Lizard Brains.

For my whole life, my parents have referred to me as a pit bull. That means that I'm one of those "when I want it, I go get it," type of girls. Sometimes a good thing... sometimes a bad thing.

Well, Mom... guess what I'm after this time???

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Yep. You got it. A new pet!

And not just any pet. A brand-new, scaly lizard! Actually, at this point I'm still deciding if I'd rather go with a couple little anoles (first picture) or a baby bearded dragon (second and third photos).

And yes, I know that those cute little baby dragons grow into big ones. I've done my research.

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So... needless to say, I've got lizards on the brain. It's something new... something fun... (yes, I know it's a big committment)... and something I just might not go after at all. We shall see, I guess!

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Edit: A couple hours after posting this, my mom made a comment (I just knew you would, mom!). It's also in the comments below.

Might I say that nothing you get on your mind surprises me anymore! But a lizard is not the warm, cuddly version of Oso.... is your stuffed pooch not sufficient? I can buy you a snuggie to go with it! Luv ya, Mom

Oh, Mom. I love you, too. Now I'm off to buy a lizard.

If.

Let me let you in on a silly secret about myself:

I spend a little too much time thinking about "if's."

It's true. 

I'm a dreamer. A romantic. A wishful thinker.

And a lot of the time, I'm thinking, "What if?"

Sometimes, it's silly.

For instance, "What if I could fly?"

Which, by the way, would be my first choice for a superpower.

Again... there's that "if"...

"If I could have a superpower, it would be..."

Other times, it's a little closer to home.

"What if I can't afford groceries next week?"

"What if I can't make rent?"

A lot of the time, I think about my blog, to be quite honest. 

"What if my blog doesn't gain readership?"

"What if people don't like what I write?"  (Simple answer there... then don't read it, silly!) 

See... earlier I called myself a dreamer. But most of the time, I act on my dreams.

Granted, I know I can't physically sprinkle fairy dust on myself and take off to Never Neverland. 

But... for most of my "if's," they are usually followed soon-after by an action.

For instance, "What if my blog never gains readership? How will I pay rent next month?"

I came up with an easy solution for that one:

I added sponsorship opportunities to my blog. 

Not only do you get your ad out there, but you help me out, too.

To be honest, I have yet to be sponsored... but someday I might get lucky. 

Another example would be this blog in itself.

One night I had an idea that began with, "What if I had a blog just for myself and my rantings?"

The next day, Simply Aunie was born.

In fact, that "if" has almost been counterproductive, because now I have four blogs, and sometimes it's a little overwhelming. And "if" someday they don't all exist... then we will see what happens then, too!

See... usually instead of "What if?" in a negative tone, I turn it into a positive one. 

That transforms "What if I can't afford groceries next week?" into

"If I do ______, I can afford groceries next week!"

It's that easy. "If's" aren't always bad. Neither are dreamers. 

You just have to act on them.

Because what makes dreams come true?

YOU.

Overwhelmed.

 

Oh jeez.

Back to life... back to reality!

As I head back to work today, fresh off my week long vacation, I'm really not looking forward to the pile of mail and papers that is going to be on my desk. 

I know I can handle it... but, oh I'd rather be sleeping. Or eating. Or reading. Or blogging. 

Or anything but working.

I miss Disneyland, golfing, and the warm California weather already.

I just feel a slight bit overwhelmed today. I got back on my computer and found countless emails, about 140 blog posts to read on my RSS, and a whole bunch of bloggers who seem to have a heck-of-a-lot more talent than I do. It's kind of discouraging. Oh well. I'm my own person, right? Simply Aunie!

Ok... I feel better now. Just typing those words revved me up a little bit.

Anyway... back to work... back to reality.

P.S. I just love reading your comments... but I can't reply back if you don't "show your email" on your Blogger profile. All you need to do is go to your Blogger profile. Click "Edit." Check the box that says "show my email address," and you're good to go!  Then I will be able to respond to your comments. For a more detailed tutorial, check out this link from For the Love of Blogs. Success!!!

Leaving on a Jet Plane.

