So I am doing much better at updating than I thought I was. Way to go, champ.


Yesterday at work, I found out that one of the fridges was disgusting. Not just "ew, this is gross" but "Oh my gosh, I want to die because of the pungent smell and rotten food spilled everywhere." So my awesome manager skills came out and I pawned it off to three girls. One was completely willing; the other two...well, not so much. So I did what any person would do.

I bribed them with ice cream.

First off, I would pretty much do anything for ice cream. In fact, I think the majority of people (at least 83% of the population) would do anything for ice cream. It is just a great thing. Unless you are lactose intolerant. Then it is just sorbet for you.

They totally jumped on that bandwagon. I even jumped on that wagon. I am a very convincing person, apparently.

So the cleaning started. Two of us almost threw up. It was the grossest thing I have every seen. Well, maybe not the grossest thing, but it was pretty gross. Like an eight out of ten. The stench was incredibly strong. I think an animal might have even died in there. The more crap we got out of it, though, the better is was going. I mean, we were laughing and just acting like immigrants (potato famine type, of course).

I was then time to wash all the shelves. We were washing and carrying on until

CRAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH

Yeah, the biggest shelf in the fridge broke. Not just broken into two, but it broke into a million little pieces. Glass was flying everywhere. I even found a shard of it in my hair later on that night. After that happened I yelled at everyone to evacuate and put on real shoes. I scuttled my way out of the wreckage and went to get shoes. Of course, I was too lazy to put on lace ups. So what shoes did I choose?

My teal suede cowboy boots, of course.

We all went into the wreckage prepared this time for it. Being the adult I am (mind you, everyone is older than I am in the kitchen by at least two years) I told them not to touch the glass and I picked it up off the stove. I did this by getting one of the brooms and sweeping it off. We also got the Ghostbusters vacuum out to clear the area. Pretty much the floor is safe for others.

Once again, I saved the day.

Cheers.

Ch.Wa.

Today is great because there is no post on Sunday

Before I start writing about my "summer update" (aka, nothing really happened this summer except work, so I am just going to have to b.s. some stuff) I thought about one of my favorite moments of camp.

So there we all were, toasting marshmallows in coffee cans, when I brought up that we should all tell ghost stories. Now these kids were reasonable ages for stories. It's not like Connor or anyone like that was there. So we were all trying to think up of stories that we knew and then I remembered that I made up one when I was in sixth grade.

Now I was a super creative kid when I was.....a kid. I mean, sometimes (ok, probably most) I don't show off my creative vibes, but when I was younger they were showing alright. So we had an assignment or something in sixth grade that required us to write some sort of fiction. Since it was Halloween time, I thought that it would be super cool to write a scary story.

Uh, not too cool, Waterfall.

I came up with the creepiest story. I mean, it is not THAT original, but it freaked my little sixth grade self out. You see, what happened is that there are three girls house sitting. The house is near a penitentiary (original, I know) while they are there, though, a killer is on the loose. So the girls lock up all the doors, windows, etc. and they feel safe. Well, one of them gets hungry during the night so she goes down into the basement to get ice cream--or whatever--in the freezer. She doesn't come back up. The other girls are pretty freaked out. One of them decides to go down. She doesn't come back up either. So the last girl is just freaking out. If I were here, I would have just peed my pants, sad down, and cried. Maybe she did that. BUT she started hearing something from the basement.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
thumpthumpthump.

She keeps on hearing it. So she is like, ok self, get a grip. She starts going down to the basement. There is blood EVERYWHERE. And then she sees it: Her friend lying dead on the ground and the other one with her legs trying to climb up the starts. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
thumpthumpthump.

Yeah, this was the story I decided to tell the kids. They were amazed that I came up with this. The boys loved me for this (Hermanos) and the two girls were pretty jealous. So then our ghost story time turned into "oh hey, let's just talk about serial killers." The creativity stopped there except for the way that people died.

Of course, none of the stories met up to my amazing one.

The next day, they came back and all of them were saying things like "Miss Chelsea, I had nightmares from your story," or "Oh hey, I couldn't get that story off my mind. I am so glad I live on the ground level already." Sometimes, I shouldn't be trusted with the little ones.

