Date Me, Date Me

"What's your secret?" they ask Bruce Banner, referring to how he controls the Hulk.
"I'm always angry," he says.

I'm also always angry, so I feel this guy.

Same, but I'm always hungry. Luckily for me, my friends are well aware of this and are willing to miss a bit of church to make me a quick quesadilla in the kitchen. Or bring homemade toffee.

Bless. Thanks, Cen.

I skipped out on my ward's FHE this week (broken knees don't go so well with roller skates...) in favor of the Surprise ward's BBQ and pool party. The burgers were delicious and I'm not sure that the boys there had ever spoken to a real female before, so it was a win all around.

If you didn't hear, I bought my first car. 

After a long Tuesday, it was nice to chill on the couch with Autumn, Peyton, and Jake. We had pizza and learned all about how to be Latin lovers.

So naturally, I did a photoshoot with it.

Geeg flew in Wednesday morning from CT. Picked him up, dropped him at my house with a list of chores, and went to work. Afterwards, we had a chill hangout chez-Cassens with Cenita, Autumn, Jake, and even Kaleb was invited.

Also Grug came to get his car I've been borrowing.

Thursday was my day off. I went on a run - which was short, awkward, and felt like I was running through mud the whole time. And I read a book.

Autumn is the real MVP for making me pose less awkwardly.

I did some nice AF makeup and dressed up for my car's photoshoot. Autumn was the best photographer I've ever had, 10/10 would hire her again. Sam, Becca, Callie, and I met up at Barro's for pizza before going to Callie's for some games with Bryan and Grace. It was a fun night, all in all.

Aaaaannnnndddd - outfit change. This is real.

Saturday, Ho'o and I hit up the Mesa temple real quick and swam at her family's pool. Then my favorite roommates (Sarah/John) let me in on their poolside afternoon chat. I stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way home to try the Reese donut (6/10, would eat again if it was free and in front of me). Then I went to a game night, where Sam chastised me for bringing a book and planning to be nonsocial at a social event. #nocompromise

Feel free to like these on my IG. 

What are we going to do for FIVE days in Nauvoo??

ATTENTION, ATTENTION. Lauren Bellon, my still-best friend who loves Nauvoo with all her heart, won the competition to get 5 free nights at the Wilfred Woodruff Hotel in Nauvoo for her friends and family (40 people). Blessed. She's wonderful and funny and let's see if we can't get her engaged while we're up there.

The car I eventually bought. 

Cenita's mother made rolls this week. They are heavenly and the only reason that I went to FHE, where the kids were playing human foosball (and I obviously could NOT participate). I did run a few times this week - and by run, I mean jogged very slowly for minimal distances with a brace. Baby steps.

That, friends, is $6K that I do not have.

Paul's been covering at another clinic, so Shae has been helping out with our patient load. I quite like him, even if he is Canadian and hates the Bruins. He's got a good mind for rationality and organization - his practice is malleable, which is how I prefer it.

While Paul's been at the other clinic, he talked to our owner, Troy, who apparently thinks I'm QUIET. Also Paul has been telling him all the ridiculous details about my life. The good news is that I'm so ridiculous, there's no way anyone would believe ALL those things could be true about a single person.

Basic white girls doing basic things. 

The stress of the week was buying a car. Online research, in person drives, money transferring, etc. But I finally have it (mostly). I bought a used 2011 Ford Fusion that's wayy nice. It's got a temporary registration while I wait on the title (that its previous owners had to pay off still). I still need insurance before I can drive it, but I have until Wednesday to get it. Photos to come, as soon as I feel like doing a photoshoot.

In celebration of buying the car, I called the Krempy and told him about it. Then Cen (who helped me pick it up) and I went out for drinks with my Oregano's gift card that one of my favorite patients got me. People are so nice.

Put me in, coach.

Friday night, the Mesa was having a Wedding Crashers-themed dance. My normal attire for wedding receptions is shorts and a t shirt, but I figured I'd put on my formal wear: black jeans and a baseball tee. Was I still the most underdressed kid there? Probably, and that's just how I like it. It's been a while since I really danced and I loved it. I ate crepes, hopefully didn't put too much strain on my knee, made a new friend, and even danced with an attractive man. Ashlyn and I got to catch up while I was there as well, so that was delightful.

Had to be done.

Cenita didn't get to go to the dance, so I picked her up so she could chill at my house on Saturday. We chatted, bought granola, ate some BOMB chicken Heidi cooked up, did face masks, and she spent four hours braiding my hair. So I'm boutta look like some white trash on the way to church, but it aight.

Friends and Food

I had to go to FHE this week for a book exchange, so I picked Matt up enroute and waited for him to tire himself out with kickball and chair soccer ( a bizarre and tedious sport, if you ask me). Then I went to Chick Fil Bae and read said book with my nugs and waffle fries. The definition of a quality evening.


Bart, one of the bishopric members, asked me to check out some addresses and such from the ward directory. So that took up a few of my evenings with marginal success.

