these are a few of my favorite things:

lightning

the wind in my hair

the smell of fresh rain on the cement

colored sharpies

down comforters and great sheets

ice cold water

big sweatshirts that are worn in

high heels that make my calves look awesome

my feet

cleaning supplies

old pictures that bring back memories

a really good hug

thunder

fireworks that are so loud you can feel it

dancing in the kitchen

laughing so hard tears roll down my cheeks

long drives with no particular destination

sunsets

laying in the sun for hours

road trips

my hands and the tan lines from my rings

eggs on toast
having my hair played with

body butter

silver jewelery

princess cut diamonds and how they sparkle

my eyes

rainier cherries

oriental rice crackers by the pound

making breakfast... french toast, hash browns, bacon, eggs...

full body massages

making people laugh and be happy

incredible views of city lights

long walks and hikes with great views

foot rubs... giving and receiving

roasting marsh mellows over the stove on forks

camping... in a tent

singing at the top of my lungs in the car

being barefoot

gifts that have more sentimental value than monetary value

pedicures

christmas lights

mod podge picture blocks

making friends

steak so good you don't need any sauce

seattle waterfront, the aquarium and pike place market

freshly shaved legs

pouring rain after a dry spell

seafood cocktail from ivars

naps on sunday afternoon on the front room floor

bones... the tv show

the color green

inside jokes

dreams that feel oh-so real

pistachios

exploding targets and big guns

the ringing of an assigned ring tone

cabela's

ford trucks

grape nuts cereal

sleeping in

roses and orchids and gerber daisies

dc shoes that make my feet look cute and bossy

manual transmissions

quotable movies and comedians

victoria's secret five for twenty-five tables

hot yoga

giraffe print

hand written letters

a really good pen that writes really well

surprises

otters... river and sea

dishes

clean clothes

listening to a soothing voice

sleep (which i'm hoping i'll get some of tonight)

-kmw-

hilarity in the work place

so here i sit, taking calls like i do every day.

i have my feet propped up on my desk like so:

i sit like this every day.

i've been having a less than fantastic day today...

it's a long story, i'm not going to get into it.

i have my keyboard in my lap and my headset clipped to my shirt.

just relaxing, trying to focus on something besides my hatred of stupid people.

all of a sudden i moved slightly and felt gravity pulling me in a direction i didn't necessarily want to go...

i grabbed my half-a-cubicle partition in hopes that i could save myself.

i failed.

before i could blink i was on my back.

my keyboard was on the ground next to me

my headset cord was pulling at my shirt and the headphones were around my neck

my leg was almost in the trash can

and the right arm rest of my chair busted clean off...

all i could do was lay there and laugh.

i laughed so hard i was crying

my co-workers asked if i was ok and tried to pick my sorry self up off the floor.

i continued to laugh and had to stifle myself through an incoming call.

the crash made such a loud noise my supervisor heard it from across the call center while he was in the boss's office.

i'm still laughing...

i haven't fallen out of a chair since i was in jr high...

epic storesonline chair fail...

-kmw-

leaps and bounds...

wow, so i'm a bum and i never blog... i've got some down time at the workplace so i figure, why not update the world on my wonderful, crazy, off-the-wall life.

since january i've been living in the mormon mecca...
that's right, orem, utah.
i've had a good run, love my roommates, love the people i work with, love being close to relations.
the start wasn't my favorite.
as many of you know i'm not a fan of freezing my butt off...
i like it where it is, thank you.
but i survived the winter.
the sun is loving me currently.
i'm a lovely shade of brown.
my roommates and sisters are jealous. (haha)
i recently took a trip to fargo, north dakota to visit a boy...
i seriously have never been on a better vacation.
the country was beautiful.
in the words of mr. fargo, himself:
"IT'S GOD'S COUNTRY!"
i'll say that i agree one-hundred percent.
we spent a lot of time driving around seeing the sights.
yes it's flat and pretty boring as far as terrain goes, but the open fields and farms are awesome.
we took a few trips across the river into minnesota.
i got to stand in the hand of the giant paul bunyan statue.
we also went to itasca state park, which was AWESOME.
all in all it was a very awesome vacation and i can't wait to go back.
my plan is to go back in august for another visit...
anyway, since i got back i just haven't felt like utah is the place for me anymore.
so i'm going to move back to washington.
i dont have a definite date yet, but i'm sticking around utah for the summer and then going back in the fall.
i hope to go to school at BCC (or Bellevue College) or LWTech.
i'm not sure where i'll live or what i'll do for work, but i have a couple months to figure that out.
anyway... it just feels like the right thing for me to do right now.

hope you all have a wonderful week

-kmw-

one word... epic

so this april fools will definitely be one for the books.
it was epic to say the least...

the prank: "congrats!"

so i moved to utah in january
a little over a month after my friend moved back down here from washington
everyone at work thought that the reason i was moving here was to follow him.
my store manager flat out asked me if that's why i was moving.
i told him no WAY!!
i also had people making bets on how long i would last SINGLE in OREM UTAH...
but in the spirit of feeding the gullible...
i borrowed a friend's engagement ring and took a picture of that particular friend kissing my cheek and holding my hand up...
i sent the picture to my store manager, my zone manager and a couple of my co-workers...

my store manager said "CONGRATS!!"

my zone manager said "WHAT?! i did NOT approve of this! is he good to you?!"

my friend said "kilay! no way!"

we all laughed and it was hilarious

until i tried to get the ring off...

it was stuck.

it went on JUST fine

which had me confused...

we tried EVERYthing to get it off...

soap

lotion

oil

floss

ice

i stood outside in the snow with my hand in the air...

nothing worked...

my friend was nervous to tell her husband what had happened

i was nervous that i was gunna lose my finger...

or have over $3000 dollars stuck on it forever...

we finally decided to let it sit over night and see if the swelling would go down.

my finger had puffed up and been rubbed raw from all the twisting and turning and maneuvering we did to try and get it off.

i continued to get text after text and call after call until 3am...

