True Happiness & Las Vegas!!!

Ever find yourself smiling at the smallest of things? I have been doing a lot of that lately. I feel like I can see the beauty in almost everything I see these days. For the first time in a long time I can say that I'm really happy with my life and the way it's been going. I have no worries, I'm not stressing over the little things... life is good!

I flew to Vegas last night to meet up with my family. I sat by the window on both my flights down here and caught myself on multiple occasions smiling ear to ear. Whether it was listening to music and hearing a certain song or looking outside and taking in every second of the view. Even the cloud cover has never looked so beautiful to me. As I was approaching the city of lights I was taken back by the view of the mountains just before you get to Vegas. The lights from the plane lit up just enough of the mountains so that I could see the curvature of them all. It was amazing. Then of course you see Las Vegas. I now know why they call it the city of lights! Vegas looks like an island from above. It's this big section of lights with nothing but darkness surrounding it. I could hardly contain myself on the plane when I saw the city up ahead. I was glued to the window at this point. The strip stands out so much compared to the rest of the city and surrounding areas. I was smiling ear to ear and laughing to myself because I was so excited to be here. I ended up meeting a really nice couple from New Zealand on the plane and shared the excitement with them. It was their first time in Vegas as well!

I got off the plane and was a bit surprised to see video poker machines all over the airport. You can gamble your life away while you wait for your luggage at the baggage claim. Seriously?! If you feel the need to gamble at the airport, you may have a problem! Just saying...

My family came to pick me up... perfect timing too! I walked out to the passenger pickup area and poof! There they were! I jumped in the car and anxiously we were off. Traffic was pretty nuts. I was advised to only cross with a 'walk signal' and even then to be uberly aware because the Taxi Cab drivers are effing crazy! Everyone loves their horns here too. I think I've heard more honking in the first 30 minutes of being here than I've heard in the past ten years! Even the ambulance drivers are kind of crazy. I don't know why but apparently they like to drive in the oncoming traffic lane so people don't have a choice but to get out of the way cause pretty sure they're not stopping. Thank God for the walkways that go up over a lot of the streets so you can actually survive to see tomorrow!

We are staying at the Mariott Grand Chateau. Hannah and I have our own room here which is bigger than my apartment (not saying much but still!) We have a little one bedroom suite with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and a huge bathroom! How did they know to make the bathroom so big? I'm pretty sure that like 5 people could comfortably get ready in there. Mom and Dad's room is at the opposite side of the same floor. The hotel makes a V shape so we can actually see their room from ours.

(it's the one on the left... we're on the 16th floor)

We got ready, made a drink and off we went! Headed out around 10:45 or so. At this point I had realized that I hadn't even ate much for dinner... but who needs food right?! I decided at this point I'd just drink my dinner... more than enough calories in my drinks to last me for a while! We hit the strip, drinks in hand. I think it's so crazy cool that you can walk around outside with a drink. Shoot, you can even take your drinks inside the casino's with you!


First stop of the night was the Monte Carlo. Nobody had been there yet, so we decided to check it out. We were strolling through the casino when this guy sitting at the blackjack table hollered over at us. Hannah initially was like, no... sorry. Let me tell you, it's a good thing Mom said, go over there & we did! We walked up and he laid out his bet. He said, if I win this hand I'll give you $50! He won and seriously gave us $50!!! We stuck around for a while and kissed a few of his chips for good luck. I know what you're thinking... eww gross!!! We were too but we were making some money! Someone should invent instant lip sanitizing chapstick for circumstances like these! But we ended up making about $110 in a matter of 20-30 minutes. I will get paid to be someone's lucky charm anytime. That was the easiest money I've ever made. So at this point Hannah and I are ahead $55 each without even laying a penny down... life is good! We hung out with this guy for a while longer. He was from Texas, really funny, married with three beautiful girls and a beautiful wife, here for just one night with business meetings in the morning. He made our night and even bought the whole family drinks. Thanks David!!!