Wild Thang, you make my heart sang.
#GrowingUpWithTheChin

My Romanian patient, a dance-teacher-turned-mechanic, taught me some moves (which I probably still should not do, based on typical healing speeds). And Paul had a good laugh as I struggled with the steps.


The tables turned when I started a high kicking competition with Shae, who was a kick boxer for 11 years. Paul tried to kick at the same level, but his back foot slid out from under him and he fell flat on his back.

This museum had some pretty cool activities.
AND, you could touch all the artwork.

And speaking of my knee, my fellow therapists have deemed it pertinent to inform me that I am now allowed to go hiking, as long as the trail is stable, paved, and short, without any elevation changes. Thanks, guys. I jogged two days this week and it was awkward, but also the best.

Paul and I have a few patients that speak Arabic with some English, so I've been trying to learn a few helpful phrases to better communicate. So far, it's not working. All the Americans praise my accent, while my patients understand zero percent of my Arabic questions.

Did Steve tell you that perchance? Ugh, Steve.

I got my man Jim working on the car situation. Which is becoming increasingly tenuous, as Greg arrives to relieve me of his Le Sabre in ten days. Yikes.

One time, I told Cen that we should get drinks one time. Which apparently was funny because we're Mormon and she's four children younger than me and can't legally drink for another three years. I just really like juice. But we had our first "drinks" (aka soda...) and I think there will be more to come.

Class. Just, class.

 Autumn and I attended a chill hangout Friday (because there wasn't much else going on). We just met up at Cenita's with Jake and Mike and her bro, Kaleb. Jake is a master instrumentalist, Cen is learning uke, and Autumn has a beautiful voice, so they had a nice jam sesh. We played with electricity and ate pizza that Bryan the dad brought home. And while I was snapping Trev, he asked if it was a date. HA!

One of Phoenix magazine's top things to do in AZ included a visit to the IDEA Museum's August monster exhibit. I knew it was for children, but did not fully comprehend that it was a children's museum. I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I need to be more creative in my life and kids are good for that. Autumn had fun, too. What a champ she is, for attending all my ridiculous adventures.

This girl thought we were super fly. And who wouldn't?
Don't answer that.

We planned this outing strategically, for Autumn's friends' wedding reception was only ten minutes from the museum. We helped decorate a bit - it was nice and simple and small. The traditions were terrifying, as usual. But the cupcakes and floats were delicious. I would know.

Despite our plans to head back to Glendale for a pool party, the idea of some frozen corndogs and a hangout at Kenny/Braeden's bachelor pad. It was chill, enlightening, and filling. I quite like them. Anyone who can laugh at themselves is okay in my books.

Clarence has had enough of your crap.

Arizona Sunsets and A Good Book

Alright listen up motherlickers. I'm not a huge fan of scavenger hunts - it's like a big game, but less worth the effort required. Anyhow, Autumn likes them, so we went - and arrived so late that the last car was leaving as we arrived. We didn't win, but I did get to hang out with Cenita and one of her boys, Braeden, who was rather nice. And apparently took out a girl who cost him $12 in frozen yogurt. Yikes. We hit up an intimate pool party and discussed the merits of Mayweather and McGregor, who both started as boxers and if you don't remember that, don't even try to state your opinion.

The scraggly nugmuffins came to town Tuesday night on their way out to LA and probably caused more trouble than they were worth, but I was glad for it. The whole fam, + Cenita and Bryan, helped make dinner - pasta, ribs, broccoli salad, watermelon, cheesecake. We played some totally insane games, like Curses, and chatted for a long time about the chins. Apparently my friends don't really know a whole lot about me, but that's what I get for only telling outlandish lies when asked personal questions.

Ol Deek and Shennsley, WHO WE LOVE, SHARON.

Stresses of the week came in the form of a box of 13 books that was lost in the mail and the completion of my AT licensure application (that hopefully has everything they need included...). It was a mess, but one that I'm hopefully done dealing with. I also received my printer cable, which means I can print out all the receipts for reimbursement and any piano music I want. On to find a car.

This is where I live.

On a whim, I made Autumn and Olivia accompany me to a park. We played on the swings, ate Reese's ice cream, and enjoyed the Arizona sunset. [Which, to me, looks like any other sunset. I'm waiting for one to be purple.]

That is a cell tower, if you were wondering. Not a palm tree. 

Heidi, Ben, and Olivia went on their ward campout Friday night, leaving Autumn, Peyton, and I to our own raucous party. We ate pizza, watched a movie, and I spent six hours turning my pants into shorts. I had the wrong color thread, but I think it'll be okay.

Mmm nice.

Heidi usually asks what our weekend plans are, and is still in shock when we say there are none. Like, we for sure could have found some parties to hit up or gone out to drinks with some friends, but sometimes the best weekends are the ones where you don't have to do anything. And you can just roam from spot to spot reading those 13 books you went through all that trouble to acquire.