in the morning the swelling had gone down

but not enough to get the ring off

and it was now stuck to my finger in the places it was rubbed raw

i went to work and everyone thought at first that i had really gotten engaged on april fools day...

until i showed them my hand closer....

when they saw the swollen redness they laughed...

my supervisors busted up...

i left on my lunch break to go with my roommate to Jared's to see what they could do for me

the lady didnt know what to do so she asked the manager...

in the mean time, my roomie and i went around the corner and sat on the couch...

we heard him laugh before we saw him....

he came around the corner and asked to see it...

he was laughing hysterically....

he said it was the best thing he had seen in a long time.

he said he loved me and that he was glad i was laughing about it...

they cut the ring...

stuffed two sets of pliers under it and pulled it apart...

it cut my finger when i pulled it off..

my finger is still swollen, but not as bad...

the spots where it was rubbed raw are now scabbing over...

looks like the joke was on me.

my friend whose ring it was has insurance

so they cut it off and will put it back together for free.
i'm so glad we got it off my finger...
it's no longer swollen as bad as it WAS
and the raw spot are now scabbing...

oh well...

it was worth it.

-kmw-

ping-pong = stupid

i used to be a big fan of ping pong.
i've had a lot of time to just sit and think today...
and i've decided that ping pong SUCKS.
especially when you play against a guy.
it's completely unfair.
they bring a new meaning to the phrase "being the ball"
let me elaborate.
there is no gray area when it comes to guys....
they're either on, or they're off...
in the immortal words of katy perry:
"you're hot then you're cold,
you're yes then you're no,
you're in then you're out,
you're up then you're down..."
i feel like i've got "a case of a love bi-polar"...
if you're into me, you're into me...
if you're not, you're not...
but it can't be "i'm into you yesterday...
but not today...
but maybe tomorrow."
it's just not fair....
not by any stretch of the imagination.
you can't have your cake and eat it too.
that's not how it works.
it's not fair to girls because that's just asking for a mental break down.
it's not fair to guys because they're potentially missing out on something that could have been great.
and this is why:
inevitably the girl will get tired and put her paddle down on the table and walk away.
i'm about to that point.
call me crazy, but i'm the type of girl that likes a straight answer.
whether it hurts or not.
tell me the truth!
i'd rather have the truth and be hurt right NOW
than to be dropped later and have it be from such a height that i can't recover.
and that is the voice of experience...
it's hard to recover gracefully when you've fallen face first over the edge.
sometimes i just think that it looks so hilarious that guys let us fall just to see how funny girls look when their face hits the pavement...
other times i think that girls over-think things and send themselves careening over the edge without thinking...
like my dad always says:
"it's not the fall that kills you...
its the quick stop at the bottom."
then there's the complete opposite situation...
when you've been told bluntly that this is not it,
but you go for it anyway...
these people are just gluttons for punishment.
if you put yourself in the situation
deal with it
if you're doing it to yourself,
i have no sympathy for you.
you have the power to change your situation.
so do it.
stop complaining.
i feel like this has been a very random rambling...
if you followed it, good for you.
if not... sorry.

-kmw-

the cure for laryngitis: shut up!!

so... i'm home from work today with a bit of laryngitis plus a fever... i figured now is as good a time as any to blog!

this stupid sickness has been really interesting for me because i'm usually one of the loudest people on earth...
and being without a voice really sucks! i literally was whispering for 3 days straight because that's all the sound that would come out...
turns out that was a BAD idea because whispering is more harsh on the vocal chords than talking...
my boss, Dan, printed off a thing about laryngitis for me yesterday, plopped it down on my desk and said "we're gunna get you better!"
it was pretty funny.
i'd like to take this opportunity to point out that Shea was spot-on...
he was over on monday and said "ya know what the cure for your throat is?"
i said... well, whispered, "what's that?"
he said "shut up."
i laughed so hard!
but he was so right!
on the list of things on the print out Dan gave me the first thing is "avoid speaking"...
go figure.
so i didnt talk all day yesterday unless i absolutely HAD to and my voice is slowly returning.
the only bad thing is now other symptoms of laryngitis ar showing today...
i now have a fever...
rar.
on top of that all the coughing i've been doing has made it so that every time i cough it feels like someone is kicking me in the ribs.
and i cough so hard i almost hurl my guts out...
it's pretty much awful.
and THEN i sliced my finger open on a spatula yesterday...
i'm not having a very good week it seems...
well... not a very good week with my health that is...
i've been having a FANTASTIC week other than that!!
i am no longer wondering what the crap i'm doing in Utah...
i'm having the time of my life.
i love my roommates.
i love my friends.
i love my GIRLS!
i'm meeting people all the time and having a blast.
life is good.

-kmw-

adventures in motion...

