PHONE DUMP

Remember when I told you that the Summer of Shay looks like painting my whole house? Um, yeah... why didn't anyone warn me that painting every single day would put me into a weird funk? I feel like I haven't gotten a good nights rest in weeks + my body has been running solely on diet Dr. Pepper + every room in my house is basically torn apart. I can barely even remember what day it is, too..they all are just blurs of washing, taping, and painting. Oh, and I feel like I need to tell you that I'm chowing down on some beef jerky for breakfast while I type this. WEIRD FUNK, GUYS! 

Anyway, I was trying to think of what I've done besides paint this month, so I started looking through my phone pictures. Hence, the good ole fashioned phone dump of bad quality pictures to remind me that I have not just been a painting robot this month. You've been warned!

from left to right:

-Chris and I conquered the land where happy couples go to die aka IKEA. There might have been some eye rolling on Chris' part (oooohhh  babe I want hangy things like that in our kitchen!), but for the most part, we were able to leave unscathed. I'm pretty sure it's because I got Chris a cinnamon roll at the end + we both took pleasure in watching newlyweds argue. But anyway, I convinced Chris that it was time to upgrade from our $5 TV stand from Wal-Mart (thanks, Shell!), and so we got a new stand that actually can hold all of our stuff! Which was very difficult trying to load into the car with an ice cream cone in hand. And if you had any question as to whether I would rather drop my ice cream cone or my new TV stand, the answer is DROP THE $60 TV STAND! SAVE THE $1 ICE CREAM CONE. 

-Sanderson pickle ball has started up again! Which means my alter ego comes out to play... we call him Shane. As you can tell from the picture above, Shane really cares how he looks, and he can always depend on Shelby to snapchat super flattering pictures of him to everyone. Yes, Shane is an interesting character... he definitely is going to need his own post since he can't be explained in just one bullet point. 

-Chris' rec ball team won the championship! Since Chris usually played on Wednesdays when I had mutual, I didn't get to go as much, but when I would go, there would usually be some kind of fight among the grown men playing. Gotta love rec ball. Anyway, good job, Chris! And I'm glad we were able to celebrate your victory at Taco Amigo after. 

-On Memorial Day we had a BBQ at my grandma Walker's. My aunt Joelle brought Spike Ball for everyone to play, which turned into the guys playing Spike Ball while the girls went for a ride on the Razor. All of us Walker girls + motor vehicles = lots of swearing, laughing, and the occasional peeing of pants. Oh, and fun fact: my shirt in that picture I had worn for a good 4 days in a row... so the universe (or my cousin Jenica) gave me the sign that it was time to wash the shirt and quit being disgusting by getting mud splattered on it during that ride. Okay universe! I'll do my laundry! But don't you know that I'm in a weird funk!?

-This week I went with my mom to watch my cute niece, Koree, at field day! It was so fun getting to watch her, and it totally brought back memories of when I was in elementary school and took so much pride in the fact that I was always the fastest runner in my class (the early years of Shane!). Oh, and it totally reassured me that I made the right career choice as a secondary teacher... I don't know how you EL ED people do it! SO MUCH PATIENCE!

-My cute nephew Collin graduated from Kindergarten, so my SIL, Kat, invited me to go with her to his graduation. I had to try reeeeeally hard not to tear up at their little songs they sang! So much adorableness! I know, I know... I'm so screwed for when I have kids. Anyway, good job Collin! It kind of freaks me out that the next graduation I'll be watching you at is in 2027...and that I'll be 36. Hopefully by that time I'll be able to give you a better graduation gift than a cupcake with a gummy worm on it, huh?    

And now that I've checked the date today...

Happy funk-free Friday!

What Summer of Shay looks like...

+ Paint. The Summer of Shay looks like paint--paint on my hands, hair, and sadly my favorite sandals. But most importantly, paint on our walls! Finally after two and a half years of living in our town home, we are getting around to painting over the five different shades of brown we got going on here + the color that can only be described as the "skin" color in the crayola box. Who knew painting could make me so giddy? ...and sweaty. Woof. 

