I Should Be Sleepin'

...Instead of keepin' these late hours I've been keepin'.
Hahah there's a little country for "ya'll." Emerson  Drive. :)

Anywho I don't have anything substantial to say. Guess I'll just tell you all what I've been up to. Work, school and some more work.
I did get to go jogging with Ali today. And when I say jog, I mean walk for 3/4ths of the distance. It's always nice to just have someone to talk to and get your mind off of things. Or talk things over with if you absolutely can't get your mind off things. I know everyone thinks they have the best friends in the world, but I know I truly couldn't ask for better ones.

Pretty much now-a-days I'm just waiting for summer to get here and enjoying the beautiful weather while I can. Hell's heat is right around the corner and unfortunately there's no escaping it this summer. This weekend I spent most of my time outdoors. I hosted Saturday, so luckily I got to enjoy the weather then and later that night I saw Limitless with gorgeous Bradley Cooper. I really enjoyed the movie, but honestly I could just watch Bradley Cooper for a few hours without the huge production and be equally as satisfied ;)
Sunday I went to the Tempe Arts Festival with my mom, Belle & sis. It was nice. We got In & Out for lunch, too. Got my Neapolitan shake fix.

That's all I got for now. Hopefully I'll have something exciting soon. :)

Der Fondue Chessel

It's been way too long.
Sorry folks. My motivation has been lacking lately.
I'm a little behind schedule considering I need to tell you all about my wonderful experience at Der Fondue Chessel, the fondue restaurant sitting on top of Keystone Ski Resort.
So much fun. Expensive, but well worth the experience.
First you take two gondola rides to the top of the mountain. Unheated gondolas, mind you.
Not ideal when Grandpa forgets to put on his long johns, or wear his sweater. He didn't realize he forgot till we were at the top. It was a riot to see him standing in his jeans and white t when we were checking our coats.

 Beautiful place, huh? Look at the giant fireplace in the back.

 Cheese fondue with white wine (I think.) Pretty strong tasting...I could've done without, but it was Grandpa's favorite.
You also get a Caesar salad, but I had already eaten it. I think we all know what a Caesar salad looks like anyways. :)

 Veggies & bread you dip in the cheese. I hate asparagus, but surprisingly I think it was the best tasting with the cheese fondue.

 A little look see at our four courses.

 You get entertainment as well!

 Great Polka music :D

 It was his birthday so they made him stand on a chair and dance.

 Next we grill our own food. Pork, chicken, steak, sausage, shrimp, and scallops. We also got a few more veggies as you can see I decided to grill my onions. They also give you Raclette cheese as well as sourdough bread and yummy potatoes. I put some garlic and butter on my bread and toasted it beneath the burner. By the way Raclette cheese=amazingness. Melted mine and poured it on my potatoes. That could have been my main course right there.

 Everyone has to do the chicken dance!

 Nice photo bomb in the back. I like how all of his friends are giggling, too.

 We're in front of the massive fireplace!

 Best course: dessert.

 We had dark and milk chocolate. That's whip cream on the top. By this point in time I was stuffed to the brim, but the chocolate fondue was so decadent, I couldn't stop eating. My favorite combo was the banana bread in the dark chocolate. Forget the previous courses, this was all I needed.

 Time to head back to the bottom. Get the dolly! as my dad would say. I need to be rolled out I'm so full.

And a picture of the beautiful snowfall. What a great experience. We were all laughing the whole ride home about Grandpa's lack of clothes. Great night. One to remember :)

Highlights

These are just a few moments from my fabulous trip to Breckenridge.

Most adorable Starbucks in the world.

 All the  buildings in downtown Breck look like this. It truly is the perfect mountain town.

 Couldn't resist. It was my mom's idea, I swear.

See? Even the Cannabis Club is in a cute little building.

Crepe stand in downtown Breck.

Crepes a la Cart ALWAYS had a line. Sometimes it was clear around the corner, so we figured it had to be good. My mom offered to buy us all crepes for dinner one of the last nights so my grandma wouldn't have to prepare dinner. Let me tell you, well worth the wait. My mom and I couldn't decide if we wanted a sweet one or one that resembled a meal so we split one of each. We got the Monte Cristo & the French Twist. Totally gotta try this place out if you ever come across one. Delicious.

Highest chairlift in North America.

Our trip up to the back bowls. My cousin took me down a double black diamond up there. I'm no expert skier, but she is so luckily I had her guidance. I came down in one piece, believe it or not. Just a bruise on my calf. :)

The fam & I after we got off the lift. Proof.

 Blurry, but I love this picture. It just shows how much fun we had on the trip. This is right before we got on the gondola to head back down the mountain from dinner.

Walking to the gondola after dinner at Der Fondue Chessel.

Props to Utah

I was trying to wait till I was home from the trip to tell you all about it, but I decided there's too much to share.
Ya'll wouldn't want to read a novel, so I'll break it up for you :)

Our trip started out with our favorite fast breakfast stop: Wendy's.
For some reason we love their iced coffee too much to pass up in the morning.
Just the three of us girls left while the sun was still rising and headed for Breck.
Luckily my dad was a total sweetheart and got us a Garmin. Lifesaver, that guy. (My mom insisted on the Australian guy's voice, of course.)