Also, I had a little gremlin that followed me for the last two weeks. No, she was not a REAL gremlin, but she earned the name (?) She was Ellie, the spunkiest, naughtiest seven year old I have ever met. She was super shy at first, so I sat with her the first good half an hour trying to have her talk and what not. Well, when she opened her mouth, it was evident that it would never shut again. For example, when we were making the s'mores (a lot happened that day) she just looked at me and shouted, "I'M BLACK AND I'M WHITE!" I just looked at her and said, "well you are pretty lucky cause you get to make two races on everything that asks for it. I only get to mark one."

That was our bonding moment.
Or
The moment that I lost all my freedom because of Ellie taking over my life.

Seriously, that girl could not leave me alone for the life of her. Between her and Connor, I had no say over anything. She became useful though when she decided that she was going to be my bodyguard. That led to her taking all the tags and whatnot in the games from me. I no longer had to sit and scream. Evolution would be proud of this.

Ok, so I guess I should try to figure out what I did this summer.
I sure didn't learn how to do a cartwheel.
Oh well, until next summer....

Uh...well, I went to one amazing concert in July. It had three incredible bands in it: The Devil Makes Three, Blind Pilot, and THE FANTASTIC JOSH RITTER. Seriously, I haven't been that giddy for a long time and it was quite embarrassing. Amazing music though and an amazing venue.

I made a couple friends in Bountiful. Two of them took me on a ride to see Satan's Mailbox. Now if you are like me, you are thinking, "What is this demonic madness?! Did someone make their mailbox to look like Satan?" Well, yes and no. While we were driving there, some song from the Lord of the Rings started playing and we were all freaking out because it just added to the suspense of this mailbox. Well, this mailbox is just a clear glass box with LED lights that change to all the colors of the rainbow. When it changes red, however, it is the deepest and scariest shade of red you will ever see. So that is why they call it Satan's Mailbox. Lame but cool at the same time.

**side note fact: I am terrified of the color red. Not when it is the paint of a car or a shirt, but when it is as a light. To me, it looks like blood and murder and I just get really nervous. So never decorate your house in plain red Christmas lights and you want me to visit you, because I won't.

Oh, during the month of June, every Tuesday one of the Lord of the Rings movies was played in an ACTUAL theatre. I had to go because it wasn't just in my house. I convinced (more like she begged) Stephanie to go with me and it was great. After the Fellowship, when we were leaving, she turned to the person next to us and said "We'll see you next week!" I was thinking, uh, what the hell. So I asked her what she was doing. Her reply? " We might as well make friends since we will be seeing them for the next two weeks."

One of the MANY reasons why she is my best friend.

So we did that. I will admit, I was freaking out about going cause, I don't know, I could be a nerd or something. Who cares, I just have horrible anxiety about social situations. It was seriously the best thing ever. I even keep the ticket stubs by Jesus in my wallet. That is how great it was.

I pretended that I jogged. Then I took a month off (aka July) I will start it up....tomorrow.

OH! I am now volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and I have my very own little sister! She is great. We have gone to the art festival, a super cool pet store (it was on the way to the zoo) and seen movies. She is seriously the bees knees. She is thirteen and I act like I am thirteen, so it works out great. We are even going to see "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" which is my favorite play. Which is pretty sad. But cool at the same time?

Yes it is, Chelsea.

Also, Harry Potter came out in July. I got to see it a day earlier than everyone else *Thursday at 4:15 PM* It made everyone jealous. Also, I sat between two guys and I bawled through the last half of the movie. Did I care that I was between two complete strangers that were also attractive guys? Of course not, because EVERYONE WAS DYING.

**Side note again: I also had to stop reading the book three times because I was crying that hard. I also could not stop crying for two days after finishing the book, so I had to start the series over.

So pretty much I have just been watching movies. Oh, and I have been reading a buttload. The mix is eclectic, but so is everything else in my life.

So I guess summer hasn't been TOO bad. I am not going to school this fall semester, so I guess I am just going to live in an endless summer
....that will get colder
...and darker
.....
but that means layers!