+ Babysitting. Turns out that when you publicly declare you don't have a job, the babysitting offers come rolling in! I wish 13 year-old Shayli would have known about that-- she would've been a lot richer and able to buy more cappuccino lipgloss and Abercrombie clothes! Anyway, I've lucked out with babysitting. I've totally babysat the cutest, easiest kids! One of them wasn't even related to me! Isn't Claire so cute? 

And yes, I totally claimed her as my own at Home Depot. "She has your eyes!" "Yeah we get that all the time huh, Claire?" 

+ Hot tub. Whether it's my parent's or Chris' parent's hot tub, we are in it almost every week. Dinner and hot tub has kind of become our go-to date night, and I'm definitely okay with that (even if my poor dry skin isn't). The Summer of Shay is definitely not above mooching off the parents, which brings me to my next point:

+ Mom's house. I would say a majority of the Summer of Shay is spent at my mom's house, even if she's not there. I find myself making excuses to go over there all the time. (Oh, I need to drop off these mason jars she let me use! I need to paint my toenails!) Because for some reason, making lunch is just better at mom's (and she has a lot more variety than cheese quesadillas). Also, the Summer of Shay get's a little lonely when Chris is at work all day. Ha. 

+ Victoria's Secret. I got a part-time job at Vickie's! Which sadly means I have to slow down my babysitting gig. Oh, and incorporate more black into my wardrobe + always have painted nails. I found out that you can't have chipped nail polish while working at Vickie's. Seriously, guys. It's a rule. At least they didn't have any rules about shaved legs or top-knots? Anyway, I think this job will pay me just enough to support my shopping habit, since I've only worked there three days and have already used my discount. 

"Babe I got these on sale, though! I'm basically saving us money."

Anyway, now that you have an idea of what the Summer of Shay looks like, I better get back to painting. Because I'm sure my neighbors are sad that I'm not singing with my showtunes Pandora station at the top of my lungs, and I wouldn't want to deprive them of that. Ask me how many times I've cried listening to Defying Gravity. I DARE YOU. 

p.s. MOM! Your peonies are blooming! And they look so, so pretty.
Oh, and if there's a trail of potato chip crumbs to the garage....it wasn't me.

Celebrating Emily

It's crazy to think that it was only a month ago that my grandma passed away--it definitely feels longer. I miss her. A lot. Which is why I decided to finally look at some of the pictures my cousin, Cassie, took at my grandma's funeral.

I'll be honest...at first I thought it was kinda weird that my cousin was wandering around with her nice camera taking pictures of everyone and everything that day (Is that funeral etiquette?), but now I'm grateful she did, because they have provided some comfort. I love being able to look back on that day and see how much love and support my once basically orphan grandma had accumulated over her life! I also love that Cassie snapped some pictures of me and my sister with our grandpa--I will cherish those pictures forever! Which is why I decided to put those + other pictures from that day on the blog.

^^My absolute favorite picture^^

I couldn't help but be a little sad thinking about how our kids won't get to meet their great grandma Sanderson in this life, or have the pleasure of going to her house and being greeted by the twinkle in her eye, but I am excited to tell them all about her when the time comes. I can't wait to tell them that their great grandma was alive when Pearl Harbor was bombed, and that she thought about becoming a nurse once, and that she made yummy chocolate cake and that she always denied putting cool whip on her toast and most importantly, that she was a simple lady who found the most joy in living the Gospel and simply visiting with her family and friends... and the occasional trip to the D.I. :) My kids will definitely know who grandma Sanderson is and the love I have for her.

So while today may be kind of a sad anniversary, I want to make it a day of celebrating Emily! So be sure to eat an extra treat...or two... because that's what she did even though she was diabetic (she's the only person I'm okay with doing that). And if you're able, find a Shirley Temple movie to watch! And most importantly, stop and visit with someone and try to make them feel like the most important person in the world... like she did.

EDT

Once upon a time my brother, Mitch, quoted Wreck It Ralph on Facebook and then unintentionally invented a new acronym (er....abbreviation? oh, well. health teacher) after I had commented on his status and told him that reading his status made me tear up and he replied, "I know. I tear up at that part of the movie EDT." So obviously I had to ask what the heck EDT meant, because I'm not that old and out of the loop am I?? Then Mitch replied, "every damn time. . . it's going to catch on."

