A year in Status Updates 2018

January

New Year... DISNEY STYLE!

Chocolate frog from Honeydukes!

The #churros are BLUE!!! and they have GLITTER! This truly is a #magicalplace #Disneyland#happiestplaceonearth #bakerdisneyadventure @ Disneyland

God bless the good people at Disneyland! Whenever I do stupid stuff like leave my camera, phone or purse lying about (all three have happened on separate visits), someone always turns it in or sits by it to protect it until it is claimed

9 years later.... They're still weirdos.

One thousand four hundred sixty one days since I last heard her voice.

House hunting is the pits. My offer to be the grateful recipient of a $100,000 donation is still valid. #ineedrichrelatives

Nothing ruins your Wednesday faster than realizing it's only Monday.

Oh, my friend, my friend.... — feeling heartbroken.

It happened again. I smashed a spider but can't find the body. #itsgoingtocomaftermeinmysleep #nosleeptonight#ninjaspider

February

Experiment confirmed. If I start listening to Les Mis as I leave my parent's house and skip "Lovely Ladies", the final song plays as I drive into my West Valley driveway.#thethingsthatkeepmeawake

Ok. Gonna geek out here for a sec. I love the Olympics. Like, I LOVE them. It's day one And I'm already planning to lose sleep watching curling on live streaming. God bless the inventor of #roku and thank you #nbcsports if you need me for the next two weeks I'll be in front of a tv.

***Olympic Spoiler!! *** that was the most beautiful ice dancing routine I've seen in my life. Tears! The music makes all the difference. Canada totally deserves the win!!

Seriously though, whoever you are... Thank you for the flowers.

Sometimes I do dumb things... Like watch curling past 2 a.m. but what a great match! #goteamusa #goldfever

Note to self: when you're in a new ward and they go around the room introducing everyone, that is not a time to quote a line from Anne of Green Gables. "Could your please call me Cordelia?" Yeah... They think that's my name now.

March

If ever there was a day to start drinking....

This is the least stoked I've ever been for the oscars. I've not even heard of most of these... And yet here I am....

I feel like I am going backwards. #fhehereicome#singlemormonproblems

Got up 20 minutes earlier than usual, got distracted by the internet, left 10 minutes late anyway. #welcometomymonday

Another failed offer. #househuntingsucks

I wish the camera in my phone worked as well as the camera in my head. The Moon. the gargantuan full moon rising over the mountains right now is so beautiful but my camera just can't do it justice.

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April

My car guy isn't calling me back. Anyone in my neck of the woods have a reasonably priced car guy?

Things you want to hear: "I got lost in your eyes. They're so beautiful."
People you don't want to hear it from: 88 year old ladies. 

My car smells like garlic, and it's amazing! They should make garlic air fresheners... #milliondollaridea

How do you post something like this? Unexpectedly, but peacefully, my dad Craige Baker passed away today. I'm so grateful for the blessings of the temple and knowing that families are forever. He's with my sister, his brothers and his parents. He's at peace. I'll miss you, Pops. I love you.

For anyone interested: the funeral for my dad, Craige Baker will be on Saturday, May 5 with a viewing Friday night. More details and an obituary will be posted, but just thought I'd give a heads up.

Trying eye makeup today. Any one wanna take bets how long it will last?

I buy my kitties all kinds of toys and accessories... And today they are chasing around cauliflower florets that they stole off the table. #typicalkids

May

Going through photos and came across this gem.

My nephews. I feel so badly that they are missing out on a lifetime with a wonderful grandpa. He loved his grandkids so much.

Many people were very kind and sent arrangements to my family. These are the ones meant just for me. Filled with my 

favorites! If people keep being nice to me, I might start believing that they actually like me. (Weirdos) Sincerest Thank you.

Watching FRIENDS for the 100000th time and still wondering why Joey and Chandler had two microwaves.