Cheers.
Ch.Wa.

Diners.

I miss them.


No, but seriously, I have been missing diners since I moved home a couple years ago. I remembered their lost presence today while I was driving home from Smiths. I was thinking "Oh hey, Chelsea, you really haven't eaten today. Maybe you should find some food." I really didn't want to UNTIL I thought about pancakes. My thought process is just so amazingly out of whack sometimes that I just like to see what will come up next in my thinking.

Back to pancakes. So I was just thinking there is no place I can get some pancakes this late (There probably was. These places will be addressed shortly.) I mean, it is nine thirtyish! People are all old here and fall asleep at six in the evening! Then I thought about the one time that Stephanie and I went to Village Inn after seeing the ABBA Tribute Band and we stayed there until one in the morn'. Thinking about that late timing mixed with Stephanie made me think of going to diners all the time while I was back east. I mean, they always make the best pie, they are always open, and it is just a great place. So now I want to go to a diner.

Pancakes are a second choice.

And naps at six o' clock are in a tie with pancakes.

Catnap.

Cheers
Ch.Wa.

Work/Job/Occupation/Wildest Dreams Come True?

So I have been M.I.A for awhile.

...

Awhile means over two months. We all knew this was coming, though. I mean, how often do I consecutively blog in weeks times? Uh, never. So all of you stop whining and just feel blessed to be able to read about my life once again.

Ok, so I have been doing some deep, deep, deep thinking about this and the thinking is that there are going to be TWO different updates on my life.

Please keep on shedding those tears of happiness. I am sure you all will write a journal entry that goes as follows:

"Dear Journal.

Today the BEST thing happened to me. Chelsea Waterfall is going to write soooo many posts on her blog now. I was just trying to figure out why I have been feeling like there is a huge void in my life. After reading her news, the hole was filled right up! This is pretty much in the top five greatest moments in my life! Oh I am just so grateful that she writes now!

Oh, and Tommy was totally hitting on Meagan. Poor kid has no chance."

Ok, I really hope and pray that none of you have journals that talk about the sad pursuing of Tommy with Meagan. Oh, and also that you don't write things like that at all. BUT I do try to cater to all, so if that be the case, then I am glad that I am in your top five greatest moments.

So I guess I will start with the nitty-gritty post first. This one is what I would like to call "Trabajor" because I sometimes speak Spanish. For the English speakers of the world, just take a gander at the post title. Yes, I am going to talk about work.

***I just want to let everyone know right now that while I was writing this last night (ie 13 hrs ago) a freak spider ran across the desk. This led to me freaking out and running to my room. I am amazed that I am back in here. We all know, though, that I have a hard time living without technology--email and facebook--so you all lucked out.

Work has been good. I did both the manager job at the group home and a 4H summer camp. Let's start with the shortest update one.

So the group home situation is good. I have survived two months. Ok, I guess "survived" sounds like it has been HORRIBLE but let's be real here; there were a few days that I survived. 85 percent of the time has been pretty great. There are still a few boogers here that try to drive me nuts, but I just ignore them and tell them that they are being reported. That really will shut anyone up. But really, in the past couple months I have dealt with really anything that you can imagine. I am not kidding when I say that. I really hope that if I ever get pulled over in the Bountiful area that it will be by one of the police that have come over. We will have a good laugh about past times and I won't get a ticket. That won't happen, but it is great to imagine.

But really, the job is great. I honestly amaze myself with what I am doing. EXCEPT when I am tired and I am woken up. All of us have learned that is not a fun moment.

Oh, and I finally got furniture in my place. That means that I don't sleep in the kitchen anymore. Pros and Cons with that.

So honestly, I have a mind fog and I really can't think about what to update with that job. Oh, except one of the best moments have been driving someone up to the C.R.U while singing at the top of our lungs "Livin' on a Prayer" that was just a great, great moment. That will go under my top fifteen in my journal entry. Tommy will be left out of it, though.

Now on to 4H. Let's get this straight. I completely adore 4H and my junior high kids from the school year, so I was a bit hesitant to entertain K-12 age. Uh, they are pretty fun too.