After an hour or so at the Monte Carlo we headed to New York, New York. I love all the themes in Vegas. We walk in and it seriously looks like downtown New York... or at least what I imagine it to look like. Needless to say I loved it & this was the home to Coyote Ugly! This is one place I wanted to go and here it was! Only $5 to get in too! Mom and Dad (very hesitantly with scared looks on their faces) decided to leave us girls to go dance and have a good time. We'd be fine on our own. There were so many people out and about, I wasn't worried about someone snatching us or doing anything. We were very cautious... bought our drinks and held them with our hand over the opening to the cup/bottle. No drugging us Harris girls! Who knows how much people actually drug people here but Dad drilled it into our heads before we left so we were being extra cautious. Afterall, why drug someone when you can just pick up a card with a naked girl, her name and number for a good time!?! After all, this is Sin City, right? Eww. Coyote Ugly was fun... it was a lot like I had imagined. Girls dancing on the bar... both Coyote Ugly girls and girls just having a good time. There were bra's hanging from the ceiling, none of which were cute but whatever! The Coyote Ugly girls pour some sort of 'love potion' right into your mouth as you're dancing on the bar (yes... we got up there!) and at one point even spray water out over the crowd of people. We met a handful of interesting people... a couple girls we exchanged numbers with, some really nice respectful guys and some dude from 'England' (pretty sure that was a pickup tactic after he asked "Can I have this dance? I'm from England" in his little English accent). Sorry dude... but I don't have a thing for English guys with accents apparently so it's not getting you anywhere with me.


We got back to our room around 3:45am! I had no idea it was so late... now I understand why they call it the city that never sleeps. Pretty sure I didn't see any clocks either. It must be another scheme they do in casino's (along with designing them so you can't find your way out) to make you stay longer since they don't close.

Night one in Vegas was a huge success in my book & I think it's only going to get better! We have Tryst tonight (rolling VIP status) & GARTH BROOKS tomorrow!!!!

Hannah's finally 21!!!


Nothing is going to stop us now! Her birthday was on St. Patty's Day... which made for an interesting 21er. The bars surprised me this year. Some of them were absolutely packed... The Cooler (where we started) & The District. Some of the others, absolutely DEAD... Davis' & Rock-N-Rodeo. But the night I think was a success. Even after walking in the freezing cold for about 20 blocks, Hannah still had a good time. Plus we were surrounded by some family and great friends!


This weekend was very relaxing. I took Dad, Mom & Hannah to the airport early Saturday so they can get started on our Vegas vacation without me. I got stuck working half the week because they wouldn't allow me to take any leave without pay. Don't even get me started on this... it's not a good subject right now (Sarah knows what I'm talking about!). But I did have a good weekend here. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. Spent the majority of the day outside in a skirt and a tank top! It was the first day of Spring that I could bust out an outfit like that and I loved every minute of it!


Now it's Monday night... I'm relaxing and taking it easy. I should go work out! Where's my motivation?! It's seriously lacking right now... but I think it's time to push through, suck it up and get it done! Besides, summer is just around the corner and I need to shape up!

Oh and by the way... in approximated 50 hours I will be landing in Vegas!!!



I can't freaking wait! Hannah & I have a table reserved at Tryst Thursday night with two bottles thanks so much to Tiffany! Friday is Garth Brooks! Can't wait! Hannah ~ don't cry again when he comes out cause I don't want to cry again too. ;) Can't wait to see my family and have a great time in Las Vegas!

Time for a Little Improvement...

A good friend of mine posted a quote for me on his facebook page yesterday...

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together."
~Vincent van Gogh

My friend is a smart man! Unfortunately for me I had already reacted on impulse but fortunately I feel like no damage was done. I feel at I'm at a better place overall with the way things are happening now. I've decided that I let peoples opinions, questions and overall ideas consume my thoughts, especially if they are negative. One day, I am happy with the way things are going and one situation later, things almost turn upside down. I know that my family & friends have the best of intentions but my brain seems to run with these negative opinions, ideas and thoughts. I know that I am an over thinker naturally and decided last night that dating gives me some anxiety. I just don't like the fact of not knowing. I'm a very upfront, verbal person... often too verbal I guess. I feel like my feelings and what I want are always expressed in one form or another. I feel I'm pretty black and white in life and I just know what I want. The grey areas do make me nervous at times, especially when dating. I just want to know how you're feeling and what your intentions are up front I guess.