i rode to utah with a couple of my brother-in-law's friends in a truck with all my crap tarped and tied to the back in the bed. i was exhausted from singing my lungs out at karaoke the night before (or should i say morning) and running on about 6 hours of sleep for the last handful of days...
let me go back a few days...
the last week in washington was the most traumatic and sad week EVER.
bowling saturday night was a blast... got to see some old friends that i haven't seen for a long time and bowl till we dropped. GREAT FUN
there were a few goodbyes that were especially harder than others...
including a certain someone that i care very much about...
he came over to say goodbye and we decided we needed a caramel apple spice from starbucks.
we drove around talking about things like we always do and when it came time to head home the tears started flowing...
i sat in silence for most of the ride home...
when we pulled into the parking spot at my apartment i couldn't hold back anymore...
we got out of the car and i hugged him and held on for a long time. the whole time he kept saying "kiley, don't cry! please! dont cry!" and trying to get me to quit...
i said "i dont want you to go"
(he was SUPPOSED to be leaving the next morning...)
he hugged me again and held me there for a while until the sobbing subsided.
we were interrupted by a few raccoons messing around in the bushes...
dumb animals...
he's afraid of them... (haha)
he said to go inside before they attacked me (haha!) and he went to his car and opened the door and watched the raccoons a bit more before he got in and drove away...
i stood outside and watched until i couldn't see his car anymore
and then i went inside and completely lost it.
i'm pretty sure my roommate thought i was absolutely insane...
i decided to go to bed, which was awful because i cried myself to sleep...
(for the record, i haven't cried that hard in YEARS...)
i woke up the next morning with puffy eyes and a headache...
that day was my last day of work.
saying goodbye to people at work wasn't as hard as i thought it would be...
i did cry a little when people hugged me, but when it was time to clock out i was OUTA THERE!
i drove home from lowe's one last time.
the next day was spent packing up the rest of my junk and getting it ready to load in the truck.
we loaded it all up, tied it down and then i went and had dinner with my family.
dinner was GREAT! i love my family. they rock.
i went back to my apartment and got ready for my karaoke.
Mr. I'm Leaving in the Morning called me and was still in town so he came over to say goodbye one more time.
he showed up as i was finishing my hair for my karaoke going-away party.
i finished up and sat on his lap and we talked for a little while.
i told him i was sorry about my emotional episode and that i would restrain myself this time.
this goodbye was much better.
we kissed goodbye (mushy, i know, but it was sweet) and i walked him to the door...
i left seconds after he did because i was running late to my own party!
as i was driving toward the freeway i pulled up next to him and stuck my hand up on the window in the ASL symbol for "i love you"
he pointed at himself "me?"
i nodded.
he smiled.
i pulled ahead and he got behind me.
i started to cry.
had to stop myself though, because i just did my makeup!
i rushed to my parents, met up with r.e.l. and we were off.
we arrived and were the only ones there until my great friends joooody, jon-ay and aaron showed up!
we laughed and talked and i sang...
my songs:
before he cheats - carrie underwood
gunpowder and lead - miranda lambert
i sang at the top of my lungs and almost lost my voice so i kept coughing, but i did well according to my friends! (hopefully they're not just being nice)
at the end of the night i hugged everyone and said goodbye.
i went back to the apartment and crashed on the couch after packing up a few more things and changing my outfit to a more travel-friendly pair of leggings and a sweatshirt.
they picked me up about 3 hours later and we loaded up the last few things and hit the road...
well... almost.
we stopped by my parents house where mom and dad were waiting with a bag of food and hugs.
i said goodbye to them, tried not to cry, got in the truck and we drove off.
i slept for about half an hour and then started texting...
about an hour later i started to feel sick...
no good...
i'm one of those kids that gets car-sick if i'm not looking out the window...
i said "next rest-stop we gotta pull off... i don't feel too hott"
we were in the middle of the pass and it was snowing.
the next stop didn't come fast enough.
i had to get out and NOW.
we pulled off the side of the road and i almost didn't make it...
i had to put my hand over my mouth and wait for him to open my door and let me out.
i jumped from the truck and landed in the snow, wearing short leggings, flip-flops and a sweatshirt, and hurled my guts out on the side of the road.
the best part? the only thing i had eaten was a poppy seed muffin.
needless to say it made for some interesting designs in the snow...
so gross.
to make matters worse, while i was puking the driver thought he should check on the load.
turns out the tarp we had used to cover it all was torn to shreds.
fan-flippin-tastic.
soooo we pulled of at the next stop
(which happened to be about 100yards from where i was throwing up)
and purchased a new tarp and some Gatorade and crackers for me...
i laid in the back seat of the truck and called my parents to give them the update on the situation.
we finally got back on the road 2+ hours later...
i slept for most of the rest of the trip.
we finally pulled into town at 2am.
we arrived at the house and started unloading the truck.
oh, did i mention that as we pulled in it was only 4 degrees outside?!
yeah.
single digit.
fu-reezing.
we finally got everything inside and my bed (more or less) set up, which is all i really cared about and i crashed...
i'm pretty sure i slept most of the day...
my best friend came over and we started unloading a few things.
since then i've decorated and re-decorated, arranged and re-arranged a few times.
i'm loving it.
my girls are AWESOME!! i love them so much!!
we have such a good time together!!
i hope you've enjoyed my traveling adventure...
until next time.

-kmw-

and so begins two-thousand-ten...

so it's been QUITE a while since i blogged last... and a LOT has happened since that last blog...

i no longer live in washington, although it will always be my home, i currently reside in orem utah... crazy huh??

i live with three girls in a house in north orem and i'm loving it! it's an awesome house! i have the master bedroom with my own bathroom and a huge closet, so i'm not complaining!

this is me and my lovely ladies! lacey and katelyn!

i work as an agent for a company called StoresOnline, which is the same place that two of my three roommates work. i answer phones and schedule conferences for people all over the united states. in fact i'd love to share an adventure with you!

i totally got hit on over the phone... here's how the call went...

"thank you for calling conference registration, my name is kiley, are you calling to secure seats for an upcoming comference?"

"yeah i got this thing in the mail..."

"ok, which day and time would you like to attend the conference?"

"well... the only time i'm seeing here is on a tuesday... unfortunately i wont be able to attend that one because i'm a workin' man... i work monday through friday, i'm a lineman..."

"like... a football lineman?"

"no... i put up power lines"

"oh..."
"which type of lineman do you prefer?"

"uh... either one i guess?"

"ah! well miss kiley, are you going to be at this conference i'm going to miss?"

"uh... no, i'm just in the call center..."

"oh... well when is the next conference?"

"they usually come around every six to eight months..."

"oh... well... are you going to be at that one?"

"um... actually i'm not even in the same state as the conference you would attend..."

"well... i travel..."

"*hahaha!* uh... well... um..."

"if you're not going to be at the conference how am i supposed to get a date with you?"

"um... i... dont know..."

"hmm... well, then i hope i meet a girl at ta conference sometime that has as sweet of a voice as you do."

"well thank you..."

"you're sure welcome, miss. you have a good day now... hope i get to talk to you again"

"*haha* you too... have a great day"

"i will now"



i was seriously busting up by the end of the call... i was trying to keep it professional the whole time, it was awkward, but it was so priceless!! i get hit on all the time... apparently i have a good phone voice or something...

anyway... i'm going to make a concerted effort to blog more often... i forgot how much i like sharing my crazy stories! it's gunna be a good year!!



