Part 2

Oh Darling - Their cover of The Beatles.

What a way to end the evening with a cake in the face!

I had the best time. It was the best concert I have ever been to! Thanks to Andrea and Sarah for great time in line and during the crazy opening acts. I can not wait for them to tour again and continue to put out new music.

"Cause In the end they'll be the only ones there!"

For anyone who has known me since middle school probably knows that I LOVE Hanson. It was a serious obsession in the beginning that now has turned into a love that will last a lifetime. They have been around now for 11 years! Many cd's, and troubles with record companies later they are still around and making music. I have been to several Hanson concerts in my day, and when I heard they were coming back into town it was no exception. I went to the see them with my faithful fellow Hanson lover friends Andrea and Sarah. We were able to see them at the Webster theater where we have seen them once before. The theater holds about 500 people, and its all standing no seats (which sucks). This day however was extra special seeing how it was Zac's 23rd birthday. The show was AMAZING. The set list was great even including an impromptu version of Marvin Gaye's Lets get it on (so hot)!! My camera is broken therefore I did not get any pictures but Andrea had her trusty camera, and I have stolen some pictures from her. I also found some video of the show on good ole YouTube. Especially the part of the show where cake was thrown into the faces of Taylor and Zac and then the crowd ( I had cake all in my hair!)

Squeezing in for a group shot!

I am not sure why I can't ever take a normal picture. I think it's a disorder I have.

The Birthday Boy.

So fetching hot!

As you can see we were very close to the stage. If anyone told me back when I was 13 that I would see Hanson at such a close proximity I would have thought they were joking.

Birthday boy's solo.

Georgia.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT!

My two wonderful friends Jessica and Kim treated me to a fabulous girls night out to celebrate the remaining time I have left before I leave. I met Jess and Kim in my dental hygiene program. We have been close ever since. I really am going to miss these two a great deal when I leave. Although I will continue talking to them constantly just as I do now. The activities of the night were a bit of a surprise. We first had dinner at the cheesecake factory! It was so delicious. I had balsamic glazed chicken YUMMY! Following dinner we had tickets to see the musical Girls Night Out at the Bushnell theater. The musical was very funny! It was about four women, set at a club in a private party room where they were having a karaoke party. They played a bunch of great hits from different decades. They did a great job of getting everyone to stand up and dance, sing and participate in the songs. Since we were in Hartford on a Saturday night we decided why not hit up some of the cities great bars. We listened to some good tunes, and a pretty good cover band. All in all the night was a blast. We had such a good time! I know that we will have many more girls nights in our future. Hopefully a few in Utah or even Vegas.

Puffy Faces

So a few weeks ago I was at home on a rainy day. Jasper had been feeling a little sad inside (basically depressed). I didn't blame him since it was such a gloomy day out and he bask in the sun. He would never survive in Seattle. Anyways, I was in my Dad's office shredding lots of old papers for him. I went to get the vacuum to get the few strays left behind from when I emptied the basket. Jasper came out of hiding under his blankets upstairs to bark at his enemy the vacuum, when I noticed something different about his face. I chased after him in to my room to get a closer look. He kept pawing at his little face and wouldn't let me see. Finally once I pegged him down I realized his entire face was SWOLLEN like you wouldn't believe. I panicked hoping he wasn't going into anaphylatic shock. I quick grabbed him, shoved him in his carrier and drove to the closest vet. I felt like such a loser cause I was wearing a strapless dress with a sweatshirt over it and busted down the door saying "I NEED HELP MY DOGS FACE IS SWOLLEN". I kinda laugh about it now, but at the time I was devastated, I started crying in the waiting room. They took him in the back and put him on an I.V., gave him benedryl, and a steroid shot. I was able to take him home a few hours later. I took a picture of his face to kinda document what happened when I got him home. Its hard to tell but when I saw him it looked like he had a mouthful of acorns. Both sides of his face were swollen. In the picture it just looks like he has a huge tumor coming of the side of his face. But just imagine the size of that puffiness but all over his face. For some reason the swelling resolved on one side faster then the other. He is perfectly fine now. The vet said he had an allergic reaction to either a spider bite or a bee sting. Hopefully this won't happen again...ever!