Adult daughters... How well do you know your MOM?
Mother's name? La Rae Baker
What is she doing right now? Getting ready to watch the news.
What dressing does she eat on her salad? Bleu cheese. Bleh!
Name something she hates? seeing her kids struggle.
What does she like to drink? Caffeine free diet Coke
Favorite music to listen to? Pat Boone or show tunes
What is her nickname for you? Babe. But I'm pretty sure she calls all of us that.
What is something she collects? Food container lids Ha ha ha!!
What is her favorite color? Blue
What would she never wear? stilettos
What is her favorite sports team? Which ever team has a grandkid on it.
Favorite animal? I would like to say my kitties…
What could she spend all day doing? Play cards
Who is her favorite child? She'll tell you she doesn't have one… But we all know it's me 😉
What's her favorite sweet? Junior mints 😂😂😂
Am I even close mom?

This royal wedding is definitely different from any other royal wedding... Er... *British* royal wedding ever. #CanIgetanamen #shakingthingsup

God bless the inventor of the chocolate chocolate chip muffin! #breakfastofchampions

Macy's first time at #tuacahn#rodgersandhammersteincinderella and we ran into Katie Houston. If we have enough random meet ups does it count as hanging out?

June

I've been in the iceberg drive through for 40 minutes. This better taste good.

I totally just got IDed in a bar!

#motab rehearsal for their summer concert tour. My friend @ktkarrots is second to the end on the top row! #somuchbetterthanworking @ Salt Lake Tabernacle

I miss my daddy.

Why not?

▪️Favorite smell - lilacs... Or attractive men. 😆
▪️First job -Freddie's
▪️Dream job - tour guide
▪️bloodline- royal British/Scottish/Irish 👑
▪️Favorite foot attire - socks or flip flops. I don't like to be barefoot 👟
▪️Favorite candy - mint aero bars
▪️Favorite ice cream- Ben & Jerry's s'mores
▪Pet peeves - redundancy
▪️What are you listening to? Nothing right now... But probably disney anywhere else. Or show tunes.
▪️Favorite condiment - fry sauce.
▪️Favorite holiday - 🍀 st Patrick's day
▪️Favorite movie - the Court Jester
▪️Favorite day of the week - napday
▪️Favorite animal - kitties
▪️Tattoos - maybe. 😏
▪️Like to cook - when I have my own kitchen
▪️Can you drive a manual transmission - I tried just that one time... But I'm sure in an emergency I could figure it out.
▪️Favorite color - spring green 💚
▪️Do you like vegetables? A few🌽
▪️Do you wear glasses? 😎
▪️Favorite season - spring! 🌼🌸
▪️Dream travel destination - the whole world! ✈🌎
▪️Favorite superhero - Mr Incredible.
▪️ Favorite fruit - strawberries 

I know I'm about 7 years late with this... But Parks and Recreation is freaking hilarious! #summerbinge

It's the absolute worst when you get up, shower, put on your make up and get ready for work only to wake up, I realize it was a dream and have to do it all over again…

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July

I'm sitting here watching the #specialolympics and even the commercials are so beautiful I'm crying. #lovemyspecialolympian

Forget Christmas, this is the best day of the year! My favorite day!   #paysonscottishfestival#highlandgames #bagpipes#meninkiltsasfarastheeyecansee #myversionofheaven#scotlandthebrave #amazinggrace #auntlife#neicephews Holy Hale! This new theater is incredible! #halecentretheatre #newsies #auntlife #neicephews @ Hale Centre Theatre My life is smeared with a history of poor choices. Today's addition: suggesting a sloppy Joe potluck at work and then wearing a white shirt. #dumbthingsido Disturbing realization... The road to Provo produces a pavlovian response in me. I am seriously craving some Krispy Kremes right now!

August

Stranded in a church parking lot. In the rain. In Virginia, Idaho. It smells like wet cows. #cartrouble

That moment you squeeze a big ol' dolop of lotion into your hand only to realize it's shampoo. #thebottlesarethesame #istillneedlotion

Hey everyone. Someone hacked my dad Craige Bakerso don't accept friend requests from that account. I doubt heaven has WiFi.

I was featured on the big screen during the dance contest at the Bees game! My life is complete.

Dreamed I was at Disneyland. Woke up to a Monday where I get to work two hours extra. Yaaay.