-kmw-

adventures are golden

i absolutely love the sunset and the Seattle skyline... this is an absolutely breath-taking shot of the Olympic Mountains... gorgeous! i have a friend (pictured) who just moved here and has never seen any of the beautiful places and scenes of Seattle. so we went exploring! this shot was taken from the beach at Golden Gardens and the shot of the two of us was taken in the tunnel.i must say that it is good to have someone that is easy to talk to. someone i can relate with. it's refreshing!

i'm aware that it's been 9 months and then some since i blogged... and that's awful! i was talking to my sister last night and apparently it's going around... she hasn't blogged for a bit either. i thought it was about time i update the world on what's been going on in my crazy little life lately.

i have moved back into my old apartment complex but this time i've got two new roommates. i'm still working at Lowe's in the lumber department, unfortunately... but i'm keeping my hopes up that i'll get out soon. i recently spent some time in the doctor's office and hospital emergency room with MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). i could have died! crazy huh? good news: i survived. the only thing i have to show for it is a couple scars... oh! and some pretty gnarly medical bills... ha!

aaaaaaanyway... blog later! :)

-kmw-

the front of my best friend's car is missing...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
we brought in 2009 with a bang... quite literally...
as Megs, Alex and i were driving home last night, Megs and i in her car and Alex in hers, we missed a turn and went down a road in the wrong direction...
we came to a Y in the road and took the left... shortly after taking the left i noticed that Alex was no longer behind us... wondering where she might have gone we turned around and headed back, thinking that maybe she had taken the right instead of following us...
as we came back to the Y in the road we saw an accident involving 2 cars and a couple other cars around the scene.
"wow... we just came through here... on my gosh that's Alex"
we pulled over and got out and rushed over to her... one look at the car and it was obvious that that car wasn't going ANYWHERE... the entire front of the car, from about the front wheels forward, was gone... pretty much spread all over the road...
thankfully she was unharmed. she was a bit sore from the seat belt and airbag, but other than that just fine. a little shook up she asked for her phone, makeup and coat as we took her over to Megs car to sit down. she said that she had screamed the whole time while it happened and kept screaming until she was out of the car...
a couple guys who had apparently shown up immediately after the accident came over shouting at us "if you leave the scene of the accident you'll all be thrown in jail!!"
Megs put on her mom-face and started shouting back at them and telling them to back off...
Alex called her dad, the ambulance had already been called and were on their way, as were the police and a fire truck.
the passenger of the other car was walking around with severe head trauma, glass from the windshield in his face and shouting "i can't go back to prison! i can't go back to prison! put me in that car and get me out of here! i can't go back to prison!"
Megs turns around says "get in the car and lock the doors"
the finally got him to sit down on the tailgate of the truck that hit Alex until the ambulance showed up...
apparently the driver of the other car had taken off running after she had gotten out of the car. they were both drunk, driver and passenger. the passenger didn't have a seat belt on... which is probably why he had the windshield pieces in his face. the other guys described the driver to the police and the paramedics and firemen asked all the questions.
they made sure Alex was stable and uninjured and then waited for the other ambulance to show up to take her to the hospital.
in the mean time i called my dad...
"hi dad... sorry to wake you up... first of all, i'm fine... second of all i'm calling from Megan's phone because mine is dead... thirdly... Alex has been in an accident and the entire front of her car is missing... she's ok, the ambulance, firetruck and police are here... i didn't want you to worry, so i thought i'd call and tell you that i'm alright... we're waiting for the other ambulance to come, i'm going to ride with Alex in the ambulance to the hospital and then Megan will bring me home..."
the other aid car showed up and they put Alex inside on a backboard and did some more tests... it was raining, of course. i mentioned to Megs that no one ever seems to get in a car accident in the sunshine... not even in the movies... it's always dark and rainy...
finally after being outside in the rain for a good half hour, 45 minutes we were on our way to the hospital.
Alex was very calm and level-headed throughout the whole ordeal... she even called a friend of ours that she was supposed to be going to see on her way home...
"so... i don't think i'm going to make it... i'm strapped to a backboard in the back of an ambulance on my way to the hospital right now..." she was laughing and making jokes and everything...
we arrived at the hospital and got out of the aid car... as they pulled her out on the stretcher she said "please don't drop me!!" the firefighter that had been in the back with us, James (totally nice guy) said "uh... you're already on the ground..." it was pretty funny. John, the driver was pretty funny the whole time too. all of them were nice. the firefighters, the police, the paramedics... all really awesome guys.
we went into the emergency room and a few minutes later her dad and little brother showed up... Megs came in a few minutes later, after changing into something dry... she was soaking wet from being out in the rain.
we were at the hospital until after 6am... we finally said goodnight, or good morning rather, to Alex and her family and went home.
we're all thankful to be alive... it could have been so much worse...
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!!!
because what do seat belts do Alex??
"SAVE LIVES!!"

love ya girly... lemme know if i left any of it!
i'm glad you're safe.

-kmw-

six russians get stuck in the snow...