Enter to Win a Handbag

If you go to this site you can enter to win a free handbag. There are no strings attached. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try. http://www.handbagplanet.com/

Going Back To My Roots

So I have highlighted my hair quite a few times. I was getting sick of dealing with roots, and my hair getting lighter each time. I was ready for a change and a more natural look. Therefore I decided to go slightly darker then my natural color with a hint of auburn. I love the result. This picture is not the best of my hair. It was very humid so its frizzed. But I think it shows the color a bit. There are still a few bits that are slightly lighter. But overall I think it is FABULOUS!

Monique, RDH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY I have got my license!!!!!! I am offically a Registered Dental Hygienist. I was so excited when I got the paper from the state, and it had my name with RDH after it. I just thought about how hard I worked for that, and how the day has finally come. I havn't had the oppurtunity to work yet but I am registering with another temp agency to try and keep busy before the move. All my papers are in to the Utah public health department so I should be licensed there soon as well. I just hope all will go well in my job hunt there. I am hoping I can settle down fast. I am keeping my fingers crossed. :-)

Myrtle Beach

I am slacking on my posting. However last month I had the chance to go down to South Carolina to Mrytle Beach. It was sooooooo nice. I sat on the beach for 4 days straight and studied for boards while my Dad an Bro were golfing. Our hotel was right on the beach so I didn't have to walk far out my door. The water was GORGEOUS. It was so clean and warm. It was wonderful. At night we would go out to dinner and visit fun places. We went minigolfing and saw the Good Vibrations show. We ate at this one resturant Greg Normans Australian Grill, which was a nice classy resturant and super Yummy. I had prime rib with grilled asparagus. Delicious! I would love to go back again soon. There is so much to see and do there. I wish I had more time and wasn't studying most of the trip. But for the most part I enjoyed myself. How could you not with a beach like this....

Mystic

My "sister" and future roomie Nikole was home this weekend visiting. Nikole, her parents, and I went down to Mytsic Connecticut for the day on Friday. We ate at Mystic Pizza (yes the one the movie was made of with Julia Roberts). It was interesting since I have been to Mystic before and never ate there. The pizza was pretty good but I must say I have had better. After pizza we walked down the street because all the cute shops were having a sidewalk sale. It was a beautiful day to walk around, and the shops were right next to the water. I got a photograph taken by a local artist of a water scene at sunset with two swans. It is already matted, I am going to have it framed and hang it in my bathroom in my new place.

After we visited all the shops we went to a place we saw down the road on the way into town called You've Got to be Beading. It was a bead store that also had a studio that you could make your own jewelery right there. This was perfect since I have never beaded before but was interested in starting. Nikole made a simple beaded pearl bracelet. I made these cute earrings.

Afterwords we met my Dad and Brother for dinner at Dakota steakhouse. They have the BEST salad bar with all the trimmings. For dessert I had the yummiest blueberry crisp. The blueberries were a little to tart for me but the crisp part was delicious. I could have not asked for a more relaxing fun filled day.

First Day Of Work

Since I have hurt my back I have not been working since finishing my boards. However I signed up with a dental temp agency to work as a dental assistant until I get my license. Tomorrow is my first job for them. It is a 2 weeks job, so I will be able to get quite a few hours. I am SUPER nervous though. I have not assisted in 2 years. Although procedures have not changed the products have. I just am going to be a lil rusty until I get back into the swing of things. I just hate that feeling of not being able to be 100 percent perfect. Plus my back in not quite 100 percent yet. But I have a feeling that once I jump into things it will be like I never stoped assisting. Although word on the street is that our board results are being mailed to us this week. Hopefully I will have them by the end of the week and I can send in my papers for my license and be able to temp in early September. That will help me save up enough money for me to move to Utah.

Tour Of The Idols

So on 8-8-08 I had big plans .... The American Idol Tour concert. Now I posted earlier about my love for all things Jason Castro. However this really is the first year that I have ever gone to the Idol tour. Something about the contestants this season made me verging on obsession. I went to the concert with my Dad's wife and her sister. I was excited to see Jason (and David Archuleta) and they were excited to see both Davids (mostly Cook). As you can see you it made for an interesting evening.

We started off by eating at Trumbell Kitchen. My dish was very yummy. I had mongolian pork chops ... so delicious. This was just a block away from the XL center that we would be seeing the show at. The show was 3 hours long including intermission. But with ten idols perfoming it had to be. The idols performed in the order of how they were voted off beggining with number 10. has was the first to play after intemission and boy was it worth the wait. Our seats were about 25 rows back on the floor right in the aisle. It was kind of a pain when people started standing up, but right on the aisle it wasn't much of a problem. To be honest with you I didn't really even listen to Jasons performance, I just stared at his face in my binoculars so I could see his face super close up (Pathetic I KNOW). Thank goodness for YOUTUBE because another fellow Castro fan caught the whole performace on tape and posted that sucker on youtube the very next day.

