This one is for Tony...

My manager Tony is relatively new to the blogging world (even though his brother has a blog...).  SO, when I was given a couple of In-N-Out gift cards from him he told me to take my baby, get her an animal style cheeseburger and put pictures of it on my blog.  Well... this is what I got.

We made a trip to our local (even though we live in UTAH) In-N-Out.  Got a couple of burgers.  Some fries. 

I must say, In-N-Out is not my favorite.  I would generally pick McDonald's over this place, BUT the burgers aren't bad and any chance to skip out on french fries (cause theirs are like cardboard) is actually a blessing.  Just ask my thighs.

ANYWAY, we sat down with our food and I had every intention of documenting the whole thing.  Unfortunately once a child starts in on a messy burger, you have to be on them like white on rice.  Keeping clothes relatively clean, keeping food off of the floor, keeping her hands inside OUR booth and out of the woman's hair sitting behind her... oy.  I forgot to take any more pictures.  Boo.  Sorry, Tony, but thank you for the yummy meal!



Ayla analyzing her first piece of a delicious In-N-Out burger...

 Oh P.S.  Start your own blog!  I, for one, would read it.  Even if it was only angry rantings!

Day 12 - What's In Your Bag

Day 12 - What's In Your Bag



You caught me on a very rare clean bag day.  I just changed purses on Saturday and I apparently haven't had time to fill it with receipts/change/junk.

So in my bag I have:

• My wallet.
• My makeup bag.
• A comb.

Unusually simple....

Day 11 - Your Siblings

Day 11 - Your Siblings

My Brothers. Arizona Feb. 2011.



Brandon Jacob Keene

 Brandon is my younger brother, though people often think he's older than me.  Probably just because he's like 6'a-million".  Brandon is about to turn 24.  He's a student at ASU, studying history.  He spends his summers driving foreigners around the country showing them all there is to see and explaining the significance of each place.  Brandon plays the guitar.  Brandon has an amazing singing voice.  Brandon has a girlfriend named Jenny.  She lives in Germany.  You guessed it... he met her on one of his summer tours.  He has spent a lot of time in Germany since, which is pretty dang awesome.  Brandon is strongly opinionated and very emotional/sensitive, but not in a bad way.  Brandon and I have a lot of mutual friends because we're only 2 years apart and I have always loved that.  Brandon lived with us for a couple months to help take care of Ayla when she was a tiny baby and they have a special uncle/neice bond.

Chad Joshua Keene

Chad is my younger younger brother.  He just turned 21!  Unlike Brandon, he's an average height.  Chad is going to school at Green River Community College, sadly I don't know what he's studying.  Chad love love loves to skateboard, and he's really good at it.  Chad also plays guitar and piano and like Brandon, has an amazing singing voice.  (This is one thing that I was not as blessed with as my brothers were.)  Chad is also very passionate and sensitive, but not in a bad way.  (This must be a Keene thing?)  Chad and I don't have any mutual friends really.  I'm 5 years older than him and then there's the fact that he grew up in Kent while Brandon and I grew up in Stanwood.  I also feel like I don't know Chad as well as I'd like to.  The age gap and the fact that I haven't lived with him since I was 18 plays a big part in that.

I love both of my brothers very much.  I think that they are genuinely awesome guys and I love to brag about them to people who ask!  And sometimes even to people who don't ask.



My brothers and I on Halloween a loooong time ago!



Day 10 - What You Wore Today

Day 10 - What You Wore Today

Today is Saturday.  I had to be at work at 7:30 AM.  You can imagine how much thought went into my outfit today... BLAH.  Anyway, here ya go!

Under Armour.  (I don't look so...BUFF...as this model.)



My trusty ol' North Face fleece.





Classic, low-rise, boot-cut Levis.



And we can't forget my best friends... The UGGS!

 And because I did leave the house in a hurry... a comfortable-work-on-Saturday-hurry...
 

I'm rockin the U-Dub hat.

                   

Day 09 - Your Beliefs

Day 09 - Your Beliefs


My beliefs are just that.  Mine.  I have a very hard time opening up to people about what I believe.  It's very personal to me.  Seeing as I have a hard time opening up to people in general, something so intimate is hard for me to share.  What it comes down to is that I do have beliefs.  I have strong opinions.  I know that they are not the same as everyone else's beliefs and that's ok.  I do not care to push my beliefs on anyone and I do not think less of anyone for their different beliefs.