so my best friend and i went to a movie...
wait, back up...
so it dumped snow in Seattle Washington...
seriously... 10 inches of snow on my deck...
my best friend and i decided to go to see a movie in Bellevue...
she came to pick me up and we got stuck in the snow twice... i pushed her out both times and we decided not to go down my street after that until the snow was gone.
we went to the movie, and on our way home we saw someone stuck on the side of the road in the snow... i said that we should pull over and help because after pushing her car out as well as a few others over the past few days that it had snowed i felt confident that i knew what i was doing and could get them out...
so we pulled over, i asked if they would like some help for which they were very grateful. i got out of the car and there were 4 big guys standing around this little red car. all 4 of them looked at me and then looked at each other as if they doubted my ability to get a car out of the snow...
after talking to them for all of 30 seconds i discovered that they were, in fact, not from the US...
they were Russians...
from Russia...
and they were stuck in the snow...
i asked "doesn't it snow a lot over there?? you should be able to get this out by yourself right??"
oh well...
they were speaking in a foreign language and i had no idea what was going on, but i tried to coach the driver to rock the car... forward, backward, forward, backward... so that he could get some momentum and get out of the ditch that he had created by spinning his tires... (idiot... if you're in the snow and you push the gas and your car doesn't go anywhere... TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL!!)
i was talking to one of them who, since i had gotten out of the car, had been thanking me profusely for stopping and telling me i was a good citizen, and he pointed out that he had placed the chains that they had in front of the tires...
i explained that they weren't going to do any good unless they moved the car first... DUH.
just then 2 other guys pulled up in a truck and asked if we wanted some help... they asked if we had a tow rope...
of course not!
one of the Russians suggested he just push the car out, but that would have destroyed the back of the little red car.
after standing around for a handful of minutes they threw up their hands and called it quits...
before they drove off another car, driving quite erratically i might add, pulled up with 2 more Russians in it... OBVIOUSLY drunk... Banana was standing a few feet away from the red car, freezing in her little cute Puma shoes and chatting with the Russians... she and i observed that from the second we got out of the car we could smell the alcohol and it only got worse when these other 2 Russians showed up... wow...
we were all laughing and having a pretty nice time, considering the situation...
after struggling in the snow and trying unsuccessfully to get the car out for about 45 minutes i gained control of the whole group and tried to be positive and said "ok guys, we can do this. we can get this little car out... i've gotten THAT car out of the snow twice today, by myself (pointing to Banana's little black Golf) so with the 6 of you helping, this should be CAKE!!"
we proceeded to take our positions around the car, one of them suggested that i drive because then they would have a little more man-power to push...
so i got in the car...
"on the count of three i'm gunna go forward, then just listen for me and i'll tell you which way to push... 1...2...3!!!!"
i slammed it into drive, punched the gas
slammed it into reverse, punched the gas
the car started to rock
slammed it back into drive, punched the gas
slammed it back into reverse, punched the gas
it rocked even more
slammed it back into drive and out of the hole i went!!
i drove a bit down the road to a safe spot where i wouldn't get stuck and from behind me all the while i could hear 6 very happy Russians shouting "YEAH!!! SHE DID IT!!"
i parked the car, turned it off, abd before stepping out i said to myself "yup... she did it..."
i stepped out of the car and raised my arms in victory as they all came running down the street toward me.
"LEAVE IT TO THE 5' 3'' AMERICAN, WHITE GIRL!!"
just then i was picked up off the ground and hauled into the biggest 3-Russian hug of my life.
i was kissed on both cheeks by all of them and even on the forehead and nose by a couple of them (those ones were the more drunk of the bunch) it was pretty funny.
they thanked me over and over and over again and offered me some champagne to celebrate, i said no thanks, it's 2 in the morning and i just wanna go home and sleep...
one of them asked for my number... in case he got stuck again... i said "uh..." and thankfully didn't have to really answer or give him an excuse because my attention was demanded by the one that wanted to drink to success...
i politely declined and suggested they go home too...
one more round of hugs and a bunch more kisses and i said goodnight and went back to the car...

*ahh* what a night... fun times had by all!
oh yeah.
i pushed 6 Russians out of the snow... go me.

-kmw-

fifteen...

7 + 8 things you never knew you wanted to know about me...

7 quirks ... this oughta be good!

1. i don't do mornings. not the same way my mom doesn't do mornings (to her there's no oxygen that early) no... for me if i'm awake before 9ish i'm cranky, i'm rude, i refuse to open my eyes until i've adjusted to whatever light there is, i don't talk and i don't smile. 5:30 in the morning it too butt-crack early for this girl... i will agree with my mother on one part of this though... there's no such thing as 5:30 in the morning.... there's only a 5:30 in the evening and a 5:30 in the middle of the night...

2. i HATE when my food touches on my plate... yes, the things that are SUPPOSED to touch do, but i can't stand it when the different dishes mix and mingle on my plate... gross. my dad thinks i'm ridiculous and says "it's all going to the same place" yeah well... it doesn't have to START that way. (that coming from the man who doesn't like too many different "tastes" in his mouth at the same time...) i LOVE those plates with the little dividers in them...

3. i sing. and quite well if i do say so myself. most people say that i've been blessed with my mother's voice, but i wouldn't go THAT far... hers is FAR superior to mine... but someday i hope to be as good as her. i sing in the shower, i sing in the car, i sing while i'm drying my hair and getting ready for the day, i sing in church... i always wonder if i sing in my sleep... hmm...

4. i have an AWFUL memory... which is why people hear the same stories over and over and over again... i forget who i've told things to and who i haven't... (today i told my friend Mike the same story 3 times... and he was THERE when the actual event happened that i was relating... yeah it's bad) but in the same breath, i can quote any movie, even if i've only seen it once. how does that work?

5. despite my obvious disdain for married people and their stupid married-people-club i actually DO want to get married... some day... i've picked out my engagement and wedding ring just like every girl does and i'm guilty of picking out things i want at my reception... see... kiley can be sappy and sentimental and mushy too!! i think it'd be fun and interesting. mostly because i'm pretty sure that even though i'm slightly O.C.D. about my space (mainly the kitchen) and i love doing dishes and laundry and watching football i'm really hard to live with...

6. i LOVE old music... my dad's music to be specific... yes i love new music too, but Creame, Boston, The Doors, Aerosmith, The Who and countless others will always have a special place in my heart. my dad sings along with almost EVERY word of whatever song comes on the radio and he'll even do a little air-guitar with his tongue out the side of his mouth and his eyebrows furled... it's quite entertaining... GREAT music.

7. for as long as i can remember, one of my many nicknames has been "Miss Dramatic" (or if you would have asked me when i was younger "Mister-Matic") hard to believe i know. i'm loud most of the time, laughing so hard i'm crying most of the time and having full-on conversations with my siblings in "movie-quote" (i think it should be a national language... then i'd be bi-lingual) everything that happens to me is fantastical and just begging to be relived via story-telling. but the weird thing about this quirk is that despite my glaring need to be the center of attention, i freeze if i'm in front of a large group of people... i can't perform on stage... it scares the CRAP out of me. hmm... haven't been able to figure this one out yet, maybe some day i'll get over that fear.

are you still with me?? here we go ...
the crazy 8's ...