There's a gorgeous Arizona sunrise for you.

Our route went through northern Arizona and a bit of Utah before we finally got to Colorado.
I had never really been in Utah before...I don't think the Four Corners counts for too much of it. I gotta give it props, though. I was expecting a scenery similar to New Mexico (blek), but Utah turned out to be beautiful! I would've taken more pictures if I hadn't been driving.

It was about 2:00 pm and our tummies were rumbling as we were driving through Moab. We all agreed to try something different, right when we passed this quaint little cafe on the right. I had to flip a U-ee. It was just what we were looking for.

Eklecticafe.

Their menu was quite extensive. My worst nightmare. The poor lady was waiting on me for at least five minutes before I could make up my mind. I settled with a chicken curry wrap, but of course I was too excited to eat it to even think of taking a picture.

Adorable, right? Love the chalk boards.

 They serve brunch consisting of mainly organic food. Home made pastries and quiche, too!

...Yeah we're those people that show up right before it's closing. :/

I'm sure this place is adorable when it's warm enough for plants to grow.

 

Sunny little porch to eat on, too.

If you ever happen to be in Moab, definitely stop by. I've been craving curry ever since.
Plus, Moab is a breathtaking town. You can't pass up the scenery. It's one of those towns where you can tell the locals spend every waking moment outside.

The Countdown Begins

Today I was at school and noticed a lot of kids with dirty foreheads...then I remembered, Ash Wednesday!
What a great Christian I am, I totally forgot. I kinda want to give something up for Lent, but I have no idea...do you have any??

I cannot put into words how difficult it is to study right now (obviously since I'm blogging instead.) I have midterms and papers due by the end of this week and I should be buckling down and hitting the books.
There's way too much going on for that.

First there's the gorgeous Arizona weather. It seriously could not be any more beautiful right now. High of 80, sun shining. All I want to do is nap outside in my bathing suit. When spring in Arizona rolls around, I go all day wearing my swimsuit.

Next is Breckenridge. I LEAVE IN TWO DAYS. Can't believe it's finally here. This will be so awesome, skiing with my 72 year old grandpa. Sure it's no week of partying with friends in Cancun, but it's the perfect escape for me. One last touch of cold weather before the brutal summer hits and brushing up on my skiing skills.

Finally there's the Disney College Program. If you know me at all, you know I am OBSESSED with Disney. (Yes I'm one of those people.) I have always wanted to work there, and once I heard of the Disney internship available, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to fulfill my dreams.
Pretty much I go to Disney World for a semester, get paid to work there, receive some college credit, make some awesome friends, and get to work at the happiest place on Earth.
I know for some of you this sounds dreadful, but I assure you, it's perfect for me.
So this week was the week I decided to go for it. Disney held a presentation at my school for the fall internship and I am now working my way through the application process. Wish me luck!

I suppose I should attempt to study now...we'll see how far I get.

For In-N-Out Lovers

Totally forgot to tell you all...a while ago I stumbled upon In-N-Out's Secret Menu.
One of the best discoveries of my life..and this is why:

Behold- The Neapolitan Shake.
I could easily live off of these...that'd be a healthy lifestyle, right? Get my calcium?
So along with being obsessed with peanut butter, I think I'm also addicted to shakes.
This might get scary. Don't let it take over, please. I may end up weighing 400 lbs.
The first time I tried this sucker out was on the way back from Disneyland over Christmas break. Got to have an authentic one, right outta California. This baby did not disappoint. And what makes it so amazing is that the flavors don't mix, so you actually go from chocolate, to vanilla, to strawberry. You must try.
From now on, I decided I would only like to consume Peanut Butter & Jelly shakes, Neapolitan shakes, and Jamocha shakes (an Arby's original.)
Maybe throw in a couple solid pb's & j's, mac & cheese, and some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That's all I need. The diet of champions.

Mimi's with Great Grandpa

I had one of these babies for breakfast...Mimi's Cafe Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin.
Heaven.

I'm not gonna lie, one of my favorite moments of my great grandpa's birthday parties are when he gets a Mimi's gift certificate from my uncle. He always ends up taking us out for dinner soon after.
When we go my sis and I always have to have the strawberry lemonade. Whether we're there or Olive Garden, strawberry lemonade is a must.
So the first decision was an easy one, but actually choosing what I was going to eat was pretty difficult. I used to always get a Thai chicken wrap, but they took that off the menu a while ago. Sad day.
The waitress came back to me twice before I had my mind made up. I finally settled with the Monterey Omelette, no avocado (I hate the texture of it.) The only reason I chose this plate is because it came with a muffin. Yeah the omelette was good, but the muffin is what made it worth it. It was hard, but I made sure to save half for this morning's breakfast. Don't do what I did and sacrifice your meal so you can bring home a muffin, just get what you want and take some home with you. They have too many other options that are infinitely better than an omelette for dinner. :)
I won't make you all think I'm heartless and use my dear great grandpa for dinner. It was truly nice to see him last night. He's 98 now and last night he was the sharpest I had seen him in a long time. He has his ups and downs, has fallen more than a few times, and almost never hears me when we're together. Yesterday was definitely an up, though. He was making conversation with me and I was at least convinced he was hearing what I was saying. He was pretty sharp and knew what was going on. I just wish he had more days like that, because he's practically a walking history book. Could you imagine all the cool stories you would have if you were nearly a century old? If only he could hear me, I would visit with him for days just so I could write all the stories down.
Love that man...one of the most considerate people in the world.

