Hello all..
Today’s blog comes from my home away from home. The place that I can retreat to no matter where I may be, and have the feeling of being right at home.. Barnes and Noble. I seriously have an obsession with this joint.
Tonight I walked into Barnes at Desert Ridge at the most perfect time. Just so happens that Jen Lancaster was speaking and signing books. I have never read any of her books, and I must admit I had to sneak a peek at the book in the lady’s paws next to me to figure out what I should be expecting once the discussion began. Nevertheless it was entertaining to hear her read a passage from her latest book, "If You Were Here". Its always nice to put a face to a name. Interesting how the picture painted in your brain changes when the real deal is revealed.
Anyways that is not the premises of this blog at all. Just a nice ice breaker and the inspiration to write this evening. I come to you with a thought. An interesting realization that I had today..
Isn’t it amazing how quickly one becomes acclimated to their surroundings when making a change. Now I’m not just talking weather. However, I am a little embarrassed to say I have a sweater and pants on and chose not to lay by the pool on my ONE day off this week because it was a bit "chilly" at 82 degrees today. I should be kicked. I mean really.. I have only been in the heat for less than 2 months and I am thinking that 100 degrees sounds better than 82 for laying by the pool. Gross.
That is just one example of becoming "acclimated". When I moved down here with nothing but a car piled high and a friends sofa to crash on, and an idea that I had to make it work it was hard to think about becoming acclimated to my environment.
For instance. In ND it really doesn’t take much longer than 15-20 min tops to get from one side of town to the other. And it seemed like the other side of the planet to get there. Here, I have easily a 25 min drive every day to work and that is actually not bad for a commute. It takes me an hour to get to a suburb that is still connected to Phoenix metro. And its even on the same side of the city as I! I wonder how long it would take to get from one end to the other here? Perhaps an adventure for the next "chilly" day off.
Another more analytical example would be acclimating to the change of pace, lifestyle, attitude, thought process between different places. Since moving here my life hasn’t really changed that much from the same things I did back home however it seems a little altered. If anything I'm more of a nerd here than at home. I frequent Barnes more like 2 times a week now rather than my Sunday coffee/scrabble/magazine reading days with my favorite ladies. I guess now I have been working every Sunday, which by the way is less than enjoyable, so that’s a little different.
I guess through my babbling and drawn out words tonight my point is that I find it so interesting how we just adapt into our surroundings in all areas of life. Language, weather, lifestyle, and thought process. It makes me feel very blessed to have come from a place that truly placed a solid foundation in my brain. Appreciating beautiful sunny days, coming from a family that has taught me that there is nothing more relaxing than a good book and a DAMN good Pandora play list at the moment. Where ever life takes you and in what ever environment you end up in.

I think I should be done for now. To finish off this relaxing day off.. I just received a call letting me know that my 5am scheduled work time has been postponed to 10. Blessed.

New Places & New Faces

Wow.. where do I begin? Last week Wednesday I was in Bismarck, ND thinking about the Umpteen things I needed to accomplish in order to pack up the Vibe and head south. I had driven back to Bis from Fargo early that morning just to find 17 feet of cement solid snow in my driveway waiting to be moved. So thinking that the Vibe is a Ford F150 I thought maybe I could just drive through it since I have a billion things to do.. WRONG! Two hours later and an almost fatal attack on the plastic shovel I was using, I finally pushed my car off the snow pile it was stuck on and got it to the garage.. or close enough anyways. From there I had to go through my belongings and pick out only the absolute necessities, clean/organize a disaster of a garage, hit the bank, map quest my 1500 mile route, return the cable/Internet modems, get the new blinds cut down an inch, buy a CD cleaner for my car (didnt even work), find a cute bday gift for my adorable cousin, go to a birthday party, AND say goodbye to the most important people in my life! SHWEW! Needless to say, It was a long day. But, somehow I pushed through it and with only a few mild outbursts of tears I was on the road Thursday morning.

I made it to Arvada, CO in record timing and was able to spend a wonderful evening with my Aunt Suzie and her wonderful family. Bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning I was driving through the most beautiful Rocky Mountain drive ever! Wow, completely remarkable the beauty of nature. One of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Once I was pulling through Flagstaff the memories started to flood in. Man where there some good times in that town. A little closer to my old stomping grounds Anthem, the temperature started to rise and so did the traffic. Actually a semi flew off the side of the road and caused a two hour traffic jam on I17. Ah.. back to the city..

So here I am 1500 miles from home and havent even been gone for a week and am saying to myself.. "Britt you are such a big talker! Thinking you wont have any problem leaving the place you know so well and the people that consume your life and happiness.. Good one!" I cant say I havent already been homesick or that I dont think about what everyone is doing without me, I cant say I dont get a lump in my throat every time I think of "them" (like right now). But what I can say is that I think that I was meant to be back in Arizona for a reason. I know in my gut that I just need to be strong and push through this unsettling time so that I can start to understand why Im supposed to be here. Life takes you in such crazy directions and my life seems to be a concoction of twists, turns, ups and downs and for that I am grateful because I would never have been able to make a move like this without that.. I love every single one of you back home you all mean the world to me and I think about you every single day.