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1. CSI
2. CSI: Miami
3. CSI: NY
4. Criminal Minds
5. Without a Trace
6. Cold Case
7. Family Guy
8. Weeds


8 Places I Love to Eat:
1. Taco Del Mar
2. Red Robin
3. Burger King
4. Taco Bell (or Taco Hell)
5. Woody's
6. mom's house
7. Spud's
8. anywhere that's free... (free food always tastes better)

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. i worked at 5:30 and didn't get off until after 3pm
2. i tripped over my own pant-leg and almost slammed my face into a door
3. i almost froze to death while waiting for the bus
4. i blogged for the first time in a month!
5. i picked out a couple songs to sing on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting
6. i got information about the apartment complex i'm gunna try and live in when i get to Utah (thanks eektially)
7. i went to Fred Meyer with my best friend wearing a ridiculously fantastic hat my dad got from Peru that attracted some of the most awesome facial-reactions ever
8. went on a little drive with o'bee...

8 Things I Love about Fall:
1. shorter days... less light... more time for sleeping
2. Thanksgiving... Food, Football, Family
3. Christmas explodes on my parent's house (yes ON, not at)
4. i second emily's thing: long sleeve shirts and scarfs
5. Christmas music everywhere you go
6. my dad dressing up for Santa gigs... oh yeah, he's an AWESOME Santa's Helper
(for the last 2 i'm gunna put things i absolutely LOATH about Fall)
7. being cold...
8. people freaking out about a little dust of snow... it's like they all of a sudden forget how to drive...

8 Things on My Wish List:
1. these shoes:2. this movie:3. cute little things-to-put-things-in (or a gift card to The Container Store)
4. the wallet i picked out at Fred Meyer
5. one or two 8GB memory sticks/cards
6. a new(er) Dell Lap Top
7. a queen size mattress...
8. sheets for a queen size mattress...

8 People I am Tagging:
almost everyone i would have tagged has already been tagged or has already filled this thing out... so i'm just gunna tag Emma and Spat... love you two!

long time no blog...

so i realize that it's been FOR-flipping-EVER since i blogged last... i'm such a slacker, as pointed out by my LOVELY friend, Ms. P...
so here's a little bit of what's been going on in the wonderful world of kiley lately.
INTERESTING THINGS AT WORK:
i'm pretty sure that people in Bellevue just SUCK at using their brains... apparently all of them are so used to getting anything and everything they want, down to an EXACT order for their coffee that they take that into a hardware store and expect the same treatment... and if they don't get what they want, when they want it, they pitch a fit like a 4-year-old and do all but stomp their feet, throw themselves on the ground and bang their hands til they get put in time-out. i mean really people. grow up. for instance... i had a lady call the store and ask to have something cut and ready for her to pick it up within the hour... really? what do you think this is a drive through?
(some of you may recall the LAST time this happened... well this time it was worse)
so we did the best we could and cut the 2x2s to her exact specifications, only we didn't have them done in time for her (not to mention she wanted about 30 cuts, all different lengths, in less than half an hour) so of course she threw a tantrum and since they weren't ready for her to take them with her, she wanted them delivered, free of charge, to her house...
are you kidding me?
you want us to drive a HUGE delivery truck with 4 or 5 chopped up 2x2s from our store to your house and WAVE the 79$ delivery fee?? HA! you MUST be joking... oh no! she wasn't. in fact she was PISSED that we even QUESTIONED her reasoning behind the whole matter...
her reason: i called in PLENTY of time to have it done and it wasn't done when i got there. i was in a hurry and didn't have time to wait around for it to get done.
wow... you should have just come and picked up the dang sticks and cut them your-dang-self!! on your OWN time!
ANYWAY...
the store manager that i absolutely LOVED, totally awesome guy, just got taken away from us!! they moved him to Mill Creek to be the Operations Manager... i'm NOT happy about that... right before they took him away they kicked OUR Ops Manager out (which i'm not happy about either... he was awesome too) and replaced him with some chick from Hawaii... i'm pretty sure that i don't like her... wait... lemme think...
yeah no.
i freakin' hate her.
she's a freakin' harpie...
she never listens to a dang word anyone says...
for reals, she'll come and talk to you about something that needs to be fixed and then ask you a question regarding what she just told you about, for instance she asked me why something had been sitting on one of my aisles for over 2 weeks... i tried to explain it to her and tell her why and whatever and RIGHT after i got done explaining myself, it's like she had an instant brain-fart and everything that just happened in the last 2 minutes was now gone...
meaning she said the exact same thing she just said a minute and a half ago...
seriously? wow.
she's like the Wicked Witch of the West and the White Witch from Narnia combined...
YIKES! i really don't like her.
i avoid talking to her as often as possible.
she bugs me in the mornings when i open...
it's like she didn't get the memo that Kiley's not a morning person or something....
even AFTER someone told her the first time she tried to talk to me in the morning without a response... (oh wait! she doesn't listen when people talk... maybe that's what the problem is...)
yeah... when i get to work at 5:30 in the morning and i walk in with one eye open JUST enough so that i don't run into things and the look on my face CLEARLY says "don't even talk to me" why would you try and be all cheery and carry on a conversation with me... i don't talk to anyone until at LEAST 7am... i'm not nice... i'd lose friends if i talked to people that early in the morning... ugh.
and she's ALWAYS there!!! every time i'm there she's there... talking down to people, doing the "i'll-smile-while-i'm-talking-to-you-so-you-think-i'm-being-nice-but-really-i-think-you're-an-incompetent-employee-and-i-really-don't-care-if-you're-working-hard-i'll-still-tell-you-it's-not-good-enough" thing... ugh... wench.
anyway... moving right along.
INTERESTING THINGS OUTSIDE OF WORK:
i went on a blind date... well... sort of... maybe we'll call it a "far-sighted" date... crazy story... i forwarded a text message to a couple friends one day and randomly got a text back
"who is this?"
"kiley... who's this?"
"i don't think we know each other, my name is Mike, i just got a text from you..."
"oh. hi mike. nice to meet you. have a nice day"
well... much to my surprise he didn't stop there! we ended up texting back and forth for most of the night... at first my thoughts were "random..." then the more i talked to him it changed to "oh wow... NERD!! why do i attract the nerds?!" but the more we texted the more normal he seemed... and i figured texting was harmless, and besides, i have unlimited texting! woohoo. he would mention things every now and then about us meeting up and going out or whatever and i would just kinda "haha" and leave it alone and he'd drop it... we didn't share any details really... basically that i worked at a hardware store and that i was 22 and live in Kirkland... he shared that he was a foreman for a job site in Redmond and lived in Tacoma... we got to know each other a little... texted every day for a good week and a half... then the inevitable. he asked me where he would have to go if he wanted to introduce himself... at the time i was waiting for my bus in Kirkland to take me to work. he asked if he could come and buy some wood from me. i "haha"ed like usual but this time he says
"i'm serious, do you have any intention of ever meeting me? or we can just text forever..."
so i gave in.
"sure. come on down."
"k...but i don't know where you work"
"Lowe's in Bellevue... i go to lunch around 5:30."
so he came a little early and walked around the store and then took me to lunch at Taco Del Mar... (great food) we talked some more and he's actually REALLY normal... refreshing. no joke. i swear i'm a magnet for ridiculous men... yikes.
so yeah. we still talk, but that was the only "date" we've been on...