Yesterday I opened my mouth and ran with my thoughts. Next time I get to feeling uneasy about something that involves someone else, especially someone I'm interested in... I'm going to bite my tongue for just a little while, see if it passes or not. Then if it doesn't, then I will talk to them in person! (Right Wade?!) I am making it a personal goal to improve myself and my relationships to not act on impulse with my thoughts and emotions. I think this will work out better for me. I am also going to respect advice that's given to me but also allow myself to form my own opinions. I am not going to share as much about my doubts with other people. We all tend to talk about the negative things we feel and not the positives which is unfortunate because most of the time, the positives outweigh the negatives.

Life isn't perfect and I get that. I will make mistakes and I will learn from everyone of them. I will still wear my heart on my sleeve in hopes that whoever gets the chance to hold it will hold it safe and close. That's just me. I can't change who I am or what I believe... I'm just trying to improve myself in ways I feel possible.

So here's to trying things a little differently... wish me luck!

The Hard Times make for the Good Times...

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

I feel that there's a lot of truth to that quote and not just in the seasons aspect but in life.

I feel like sometimes it's takes seeing the darker, gloomier sides of life to really see the great, brighter sides.

Tough times in life make the good times so much better.

Failed relationships help you to figure out what you want in the future.

Hard learned lessons help you become a better person.

Being alone helps you to become more independent.

The cold makes you appreciate the warmth.

The rain makes you appreciate the sun.

You learn to be grateful for all that you have.

I am thankful for everything God has put me through and I live my life with no regrets.

I do my best to live each day to the fullest because we never know what tomorrow might bring.

I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm not afraid to fall...

because I know my friends & family will be there to pick me up if I hit the ground.

Something as simple as a smile, laugh, hug, or a simple hello can make my day.

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Old Friends & New Adventures...

This weekend was a lot of fun! It started off with myself meeting up with my mom and a few family friends for happy hour food & drinks at El Toritos. Then I caught up with some friends from high school at the Cooler. It was nice... I hadn't seen my friend Shawn for gosh, I think we figured it's been like 6 plus years! Also saw two other friends we graduated with and one that was a year younger. It was nice to catch up with everyone. Sometimes I feel like these "catching up" times are awkward, but it wasn't like that with us. It was really nice to know that everyone is doing well and that we don't have to see each other all the time to still be able to keep in touch.

Saturday morning I woke up pretty early and the best thing happened to me... you all will have to wait and find out later though. I don't want to speak to soon and ruin anything... =)

Mike and I took Hailey and JD to Spring Creek on Saturday. We threw the ball around a little and played on the playground... remembering how things were when we were little and realizing how little we actually were back then! (the monkey bars and everything else feels so short now!) Oh, those were the days... so carefree and easy. The days where our biggest worry was what shoes to wear. Sometimes I wish life could be that easy again but I don't think I'd go back if I could. I like being challenged and I like being put just outside of my comfort zone. It helps me discover new joys in life and also allows me to grow.

After going to the school we decided to go feed the ducks at Alton Baker Park. It was gorgeous outside, I even broke out my shorts! We grabbed some cheerios and off we went. We walked around to different areas of the park and saw a handful of different types of birds. Over on the east side of the street we found these HUGE geese that were sticking their tongue out and hissing at us as we were walking up. Ok... they weren't that big... but their necks were bigger than my arms! Mike is much braver than I am and he decides to feed these things out of his hand. I'm freaked out just watching. He tells me that we aren't going to leave until I hand-feed them. I'm thinking he's nuts... these are the geese he said had sharp teeth afterall. He put an entire handful of cheerios into my hand and I stuck it out there. The geese walked up and I would panic a little and throw the cheerios at them. This happened two or three times. Then I finally, with a little help from Mike, let both of these geese grab a bite from my hand. Then I was more than happy to go back to the smaller geese and the cute little ducks. It was a beautiful day out and we had a lot of fun. Well worth the fear of being eaten by the giant geese. =)

Later Saturday night Kim and Alex (my friend from Bend and her husband) came to visit. We just sat around, watched a little Grease and caught up. It was nice to see them! Kim was flying out of Eugene to go to Vegas Sunday but it was nice to see them, even if it was just for a little bit of time. Kim talking about Vegas makes me very excited to go! The family (Dad, Mom & Hannah) is going the 20th through the 27th. I will be down there the 24th through the 27th... couldn't get the entire week off work. I've never been to Vegas so I'm extremely excited. Plus, Hannah turns 21 on St. Patrick's Day so she'll be 21 when we go! It's going to be a lot of fun. Sounds like we get to see this circus show, which from what I've heard is absolutely a must-see! The whole trip should be a lot of fun. Can't wait to go!