David Archuleta was AMAZING! He sounded just like he did on the show. I just love the voice on that kid. I hope that he has a long lasting sustainable carrer. All I will say about David Cook is its a good thing that a lot of people like him and can see past his smug persona. He took the stage like he was a member of a reputable rock band that has been around for years. He stood there on the stage after a song and didn't say a word. It was an awkward silence and girls just screamed. He started makng jesters with his hands and wanted the crowd to chant his name
once they finally did he goes OK OK. Needless to say I was NOT impressed. All in all I did have a great time Once the ringing in my ears stoped from all the screams. ( I almost forgot what it was like to go to a mostly teen girl concert) Posted below are the wonderful performances from Jason Castro.

My Pain in the Back

So I am not quite sure what I did exactly (although I have a few theories ), but I have hurt my lower back. I have basically been keeping my activities light (laying in the hamock with my Jasper, and being proped up with pillows watching movies.) It was nice at first although now it is getting really old. I have been on pain pills, and muscle relaxers to help me get through the day. The pills also make me very sleepy. I have also been seeing a chiropractor for about 2 weeks now. After my first visit to the chiropractor I felt AMAZING. But my pain and stiffness came back and I realized this was going to be a stubborn injury. I am making progress but it is a SLOW process. I am not used to this at all. I am use to taking a pill for 7-10 days and being cured. But I am sticking with the therapies and hopefully I can be back to hitting the gym in no time.

Now I Play The Waiting Game

So about a week ago I took the National Dental Hygiene Board exam. This was a seven and a half hour exam (luckily it didn't take me the full time thank goodness) that covered two and a half years worth of material. The first part consisted of 200 multiple choice questions on a variety of subjects. Questions ranged from obviously easy, to I have NEVER heard this before in my life so I am taking a shot in the dark. The second portion was 150 multiple choice questions based on 15 case studies. This part I thought was a BEAST! It was so hard to keep each case straight.

Our school decided to have us take the exam in July instead of the usual time of March. They wondered if the extra study time would help to improve the passing rate, reduce mid semester stress, and increase our scores. I however felt it very challenging to study after graduation. The first part of my summer has been dedicated to reviewing for this exam. I also felt like I did not retain any of the information that I had reviewed except for the things I read the week before the exam. However I feel as though I have passed (passing is considered a 75 or better). I talked with other student following the exam and found that I had the same answers to questions as others. Hopefully this is a good sign. They also curve the exam and throw out questions. I hope that this will only benefit me and my score. Now I just have to wait patiently for six to eight weeks for my results.

After the exam I treated my self to a much needed pedicure. This was the perfect way to destress and forget about the exam.

Venus Fly Catcher

Ok so I am just starting out by saying I am slighlty obsessed with my pup! With that being said I have a funny story to share. The breed that my dog is was meant for hunting rodents and bugs. Well yesterday a fly had got into the house and caught the eye of the Jasperito. It was flying mostly around me while I was studying my flash cards. (annoying) So I said to Jasper "Come get the fly.. come catch him." So Jasper jumped up onto the chair that I was sitting and watched as the fly flew around us. Once he got close enough he jumped up and opened his mouth. After a few more tries he finally caught the fly in his mouth. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I thought he would either chew the fly, or swallow it but nooooooo. He leaned his head down on my chest and spit it out. So I slighlty freaked out that this bug was just lying there and my dog was not disposing of it so I flicked it. Well the bug started flying around again once I gave him the jump start. After that Jasper didn't make anymore attempts to catch him again. He left me to fend for myself and went up stairs to bed.

The Howl!

So my Dad and my brother like to make noises in front of Jasper and see how he reacts. Well the other day my brother decided to MOOO like a cow to Jasper. The response was unexpected ... he began to howl. This is the first time we have EVER heard him howl. He barks and whines but never howls, not even when the neighborhood dogs get each other going. So later on my brother tried to do this again but was unsuccesful. Therefore we all began to howl like dogs and sure enough he chimmed right in. Here is a video I took of my brother trying to get him to howl.

As you can see I am entertained very easily, ecspecially when it comes to Jasper. But I love to see that Jasper reponds, and trys to communicate the only way he knows how.

