with. I am a very sentimental person. I get attached to items very easily because of a memory attached to that item. Even though I know that I won't lose my memories. Of course I find that's not entirely true because over time we do forget things and it takes something to "trigger" a memory to bring it back. This happens to me all the time.



Lately I have been spending a lot less time glued to my computer. It has been awesome! Giving me more time to do things like go through tons of totes and make tuff decisions on who goes and who gets to stay. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be just because I've changed so much. Items that I used to be very fond of mean nothing to me now. I am literally just storing it. Cody and I are always talking about our future. Where the next place will be that will live, etc.. I may not know what state or city I will end up in but I do know I will probably have a lot less space. I think that collecting is fun. I know why I have always done it and why others do it. The hunt becomes rather addicting and a hobby. It's been a long time since I've really bought a vintage toy because I know my collection is rather large.



So far I have three totes overflowing of vintage toys that I plan to sell or get rid of. I also have a huge box full of vintage stuffed animals. I am very confident that there will a lot more that I will be parting with. I figure I shouldn't keep holding on to items that I have no love for anymore. Especially when there is someone out there who would really enjoy having it.



I even have Harry Potter Valentines. I guess I could mail them to people next year??? (I'm kidding)
My newest collection is the Disney Vinylmations. Geez, was starting this probably a mistake!!!

We got sucked straight into these cute little guys. Trading the duplicates you get is addicting. Once you take a step back from it you realize all this. But sadly by then it's too late and you own two hundred of them. hahaha The way I look at collecting is it's great as long as you don't let it take over your entire house or life. Having things to decorate with is pretty cool and fun. For me the main problem is the amount of times I move. I just have to downsize my entire life sooner or later because I've realized I'm probably just going to keep moving. Having a huge collection of adorable things just isn't for my lifestyle anymore. I hope that this proves that I'm not a hoarder after all. :)

I hope you enjoyed this post. It was fun to share. I hoped you picked up on my humor. Yet I think that hoarding is a serious thing. I've watched the tv shows about hoarding and it breaks my heart every time.
Do you collect things?

You can view photos of all my toy collection on Flickr HERE.
All my blog posts featuring Vinylmations HERE.

The Vegan Project // Video Update From Dan

Dan was kind enough to put a video together to tell us about his progress with his new vegan diet. I wanted you guys to be able to hear it from him first hand. He talks about his weight loss, food choices and feelings on eating vegan so far.



I am so proud of Dan. I knew he could do it!
If you missed the other Vegan Project posts you can see them all HERE.

Other Links:
Forks Over Knives
Peaceable Kingdom

Biking in Colorado // 30 Miles

Over the weekend Cody and I drove down to our favorite bike trail in Colorado. It was so beautiful outside with a temperature of 84 degrees. Our goal was to ride at least 30 miles. We are really trying to get stronger and faster because we hope to be able to do a 100 mile ride this year. I am skeptical of this happening but I haven't lost all hope yet. This was our first ride using a computer that attached to Cody's bike.


The computer is pretty awesome. It lets you know how long you have been riding for, your mileage and your average speed. When we got started we were flying at around 19 miles per hour. This was a huge ego booster for me because I honestly didn't think my tiny little legs were capable of that. The trail is curvy but does not have tons of hills. Which makes it much easier then other trails I have done. I am really looking to just build my speed right now. I love the trail in Colorado because it's very scenic. Even the weeds growing are pretty...


As you are riding you can see the Rocky Mountains off in the distant. They are covered in snow in right now.
The photo doesn't do it justice. It's so beautiful.


I'm a daredevil taking photos while peddling. Most of the images were taken while in motion.


The trail is also full of wildlife...



Well, the horses aren't wild but they are pretty.

This is me at the end of the ride. Oh, I do wear 70 SPF sunblock.
I love my pale skin and wouldn't have it any other way. ;)
It used to embarrass me growing up but now I have embraced it.

Did we complete our 30 mile ride? Yes we did. Barely though. It took us a little over 2 hours to complete it with very few stops. On the way back the wind was horrible. The wind actually makes you feel like you aren't moving and you have to work so much harder. It slowed our average speed down to around 13 miles per hour instead of 19. I was so tired I didn't think I could make it, but when your car is parked at the "finish line" you keep going. Overall it was a great ride. I was very proud of myself. It's really amazing what the human body is capable of. We had so many people passing us making us seem slow. My goal is to be one of those people someday.

Cycling is such a great sport. You get to be outside, have fun and exercise all at the same time.
See all my posts related to biking HERE.

Just Chloe

After many months of winter we are finally having some nice warm days. Chloe has discovered that our deck is a nice place to sun herself. This is the first place that we have lived that has the perfect yard for little dogs. Chloe stayed outside laying on the deck for hours yesterday. I had to snap some cute photos of her. Chloe is around six years old now. When we got her it was in a moment of weakness due to her level of cuteness. We had gone to Starbucks to get coffee and next door was a pet store. We never visit pet stores and usually we would have better self control. Nope, not this time. This cute little doggie sucked us in. Even at age six she is a ball of energy. I would love to get her a puppy, but they are too much work for me.

I hope you are getting outside this weekend and doing something fun!