One belief that I do not mind sharing is this:  If we could all accept and embrace the fact that there are different beliefs and that it is not bad to believe differently from someone else, the world could be better.

"Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around." -Henry David Thoreau

Because it snowed today... A lot...

Day 08 - A Moment

Day 08 - A Moment


I'm not exactly sure what this means.  There are hundreds, thousands...so many moments!  So I will tell you about a nice few moments that I get to have every morning.
 
I get to work around 7.  It's early.  I'm tired.  I am NOT a morning person.  Luckily, the sales team isn't really awake and selling (making work for me) until around 8:30.  This gives me time to enjoy my coffee.  Catch up on blog reading.  Update my own blog.  Catch up on Facebook.  Emails.  Read a book.  Day dream.  Etc.  I like this time to sit at my desk and keep to myself.
 

Day 07 - Your Best Friend

Day 07 - Your Best Friend


Best friends seem to come on strong, run their course, then flicker and fade.  I don't ever want it to be that way, that's just life.

Right now my best friend is my baby girl, Ayla.  I spend the majority of my time with her, talk to her more than anyone, have so much fun with her, and love her more than I can say.

Day 06 - Your Day

Day 06 - Your Day

Seeing as it's only 7:49 AM, I'll tell you about my day yesterday.  And seeing as it's a weekday, today will probably be exactly like yesterday, so it's ok.

February 22nd, 2011.
6:00 AM- Wake up, get ready for work.
7:06 AM- Roll into work 6 minutes late.
7:06 - 12:45 PM- Enjoy my job as a scheduler at Pinnacle Security.
1:05 PM- Get home. Talk with Joseph for a few minutes.
1:15 PM- Joseph goes to work.  Sit Ayla in her high chair and feed her chicken nuggets.  She loves them.
1:15 -3:00 PM- Deep clean the kitchen.  Reaarange cupboards, organize, scrub, sweep, etc.
3:00-4:00 PM- Ayla and I go jogging and visit the duckies.  Ayla has a snack.
4:30-6:30 PM- Ayla and I nap.  Oh wonderful napping...
6:30 PM- I whip together some seriously amazing enchiladas and they bake for 20 minutes. Then cool.
7:00 PM- Ayla and I enjoy a dinner of enchiladas and sour cream.  Ayla also enjoys a banana.
7:30 PM- I turn on a Sesame Street DVD to occupy the girl and I clean the living room. take out the trash, and vacuum.  Ayla squeals like a little girl when the vacuum is on.  Not a cry/scream like I'm used to, and actual squeal like a scared child and I love it.
8:30 PM- Ayla continues to watch Elmo while I hop in the shower.
8:45 PM- Ayla gets to take a bath.  She splashes and squeals and laughs until I drain the water and then she cries, scurrying to the other side of the tub trying to get away from me because she doesn't want to get out.
9:30 PM- Ayla and I read a couple of books, sing a couple of songs, and chase each other around the living room.  She has a small snack to go to bed with a full tummy.
9:55 PM- I tuck Ayla into bed. We read her "Goodnight" story that we read every night, with the fuzzy animal pages.  She pets each animal with her hand AND her foot, laughing each time.  She tucks the baby in at the end. Kiss goodnight, lights out.
10:00 PM- "Resolve" any dirty spots in the carpet. Looooove getting the carpet clean.
10:15 PM- Joseph comes home.  We finish watching "How I Met Your Mother".  Catch up on our days.
11:15-11:30 PM- Get into bed.

12:00 AMish- Fall asleep.

And that is my day, Monday through Friday.  Some days there will be a little more lounging, some days a little more running errands, but always spent with my girl!

Day 05 - Your Definition Of Love

Day 05 - Your Definition Of Love

"I believe in love.  I believe in hard times and love winning.  I believe marriage is hard.  I believe people make mistakes.  I believe people can want two things at once.  I believe people are selfish and generous at the same time.  I believe very few people want to hurt others.  I believe that you can be surprised by life.  I believe in happy endings."

December 2010

Day 04 - What You Ate Today

Day 04 - What You Ate Today


This post will be very short and sweet, seeing as it's only 10:17 AM.

Vanilla Mocha.  (Not my hand, not my coffee.  Just an example.)

Strawberry Pop Tarts.  Again, not my picture.

The breakfast of champions, I tell you!