I hate everything in my closet. #goingtochurchinjammies

Another offer made... Another offer rejected... #househuntingsucks

I was about to post a status about how proud I was of myself that I did not have one single Peach today and then I thought...mmmm... Peaches... and caved. #notanaddict #IcanquitifIwantto #liesItellmyself

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September

Look who I ran into at church! Jealous?!

This. 100% this. And when you call with an urgent matter- don't beat around the frickin bush. Get. To. The. Point.

I could really go for a double stuff Oreo cookie right about now. #thatsthekindofdayitsbeen

I need this shirt.

I can usually determine what kind of day I'm going to have based on the song stuck in my head when I wake up. For example, it's going to be a great day when I wake up singing Zip-a- dee-Doo-Dah.
What kind of day is it going to be when I wake up singing one of Phoebe Buffay's songs? It sounds happy and cheerful but it's about a morbid topic...?

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I slept with my windows open last night and now everything in my bedroom smells like a bonfire

I just had a super funny Saturday nap dream. I was walking out of a store and I thought to myself "wouldn't it be funny if I ran into Hugh Jackman right now.?" I took three more steps and saw Hugh Jackman standing in the parking lot talking to someone! I thought that was so funny that I walked up to him and told him so. I wanted to offer him something to be nice and all I had in my hand was a little package of Gummy Bears. I think gummy bears are disgusting so I had no problem sharing them with him. I asked him " would you like some Gummy Bears?" He looked at me as if I had two heads, pointed at his perfect body and said "you think I put Gummy Bears in this?" Just then my friend April Stoker walked up and realized who I was talking to and started talking to him about ComiCon. I've never been to Comicon so I couldn't be part of the conversation. I could tell he was more interested in talking to her than to me so I walked away. she kept chatting and chatting and chatting with him until he was annoyed and got in his car and drove away while she was still talking (hahaha sorry April!) And then I woke up, got on my phone to check my Instagram and the very first picture that I saw was one Hugh Jackman had just posted. A picture that he was in Salt Lake! How random is that? Too bad it didn't actually happen!

October

It took me 15 years to get around to it... But I finally watched Bruce Almighty. Well there's an hour and a half I'll never get back.

Thanks for all the love everyone! Only one day in and already 41 is better than 40. Haha! 364 to go!

I'm pulling for translations in Klingon and Elvish!

Holy Hades look who's 80! Happy birthday to my dear auntie Ileen!!

Did anyone out there get TabCATS Christmas concert tickets that they won't use? I very much dislike the new system. I always had better luck with the lottery version of ticketing. Sigh... Anahit, it looks like it's standby again.

Aunt night! Halloween movies, homemade pizza and caramel apples! 

That awkward moment when your nephew is reading books about ditches but messes up his B's and D's

Safe trick or treating! ❤ the Bakers 

November 

Every year I plan on doing the thankful countdown and every year I forget till it's too lame (yes, lame) to start. This year Thanks to Christie Kinikini Rasmussen I remembered! Now we'll see if I can keep it up.

Day 1: I'm thankful for my job. I really like it and I'm good at it.

I like this. I'm going to do this. Day 1. I'm grateful for the smell of my nephew's stinky stinky feet. He's sitting next to me reading and I'm going to miss him so much when I have to go home tomorrow.

Day 2. I'm grateful for GPS. I'm rubbish with directions and it has been a godsend the last few years.

Day 3. Today I am grateful for the color green. Green means life. Green means too warm for snow (not always, but you know what I mean). Green means renewal and sunny days ahead. I love green.

Today is National Candy day so I'm celebrating by eating all the Halloween leftovers, playing candy crush and watching movies about candy.

Day 4. What food are you most grateful for? 
I'm most grateful for potatoes. You can bake them, mash them, slice them, dice them, fry them.... Whatever you want, and they are always amazing. I can't think of ever meeting a potato I didn't like

Day 5. What sound are you grateful for?
I was trying to think of something deeply moving... something heart-wrenching and tear inducing... But honestly right now the sound I'm grateful for is the beep of the microwave because it tells me my food is ready 

Day 6. What in nature are you grateful for? That one's easy. Clouds. They bring rain, shade and provide endless hours of imaginative play. Plus they remind me of Melanie. We would gaze at the clouds for hours looking for pictures. Yup. I love clouds.