in other news i'm still moving to Utah in January... well, i can't really say "still" because for a minute (k like a week) i wasn't gunna go... i siked myself out a little bit but i'm back on track for a departure date of January 24th 2009... i won't lie, i'm a little scared... a little anxious... and way nervous... but it will be good! it's gunna be an awesome change of pace and a much needed change in scenery. and this time i go away it will be GOOD cuz i'm actually doing it because i WANT to do it, not because someone else wants me to do it.
wise words: do the things that make YOU happy... live for YOU... move for YOU...
so yeah. i've been slowly going through all my junk and getting rid of everything i don't want to take with me... it's hard! i have to take breaks periodically because i'm such a pack-rat! i'll start off good, throwing away things i really DON'T need, but then i start to get sentimental and that's when it's time to get out of the house, or at least away from the junk for a minute.
we'll see how much i actually end up taking... mostly clothes i'm thinking...

i'll have to blog about all the things i'm going to miss at a later date... cuz i'll probably start to cry on the keyboard if i do it right now.
so for now i'll just pinch it off and call this good.

happy blogging!!

-kmw-

a day with friends...

me and ashleyme...me on a chair in the middle of the road...the tiniest shopping cart ever...the girls! :) we were painting on shirts...

-kmw-

so... i'm a loser...

i suck, i know. but hey! it's been a busy last month or so... lots of big decisions... lots of work... ugh...
so just for those of you that don't know yet i'm moving!
yup. i'm outa here January 24th!
i'm moving down to Mormon Mecca... that's right. good ol' Utah.
i'll be living in Springville for a while. i'm trying to transfer to the Lowe's down there, but if that doesn't work out i'll be trying to find somethin else...
oh well. anyway... in other news, i'll be living at my parent's house again for alomst two months... so i'll probably be blogging more often... haha! :)
sorry this one is so short!

-kmw-

the rules...

had to copy this from a guy friend of mine... HAlarious!


We always hear " the rules " from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!
Please note.. these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Men ARE not mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly Acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only If you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 1 7 months is a problem See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will Be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear Is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;


(But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping)

then and now...

by request...

that was then...

and this is now...yeah man...

-kmw-

don't ya just love people?

i get this call the other day at work....this lady wants to know if we have dowels that you would use to put in a window to stop it from being opened... i said yes... she asked if they could be cut to size... i said yes... THEN she asked me "if i wanted them cut to certain lengths could i just order that and then pick them up within the hour?"
does this look like a drive-through lady??
i mean really??
of course i can't just tell her no... i could get in trouble for that...
so i told her i'd cut them and have them up at customer service for her to pick up.
i cut them and walked up to customer service and set them on the counter...
the head cashier looks at the dowels, looks at me, and asks "what are these?"
i said "there's a lady that's coming to pick them up within the hour... they're not paid for... she called and asked if i'd cut them and have them ready to pick up..."
he says "uh... ok... that's interesting... i didn't know we had a drive-through..."
AH! my thoughts exactly...
lazy bellevue people...

-kmw-

FANtastic!!

so, as you may already know, i've been losing a bit of weight here and there since moving out of mom and dad's...

well tonight marks a fantastic day in history...
rewind to a month and a half ago...
my pants were too big, so i thought i'd bust out the giant bag of old jeans that didn't fit me, but that i didn't want to toss and see if they might fit...
i tried on a couple of them....
too soon...
they wouldn't even go up over my thighs...
well... tonight before going to Brentley's birthday party i was feeling gutsy...
so i went for it.
i grabbed one of my favorite pairs of old jeans out of the bottom of the closet and put them on...
GREAT SUCCESS!!
they fit!!
EEEEEEEE!!!!
i can't even begin to tell you how awesome this makes me feel... it's been almost 3 years since these jeans fit me...
i'm still working on it, but this is a big step and i'm really proud of myself!!
go me.

