be serious please!

if you have children, i will apologize in advance if what i have to say will offend you. this is how i feel as a professional and how many others of my kind feel as well...with that said let me tell you about my day the other day.

it was a slow day at the salon and i was addressing invitations for our v.i.p event coming up in december, when i decided to check my books. i noticed that there was a color on my books at 12:00. well it was 12:26 so it was safe to say that they weren't coming to their appointment. i went up to the front desk just to check if they really didn't come and heard them just check in my client. that was when i noticed the frazzled mom with her two kids and their happy meals. i double checked that the appoinment was in fact for a color and then called her name to have her and her small brood come back to my chair. now let's just pause and reassess the situation...i had an hour to do the complete weave and have it process within that hour before her haircut, she brought her two kids to an appointment that most should plan at least two-three hours for, she brought happy meals into a salon, she was half an hour late and finally she didn't really explain to the front desk what she wanted to have done and they underscheduled me. so needless to say my patience and my niceness were wearing thin. i mixed up her color, weaved her hair in record time and luckily one of the assistants that day helped entertain the kids. during her processing time i left her with her kids to keep me sane. when i brought her back to wash her hair she sat her kids on the chair with her iphone playing some sort of kids show and never looked back. while i was rinsing out her shampoo i noticed her daughter was laying on the chair with her little head sticking off the side and her son spinning the chair really fast with her hear barely missing the wall corner! i turned the water off and started to head towards the chair just as the assistant grabbed the chair to make it stop. the mom was so not apologetic and yelled through the salon for them to sit down and not spin the chair. i finished washing her and we started the haircut. the kids had started spinning each other again and squealing. i finally couldn't take it anymore and locked the chair so it couldn't spin anymore. then the mom apologizes. a little late for that i think. then somehow the little girl figures out how to unlock the chair. seriously? i speed through the haircut and blow dry her hair and send her on her way.

i needed to destress so i headed to the food court for a much needed diet coke and came back to check if she bought any product and to see what kind of tip she left/babysitting money for the assistant. $5. yep, $5 for a $120 ticket. okay have people just lost their common sense? when you go to a salon to get a service done, i thought it was expected that you leave at LEAST a 10% tip. much like when you go out to eat! if you can not leave at least that much go to another salon that is cheaper! this may sound like i am a huge brat, but really i worked my tail off and we babysat your kids...10% is not too much to ask! also, if you have kids...you make arrangements for them to be with someone else while you are getting your hair done! kids should not be in a salon UNLESS they are getting their haircut. in my years of doing hair i have never seen a child sit still longer than 20 minutes, so i think it is out of the question that you expect them to sit still for 2 hours while getting your hair colored. have parents just lost control of their kids! i noticed this when i was working retail as well. moms should be embarrassed by the way their kids act at times and so many don't even bat an eye to how their kids act. if my child were to be spinning around in a salon chair i would tell my stylist to forget the conditioner and rush over to the chair and make them stop! again you may think i am being a brat, but this is how i feel!

sorry i just had to rant about that...get it off my chest! so a note to all...don't bring your kids into a nice salon unless they are getting their haircut and please expect to leave at least 10% for your stylist. thanks!

pictures...finally

now...as far as cruise pictures, i took about a million! so this is the best of the best. as well as this years trip to flaming gorge. enjoy...

ready to go!...heids, kristin, bolish and me.

first night at dinner on the cruise!...kristin, mille and me.

we were all fancied up!...me and kristin

i was a guidette for a night...me and mille

oh you know just chilling on a boat in mexico.

i freaking love bolish!

just chillin on the beach in MEXICO!!!! remember when i was tan... :(

i was so excited for sprite from a glass bottle. best tacos ever!

meet my dear friend collin...why we both look wasted is beyond me!

an elephant made out of a freaking towel!

emme and aly, flaming gorge 2010

to prove that i hike.

all ready to jump!

i really am not sure if i could love this beautiful little lady more!

just jumping off a cliff...no biggie!

it was pouring rain...we all snuggled under a tarp. precious is the word are looking for.

peace out flaming gorge...until next year.

once again...couldn't love her more.

i'm alive.

remember when i used to blog a lot? okay maybe you don't remember cause it has never happened in real life. but i do remember when i was enthralled with the idea of blogging more. it's the thought that counts...right?