In middle school, I sang "Leaving on a Jet Plane" at our 6th grade talent show. I think I was too young to realize that this is really a sad love song, not a song about a plane. But, oh well. I sang my booty off and it was awesome.

As my brother and I prepare to go back home to Boise today from Palm Desert, it's the only song playing in my mind. Instead of to a lover, I'm singing to the Desert. What a glorious place it is. Full of relaxation, palm trees, warm weather... ahh... the life.

As I sipped my margarita by the pool yesterday, I really didn't want to think about going home today. But I guess it's time... Time to get back to the real world, back to work, the gym, my novio (yay!)... and time to get on that jet plane.

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go.

Thankful.

Oh, Thanksgiving is wonderful. Friends, family, food, FUN... the list goes on and on. I'm especially thankful to be spending this glorious holiday down in Palm Springs with my dad, his girlfriend, Karen, and my wonderful brother, Stewart.

I'd love to know what you're thankful for... do tell?

Disneyland.

Yesterday, our third day down in Palm Desert, we went to Disneyland. 

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
with Daniel (and look... we match!)

Splash Mountain. I was terrified, obviously.
My brother Stewart loved it (he is in red).

Star Tours

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

And just in case you missed it, check out our faces.
We were so into it.

"it's a small world" at Christmas time

I think we went on every ride imaginable. Seriously.

Except Pirates, because it was closed.

We forgot about the Matterhorn (darnit!),

and Space Mountain was having difficulties so we didn't make it on.

In fact, 4 rides that we were either in line for (or on!) broke down yesterday.

Bummer!

The list of rides we DID made it on was:

Indiana Jones (twice), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,

Splash Mountain, "it's a small world,"

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which conveniently broke down while we were on it),

Peter Pan Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,

Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters,

Star Tours, Soarin' Over California,

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,

and my favorite, California Screamin'.

In addition, we went to the show at the Golden Horseshoe,

the show at the Tiki Room,

AND we watched the fireworks.

We also had great Mexican food, cotton candy, churros,

a Mickey Mouse pretzel,

and famous Disneyland ice cream. Yum yum yum.

Needless to say, we were there from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.

What a fun day. Not only was it a celebration of my brother's 18th Birthday,

but he has also never been to Disneyland...

so it was totally awesome.

But also... mi novio also just-so-happened to be in southern Cali

with his family and we were all able to meet up for the day.

How perfect.

And it truly was The. Perfect. Day.

Golf.

Yesterday, I went golfing. I didn't necessarily golf well, but I sure did golf. It was thrilling and a great family experience. 4 hours after we began our 18-hole round, that margarita sure was good!

Vacation.

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Sometimes, getting out of town for a vacation is all you need. Let me tell you... yesterday my brother and I hopped a plane to Palm Desert and we couldn't be more excited.

The Desert for a week. Boy, oh boy. We got in last night after quite a few delays, and promptly scarfed down some In 'N Out. Of course we did that, right? Shoot... we just had to! 

For the week, we have a couple plans. Today we are going golfing (my first time!), and we plan on visiting Disneyland tomorrow, laying by the pool Wednesday, and enjoying plenty of food Thursday. We are quite excited. I plan on showing you a picture or two from each day so stay tuned for the fun from The Desert!

Bloom.

One of my favorite quotes is:

Bloom where you are planted.

I think it is such a simple, yet powerful quote. It's quite beautiful, actually. This quote applies to so many different aspects of life. Whether it's your personal relationships, work, where you live... anything.  

You can't always predict where you'll end up, but you can always do your best and let yourself shine in every situation.

The Middle.

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Remember that song "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World? Sometimes it's amazing how a simple song can explain exactly how you're feeling on any given day. It's actually rather refreshing, because hey, if there's a song about how you're feeling... you're not alone, right? You're just ... in the middle.

Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright... alright.

Hey, you know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright... alright.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright... alright.

Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just do your best, do everything you can.
And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright... alright.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright... alright.

Oso.

This is Oso. Little Oso Fluffy Boy. Oh, he warms my heart like no other.

He is a black and white long-haired chihuahua. He just turned 2. He weighs all of 4 1/2 pounds. Let me tell you, he is precious and he loves to cuddle.

