Amazing weekend!

This past weekend was exactly what I needed... a combination of shopping, relaxation and good company...

Friday I spent the entire day, minus an appointment for a Brazilian Blowout, at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale.... This by far, is my favorite sale of the year and I can spend (and usually do) hours (and money) at this ridiculous sale. I didn't go as crazy as I normally do, but still walked away with some fun stuff! I was shocked at how different the sale is here, compared to Seattle. When we worked at Nordstrom in college, the sale was a HUGE event.... we would prepare for months, open the store at 7am, all the employees would clap for the customers who showed up bright and early for the first day of the sale, and the stores were PACKED!!

Scottsdale was a little different. I thought EVERY Nordstrom opened at 7 on the first day of the sale... but I was wrong. 9am. After my morning nap in the car, I walked into the store to find it EMPTY! Even by 11am it wasn't even CLOSE to crowded. Oh well, I found all of my sizes and didn't have to wait on finding a shoe salesman (or taking a number, for that matter). It did take some of the fun and excitement away though... I prefer fighting over jeans and seeing what everyone else is buying (grabbing).

And look, I did good!

Saturday, we went back to the sale (because that's just what we do, don't judge), and then went to a meditation workshop by Sarah McLean in Scottsdale through the Bikram Yoga studio that I go to... My friend Alicia went with me, and it was a-mazing. Such an awesome experience and I'm so glad we went! We went out to dinner with Alicia and her boyfriend Luke afterwards (Oreganos-- YUM!) and then Stefan and I decided to stay at the W in Scottsdale because the workshop continued on Sunday morning and staycations across town are just fun.

The W was fabulous!! Such a modern feel, and the pool was so fun! Sunday, we had breakfast, I went to the second day of the workshop, and then we ventured back home, where we spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies (because it's so dang hot outside).

All in all, a wonderful weekend, even if it was 115 degrees..... 

Friday Funday

This is apparently what happens when I have a day off with no appointments, no errands to run, and no husband around to tell me I'm wasting my day.... 

And this is the conversation I have with my husband when he walks in the door and I'm taking pictures like this on the computer: 

Me: Hi! Come look what I did!!!

Me: Look!! Isn't this fun?!

Stefan: (not impressed) Is this really how you spent your day, Julie?

Julie: No, just the last 20 minutes.

Stefan: Yah right. You need to figure out another way to spend your Fridays.

I can't believe he didn't even show the slightest smile... I'm still cracking myself up. 

My Punch List....

My friend Jordan just posted her "punch list," which was inspiration from the blog Things I Want to Punch in the Face and I felt inspired to do the same.... Although most people list their top 10, I couldn't stop at 10.... so here are my top 25 (in no particular order):

1. Those annoying stickers that people put on their cars representing how many people are in their family. If you have a giant suburban with greasy finger prints and stickers all over the window, I already know you must have children.

2. Bikers who don't ride in the bike lane. Unless your bike can accelerate like my car does when the light turns green and you can pedal the speed limit, don't ride in the regular lanes. Bike lanes were made for a reason.

3. The word "epic." It is over-used and annoying.

4. Shakira. She sounds like a frog when she sings and she just bugs me.

5. People who update their facebook statuses in third person. Do you talk like that in real life? I didn't think so, so stop it!!


6. Fake designer purses. What is the point? I don't get it. There are PLENTY of nice inexpensive purses out there. Why would you pay $100 for a fake LV or Coach? Doesn't make sense to me.


7. All of the ridiculous virtual games on facebook. If people want to harvest their crops or pretend like they're in the mafia that's fine, but there IS an "ignore" button.

8. Revolving doors.


9. Arizona newscasters. "Carwash on 32nd and Camelback today" does not qualify as news, sorry.


10. Self-portraits people take of themselves on their cell phones in front of mirrors, usually taken in bathrooms. First, do you really need a mirror to take your picture? Can't you take it of yourself without a mirror? Second, you think we can't see the toilet in the background?? Gross.

11. Umbrellas. People who use umbrellas are usually tourists or people who are not used to the rain. Get a jacket with a hood on it, umbrellas are just dumb.


12. Ryan Seacrest. I don't think this one needs an explanation.


13. Anyone over the age of 3 that cannot eat/drink something without making a slurping or smacking noise. It's annoying, obnoxious and disgusting.


14. People who take the elevator to go up/down one flight of stairs.


15. Late people. Usually late people think it's funny when they say "oh I'm always late" - it's not funny. If you say you're going to be there at 6, be there at 6.... better yet, get there 10 minutes early. It's the right thing to do.


16. Ringtones. The last thing I want to hear when I'm sitting in the airport is "Party in the USA" coming from your phone.


17. Political discussions with people on the complete opposite end of the political spectrum. There really is no point to try and persuade me, just like I know you're not going to listen to anything I'm going to say either. It's just not worth it. You believe what you believe, and I'll believe what I believe. I'm not going to change my mind, so just let it be.


18. Parents who update their facebook statuses with "Johnny had the biggest blowout in his diaper today!" or "Katie went pee pee in the big girl toilet today!" This is not what I want to read when I'm eating my breakfast. Yes, I understand this is a milestone, but not everyone on facebook wants to read about it.
 

19. Speaking of facebook, people who talk about working out all the time. "At the gym again for the 15th time today, it's gonna be an intense workout!" Completing a marathon is one thing, but going to yoga, spinning class, pilates, and then running 2470 miles in one day is just annoying (and likely not even true).


20. Bad grammar and misspelled words. There is a difference between they're, their and there. Know the difference. Same with your and you're. Drives me insane.