Day 7. What memory are you grateful for?
I'm grateful for that time Wendy Swore and I decided to become blood sisters. We chickened out on cutting and decided to use ketchup instead. Then we decided that was gross so after a solemn vow (I'd been watching a lot of Anne of Green Gables), we became the world's only frosting sisters!

Day 8. What book are you grateful for? 
I'm going to skip the obvious religious books because... Duh. And say that the books that I am the most grateful for - even though I've said it a million times - are the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. They inspired my imagination like no other and made me want to be a writer.

Dangit! I missed a day! Day 9. What place are you grateful for? I think this has some pretty obvious answers, but I'll be cliche and say home. My mom's house, that is. I can be myself there. I don't feel guilt for my life there. It's still a little weird without my dad, but there I know I'm loved.

Day 10. What taste are you grateful for? There are so many things I love. I I think today I'm going to be grateful for peppermint. I don't know how to explain it. I just love it.

I love high school musicals! Highland (the Salt Lake one) did Fiddler on the Roof and it was absolutely fantastic!

Does anyone in the SLC area know of a good, honest handyman? My aunt needs some odd jobs done and has been hosed by some pretty dishonest creeps.

Day 11. What holiday are you grateful for? 
I love to celebrate everything. But I guess once again I'll go with the more common answer: Christmas. I love being around my crazy family and our wild traditions. It will be weird this year without dad.

Day 12. What texture are you grateful for? 
This is a weird ambiguous question. But after a lot more thought than it deserves, I've decided I'm grateful for sand. It's so satisfying to run fingers and toes through sand. A good beach? Ahhh... Yes. I love sand.

Day 13. What ability are you grateful for? 
I am grateful that I can walk. I've pushed enough wheelchairs that I know better than to take it for granted.

Day 14. What sight are you grateful for?
I am grateful for fireworks. Glitter in the sky? I could watch it forever. Seeing fireworks makes me happy. They will never be mundane.

Baking fail resulting in 4 times the recipe #isitreallyabadthing?

Yesterday was crazy. Another late one. Day 15. What season are you grateful for? 
I am grateful for spring. It means the bitterness of winter is going away. It's green and the beginnings of warm...but not so hot you are dying... It means flowers and baby animals and longer days.

Day 16. What about your body are you grateful for?
I guess I'm grateful for my stupid, weird face. Even though I have RBF, I still look in the mirror *most* days and like what I see. (Purple eyebrows and all)

Has anyone seen the crimes of Grindelwald yet? I need to talk to somebody about it.

Day 17. What knowledge are you grateful for? I am grateful I know how to read and write. We take it for granted in this country. I have met so many women from around the world who can't even write their own names. I can't imagine a world without written words. Writing is my outlet, reading, my escape. PSA: Nov 18 is Mickey's 90th birthday. Netflix has Mickey's Prince and the Pauper, Mickey and the Beanstalk, the Three Musketeers, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and Twice upon a Christmas and Mickey's Nutcracker Suite. Hulu has Mickey's 90th Birthday Spectacular (I only gave it a B- though) and there are hours and hours of classic Mickey shorts on YouTube. Happy celebrating! #90yearsofmagic#itallstartedwithamouse