i went bowling the other night. it was epic! i realized that as with most things in my life i have a very short attention span towards the game some might even call a sport. i do really well the first 4 frames. i care a lot and make sure that i have almost perfect form. i lower my body towards the ground on my left leg and throw my right let to the left and follow through, often staying in this awkward and difficult pose until the flourescent ball makes contact with the center pin. i talk to the ball as i pose to the left of the lane before taking three steps toward the line and release the ball just before my arm approaches the point of being raised forward in the air. there is a definite science to bowling that i have mostly learned from wii bowling, but that is beside the point. you woudl think that being excellent at wii bowling would ensure that you are just as good at real life bowling, or, that my routine for each turn of bowling would guarantee that i am near professional status. well you would be very incorrect in both trains of thought. now before i get too distracted i need to finish my original thought. i have such a short attention span combined with a poor form for losing so that if i am behind after the first 4 frames, i subconsciously give up on the entire game. i start throwing gutter balls or i will mess up on easy opportunities for spares. i just can't seem to keep my head in the game. and due to my stupid need to win i let it get to me and i curse or hurt my arm by trying to just throw the ball really hard. mostly curse though. sorry mom, but honesty is the best policy. and the fact that i have to wait for people in between my own turns...don't even get me started.

the point, and i do have one, is this: i have a shorter and shorter attention span the older i get. if i am talking to someone and i have already gotten all that i need from them, i will try to be nice and ask other mundane questions and not even listen to the answer. if you have fallen victim to this, i am sorry, it's not personal. if i am writing a blog entry i will stop to do the most randoma and unneccasry things and then have to re-read what i have written only to add another line and the whole cycle starts over again! i can't even start to explain a trip to the grocery store. texting people back sometimes is tricky unless i do it right away. i go through 'crushes' on guys so rapidly that most peole blink longer than these 'crushes' last. the mere fact that i can even paint all 10 fingernails in one sitting is just shy of a miracle.

i am okay with this short attention span i have honed over the years. do you know why i am okay with it? because it is another intricate and complicated facet into who aly really is. i like who i am. i think i have done a pretty darn good job with myself in the past 25 years. short attention span and all.

and just a little tip...if i text you back with just 'yep' or 'nope', i am mad at you and everything is not okay. oh and i also use words like fantastic and glorious. glad i could clear that up for you.

first of all...

yes shade clothing is closing it's doors. just shy of the end of their 6th year of business. i have only been asked a million questions today about it and the answer is i know just as much as everybody else, so i am kind of useless if you want juicy details. just understand that it is a lot harder to conceive and own a business than you think. the good news is they hope to reopen soon and provide us all with our modest and adorable fashion staples.

anyway...it was brought to my attention that i have yet to blog about my cruise. shoot i have forgotten everything there is to remember about that week! good thing i have my journal and pictures to remind me. let's embark...ha ha...on this journey now shall we? this is mostly for you lindy!

day 1: woke up at 4:45, showered and was off to the airport with bolish, heidi and kristin. we flew to san diego and then stood in like a bajillion lines before we boarded the beautiful and spacious 'elation' cruise ship. and we were elated that is for sure. we snacked on disgusting burgers and pizza, buffet style. lounged around on the back of the boat waiting for the departure onto the open waters. went to dinner and met the other 2 guys that would be at our table fo the duration of the cruise. one was named...j...yeah j....and we became friends that night we can say.

day 2: woke up a little disoriented. bolish and i had a little trouble getting our footing that day as camille thought we were ridiculous. we laid out forever and by we i mean i laid out for like 6 solid hours and had the daunting task of saving about 8 very coveted lounge chairs while my friends went to hear some speaker...lame. we then got ready for our fancy night. now mind you we had nothing really to do so we spent literally about 2.5-3 hours getting ready just about every night. call us vain or call us heros...you decide. went to dinner, sat right next to j. he was hooked by the first night, but i just had to make sure. after dinner we gambled, and by we i mean i watched bolish waste everyone on the black jack table...go bolish! then i made the very smart and mature decision to wander off with j alone. i am so stupid! who goes off alone with some guy that you just met on a cruise ship of all places? i could have been the next natalie holloway...is that her name? but i was safe. he just wanted to kiss me. so not my cup of tea, but whatevs, i was on a cruise. we chilled for about 3 hours before rolling in to my cabin at 2 am and the many questions from bolish and camille.

day 3: we finally got to step foot in mexico! cabo san lucas to be exact. we traveled by glass bottom water boat taxi to a beautiful resort where i got to lay out to my little hearts desire. ate some delicious food and almost paid $50 for a bottled water! we went back to the boat, i did the unthinkable and took a nap! what? a nap on vacation...unheard of! spent the alotted time to get ready for dinner once again. went to dinner. and despite my huge and ridiculous despise of holding hands, j held mine under the table. blah, blah, blah. after dinner we all hung out for a bit before j and i went for another stroll. blah, blah, blah.