-kmw-

'splosions and schmite going everywhere...

yeah. more like "let's BUST and DROP stuff together"...
hold on, let's not get ahead of myself here...
so the last couple days at work have been a little less than fine and dandy...
ok, they've been flat out SUCKY, but whatever.
let me go back...
yesterday, oh yesterday.... there we were, brown-chris and me, doing yet another load out for a obviously-capable person (they're just too lazy to do it their selves) this time, it's plywood! woohoo!! nothing too crazy, just some 1/2 inch AC FIR, about 12 sheets... we roll it out to this guys little pickup and start loading it in... one sheet at a time... conveniently it fits right in!! we get about half of them loaded in, and i'm getting a little over zealous and so i pick up the pace... apparently i underestimate my own strength and i sent a piece of plywood sliding so fast i couldn't it RIGHT into the right tail light and BUST the crap out of the plastic covering the light... i think my gasp took away most of the breathable air... i stood there with, needless to say, a shocked-beyond-belief look on my face. i looked at the guy, said "oh my gosh, i'm dead" and picking up the broken plastic tried to put it back together again... apparently i'm just as successful as "all the kings horses and all the kings men" because no matter how hard i tried, it wouldn't go back!
crap. this has never happened to me before... so bad!! my boss laughed it off, but in a "yeah, you're probly gunna be in trouble" sort of way...
SO... TONIGHT was even worse...
i can't get over how crazy this is...
so there we were, my favorite jacob and i, outside, in the rain, in the dark... moving a pallet of play sand i took a turn a little too fast and slid because of the rain and all but 12 bags of the play sand FLEW off the pallet and. went. everywhere. now, this wouldn't be a big deal, but there are about 54 bags per pallet... and when they hit the ground, and the other pallet of all-purpose sand a few of them busted-the-crap open... so while we were cleaning them up, i got sand in my shoes. GREAT fun.
THEN... to make matters worse... i had to bring in a few pallets of Trex and ChoiceDek (composite decking) so i grabbed the first pallet, which consisted of a bunk of 16 foot boards (about 40 of them) and a bundle of 12 foot trim boards (about 12 of them)... i brought them inside, got all the way inside the building and had every intention of putting them on the ground in the back aisle for the openers to deal with, and then all hell broke loose!!
there i was... turning to put them on the ground... didn't turn soon enough, and was going a bit faster than i probably shoulda been... at the LAST POSSIBLE SECOND my favorite jacob shouts from behind me "WATCH THE LEFT--" but before i could get myself stopped i SMACKED the left corner of the 16 foot boards on the beam of the end cap, sending all 52 boards CAREENING off the end of the forks! they flipped and exploded when they hit the ground. there are about 6 bands holding these together... all but ONE of them broke on impact... oh, and by the way, i had them lifted about 12-16 feet in the air...
so they fell 12-16 feet before they finally hit the ground...
AGAIN i sat there with a stunned look on my face... so many emotions went through me that i didnt know what else to do... so i laughed until i had tears in my eyes...
while we cleaned up my little mess, jacob and i laughed hysterically to keep from me bursting into tears... all i could say was "did that just happen?" and "i'm dead... that's it for me... it was working with you jacob"
AHH!!
work had been TERRIBLE!!
but to look at it in a lighter sense, we learned things!!
1. don't let kiley speed up a process that doesn't need speed
2. don't let kiley drive in the rain, in the dark, with a full load
3. don't let kiley drive while sleep deprived
4. don't let kiley drive while sleep deprived and in a rush...

see? learning experience.
the end.

-kmw-

tagged by Mike and Tiffany!

so... i've been tagged again! woohoo!! this time by my awesome cousins, Michael and Tiffany, so here goes nothin!! :)

List:

3 joys

3 fears
3 goals

3 current obsessions/collections

3 facts about yourself

Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names, then let them know their tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 joys:

1) my family... they're awesome people!! yeah, there are times when we don't exactly get along, but hey... that's life right? i love my family!! my parents are always right (yup, i said it) my sisters are the most awesome body-guards EVER... i mean really, mess with me, you gotta answer to 3 momma-bears... and then my not-so-little-anymore brother... i admit, he can take me now... boy, that was a rude awakening... and i love my brothers-in-law and all my nieces and nephews!! cutest kids on earth!!

2) my roommates... if i didn't have my girls i think i'd go insane... they're my back-up plan, they're my sound-board when i can't take it anymore, they're my shoulder to cry on, my ear to listen, my advice-givers, my source of positive energy and spunk. my roommates (actual and pseudo) are the greatest girls on earth!! if i didn't have them i think i would drown in all the drama and ridiculousness!! they keep me afloat! I LOVE YOU!!

3) sleeping... yup sleeping... a charge for the battery. it's a great way to let things cool down and put things in perspective. all big decisions should be slept on... and on top of all the great benefits of sleeping, i'm pretty sure my bed is the most comfortable place EVER!!

3 Fears:

1) being alone.

2) not being able to move my arms and legs

3) losing my senses... they're very important to me.

3 Goals:

1) to be as skinny/in shape as i was in high school... for those of you that don't know, i gained 50lbs after high school (over the space of 3 years...) yup. fifty pounds. that's like carrying around one of my nieces or nephews... gross. BUT... since i've moved out of my parent's house (and stopped eating my mom's AMAZING food every day) i've slimmed down QUITE a bit... i'm on my way!!

2) i have a list of famous people i'd like to meet before i die... Russell Crowe, Bruce Willis, Bill Cosby, Jason Statham, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Bacon (haha), the entire cast of CSI, Matthew McConaughey, Tina Fey, and Matthew Macfadyen (the guy that plays Mr. Darcy)

3) i also have a list of places i want to go before i die... i want to go to Scotland, Ireland, England, Whales, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, ALL OVER... i want to go to Mexico, i want to road-trip to all of the continental United States, and then go to Alaska and Hawaii, i want to go to Australia, i want to go to Africa and South America... (the list of countries is too long) i want to see the 7 Wonders of the World (old and new)

3 Current Obsessions/Collections:

1) working my butt off so i can prove that i'm good enough to be department manager

2) eating hash browns and runny-eggs on toast... YUM best FAST breakfast ever.

3) listening to music and dancing...

3 Facts about myself:

1) i LOVE my apartment and my roommates

2) i will laugh at just about anything... laughing is my hobby

3) i'm not a fan of the constant rain that we have from september to may...

TA DA!! there you have it.
i'm tagging Emily Shaw, Jennalee Rowe and Molly Surowiec (my three lovely sisters)

-kmw-