Day 18. What peice of art are you grateful for? Hmmm... This one is hard because I'm not a major art connoisseur. I need to have the work in front of me to be moved by it. I know music and poetry are considered art, but for this question I'm limiting myself to physical art. Hmmm... The sculpture that comes to my mind first is the statue of Chief Massasoit by Cyrus Dallin. It may be because it's so huge- but I just think it is so incredibly majestic and beautiful. Plus I'm related to the artist... So you know, it's family. Day 19. What touch are you grateful for? Simple and sweet. I am eternally grateful for the softness of kitties. Especially warm kitty bellies! Day 20. Who in your life are you grateful for? There are dozens of people that I'm grateful for- but today I'm going to honor my sweet Auntie Ileen. I don't know why she keeps me around. But I sure do love her. Day 21. What song are you grateful for? I can't pick a MOST favorite because that's like picking a favorite movie... Too many for all moods. But I love this song. It's such a happy, uplifting song. I often sing it- even when I have the blues because as wrong as I think my life is going, it's still pretty darn awesome. Life IS a happy song. Day 22. what story are you grateful for? This one Day 23. What tradition are you grateful for? I love our family Christmas. We're crazy on Christmas eve. You have to experience it to understand... Just trust me. Day 24. What challenge are you grateful for? I don't know if "grateful"is the right word... but I guess I appreciate the challenge of searching for a home. It's frustrating and discouraging but it's giving me time with my auntie and making much more appreciative of space. I've learned I can be patient when I want to and to not just take the first thing to come along. I'd liken it to dating... But I have little experience to compare to. Day 25, What moment this week are you grateful for? It's not a single moment, but I'm so glad we had a crazy loud house full of people for thanksgiving. My auntie Ileen and cousins Sharon and Kayla came, and my cousin Erin brought his new wife, Kingkeaw (Who we all LOVE). Other than those times Macy broke a hip and Erin made Shayla cry, it was amazing. You know you've worked in healthcare for too long when you watch a Hallmark movie set in a hospital and instead of the story all you can focus on are the HIPAA violations... Day 26. What form of expression are you grateful for? Well, I already professed my love for writing- so today I will talk about music. It's there to sooth, there to vent anger. It invites the spirit and is a release to grief. And it accompanies the happiest of times. I can't imagine life without music. Day 27. What small thing that you use daily are you grateful for? I don't know what is considered "small" but I would like to give a shout out to indoor plumbing. Big, BIG fan of indoor plumbing. Day 28. What small thing that happened today are you grateful for? I know it's kind of a first world problem, but I have a nephew who is kind of hard to shop for. I went shopping for someone else but as I walked into the store it was as if the clouds parted and angels sang. The perfect gift for my nephew was sitting on the table as I walked in. The only one. And the right price. I'm so grateful! Day 29. What friend/family member are you grateful for today? I'm grateful for my family and friends every Day. Anyone who doesn't run screaming at the sight of me has my gratitude. But today's shout out goes to Melissa Turner Anderson. She is the one I talk to nearly every day. We can (and do) have full on conversations without words- using only emojis and we both know what the other is saying. She knows all my secrets and likes me anyway. It's been almost 8 years and I haven't scared her off yet. Although, posting thus picture might do the trick. Love you! Day 30. What talent do you have that you are grateful for? Huh. I don't know. I'm ok at a lot of things but not really *great* at anything. But this past month I have had a blast finding the perfect gifs to go along with my comments. So I am grateful for my ever so entertaining ability to gif.

December

If this car salesman touches my arm one more time, he's going to be asking Santa for his two front teeth for Christmas. #nomeansno

#mymomma and my #babyniece. Aren't they the cutest? Mom made her blessing dress. #auntlife #niecephews#crochet

Guys! Look who I ran into! I only see her when we're shopping 

Gotta get all gussied up. It's DATE NIGHT!!

Waiting in line is fun to do,
Fun to do,
Fun to do,
Waiting in line is fun to do
To do. To do, to doooo....

Anahit I miss you!!!

Minor Christmas rant.
I love Christmas music. I do. I listen to it at home, in the car and at work. But every time I hear Feed the World I get so angry. It's a beautiful song... But the line "tonight thank God It's them instead of you" is horrible. Better them than me? No! I will NEVER thank God that someone else is suffering. Worst lyric ever.
Rant over.

Princesses in Pajamas eating Pizza, Popcorn, Peanut and Peanut butter M&Ms, Peppermint Patties, Piroulines and watching Princess Pics. All my favorite versions of #Cinderella hap-P new year! #nye2019#mylittleauntie #PisforPrincess #anyexcusetowearatiara

A few good things from 2018... And some not so good... But I look forward to a new year.