Maybe I am just out of the loop and edt has already been established, but I'm going to assume that it's not, and give Mitch credit for it. Plus, I think it's time for edt to catch on... maybe become the new smh or lol? I got you, Mitch! But  anyway, the reason I bring this up is because for the past week or so I've had plenty of situations that have caused me to think just that--every.damn.time. 

For example, this morning I woke up to the smell of mildew coming from the laundry room, which could only mean one thing: I forgot about the towels in the washer. WHY?! Why is it only towels that I forget to throw into the dryer... EDT.

And since we're on the subject of forgetting towels, how is that I manage to get out of the shower and have my heart sink from disappointment when I see there are no towels hanging on the back of the door?...EDT. Maybe subconsciously I just like tip-toeing to the towel closet cold and naked?

Or why do I sit down on the comfy couch ready to binge on Netflix and then realize I left the remote all the way across the room? EDT.

Also, every morning when I'm about to pour the milk over my cereal I make a silent vow to not get the milk lid crusties in it (NOT THIS TIME!) until I hate myself for not turning the lid slower and then start questioning my life choices while consuming the contaminated milk crusties cereal...EDT.

Speaking of life choices... how is it that I pick the wrong checkout line at Wal-Mart EDT?! Even after strategically picking the shortest line with the person who has the fewest items?

Oh, and why is it that when I decide I need to go to Target I just happen to look homeless...and slightly gender confused? And why do I have to run into people I know while looking such a way? EDT.

And since you're all dying to know, this is how I look after doing Kayla's workouts (and yes, I'm aware of how big of a tool this picture makes me)...

EDT. Today's sweaty forehead is tomorrow's acne. Thanks, Kayla!

Why do I have to go to the bathroom after I just painted my nails? EDT.
(More importantly, how do I manage to convince myself that my nails are totally dry enough to go to the bathroom, when clearly they are still in the dentable stage?)

How is my dad beating me in Trivia Crack EDT?

And finally... why do I tell Chris that caffeine doesn't affect me anymore and I'll totally be ready to go to bed at 10?

EDT.

...it's totally going to catch on, guys.

on being a mom // Mother's Day

Sometimes when I'm cleaning my house I convince myself that I'm already a mom (minus the whole having children thing), because think about it! If I stick my pooch out hard enough, I can pass as 5 months along + these childbearing hips don't lie! I've got the cleaning-the-house thing down. I can function off of little to no sleep. I also never get sick of watching/listening to Disney movies (I still get chills when I hear Let It Go). Oh, and I've burned my nipples in a tanning bed before, so that's gotta be pretty close to the pain of breastfeeding, right?!

WRONG.
So, so wrong.

As much as I like trying to convince myself that I'm basically already a mom, I know that I'm not. Not even close. One-I am not with child, and two-there is SO much more to being a mom than the things I just mentioned above.

Being a mom requires selflessness I can't even begin to comprehend! As well as that unconditional love people say you don't understand until you've held your child for the very first time. Even though I haven't gotten to experience that, I know that kind of love is real--it has to be! What else could possess a person to clean up boogers, throw up, and poop from another human and not even flinch?! And what in the world could cause a parent to stick around during the teenage years and deal with those who don't even have a fully developed prefrontal cortex? LOVE! It can only be that love I just don't fully understand yet.

Even though I'm not providing that love to a child yet, I'm fortunate enough to say that I'm still on the receiving end of it by not just one, but by two mother's now! I'm so grateful for my mom and my mother-in-law. I know not everyone can say they have TWO amazing mom's! They are both the definition of selflessness and unconditional love. Mom--thanks for always being my best friend and never giving up on me (even during the under-developed prefrontal cortex years!), and Martha--thank you for treating me like one of your own and for being a mother to Chris! You raised the husband I always wanted! I love you both so, so much! Happy Mother's Day!

And Happy Mother's Day to the rest of you mom's out there! It's no wonder that I always try to convince myself that I'm a mom, too--mom's are amazing! And loving. And caring. And tough! Seriously though... my boobs are going to do WHAT when I'm a mom?!?

"Why do you even like running?"