21. Parents who don't discipline their children and let them run around like wild animals in public places.


22. People who use excessive abbreviations in text messages. I shouldn't have to ask a 12 year old to translate.


23. People who walk slow, or walk slow and then stop right in the middle of a walkway to have a conversation or point at something. If you're going to walk slow or decide to stop, move to the right, just like if you were driving in a car. Come to think of it, these are probably the people who drive slow in the far left lane. Speed up or get out of the way!!!


24. Incorrect use of words or phrases. This goes along with people who constantly use the same words (usually in the wrong context) - GET a new vocabulary!


25. People who sit next to you on the plane and don't get the hint that you do not want to have a conversation. When I have my headphones on, that doesn't mean you should ask what I'm listening to, or if I'm reading a book or magazine, that does not give you permission to ask 20 questions about what I'm reading. Leave me alone!




The end.

Austin is weird.

I'll start with saying how much I LOVE going to Austin. It's really one of my favorite cities, probably because it reminds me a lot of Seattle (minus the rain). It's very laid back, fun music scene, very "earthy" and lots of weird people/things.

Last week I was in Austin teaching a class and had the chance to hang out a little on 6th Street after work one night with my friend Blake.

We weren't out for long, but during the time we had dinner and drinks (and Tiffwiches), we saw the most RANDOM things/people that I was speechless for most of the night.

We had dinner at Paradise Cafe--- enjoying some chips and queso when Blake said "Did you just see the lizard guy walk by?" Lizard guy? Yes, he said lizard guy. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I didn't see him. But Blake pulled up a picture of him on his iphone... apparently he's famous... famous because he's like a human lizard-- complete with the imbedded beads in his forehead, split tongue, shaved teeth and tattoos all over his body that look like scales. Here he is:

A few minutes later, I see this interesting guy walk up to the bar and sit there for a minute. After getting a better glimpse of his "outfit" I asked Blake what was going on. This guy was sitting pretty close to me so Blake said "I'll tell you about him later." My curiosity was piqued and I kept looking at the guy, so Blake (probably annoyed/embarrassed with me) pulls up another picture on his iphone... apparently this guy is famous too. His name is Leslie. If you google "Leslie Austin" you'll find him.... Here's what you might find:

During the whole Leslie ordeal, Blake said "I swear I just saw a dog walk by with a cat on it's back." Normally, I would probably think anyone who said that was on some pretty strong drugs, but given the circumstances and our already interesting night, I would've believed anything. I turned my chair around at this point because I didn't want to miss anything else that would've walked by. A couple minutes later I saw a bunch of people gathered around taking a picture of something on the other side of the building... One of the beer delivery guys stopped to take a picture and I just figured "ahhh.... probably nothing." Finally when more people continued to gather around for pictures, I grabbed my camera and walked outside to see what was going on.... I'm so glad I had my camera with me:

Then it was time to drive to Tiff's Treats for a Tiffwich.... which, by the way, is quite possibly the best thing ever. Two fresh/warm (better than Otis Spunkmeyer) chocolate chip cookies, with Blue Bell ice cream in the middle. THE perfect way to round off an hour of craziness on 6th Street.

As we were driving back, I saw someone on a bike and did a double-take. I said to Blake, "Is that a girl in a bikini on her bike?" We got closer to the bike, and realized that, no, it was not a girl on her bike in a bikini..... it was a MAN, shirtless, wearing nothing but a g-string. It was terrible. Sorry folks, no picture of this one.... even though I did try. You can thank the weird flash on my phone for that. :)

Our little lioness...

For the past couple years we've helped Zoe stay cool in the summer by giving her a little "haircut." Well, WE don't actually do the cutting, we take her to the groomer. Instead of just a simple haircut, we decided to go fancy.... or exotic. However you wanna put it, she gets shaved like a lion. And she LOVES it!

Phoenix.... the windy city??

So while we were in Vegas a couple weekends ago, apparently Phoenix had a crazy windstorm.. The lady who comes to take care of our cats called and told us there was a little issue with our patio table. Glass everywhere. We thought she might have been exaggerating a little, but we came home to see this:

Stefan has been talking about wanting to "re-do" our backyard for a few months now, so I found this VERY coincidental. If you know my husband, you know that he is ALWAYS wanting to do something that involves spending money and making things look nicer (even though it already looks nice).

So we spent Memorial Day weekend shopping, running errands, and putting together our new backyard furniture... including a giant gazebo that will help add some shade in the summer months! We can't wait to enjoy our little outdoor paradise :)

Now it's time to plan our first BBQ (not cookout) of the year!

Carrie Bradshaw

So I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Carrie Bradshaw....

Yes, she's a fictional character, but I love her style. I love her shoes. I love her attitude. I love that she's smart. I love how she writes. I love her charisma. I love her.

I am obsessed with Sex & the City. I loved the movie. I even bought these shoes after the movie:

I've only worn them twice. Once at the Biltmore and the other time was in NYC (only appropriate).

So the new movie comes out in a couple weeks and I cannot wait. As I was typing the last sentence, the trailer for the movie just came on TV. I am SO excited.

Stefan even watches the reruns with me (on DVD of course, the ones on TBS aren't nearly as good). And he liked the movie too (even though he probably wouldn't admit it).

So last weekend I was at Costco and what did I see?

Of course I bought it, why wouldn't I? Even if it said "For the Young Adult Reader." Embarrassing? Yes.

But it brings me back to when I was in high school (my 10 year reunion is this summer) and answers all the questions I've always had about Carrie before Sex & the City.....

A little mindless reading never hurt anyone, right? :)