If I could have a house full of puppies, as I mentioned in this post, this is the kind I would want. Yep. An entire house of them. Of course, none of them would bark or have accidents or anything like that. They would just be little, cute, perfect snuggly pups.

Anyway, Oso goes by many names. I'm sure you know that Oso means "bear" in Spanish. Oso, in English, can be translated to "oh-so." Some of his more popular nicknames include: Oso Fluffy, Oso Tired, Oso Excited, Oso Suspicious (my favorite), Oso Adventurous... And so on.

Due to the fact that Oso is oh-so cute, I was inspired to buy my own puppy to snuggle with at night, since Oso doesn't live with me (anymore). The puppy I bought is a Nap stuffed puppy, from Brookstone. Needless to say, I could only think of one name to call him. Notso. My stuffed dog's name is Notso. Notso Snuggly, Notso Rambunctious, Notso Alive. Ha.

Anyway, that is Oso. He is adorable and too special not to share. I hope you had oh-so much fun reading about him.

Xoxo

Braids.

Twisting, twining,

Around you curve.

Elegant and feminine,

Intertwining you swerve.

Intricate and delicate,

Mesmerizing you prove.

Going back and forth,

Through angles you groove.

Those lovely little hair styles,

Always so bold.

Oh, what beauty

Braids behold.

An original poem - 11.15.2011 

Bowling.

Ten striped pins.

Nine frames left.

Eight lanes full.

Seven guiding arrows.

Six eyes watching.

Five slices of pizza.

Four glasses of beer.

Three dollars a game.

One marbled ball.
 

Two birds in love.

- For Daniel -

An original poem - 11.14.2011 

Backgammon.

Dear Backgammon,

            It was such a pleasure to meet you the other night. With your vintage flannel and zippered case, you're stylish and so convenient to travel with.

            However, I have stumbled upon a problem that I'd like to address. You always beat me. I know that you are doing your part to play a good game, but it is getting to the point of being unfair. I'm sorry to whine and complain, but this is just getting out of hand. For instance, two nights ago when each of us had only 4 pieces left, you rolled doubles for the win and I was especially taken by surprise. It is times like that when you pretend that you are giving me a chance and then you completely strike me from behind.

            I do look forward to our next meeting, but I advise you to watch your little magnetic pieces. I've been practicing and I'm ready for you. I'm going to double-six you so badly you won't know what to do about it.Until then, you'll be in my thoughts, my dear Backgammon. I miss you.

With love,

            Aunie

These Boots.

// Boots: Steve Madden //

Sure.

These boots were made for walking.

And that's just what they'll do.

Camel, distressed, leather.

Fun in warm or cool weather.

The season's latest trend,

My newest fashion friend.

From the shows to the fair,

Dates out to eat,

Or lounging in our favorite chair.

They go with me,

They come with you,

They see our kisses, feel our hugs,

This perfect love, to us so new.

They take me there.

They take me here.

With all this boot-wearing,

One thing is clear.

Sure,

These boots were made for walking.

And that's just what they'll do.

But I'm here to let you in,

On a secret, it's true.

These boots were not made

To walk

All

Over

You.

- For Daniel - 

An original poem - 11.12.2011 

The Saucy Girl.

Oh, hi there!
I'm Annelise. I like to go by Aunie.

This is me:

I'm a rather saucy girl.
Thus the name,
Aunie Sauce.

I have a lot to say...
most of the time.
It's not always profound.
But that's OK. Sometimes it's alright
to just put your thoughts out there.

If I had an unlimited amount of money,
I'd probably have a house full of puppies,
a garden full of daisies, and a really cool
Jeep. Just because.

I love to wear purple. But I think the color
that best describes me is yellow.
Vibrant, loud, energetic.

I'm really just a goofball,
who collects bouncy balls, who loves mac 'n cheese,
and who wants to see the
world with open eyes.

The Beginning.

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The Beginning.

Though it seems like a new start,

it is simply a moment in time.

A small moment. 

A revelation,

to one soul,

who aspires to feel the depth,

the impact,

of herself on the world.

Though small, like a bird

she shall fly,

and show you just how high

she can soar. 

An original poem - 11.10.2011