Yesterday was kind of an adventure too. I decided that I wanted to try Geocaching. For those of you who don't know what Geocaching is... it's basically like a treasure hunt. You're given the GPS coordinates to a spot where a 'cache' is hidden. The 'cache's' can be all different sizes, most of what we were searching for yesterday were considered micro or small. They are can be filled with pretty much anything, but from the sounds of it, most have a 'log book' or a sheet of paper where you write the date and your name. Mike had mentioned doing this before so off we went! We had a little bit of trouble with the GPS we were using... it wouldn't take us off the road. Determined to figure out a way to make it work, I downloaded an app on my phone and we were off! Started up in Morse Park and had no luck there. We then headed down to campus. There are a lot of these things on campus! We looked for a couple more there and still had no luck. We did however come across a group of probably 50 people who were doing LAIR (Live Action Interactive Roleplaying Explorers) or something similar. These people were dressed up in some sort of costume... there were a lot of men wearing skirts. They all had shields and foam weapons. There was even a flag put out. It was almost just like Role Models, right there in front of us. We sat down on a bench to watch and get a good laugh. They split up into two groups, one group were pheasants, they had to be on their knees. The other were knights and they were on their feet. There was about 4 knights per about 15 pheasants. It was interesting and oh so entertaining. These people were totally serious too. Anyways, we ended up heading back to park near my apartment to look for one last cache. This one didn't have any hints so we get there and are thinking it could be anywhere. We were getting ready to leave and Mike says, Maybe it's under the lightpost. He gets down on the ground and sure enough, there it was! We found one! Mike put our names with the date on the sheet of paper inside the little key box as well as a broken key we kind of found earlier. He re-hid it and we went back to my apartment. We were excited that we found one... we were thinking the day was going to be a failure or that I was bad luck, but it wasn't and I'm not! =) Anyways, it was a lot of fun and I'm hoping that we can go find some ones that are a hike in. Something big out in the woods!

Overall I had a great weekend... I love the weekends. I wish that I could the weekends and weekdays were reversed. I would like to work two days and have five day weekends please! Only in my dreams I suppose. ;) It's only Monday and I'm already anxious for the weekend.

I had a good quick chat with Tiff tonight... we are so much alike. I think we think so much the same, or overthink things the same way! It was nice to know that I'm not the only one and I hope I helped her out too just by her knowing that she's not the only one either.

Well, I'm absolutely exhausted from my non-stop weekend so I'm going to catch up on a few shows and go to bed here really soon! I hope everyone else had a good weekend.

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our soul blossom. ~ Marcel Proust

New Shoes & New Sheets

Today was an incredibly slow day at work... I haven't been given enough to keep me busy quite yet. They keep telling me it's coming but I have yet to see it. I got a lot of Facebook time in... as well as finishing and posting the first blog I wrote. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and the time will go by faster. What am I saying? Tomorrow will be better... we get free lunch and it's Friday! =)

Once I got off work, I decided I needed to go to TJ Maxx and just treat myself to something. I found a gift card in my wallet and decided I was going to buy something that I wanted vs. something that I needed. Haven't done that in a while... minus the really cute skirt I bought last week! haha. So I ended up with the cutest pair of casual tennis shoes and some brand new sheets! I have been looking for sheets for the past six months... no luck. I walked over just to glance, thinking I wasn't going to be able to find anything and poof! There they were! The prettiest mint green, four hundred and something thread count, with a satin stripe sheets! I was in love. I came home and instantly put them in the wash. Nothing better than topping off the day with brand new clean sheets and a new pair of shoes. I'm such a girl... =)

I got to chat with Tiff some more tonight. I really miss her. I'm glad we've gotten to talk as much as we have though. I don't feel as disconnected as I thought I was going to so that's really nice. I still can't wait for her to come home though! July 2nd... hurry the heck up!

