Great shows and nightmares. What?

Yesterday was a beloved band of mine's farewell show. It was such a good last hurrah. I Can Make a Mess played so well, it was nice to finally see Ace play as "ICMAM" after more than six years of listening to his one release. Copeland (farewell, dear Aaron) seriously rocked it out. I absolutely loved it!! It's always sad when a band you love stops making new music, but the memories I have of the many times I've seen them, along with the memories that each song brings back are priceless to me. I wish Aaron all the best.

We got to hang out with Chelsea and Scott at the show, which was awesome. I haven't seen them both in a long while. I hope to have many more hang sessions with them in the near future!

I've been having AWFUL nightmares lately. I'm talking horrifying. I had a dream of a worm invasion in my house, which doesn't sound horrifying to you- but trust me. It terrifies me. I'll spare you the details of that one, because worms are sicknasty. Then I had a 'mare about a child molester. What is going on with me!! I woke up in cold sweats each night. I hope I don't have another awful dream tonight...

Raf and I are going to DISNEYLAND in a few weeks. We are like little kids at that place. I just love it. I spent the last couple of days reading about the secrets of D-land. Like the basketball court on top of the Matterhorn (which is sadly used as storage now) for employees, Walt's personal apartment above the Disney Firehouse, the animatronic Chesire Cat in the Mad Hatter's shoppe, etc. I totally nerd out on Disney.

Also, I have a gripe with food-service in America. Why don't more places have vegetarian options? The classic vegetarian paradigm of "I guess I'll just have a salad" is really out-dated. What if I don't want a salad? What if I want a hearty veggie burger (not microwaved OR grilled on the MEAT grill, please) or a bowl of jerk-tofu chicken? There should be more options for us veggies, dang it. Especially when most grocery stores carry the mock-meats now. It's easier than ever to get your hands on some. And with so many people choosing to go meat-free, you'd think the restaurant/fast-food industry would catch up to this key demographic. But sadly, most restaurants are far behind. When will the herbivores of the world get some equality at the table, I ask!

/End Rant

Weeeekend of March 27th

This weekend was some good times, let me tell you! Friday we hung out with our friend Drew. We ended up at Cheeburger Cheeburger where his lady friend works. Then watched some TV and tried to put Diella to sleep while she was not very cooperative (teething). After she went to sleep, Raf and I watched Law Abiding Citizen. It was pretty good, but I did NOT expect it to be so... intense!

Rafael had to work on Saturday morning, so Diella and I got to spend the morning together. She slept in until 9:30, which was AWESOME. Instead of using that time to catch up on sleep, I used it to actually take care of myself. It's so crazy how little time I have for myself now. So I took some time for me, which was amazing. Then I took some time for the house, which still seems like a Goliath of a task to me. But it's coming along at a slug-like pace. Raffy, D and I went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. I love their salad bar, mmm! Then we just spent some quality time with my mom at her place. It was relaxing.

Today we went to church and then to the Tempe Arts Festival. It was really cool this year. It seems like they had a lot more vendors! Diella LOVED it. She loves to go to places where a lot of people are because she loves to watch everyone. She especially loved all the dogs there. After the fest, we took a family nap. I adore family naps. We woke up refreshed and went to get MEXICAN FOOD (my faaavorite) at Rosita's.

This weekend was awesome. I love just spending time with my family.

Oh, also! Diella won some baby noise canceling headphones from Jenn Enders. I am VERY excited for them. Now her daddy can play his drums whenever he wants without fearing for her hearing development. I am sooo thankful for Jenn, Ace & Artie Enders for putting on the giveaway. :)

March 17 - March 22

I took Thursday and Friday off of work due to Diella's being sick. We spent the two days cuddling, playing, eating and going on walks around the neighborhood. The weather was absolutely gorgeous last week and this last weekend. I wish Arizona were always so beautiful. Too bad that in a few months, I'll be asking myself continuously why I live here, due to the awful heat! Oh well, haha.

Anyway, Raf and I spent most of the weekend getting our house together. We moved into our home almost a month ago, and it's still kind of a whirlwind. I absolutely love the home we live in now. We have a lot of little things that we'd like to do to it, and it can sometimes seem like a daunting task; but I keep reminding myself that it doesn't all have to be completed now. I'm just revelling in the fact that I'm a homeowner. There's a sense of calm to it all. We've been experimenting with paint colors on our walls as of late. I'm really feeling pastels. I hope that's not something I come to regret in the near future!

I'm currently reading Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor. I just barely started, so I can't tell you much. But from what I read on the synopsis, it's bound to be a great book. It's about three generations of Mexican American immigrants. Anyway, more on that later, when I've actually formulated my own opinion :)

One of my favorite artists, Ace Enders is coming out with a highly-anticipated album (at least for me) tomorrow. It's with his band, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business. I couldn't be more excited for this release. The first album he released as ICMAM was such a great feel-good album. It's perfect driving and working music. I love it. So needless to say, tomorrow is going to be a big day in my household! You should check him out. His Myspace is here: http://www.myspace.com/icanmakeamesslikenobodysbusiness

That's all for now. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from my blackberry (that's why they're blurry).

Currently Listening to: You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby - The Smiths

Come on, introductions are fun!

I decided that it was about time I created a blog of my own. I've got a lot of things to say to you, internet world! I plan to devote this page to what I'm listening to, reading, watching or eating- and, if I'm feeling creative enough, what I've created!

Let's start with a little introduction, shall we? My name is Nicole, I'm 22. I'm married to a wonderful man named Rafael (Raf for short), and have a 8 month old little girl named Diella. I'm slowly working on getting my Bachelors from ASU. I'm LDS, or for those of you who don't know what that means, "Mormon." I've been a vegetarian for 5 years, and absolutely love animals. I have a cat, named Ryloh who is 4 years old. Just recently purchased a home in Tempe, that I absolutely love. It's a labor of love, home ownership! Lots of little projects to fill my time with. I am a music connoisseur. I find that music makes every activity more interesting. I love going to shows and record stores. I love to read. My favorite read is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, morbid as that may be. My favorite TV shows are The Office and Law and Order: SVU. I love to laugh! I'm a paralegal at a firm that handles nonprofit legal issues. I aspire to be an attorney one day- though not a sleazy one, I promise.

I love life & I can't wait to get to know some new people! :)

Currently listening to: Comin' Home - Murder by Death