Day 03 - Your Parents

Day 03 - Your Parents

John Eddie Keene and Melanie Bee Willden.

Our family 1985.



My dad. 

My dad, Ayla, and I November 2009.

I think I am a lot like my dad.  A lot of my defining characteristics are things that I got from my dad.  My love for music (Especially The Beatles.)  My love for animals.  My compassion.  My emotions.  My temper.  My dad is a great person and I am lucky to have so many traits/qualities that reflect him.  Here's a little bit of an email that my dad sent me this year on my birthday, "You know that one of my favorite memories of you is dancing in the living room to The Beatles, "Long and Winding Road"…………one of my other find memories is when you and I were sitting on the couch watching cartoons………I snuck a bite of chocolate, you smelled it and so you sniffed my lips and said, "give me some too!!" :) You were always and still are a good girl."  I love my dad and I feel bad that I don't get to see him and Syl more often.

My dad and Syl.  2003.

My mom. 

My mom and I, August 2010.

I don't even know where to start.  My mom is my role model.  She is the person I look up to the most.  She is strong and brave and smart.  She is the most caring/busy person I know.  I am more and more like her every day with the things I say and do.  Sometimes it makes me laugh sometimes I say, "ARE YOU SERIOUS, I'M TURNING INTO MY MOTHER!"  If there is anyone that I could turn into it would be her.  There's a line in the movie Spanglish that makes me cry every time... "My identity rests firmly and happily on one fact: I am my mother's daughter."

My mom and Kurtis 2003.

Day 02 - Your First Love

Day 02 - Your First Love

My first love.  I've always been... boy crazy. So knowing that I have always been so boy crazy it's hard to distinguish what was actually love. Having said that, I know that there are many different levels of love. I believe that you can truly deeply love more than one person. I also believe that with each new person you fall in love with you feel like what you had before just wasn't quite there. It was love, but it wasn't like this love. I could make lists for days of boys that I had crush's on in elementary school, middle school, high school, and beyond. Really, I never forget anything and chances are I still know the first, middle, and last name of *almost* every boy that I just loved. Of course there are a few that stick out. A few that still tug at my heart strings a little bit. The funny thing about these crushes that I had was that I never really acted on them. I didn't date a lot of boys from my school. Oh I wanted to, but being shy certainly played a huge part in this anti-Stanwood dating thing. There was also the fact that my later years in High School I was teased by some of the very boys that I was swooning over for being Mormon and for not "putting out". Well excuuuuuuuse me for being one of the very few non-whorish girls at our school! That was rude, I didn't mean that. But kind of. Looking back it actually makes me angry that I was made to feel so bad about actually having morals and standards. Is it so terribly wrong that a 15 year old didn't want to be sexually active? Is it embarrassing or funny that I held onto my childhood and my innocence for that much longer than others around me? I think not. I hope that Ayla is the same way. I see teenagers now and they look like BABIES to me! I hope that people realize that they have their whole lives ahead of them and that they don't need to throw themselves into adult situations at such a young age, they just don't have to. TANGENT.

My first love. Obviously, like a lot of other girls, my first love was my dad. I worshiped him. He was a good one. He played guitar, sang like Tom Petty, took me on daddy-daughter dates. He loved me. He was my dad.

My Dad and I.

My next first love? Oh Bryan. As I type this it seriously makes me laugh. How many other girls would type this exact same name? I can only imagine. This kid was shy. He was smart. He was funny. He was adorable. He liked to skateboard. He loved music. He lived in Marysville, I lived in Stanwood. He. Was. Perfect. And unlike most boys that I *loved* I actually got to date Bryan. I got to call him my boyfriend! I remember every single minute of it like it was yesterday. I remember how the air felt outside when he would skateboard, what he smelled like, I even remember the date that we first kissed. Yup, this was the definition of love for a 16 year old girl. We didn't date long. I got freaked out by the intensity of it all and I ended it. I did stupid things like date his friend and blah blah blah. Of course I regretted all of this very early on but he had quite the fan club of girls and what boy wouldn't explore his options? I was heart broken that Bryan was no longer my Bryan. I was heart broken for years. My poor best friend Jonny had to hear about it. A lot. And even when he would try to knock sense into my Bryan-loving head, I would not listen. Years, I tell you. The silly thing is that I'm not even sure when I stopped loving Bryan. Gradually I stopped thinking about him. I stopped comparing every single boy to him. I gave up hope of seeing things like "BLT" ever again. (Bryan loves Tonja!) I moved on and grew up. It really is laughable to me now-a-days. I will always think of Bryan fondly and I will always love the love that I had for him. Young, sweet, stupid love.