The Summer of Shay has given me a lot of time to think . . .
and run and clean and go to my parent's house (truth: I'm typing this at my parent's), but let's just focus on the thinking + running part! I've realized that some of my best thoughts come while I'm on a run (I can totally stop drinking Dr. Pepper! I need to read my scriptures more...there's no excuse!). Sometimes I wonder how I'm able to even think such good thoughts while Ke$ha is playing, but somehow they still turn up! Sidenote: every time I run I make a mental note to never show anyone my running playlist. It really shouldn't even be called a running playlist, but more of a "guilty pleasure" list. I find myself judging my choices of music from time to time.

Anyway, today I was struggling so bad on my run. Like, running over a 10 min pace and could not stop mucus from leaking out of my nose/down my throat (the visual! sorry!), and I finally just asked myself  "Shay, why do you even like running?" and to my surprise, one of those "best thoughts" popped up almost immediately (while Rihanna's playing in the background):

Because I'm the most honest with myself when I'm running.

...was that the answer you were expecting me to say? Me neither! But that's what it was, and the more and more I thought about it on my run, the more I loved that reason, because it is so, so true. You become so vulnerable when you're running. It's just you and yourself. No one is going to know/care if you walk, don't hit your pace, or go as far as you intended to--only YOU know what you did or didn't do... you know? I mean, I love the other parts of running too like the runner's high, races, and sense of accomplishment, but after discovering that little thought today, I'd have to say the honesty aspect of running is truly why I "like running." It's like a test for me, made by me, and then graded by me!

Anyway, if you're not a runner and you read this post, biggest of fist pumps to you! But if you are a runner (or would like to be) consider this my ad for being a running partner! Because as much as I love my trashy running playlist and my "best thoughts," I really like running with people, too! So if you're into running + discussing important topics like Bruce Jenner (please tell me you watched the interview!) or basically anything else on E!, I'm your girl!

.... but seriously.

SaturDATE

Saturday marked the end of my first week of "The Summer of Shay," and I gotta say, if all my Saturdays this summer are like this one, I am completely okay with that--it was one of the best Saturdays I've had in a while!

It all started with Chris waking me up on Saturday morning chipper as can be and asking, "Are you going to eat cereal and play tennis with me this mernin'?" So that we did! I'm not sure if I'm getting a lot better at tennis or if Chris is getting really bad, but I actually beat him! So obviously it needs to be blogged about. Honestly it's probably because we've been playing pickle ball so much--our tennis game is so off! But I'll take any win against him I can get since Chris never let's me (or anyone for that matter) win. He's such a rat that way, but he just reassures me that it's to keep me humble.

Not pictured from our Saturday: Helping Tom G spread  mulch aka "human shit" (as my sister-in-law, Kat, reassured us it was) around Tom G's yard + me being the tarp girl making sure the human shiz didn't make a mess all over the lawn (a Tom G specialty job!). Even if the reality of it was us spreading shiz all around the yard, it ended up being so much fun to me! Mostly because we got to hangout with the Gourley gang and sip on some DP while doing so, but also because there is something almost therapeutic about working with your hands in the yard, no?! Does admitting that + fantasizing about planting my own garden mean I'm getting old? If so, sign me up!

After spending time with the Gourley gang, we had just enough time to come home and shower/blow all the mulch out of our nose before meeting up with my siblings (minus Haley. boo bunko!!) to eat at MooYahs (insert Hallelujah chorus here) and go laser tagging. Did I mention this was an "adults-only" date? Because it was. And it was awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love love love my nieces and nephews, but it's fun to spend time with my siblings when they don't have to worry about their kids + conversation about sex, farts/poop are a lot more frequent. We went laser tagging at Provo Towne Center in the tiniest laser tag place I've ever been, but it ended up being a lot of fun!

Pretty sure there was a lot more swearing/cheating than your average laser tag group, but that's why I love my family! We are hilarious... and competitive--to say the least. We also must be a sick, twisted, immature group since we could not stop laughing about the form Chris' back sweat took after laser tagging... 

Are we immature or are we immature? But don't tell me you don't see it, too!

To top off our Saturday, we stopped at Sonic and then talked about going to see a late night showing of The Avengers, but then our inner-senior citizen reminded us to calm the freak down and that bedtime is at 9:30, so we convinced ourselves that "we'll go see it next weekend..." and hopped into bed before 9:30 (seriously--sign me up for that old people life!). 

Pure bliss.