We will start with the Hermanos. The Hermanos came into program the first week. Since I pretend that I am a Spanish wiz, I just called them hermanos. Little did they know that that is an actual word, not a cool nickname. Good job on that one Tony. Tony was the oldest and Alec was the latter. Alec and I became BEST FRIENDS right off the bat. This happened by us mispronouncing each other names, then run a farther distance to shout it at each other. Bizarre, I know, but magical. We just goofed off and had a blast. Oh, and the poor kid accidentally felt up three of the girls while playing games. He was so embarrassed but seriously, it was hilarious. And I was one of the victims with a stick while playing a game. Hilarious.

Next we have Mr. Connor Eric. Connor is six. He is a red head. That automatically makes him my favorite. Connor had a thing with the swing. He always wanted to be on it and he always wanted me to push him. Now I half-arsed some underdogs to him because it is impossible for me to push someone well. Well, he still loved it. So while I was trying to prepare snack or get lessons ready, I would hear a little scream...

"MISS CHELSEA! UNDERDOG?!"

Sadly, I wouldn't obliged to his wantings. Still, the kid loved me. Also, once we were making rockets out of PVC pipes and we had to use some heavy duty glue. We told all of them not to sniff it and we thought we monitored it well.

We didn't.

You see, Connor had a hay day with the glue. At the end of the rockets and me finding him sniffing them, he was as high as a kite. At one point, he was swinging on a pole and saying that he was "climbing it like beaver because they climb trees." After this information was told to me, I made sure I was by his side to hear what he said. He also said "Miss Chelsea, the trees are talking to me." I inquired more about this tree talking by asking him what they are saying. He just looked at me and said, "I don't know I don't speak tree! They sound like BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH"

We also had a mascot. He is the scariest stuffed animal that I own. He is a beaver and his name is Bart. Well EVERYONE loved Bart. They wanted to carry him around, push him on the swings, get him snack (bark chips, of course) and just hold him. Connor's sister was one day walking around with Bart in one arm and she said to me, "See, Miss Chelsea? You can hold a baby like this and talk on your cell phone." Uh, yeah, I won't be trusting you with any babies after that display of affection.

We did a ton of fun activities:

• A circus week which led to face painting, making hula hoops, and a horrible skit that the kids made up


• Science week where we made some sweet bubbles and of course, the water rockets


• An Archeology week where we made fossils, did "digs" and make up some crazy dinosaurs


• Some craft week where we made sweet buttons, duct tape stuff, and other things (I was sick that week so I have no clue what they did.)

And some other things. The most important thing I learned from club is that I cannot play tag or any game where there is risk of getting attacked by anyone. You see, I don't run or attack anyone. I just stand there and scream. I never knew I screamed that much, but seriously, I am terrified when people run towards me and try to get me out. So, as teachers, we decided that if there is a zombie Apocalypse, I am one of the first to die because I won't do anything but cry. So much hope in my future when it deals with Apocalypse.

Speaking of staff, I worked with amazing girls. We had so much fun and clicked so well. You may ask how well we clicked. I will tell you: We clicked so well that we would even hang out after work. Amazing, right? Seriously, summer camp was awesome. I am going to miss those Hermanos (aka only Alec).

Oh, and it is terrible when all the kids team up against you and soak you. I felt-and probably looked-like a wet cat and almost cried. Those little boogers....

**right now, two of the girls and singing some freak song about integrity. I am ready to leave for the day

That is my cue to go. I should be more creative than this, but frankly, I am quite sleepy.

I almost quoted the Beatles.

I should work on the next post so I can stuff you all full of blog posts before my next hibernation from this.

Ok, bye.

Cheers.

Ch.Wa.

Rocky Took a Lover

Hello, hello everyone! Sometimes, I pretend that I have a HUGE blog following (think Oprah big) so I want to talk like that today.

Ok, probably not. But it could be cool.

So the first week of the job is done. What a week! Seriously, it has been the most interesting thing ever. I am glad that is was a BAM! week, though. I mean, if I can deal with that, then I can deal with ANYTHING. Really, I wish I could tell everything, but I am sure that is against conduct or something.