Photo stolen from Bryan's facebook without permission.  Sorry Bryan...

Day 01 - Introduce Yourself

Day 01 - Introduce Yourself

Hello, my name is Tonja Elizabeth Keene.  I am 26 years old.  I was born in a red Ford Festiva in Bury St. Edmunds, England.  I live in Provo, Utah, but Washington State will forever be my home.  I have a 15 month old daughter named Ayla Marie Salazar.  Her father's name is Eugene Joseph Salazar (he goes by Joseph) and I love him very much.  I work at Pinnacle Security, which is an alarm company.  I schedule installs for our inside sales team.  I have a cat named Malky.  Cat's are my very favorite animal, though I am obsessed with animals in general.  I drive a 1998 Subaru Forester and I love it.  I have a mom named Melanie and a step dad name Kurtis.  I have a dad named John and a step mom named Syl.  I have two little brothers, Brandon (23) and Chad (20).  I have 4 step siblings(I may be wrong on their ages); Adam (27), Aaron (25), Rachel (21), and Haleigh(18).  My favorite colors are green and orange.  My favorite season is fall.  My favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas.  My favorite bands are Bright Eyes and The Beatles.  My favorite TV shows are How I Met Your Mother, Pawn Stars, The Shield, Weeds, and Arrested Development.  I love to daydream.  I LOVE to read.  I love music.  I love love love coffee.  I am scared of the dark.  I worry a lot.  I love the rain.  I am happiest when we have an overcast day.  I used to be a night owl but lately have a hard time staying up past midnight.  I am a lot more shy than you would think.  I love to be social, but it's hard for me.  I have a hard time expressing to people how much I care about them.  I love to be affectionate, but again, it's hard for me.  I love to be creative and I try so hard but my projects always end up looking like that of a 10 year olds.  I am not a good cook and I do not have any desire to be, but I love to eat good food.  I like to bake.  I love chocolate milk.  I would rather have fruity candy than chocolate.  I get way too involved in reality tv shows (American Idol makes me cry every week).  Having said that, every thing makes me cry.  Seriously, since being pregnant and having a child I am that girl, the one that always cries.  I am obsessed with Target.  My eyes are a dark forest green.  So are my daughters.  I love make up.  I have no patience.  Sleeping is my favorite activity.  I love New York City and it would be a dream to live there.  I want to go to Italy.  As a young girl I was a Scotish Highland dancer and I would love Ayla to be as well.  I want a Golden Retriever more than anything but must wait until the dog could have a great non-apartment life.  I love my family more than anything.  I love my friends almost as much as my family.  :)

And that's about all I can think of right now.

Totally stealing this from Amy...

Another month long blog challenge!  YAY!  I enjoyed my first one so much that I cannot wait to dive into this one!

Day 01 - Introduce Yourself


Day 02 - Your First Love

Day 03 - Your Parents

Day 04 - What You Ate Today

Day 05 - Your Definition Of Love

Day 06 - Your Day

Day 07 - Your Best Friend

Day 08 - A Moment

Day 09 - Your Beliefs

Day 10 - What You Wore Today

Day 11 - Your Siblings

Day 12 - What's In Your Bag

Day 13 - This Week

Day 14 - What You Wore Today

Day 15 - Your First Kiss

Day 16 - Your Dreams

Day 17 - Your Favorite Birthday

Day 18 - Your Favorite Memory

Day 19 - Something You Regret

Day 20 - This Month

Day 21 - Another Moment

Day 22 - Something That Upsets You

Day 23 - Something That Makes You Feel Better

Day 24 - Something That Makes You Cry

Day 25 - A First

Day 26 - Your Fears

Day 27 - Your Favorite Place

Day 28 - Something That You Miss

Day 29 - Your Aspirations

Day 30 - One Last Moment

Happy Valentine's Day!

I will be spending my Valentine's day with the littlest love of my life!  I couldn't ask for anything more.



Happy Valentine's Day from a sick Tiny and her mama!



Hello, old friend.

It has been far too long since I have truly updated my blog. HERE WE GO!


