this is how you know you've made a difference in someone's life

i might be the reason this post was written

in case you ever participate in a food comparison. . .

last night i participated in a product comparison game (and i won--but we'll get to that later) and it was actually quite entertaining, but choosing the correct product isn't always easy

we compared name brands against store brands to see if we could tell a difference in the products

first was a gala apple against a fuji apple (not name brands, but still very similar products). this is the one i missed, last time i had a gala apple it tasted just like the fuji so there was no way i was getting that right

second was dr. pepper against mr. pibb--very similar but luckily i had just recently had some dr. pepper. dr. pepper also has more of a cherry taste to it

third we compared honey smacks cereal to western family golden wheat puffs--i got that one on pure luck, but the honey smacks were a little more flavorful

fourth was keebler peanut butter fudge sticks to western family peanut butter fudge sticks--the keebler peanut butter tasted like actual peanut butter, western family tasted like the strawberry wafer crackers, not peanut butter

fifth was charmin toilet paper compared to western family (don't worry, we just rubbed it under our noses to feel how soft it was) charmin is softer but not to an extreme. the pattern is what gave that one away, even with a quick swipe under the nose you can tell the difference between stripes and flowers

finally we tried 1% milk against 2% milk--the key to this is waiting a few seconds after you drink the milk to see how much of a film it leaves on your tongue. the 2% definitely left a thicker film

what did i win? not having to pay for any of the products. for anyone that missed an item they had to pay for it, or split the cost with someone else who missed it.

try it sometime, see if you can figure out the difference

big news!

so I have some big news. more news than I've had in a while.

I got a job! a real life job!

I was working for Canyon Park Management Company doing odd jobs and projects and last week they offered me a position and I took it. I've had other offers but they just didn't seem right and this one does. I am the administrative assistant and am learning very quickly that i will have a huge variety of tasks which is exactly what i like.

it feels very nice to have found a job, i feel like i'm making some progress again and i enjoy having more stability (another plus is getting rid of all the job emails i've been getting that have no relevance to what i enjoy or have the skills for)

once again, i'm taking a step toward being grown up, and even though i can't go lay out or play volleyball as much as i'd like, it's a good thing

cruise pictures

here are some pictures from my cruise i went on all too long ago, once again, it was a blast!

kayaking around catalina island

formal night

some more kayaking (i choose the most obvious pose for the picture)

dani and me walking around catalina

attack of the shower curtain

in my new apartment we had a shower curtain liner, why is this a big deal? i will tell you.

taking my first shower, everything was fine until the tub started getting smaller. it was strange, but i was tired so i didn't think too much of it until i was being sucked in to the shower curtain as it wrapped around me and clung to my skin--gross. it may have been the worst shower ever--being wrapped in a slimy shower curtain is not pleasant.

over the next few days i good pretty good at punching the shower curtain every time it got too close. however, it never learned its lesson and kept coming right back. well, i taught that shower curtain a lesson and bought a heavy-duty replacement that attaches to the wall. no more slimy hugs and tae bo in the shower for me.

cruisin'

last week i spent 4 wonderful days cruising off the pacific coast with my friends dani, jordan, and trevor. we started in san diego, spent a day on island, spent a few hours looking at ensenada (we weren't allowed off the boat due to swine flu), and spent two days out at sea. it was a very relaxing vacation even though the weather wasn't completely perfect ( i still got plenty of sun). it was so nice to not have anything planned for the day except dinner at 6:00 which wasn't even really required.

we ate late breakfasts, laid in the sun, ate more than we needed to ( i only gained 1 cruise pound though!), sang in piano bars, danced the nights away, ate tiny yogurt cones three times a day, and laughed a lot. it was just the vacation i needed.

in catalina we took a kayak tour of the shore line, took naps in the warm sand on the beach, and walked around to look at all the cute little shops. i also had the best blt ever (maybe i was just hungry, but it was so good). catalina is so cute, i totally recommend taking a little vacation there, i know i want to go back.

dani was chosen at the camera girl because she remembers to take pictures so i will put some up when i get them from her

as if getting my BYU diploma wasn't official enough, i went to graduation on friday, and three hours later, it was 100% official. the speakers were good, the dean was candid and charming, but the name reading was never-ending. it was cool to have my name read and walk across the stage, but waiting for 700 other kids to do the same thing takes a while. i suggest if you ever go to the marriott school convocation that you take a book (it's not the most polite thing i found out in my graduation packet, but it's about survival).

i did have some great friends come to support me and they even made this lovely sign for me so i'm skipping the job interviews and hitting the streets, i've already got my poster made

kristen's 1st pedi

so yesterday i got my very first pedicure. i know, 22, and just barely getting started on the pedicure thing, but it's probably a good thing because i'm addicted.

wow, it felt so great to take an hour off the feet, get a great calf/foot massage, fabulous looking and feeling feet, and a good polish job. (it was much better than my polish work--i usually hide my feet for a day to wait for the excess polish to rub off the skin--i don't do the best polish work on the block.)

i think the pedicure men were talking about me behind my back (well right in front of me, but of course i couldn't understand the language. i can't wait for nina to get back) because it was so obvious that i was a pedicure virgin and they had to tell me everything i needed to do which made their job a little harder than usual. however, they apparently loved the color i chose, and i have to say i agree; how can you go wrong with hot pink toes?