I am also really happy that Meghan and I have recently met up, gosh... it'd been far too long since we had done something, just the two of us. We reminisced about our old apartment... and how much we miss living together. We had our typical BJ's date last Friday and it was quite lovely. It was really great to see her! I feel like she's someone I grew apart from just a tiny bit only to realize what a great friend she is. I've missed her a lot and I'm really glad we've been talking a lot more again.

Well... I suppose I should get some rest. Not really sure what the weekend holds except that my friend Kim and her husband, Alex, are coming to stay Saturday night from Bend! I'm super excited to see them! Hope everyone has a good Friday and an even better weekend...

~ The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~ Elisabeth Foley

Let's Get It Started...

These past couple weeks have been kind of crazy. Ever feel like you take a step back and reevaluate your relationships? I had one of these moments... or more like one of these weeks. My best friend, Miranda, of 24 years and I have parted ways which really got to me. I've had a couple guy friends who can't just be friends and another who can't talk to me cause he's engaged now. One of my closest friends, Tiffany, just moved to China for four months. She's become one of my best friends and I miss her like crazy! I just feel like my relationships all kind of got turned upside down all at once and I'm going to say, it was quite overwhelming. I had come to realize that my relationship with Miranda has come to a point where I just needed to go my own way and move on. In realizing this I've had to let go of her with everything. I couldn't sit by and be her distant friend when we had been friends for such a long time. I was watching her plan her wedding via Facebook and wasn't any part of it. After seeing things for weeks and not ever hearing from her, I decided I was going to move on. I couldn't keep going like things were. I wrote her and wished her the best of luck and happiness, then told her goodbye. It was honestly one of the toughest things I've had to do.

Tiffany left for China the day after I told Miranda goodbye. This was just bad timing! I had the most amazing last night in Eugene with her the Friday before she left. We went to a dance show called Love Game at The Hult Center and then had drinks at Sixth Street afterwards. It was probably one of the best nights I've had in a long time and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend our last night together for a while... awww! =) She left on February 23rd for China... and I didn't get to hear from her for about a week. I would check her travel blog with my fingers crossed that she had posted something, anything! I just wanted to see how she was doing and how China was treating her. I have emailed back and forth with her a few times now and got to talk to her last night via Skype! She even got to meet my friend Mike on there! It was pretty cool. I miss her like crazy but she seems to be doing alright. I get a good laugh every time I read her posts about some random Chinese thing she's experienced... whether it's "Red Italian Meat" flavored Lays (potato chips) or getting stared at and pet by a random Chinese lady... it's very entertaining!

Despite losing a couple friends and one turning Chinese, lol... I have decided that I am going to take the time and put a lot more effort into building and strengthening the relationships that I do have, that mean the most to me. I am making a point to keep in contact and keep updated on their lives. I want my family and friends to know I don't take them for granted and that I truly love each one of them.

My sister and I have become worlds closer these past few weeks and I am loving every second of it! I feel like we've reached a point where the age difference isn't affecting us as much as it once did. She moved to Corvallis this past September to go to Oregon State and believe it or not, I think this has helped us grow closer. I think when she lived here we just saw each other when I went to my parents where as now we plan on hanging out. We make the most of our time together these days and I love every minute we hang out now! This past weekend, I went to Newberg with her to watch Dan play baseball for George Fox. He played two games on Saturday and one on Sunday and they beat Menlo (the opposing team) by a lot each game. The second game on Saturday was pretty much a blowout so Hannah and I went and walked around campus a little. The George Fox campus is beautiful! It's a small campus but the setting is gorgeous. There's a little creek running through a small little canyon right through the middle of campus. It kind of splits the on campus housing from the classrooms. Anyways, you can see some pictures from our mini-vacation below. I also learned how to drive a stick! Proud to say I didn't kill it once either! Made it from campus to Dan's place too... must be a natural! ;)

Sunday night, after coming back from George Fox, Mom, Dad, Hannah, my friend Mike and I went to Cosmic Pizza to see Holly Brook play. She was great! If you like accoustic mellow music, you should definitely check her out. A couple of my favorites were, Curious & Saturdays. Here's a few pictures from that...

As for everything else... life is going good. I feel like life flips you upside down sometimes just so you can realize how great things really are when you're right side up...

~ Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. ~ John Barrymore