But then again, I am not licensed in anything.....

Maybe I will share later (?)

Well, I might as well tell some of this week.

Monday: I moved into the home. HIGHLY stressful. I have never taken so many Ativans in my life. Thank goodness I still had them. *And really, I only took one the whole day. That is a big deal to me* So, really all I did was move in and eat popcorn. I think I watched a movie. No, I think I read. Let's just say I did both.

Tuesday: I decided to start jogging. My thinking was that it's not TOO hard. Uh, yeah, really should have thought that one through more. No, but it wasn't too bad. I went to the library with a couple of the ladies. While there, my phone went off and it started screaming "Home on the Range" because 1) I feel that is a great ring tone for the summer and 2) because I forgot to turn it on vibrate. I got a lot of awesome looks for that one.

Wednesday: Saw Craig and talked about work. I bought a book to read. I templed it up. I was also trained that day by the previous girl, Jessica. She is pretty much AWESOME. She showed me how to run the home and how to deal with...things. Yeah, it was an interesting day. All throughout it, I was thinking in my head.

"What the HELL am I getting myself into?!"

Ok, it wasn't THAT bad, but it was really fun. I got to ask a ton of times, "Have you called the Crisis Center?" I think that is going to be my mantra for a long, long time.

Thursday was even better. I had one of the girls blatantly say that she doesn't like me or want me there right in front of me. I was like, well, you are nice but guess who is mister manager? I am reeeeeallly nice when I am at work. We did chores, and went grocery shopping. There, Jess and I found out our foot pressure type thing and that was cool. After that, I was off hours, so I went to see my friend (shout out to Kara) and her husband. There, I was given a gift of a can opener. You see, it is hard to eat canned food when you don't have that tool. I graciously accepted it.

Friday: The winner of all winners. I watched a movie with the women *seriously, great job when on hours* and then I hung out with Kaneez. She helped me decorate the place and that was fun. So, pretty much, no one is at the home on the weekends. So really, it was a chill day.

Saturday: This is the REAL winner of winners. I had my days mixed up. So I went to the library's book sale and then I went home to see the padres and steal furniture. I also got a free meal out of it. Props to my parents there. On my way home, I picked up Jess and she helped me even more with my place. Well, all hell broke loose when we came home. There was some drama and I finally blew up. I mean, they have been asking for it and it only lasted for a few minutes, but when it happened, it happened. I even strained a neck muscle in the act. After I cooled down, then we had a heart-to-heart. I felt HORRIBLE for it and we talked about ways how we can make this change and transition easier for everyone. I drove Jess home and I was exhausted from all the events. When I went home, I apologized for my behavior and so did they. Ever since, it has been better.

*Oh, and somewhere in the week, I locked all my keys in my room. Not cool, Waterfall*

Sunday: This was yesterday. And yesterday was an AMAZING day. I got to go to my new ward, and let me tell you something about it. It is just incredible. The people are great, the bishopric seems great, AND I already made friends. Ka-ching there! But really, it is exactly what I needed. I love it when blessings like that happen. I mean, I know that I was supposed to move here and all that, but it makes it even better to see some great things come from it.

I mean, I have wanted to move out for a long time. In fact, I feel like it has been a needed thing. So this job came along with rent paid for. Then, I had the interview right after I freaked out about not having a job for a month (more details are needed there, but I am too lazy to write them) and all this other stuff happened where it was evident that I am supposed to be here. Now, that doesn't make any of this easier, though, especially after New York. That damage is still there and it will take a while for more healing to happen. So, honestly, I was feeling like this will be the same way. But, so far, it hasn't. In fact, I really don't think that any of that stuff will happen again. This is my own transition time, and I get to have it at a transitional home. Coincidence? Maybe not. It has been hard, and it will still be hard, but I feel like it will be worth it. So here is to last week!

OH! I am getting a couch and table tomorrow. It is like Christmas. I can finally move my bed into the bedroom. Happy, happy day.