day 4: our second and final day in cabo! we went parasailing, and by be i mean everyone but me because i am a big ole scardy cat. but i did get a pretty killer tan line from my flip flops. everyone then snorkeled while i laid out and fought off the beach merchants trying to sell me some sterling silver trinkets. after our fill of beach and beautiful ocean we ventured into the heart of cabo to find some killer tacos! but let's first go back to the beauty of cabo. i was amazing! the water was unreal and the sand was perfect! i could really live on the beach. but it was so blasted hot! i was sweating within seconds of laying on my towel. don't worry i was safe and used a combo of sunblock and tanning lotion! i didn't burn once my whole trip, i am just that good at tanning. anyhow...we got back to boat and i slept! got ready and went to dinner. j was starting to feel sick so he was lame and went to bed and i magically found my friends. which brings me to another side note. cruises are awesome, but you don't have cell phones! so if you want to find someone, you just have to wander around forever trying to find them! so the fact that i was able to find them in under 10 minutes was nothing short of a miracle! they were playing games and i got to meet a new person named collin. we got ice cream and pizza and made breakfast plans.

day 5...the final day: slept through breakfast, sorry collin. turns out he slept in too and we all met up after the disembarking meeting and he invited me to lunch instead. we ate yummy food and talked. he is a very sweet person. find my friends and chill for a bit. go to lie down in my room for a bit. got to a magic show that was really uber lame. chill with j for a bit in his room. got some sushi, watched the jazz game {playoff season} and then went to dinner. again j went to bed early due to his oncoming sickness...lame. then we just do a whole lot of nothing. i think we were all done with life! being stuck on a boat all day really took it's toll on us. it was so cold and windy that day the my plans of just laying out were foiled and we were inside all freaking day! so by like midnight we were done. we all went and got one last ceremonial ice cream cone and went to bed.

day 6: we disembark the ship. shared a shuttle to the airport with j and say our final goodbyes.

fun. fun. fun.

my internet is being lame, so you just get the stories for now. pictures to come later...sorry!

so what

so what if it has been over a month since i last posted.

so what if this isn't the freaking cruise post yet.

so what that i am so exhausted and blogging anyway.

so what if pandora is playing the kind of music that you would only hear at nordstrom instead of elliot smith.

so what that i should be in bed.

i am blogging anyway.

as of last wednesday night i have been at my sister's house watching her twins j and s who are on the brink of turning 2. it has been quite the adventure and all i have to say is thank goodness that my sister has a nanny who i could pass the kids off to everyday when i went to work! dealing with s whining all the time about every little thing and consoling j when the tiniest thing goes wrong and she screams bloody murder really is the best form of birth control that a girl could ask for. this afternoon the older girls g and h got home from idaho where they were staying with their grandparents. so now i have 4 kids to watch and care for. kill me now. my sister called from italy and informed me that they got me a really great present...it better be tall, dark and handsome. oh and it better only speak italian.

i have been uber busy lately. as of the last time i posted i switched jobs! i left my post as assistant manager of the shade clothing store in american fork and started assisting at a salon. yes imagine that, i am a cosmetologist who is finally working in a salon. after a 5.5 year absence i decided it was time to do the thing that i was trained for! i am loving it and learning a lot! i will be assisting for the next 2 weeks and then i will be slowly transitioned onto the floor as an actual stylist...well 'hair specialist' as remedez would have us called. and within the first 2 weeks of working there i finally changed my hair! go me. it is blue. not all of it. just a few pieces. hot is the word you are looking for. you're welcome.

okay mini pause. i was just sitting in the tv room and there was a gigantic fly buzzing around in a lamp shade. i went to go kill it and instead i noticed how it was not moving the closer i got. so i closed my hand really quickly and caught the fly! that is right i just caught a fly in my bare hand and it was even a really odd angle. i am really so proud/impressed with myself.

oh and the most important and sad thing to have happened as of late is...i turned 25. yes it is true. i am a quarter of a century! how did i spend my special day? i worked. got off early. went tanning. went shopping. got ready. my roommate threw me a party. i partied with a few special folks. ate a delicious and beautiful cake that bolish made. and then i had a lovely birthday dinner in f-town with my family on father's day. it was a glorious weekend and i definitely think that next year i will be back to celebrating my birth all the month of june. i don't know what really brought on this sudden change in only celebrating on my actual day. i was in mourning over my youth.

and not too far after my birthday i ate 5 hot dogs...bun and all at a bbq. after eating just one i just casually mentioned that i love hot dogs from the grill so much that i could probably eat 5. this foolish individual didn't believe me and didn't know that i am not one to back down from a challenge. so i ate 5 hot dogs in one sitting. to say that i felt sick afterwards was a major understatement. oh well, i sure showed him. and to impress this fellow even further i went out onto the field and showed off my wicked sprial skills with the massive football that was on hand. yeah i can still rock it...and we even swapped numbers. that ladies and gentleman is how it is done. ha.

end it, end it now

still no cruise post yet...i am sure you are all on the edge of your seats waiting in anticipation.