Our last family photo...he's taking his siesta.

Rambles

This post doesn't have a theme to follow, just some rambles. I'm trying to be better at posting, but I feel like I don't have anything of importance to write about.
Here's what's been running through my mind lately:

Just recently have I noticed how inspiring the people around me are.
For instance, my wonderful sis. We may not always see eye to eye and definitely don't have much in common, but this girl is unbelievable at times.
This is going to sound like a total Lifetime show and unrealistic, but I promise you it's all true.
When my sister was just starting to crawl as a baby, they noticed something was wrong. She was only using one side of her body. My parents noticed this and knew it wasn't natural so they took her to the doctor.
Apparently she suffered a stroke at birth that effected the right side of her brain, causing partial paralysis on the left side of her body.
The doctor wasn't even sure she'd ever be able to walk.
My parents immediately put her in physical therapy. She had to wear braces on her legs for a portion of her younger years and constantly work to strengthen that side of her body.
Not only can she walk, she can do everything a "normal" person can do. She drives herself daily, ties her shoes, perfects her hair (this girl can do hair better than I will ever be able to)...everything. Nothing can hold her back.
Sure she still has partial paralysis on her left side and can't make much use out of her left hand, but she finds a way...her own way to do things.
If this story isn't inspiring enough, she's managed to lose over 20 pounds within the past couple of years without any help.
While we were growing up, my parents used to always say, "You're never going to grow, Callie. You don't eat enough and when you do eat, you don't eat healthy." I didn't care, I stayed skinny and ate what I wanted. I never thought that it would catch up to me.
Well it did my freshman year of college, as it does with most people. I didn't gain tons, just enough to learn my lesson. But while I was gaining weight, my sister was losing it. She was never incredibly overweight, she just wasn't in shape.
I don't know what her turning point was when she decided she wanted to get in shape, but once she made up her mind, no one was getting in the way of her intense determination.
She counted calories constantly. Some people can't do it, it drives them crazy, but she had it down to a science. Then once she got the weight off, she started an exercise program. She ordered equipment online and got her own personal stair stepper as well as weights and others.
Now this girl is smaller than me. She is my big sister...I would never grow cause I don't eat enough/right...and now I'm the bigger one.
Anyways, I asked her over a million questions when it came to her method of weight-loss. Got all the inside scoop and secrets to try a whack at it. The hardest part was definitely self-discipline.
For the first couple of months I would break down, say eff-it, and eat like crazy. Then I finally got in the swing of things and have been able to lose about 10 pounds myself. It may not be as visibly noticeable, but I can definitely feel the difference.
I tell ya, this girl can do anything. If only the world can see how much one person can accomplish...I feel like her story could inspire a lot.

She's the normal looking one on the right.

She's not the only one I've been thinking about, though.
Let me tell you a little about my dad. He's from a small town in Nebraska. He likes Nascar, guns, and Republicans. Yes, he's a hick (I know you were all thinking it.)
Needless to say, we but heads a LOT. (Me being an open-minded city girl my whole life...he may say self absorbed :P )
He's been a retired school teacher/principal for quite some time now. He hangs out at a gun shop in his spare time and enjoys taking Belle (our aussie) to coffee every morning. Pretty much just plays life by ear.
The other night I came home from Zumba class with my mommy and he was sitting in the computer room helping a neighbor kid with his homework.
It kinda hit me, 'my dad's retired. He gave up the teaching a while ago, but he's taking time out of his day to sit down and tutor the neighbor kid.'
He was reading out loud with him and going over math problems...all out of good character. He's a great teacher, too. I remember going to elementary school with him, and my friends that had him as a teacher would always tell me how fun he was as a  teacher.
There was no incentive for him to tutor the neighbor; he wasn't getting paid for this.
It was a mere genuine act of kindness.

Like that old man in Estes said, "Man you must be doing something right to be this blessed."
I'm so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life. They always say anyone can make a difference in the world, and I know this is extremely hard to believe sometime, but there's proof out there.
Although these actions won't be any segments aired on the Today show, they still make a difference in the world.

So those are my recent ramblings. One more dreadful week of school including multiple midterms and then I'm off to the beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado to ski with my 72 year old Grandpa, and Mother (not 72).
Hopefully I'll have some exciting stories to tell then. :)