DOUBLE OH! I am going to be a Big Sister (no, my parents aren't procreating still. That would just be...stupid on their part) No, but I am going to be a Big for Big Brothers Big Sisters. I am SUPER psyched.

So look out, world. I may start taking over.

Cheers.

Ch.Wa.

Life on Mars?

Oh, hello cruel world.

It's me, Chelsea. So I have been meaning to blog since....a week ago, but I finally have found time in my *lazy* schedule to write it up, so here it goes.

Well, big news.

I MOVED!!!!

Yes, this is a very true fact. I have moved to Bountiful to pursue a job. That leads to my other news.

I GOT A JOB!!!

Yes, once again, I have risen from the ashes like a glorious phoenix (Really shouldn't write after jogging. My similes are out of this world) and have found myself another job.

You see, I was super stressed about my 4H one ending in May then having a month-long break until mid June. So I was flipping out and I was thinking, well, I better apply for another job. So I went job searching and I found a promising job. So I applied for this in April and didn't hear back from it until May...8thish. At this point

I WAS A MESS

BUT. I was freaking out about it and I was like, well, I might as well pray about it and BAM! I had a call for a job interview. Now, I know it sounds like I make it sound like a miracle, but seriously, in my eyes this was a miracle of miracles. So I had the interview and then I had to wait again. The waiting lasted FOREVER. I pretty much gave up on the job until---once again---I prayed about it and BAM! I got the job! Yes, praying does help. It is especially helpful too when your priorities fit in with the Big Man's too.

So I had my HR meeting last Wednesday and they were just giving me all this information and things that I needed to do before I started the job. So we were talking and the mention of a drug test came up. That, and a fingerprint test (which was AWESOME.) So I was thinking, yeah, I will just go get a drug test. All you have to do is pee in a cup, right?

Well, sort of.

So I went to the clinic to have the test taken. The nurse, Hector, came out and called for me. So we were chatting up a storm and whatnot when he took me into the "testing room". There were two stalls, a counter, and HORRIBLE 90's dance music playing. I even dare say that it was the song "Be My Lover" on. So I was thinking, okay, I guess I will go into the other bathroom. That led to an awkward stare down we had until he said, "Well, do you want me to give you some privacy?"

You have got to be kidding me. Not only do I have to pee in the same room with someone, but with a freaking MAN! I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I just sheepishly went into one of the stalls. Let's be real here, though. Horrible 90's dance music doesn't make it any easier to pee. So I sat there and miracle of miracles, I was able to fulfill my drug test.

The worst part about it though? When I came out of the stall, he looked at me and said "Wash your hands now." Uh, excuse me? You really think that I am not going to wash my hands after I tried to pee in a cup (almost impossible) and with your presence in the room? Yeah, I think I don't need a reminder to wash my hands.

So with all the "fun stuff" done, I was able to move in...that weekend. Well, no one was prepared for me to move. So, after a few breakdowns, I was able to put myself *and stuff* together and make the trek down to Bountiful. So pretty much I am living with my bed in the kitchen so I can watch television at night. I will post pictures. The hospital is bringing me furniture this week, so I am not too worried about that.

I might as well unveil my job to you now. I am working with Davis Behavioral Health and I am actually a live-in companion to a transition home. So, let me put it this way.

I am like an RA for a dorm...or something like that. Really, though, it is not that bad of a job. I know I have been working for two days, but seriously, eight women is not THAT bad....

But then again, one is enough.

I am really excited to see where things will be going with it though. So I will really, really, REALLY try to update A.M.A.P. I will send pictures too.

Cheers.

Ch.Wa.

Keep it secret; keep it safe

So I am just chilling watching the Celebrity Apprentice with my mother, when she gives me the best news ever...

Nancy speaking: So I was talking to Chris and he said that the movie theaters are going to be showing the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings in June....

I didn't hear anything else she said. I pounced onto Google and through much typing, I found this:

The Lord of the Rings IS playing in Freaking Layton!!!!!

I almost cried. Literal tears of joy. So now my plans are to find pe

ople to go with me (hell, I will even go by myself to this) and get my AWESOME tickets. BEST. NEWS. EVER!!!!!

Cheers.

Ch.Wa.