i just found out today that my grandma jackson {my mom's mom} will be here for 6 days in june. just in time to kick off my birthday month festivities. that's right kids my birthday is coming up. i would be a little more excited, but when i start to get excited i remember that i will be turning 25 and then that fact rains on my parade. boo 25. i am only bugged because a swear on everything holy that i have a wrinkle next to my right eye. why me?

i went to dinner the other night for my friend camille's birthday. she was in town from blanding for a conference and we met at rumbi for a little din din and then had cake and a bonfire at our friend alissa's house. beautiful evening. my whole point is this. i like to paint my nails for special occasions. usually i paint them every saturday night so that i have a fresh coat for church {yes i realize how sad this statement sounds...church is, sad but true, a special occasion for me these days}. i paint them before i go on trips. i paint them when i have a date. and you best believe i paint them for dinner for one of my bff's birthday. anyway, due to the fact that i probably have the worst sense and use of time in the universe, i was late and only had time for one coat of my essie wicked...one of my favorite colors of all time. so after i had eaten i leaned over to alissa {who we so lovingly call bolish} and asked if it was socially acceptable for me to paint my nails at rumbi island grill. she said no, but gave me permission to do so anyway. i painted all 10 of my phalanges just as megan asked if we could smell nail polish. i owned up to it and we all had a laugh. i told bolish that people probably thought i was an idiot and would probably go home and blog about the stupid girl who was painting her nails in a restaurant...and i use the word restaurant lightly when speaking of rumbi island grill. to which, bolish replied...'oh aly, you're so cute. thinking that people would actually go home and blog about you.' i had never heard something so funny. thus why bolish and i are friends. so bolish, maybe no one went home and blogged about me, but i came home and blogged about you. you're welcome.

i also have a HUGE pet peeve that i have to vent about the wonderful world of working retail. i HATE when customers sneak into dressing rooms. really? do you not see the shiny metal sign that tells you to ask an attendant to get a room? and then why do you simply leave EVERTYHING you brought in with you on the floor? is it really that hard to hang a freaking shirt back on the hanger? grow up and learn how to hang up clothes, then come shop in my store.

anyway, my new favorite tune...you and i by the beloved ingrid michaelson. love. every. word.

if you get caught

lately i have been in a funk...

...and by lately i mean ever since i got back from my cruise.

i can't blog about my cruise yet cause my hard drive is full and i can't upload pictures and what is the point in blogging about it if you can't see what/who i am talking about? answer...there is no point.

after the worst day of my life...aka the van driving through my store...it was non stop stress and frustration. mixed in there was also a little sadness and long moments of pondering my life. my store was closed for 2 days. the 2nd day was spent unpacking about 40 boxes of product, unbagging, hanging and arranging about 1200 pieces of merchandise. don't let my meager description fool you...it was hours of work. during all of this my manager kyle received a call that his nephew beck who had been in the hospital since the night before with pneumonia, wasn't going to make it. i sent kyle to the hospital and i started my week as what i referred to as a single parent. we successfully got the store looking decent and opened on friday! while we were rejoicing the re.opening of the store, the rippy family was saying their last goodbyes to sweet little beck. he passed away that evening. let me just tell you...beck is the sweetest boy in the whole world. his smile and laugh could make anyone smile and forget about their worries. i had the privilege of cutting his hair on multiple occasions. beck was a little delayed mentally and physically, but he had the most amazing spirit and within moments of meeting him you could tell he was a special child of god and has a much bigger purpose than what any of us could ever see. we were all saddened by his passing. to say that i had a few breakdowns is an understatement. i don't deal well with stress or death very well. the viewing was monday, the funeral on tuesday. the service was beautiful. very inspiring and the spirit was strong.
the rest of the week was a series of challenges both self inflicted and brought on by the evil forces of the retail world. needless to say, i was more than excited to see kyle today at work!

i feel like i have been hauling down a ginormous hill on a pair of roller skates...yes roller skates, the old school ones that come up high and are white with a rainbow stitched to the side, roller skates...and i see a brick wall in the distance but my brakes are gone cause they looked dorky and i took them off. i know that i am going to hit the wall it is just a matter of when you know? i don't know what will happen when i do hit it. it scares me just a little. scratch that...it scares the begeesus out of me. it's hard to swallow when i think about it and i get all flustered. like when you have a bad dream and you wake up and your face feels hot. only the brick wall isn't a dream and i am headed straight for it. i don't know how to avoid it. the worst part is i am the only one on this hill. everyone else is at the top watching me go first. i only went cause i am dumb like that. if you are still reading this...i am sorry to bore you. it is just one of the those nights when i feel like i wish i had my own t.v show...and more importantly a kick ass soundtrack to go along with it. if only mtv came to utah and not the hills of l.a.

right now i am listening to radiohead...aka my newest obsession...all i need. thanks.