It will get easier to accept that Nertz might only be played on holidays, and Mexican Dominos every few months instead of every two weeks. But American Idol will always be on and we will always be able to text each other on who was the best performance. Why Casey Abram almost got voted off and how Joel thinks Steven Tyler is comparable to Brad Pitt in hotness! (ha ha!)

So now that I have rambled far to long and most wont even read this whole blog I will depart by dedicating this blog to my most favorite people in my life. My family,friends, and all of the people I LOVE so much. You complete me.. (Jerry McGuire music insert)

p.s. Its Idol night! Yippee!

A day in Stanley, ND

Today I come to you from the busy town of Stanley, ND. The town that has nearly tripled its average median income in the last ten years. The town that is jumping with cars, oil delivering trucks, and land men looking for the next abstract to dissect. There is only an estimated 1,280 (ish) actual residents that call Stanley their home, However by the line of brand new homes, full mobile home parking lots, the sold out hotel/motel rooms in a 60 mile radius, and the continuous traffic down Main Street, you would think you were in a completely different setting.
For today I am being a true blue loyal North Dakotan and touring the most amazing part of the state, “Oil Country”.
I have been mentioning to Sheldon, my dear step father and current employer, that I really would like to take a look at the area and see the action of the oil wells littering the horizon. Today we left Bismarck, ND around 5:30am. Pulling out of my freshly shoveled driveway after the 3 inches of fresh pow yesterday we (with clenched teeth) received from Ms. Mother Nature our arch nemesis. I have already been through Minot, and seen the facilities of the Bowbells’ Court house.

I write this little ditty from a lovely window seat in Stanley’s fine second hand store and coffee shop. A typical small town establishment with used books, clothing from the 80s, and helium balloons for sale lining the walls. A gentleman walking around talking to his employer on speakerphone with the volume so loud I can here he is needed for work tomorrow over the sound of music coming through my headphones. Meanwhile, the sales clerks are going through their wildlife calendars hanging on the wall marking down important dates to remember. All in all a wonderful place to actually get some work done and take in an average day in the life of the locals.

Sometimes I wonder why I constantly am searching for happiness in catastrophic events that I feel I should have about every few months. At the moment I am trying to decide what direction to throw myself into. Starting from the basics such as living location, spawning all the way through to the idea of what I want to be when I grow up, and if I should really ever bring a child into the world with the yo yo lifestyle I tend to live. Always moving, always wanting to change directions, always looking for the next adventure whether it be a wise one or a “learn the hard way” one.. My mother has recently moved to a small town in Minnesota and has really found it a challenge to transition into a slower pace of life. Bingo at the Eagles, breakfast at the 600sq ft café around the block, and basically a 5 min drive to just about anywhere in town.

I think we just get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and moving at light speed, to try and get as much done as humanly possible, that we forget to actually notice all of the gifts that each day brings. I know that sounds all flowers and rainbows-y but truly when was the last time you took 5 min to think about the best thing that has happened all day. My mom used to make us say three nice things about each other every time my brothers and I or Sheldo and I would start arguing. And it was always the same mindless answers we would give.. “ Sheldo, you are a really good lawyer.” or “ Alex, you are really good at snowboarding” or “ Keaton, you play a mean game of hockey”. Maybe tonight while enjoying your dinner or evening glass of wine you should try the “3 nice things” game. Here are mine. Good day to all and Happy Ash Wednesday.



1. Mom, I think that you are a wonderful, dedicated mother, and I am proud of you for your continuous efforts in making Belle’s life one filled with potential and love. Keep up the good work!

2. All my little cousins, I love you so all so so much and thank God for all the joy, laughter, and funny things you all say. . “ We better go find my mommy and daddy. They just don’t think that you are very responsible….” (Sydney, age 7)

3.Thank you Belle Ria for being a wonderful and sassy little sister. I love how you are so intuitive and insightful. You are truly creative and I think that some day you are going to be an amazing photographer.

The first decade of the millenium. What is the defining fashion trend? - Fargo Fashion | Examiner.com

The first decade of the millenium. What is the defining fashion trend? - Fargo Fashion Examiner.com

I will be using Examiner.com as more of a fashion blog posting. And I will use Britt's Blog as more of a personal blog page! Not only fashion based.. Thanks for all the support! Love to all.
xo
Britt

InVEST in the best - Fargo Fashion | Examiner.com

InVEST in the best - Fargo Fashion Examiner.com
Check out my blog on Examiner.com! Click on the link above to view! Let me know what you think!
Thanks!
Britt