Life has been c-razy lately. Joseph started a new job a month ago. We were really excited because it is great pay and a seemingly great schedule. The only problem was that it conflicted with my schedule at Stevens-Henager where I was the evening receptionist. Long story short, he was offered the job, accepted the job, and I resigned from SH within a matter of days! It was a super quick rush of events. Not being able to work at SH was a little rough, but luckily my good ol' boss from Pinnacle Security hooked me up with a morning position working with Inside Sales. If you remember, I worked at Pinnacle for 2 1/2 years before reluctantly leaving due to wanting to be a full-time mommy. When I decided I wanted to again enter the working world they didn't have anything that worked around Joseph's schedule, which is why I went to SH. I am so beyond happy to be back at Pinnacle. I truly feel like these people are my family. I can't even explain how much happier I am working at a place where I actually feel like I belong! I work 7am - 1pm Monday through Saturday. Getting up early has been quite an adjustment. (UGH.)

Joseph's training for his new job is 6 weeks. His schedule for those 6 weeks is 3pm - midnight. MIDNIGHT! What in the world?! So lately I come home from work around 1:15-1:30ish. We have some lunch with our girl, catch up a bit, and Joseph takes off for work just before 3. And then I don't see him until the following day until around 1:15. We're both doing the single parent thing. Joseph in the morning, myself in the afternoon/evening. It's rough, but it sure is nice to spend so much time with her. I cannot express in words how much fun she is lately. I love coming home from work, sneaking up to wherever she is, having her finally see me and go, "EEEE!!!" She either runs directly to me with her arms up high in the air or runs the opposite way giggling, trying to start a chasing game. I must say something along the lines of "She's soooo CUTE! We have the cutest baby in the world! Isn't she CUTE? SHE'S THE CUTEST!!" at least 10 times a day. Really. Maybe even more. But doesn't every parent? But seriously, she's the cutest.

Ayla has finally decided that she loves to walk and that she no longer needs to crawl. Oh this has been fun! Not only walking, but she loves to RUN! I love her little walk. She stands up so straight and she holds her right hand to her chest with her left arm straight out to the side for balance. I can't help but laugh at her silly stance and the concentrated but proud look on her face. The smile on her face reminds me of one of those ever-smiling older women that say things along the lines of "bless her heart!" and who ask you "How ARE you?!" and genuinely care about the response. Just a happy, content smile.

Our girl talks when she wants to. No sentences or anything huge, but she still says the occasional "mama, dada, MALKY!, no, baby, Ayla, Elmo, 'bwanket', hiii!, etc." I imagine the full-on talking will happen much like the walking did. I'll wonder if she will EVER do it and then one morning she'll wake up talking! I must say I like when she calls me "mom". She's always saying "maaama", but every now and then she'll say, "MOM!", very serious and to the point. I say, "What?" just as serious and she says, "bre-wikiwikiwiki-bebe-brrrreeeebreee-dadadaaaaa." And she says this with a very straight, concerned expression on her face. I can't wait for her to be able to actually use her words and to know what is really going on in that little head of hers.

Last night our good friend Curtis stopped by and when he walked in she said, "Hiii!" Curtis said, "Did she just say hi to me?! I just saw her this week, when did she learn to talk?!" She surprises us all. :)

My mom got me a new camera for my birthday because mine broke just before Christmas. Now we are in the process of repairing the hard drive on our laptop so that I can actually upload the photos and videos! If it's not one thing it's another... So here are a few iPhone photos and one video!

Here Ayla is riding on a car with her best friends Elmo and Zoey.  She loved it until the thing started moving!

My cute girl sleeping peacefully in her car seat.  Her hair is getting out of control long again... Time for a second haircut?!

This picture is terribly grainy, but it was taken in the dark with only the light of the tv.  Late night snuggles with a baby girl who wasn't feeling well.

Bath time!  Ayla looooves her baths lately!

This may be bad parenting, but yesterday I needed a nap!  Sometimes Ayla decides not to sleep and she goes CRAZY (like I explain here.)  So I set up our laptop with Elmo playing to keep her company because I was about to lose my mind.  She loved her little set up and actually fell asleep within minutes and slept for over 3 hours! HALLALUJAH!  I needed that.

Here's a video of Ayla walking at her favorite play area!  She loves to go interact with the other kids.  She's totally obsessed with any other child and runs around aimlessly squealing and exploring.  SHE IS SO CUTE!