Jason Castro is MY American Idol

Jason Castro the dreaded boy from Rockwell Texas stole my heart on this season on american idol. Not only because of his looks, charming blues eyes, and sexy voice.... but LOOK AT THOSE TEETH so prefectly straight and white. Of course I would be the one to find that attractive. Anyways Jason came in fourth this year but stole many hearts of girls across america. He sang many good songs. All of which I purchased on itunes. However one of my personal favorites was his version of the island style somewhere over the rainbow, Ukulele and all. Enjoy!

040808 Jason Castro-Somewhere Over The Rainbow (with intro a
Uploaded by castrocopia

Jason Castro - Hallelujah (AI Finale)
Uploaded by castrocopia

JASPERITO

So when my dad got married and his wife moved in, along came a dog...Jasper. He is part min pin part chihuahua and might I say so flippin cute. He is one and a half years old, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. He is a cuddly guy who likes to sit on your lap when you have a blanket on. But he doesn't like visitors. He growls and barks like he is big enough to do something about it. We have also learned that we must make sure our socks are in the hamper and not the floor because he will run away with them and eventually want you to play tug of war with them. He also loves basking in the sun. As you can see in both these pictures he is proped up on the most comfortable thing he can find in the direct sunlight. He gets his nick name Jasperito as you see in the title from my brother and I. My brother enjoys "playing" with Jasper, and taking advantage of how small he is. His favorite past time is wrapping him up in a blanket and making him a Jasper Burrito. To which I have shortened to Jasperito.

My favorite part about having him around is how every morning when everyone leaves to go to work or school and I am still in bed I hear a scratch coming from the door and eventually it pushes open. Jaspers jumps up onto my bed and dives under the covers. He makes sure that he is snuggled right up against me and goes back to sleep. If I happen to move in my sleep away from Jasper he gets right up and snuggles him self so he is right up against me again. LOL. I love this little guy.

Lending a Helping Hand

I had two AMAZING oppurtunitys to use my newly acquired skills to serve people in need. First was in South Dakota on a reservation. I went with two other fellow students and three of our faculty to work for a week in the dental clinic on one of the reservations in South Dakota. We were able to clean the teeth of over 200 hundred children and a few adults. This was the experience of a life time. We stayed on the reservation for the entire week and was able to take in the amazing culture. We ate dinner with the elders, saw beedwork and jewelry made by the locals, hike the moutain you see above (Bear Butte), and even participated in a sweat lodge. For anyone who doesn't know a sweat lodge is a hut sealed off with hot rocks and water. Sweat we did. I was only able to last one round. The air becomes so thick you can barely breath unless you put your face to the floor. Needless to say I had to leave before I had a panic attak. The experience as a whole was very rewarding and something I will never forget. In some ways I feel that I may have benifitted from the experience more then the people we provided care to. Hopefully some day I may be able to return with the orginization we went with to serve these people again.

My second oppurtunity was to volunteer at the Connecticut Mission of Mercy. It was a full day and a half from 5 am to 5 pm, and 5am to noon that provide free dental care to anyone who showed. There were tons of dentist, dental assistants, hygienist, and people from the community who volunteered their time to this event happen. It provided dental care to around 1,200 people and 500,000 dollars worth of dental services provided. It was utterly amazing to see something like this take place. Everyone had a part to help the day run smoothly. I mostly escorted patients, and provided oral hygiene education to patients that showed. It was nice to see how much the services were appreciated by those who came. Its sad though to see that one of the supposed richest states in the nation needs to have a event like this to treat those with out dental insurance. It breaks my heart ecspecially when I see little kids with toothaches. I love volunteering my time to events such as these, however I hope one day it doesn't have to be that way.

Changes...

So lots of things in my life have changed since I last posted my first blog. I graduated with my degree in Dental Hygiene with a 3.8 GPA ... just what I had set out to do 2 years ago. I have passed my regional boards with flying colors and have only my nationals to take in July. Now that I have all this free time I hope to be blogging more often. I am no longer getting married in August. Long distance relationships can only last for so long, and sadly things change when two people are not together. With that being said I am preparing to turn over a new leaf. I will be moving back to Utah in the fall once my license to work comes through. I plan to finish the little coursework I have left for my bachelors degree, and who know maybe even apply to dental school. All I know is I am 23 years old, and have nothing but a bright future ahead.