My (Funny) Phobias

{Fear via Sincerely Noted}

Not many people get this, but I'm terrified of June bugs and crickets. I don't necessarily love spiders or other insects that can actually do me harm, but I don't fear them in an irrational way like I do with June bugs and crickets. There are, of course, back stories to give merit to these phobias.

The cricket fiasco: When I was 10 years old, my family moved from California to Oregon for a short stint. We threw our packed belongings in the back of a truck and drove from one state to the other. Evening was quickly approaching on our first day of travel and we needed to stop somewhere for the night. The only place available was a motel with a parking space at the very back of the lot. To my utter horror, the entire parking lot was COVERED in crickets. Unfortunately, I had taken my shoes off at some point along the way and I couldn't find them in the car. With a crying baby brother hurrying us along, I was forced to walk barefoot to the motel. As my mom carried my brother to the office to check-in, I had to maneuver my way through the blanket of crickets. Regardless of how careful I'd tried to be, I inevitably stepped on countless crickets that went "crunch" between my toes. I can't see a cricket without gagging to this day.

*Side note - I was so traumatized by the cricket guts covering my feet that my first order of business once we got the key to the room was to take a shower. I had never used a bathtub with a shower curtain before because my previous bathtubs always had glass doors. My brilliant 10 year old self pulled the shower curtain closed without putting the liner curtain inside the bathtub, and I flooded the bathroom which then seeped into the rest of the motel room. What a miserable night!

The June bug trauma: A year or so later we found ourselves back in California living across the street from some old family friends. The moms hung out everyday drinking coffee while the kids played outside. Life was good ... until the June bugs came, that is.

My friend's mom started screaming and whipping her head around like a crazy woman one evening. She explained that a June bug had flown at her and that once they got in your hair you'd have to cut them out. She also said that they would crawl in your ear if they could. That was enough to have me paranoid for the rest of summer, every summer, probably for the rest of my life!

It was my sophomore year of high school when I had the opportunity to share my phobia with another. Crystal of Avery James Photography was sleeping over one night when we heard that distinct "buzz" of the June bug. We dove under the blankets and stayed awake in fear all through the night. Every time we'd peek out to see if the coast was clear the June bug would whiz past us and we'd have to drop and cover again.

Those suckers ruined my summers for years. My mom had to drag me outdoors on the 4th of July, and that was only after I covered myself from head to toe regardless of how hot it was. Thankfully, they've been making less and less of an appearance in this area over the last decade so I've been able to enjoy 4th of July fireworks in peace.

Do you have any traumatizing stories like these? Please tell me I'm not alone!

Coming up next: "A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all."

I'm a Dreamer

{Dreamer Necklace via Valerie's Boutique}

Today's prompt from the Blog Every Day in May challenge requires us to explain what we do, aside from our obvious job. It didn't take me long to formulate an answer for this! Quite simply, I dream.

My dreams fuel everything in my life. I spend quite a lot of time fantasizing and visualizing everything from what I want to write to where I want to live to who I'd like to meet to what I'd like to be wearing when I meet them (in my dream house that is paid for with my writing earnings, of course!).

Life is like a choose your own adventure book. There are so many possibilities, and you need to dream your way in the right direction. It's a creative life organization process!

Coming up next: "The thing(s) you're most afraid of"

A Blogger I Adore!

I've been blogging since 2008 and have met countless wonderful bloggers along my internet travels. Some make me laugh, some make me cry, many teach me new things and almost all bring a smile to my face each day. There's one blogger, though, who I hold in the highest esteem.

Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere has been my main source of inspiration, and she doesn't even know it. My blog is not like hers. Cupcakes and Cashmere is a somewhere between a fashionable food blog and a delicious fashion blog; whereas Haute Whimsy is what I deem to be a lifestyle blog touching on art, home design, fashion, healthy foods, life, photography, entertainment, etc. My passions are many and great which leaves me with a blog that isn't quite as streamlined as Emily's is.

Even though our niches are different, I find inspiration in Emily's business model and work ethic. She is a real girl telling other real girls that it's okay to take a chance on yourself, follow your dreams and become something great! I love people who take the world head-on and pave their own paths. She posts consistently which means that I know if I'm feeling overwhelmed, I can hop on over to Cupcakes and Cashmere for an instant pick-me-up and a reminder that I've chosen the right path for myself.

Aside from blogging, Emily is also a published author. Since my deepest desire is to be an author, too (albeit, a children's author), she seems even more like a kindred spirit to me. Emily may not be an actual blog "friend", but she's someone who has touched my life in a special way  :)

Who inspires you?!

Coming up next: "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?"

Be a Unicorn

{Always Be Yourself via Whimsy Collage}

When I was a little girl I liked unicorns well enough. I had the colorful Lisa Frank swag: pencil boxes, binders, pens, erasers and the such. A large unicorn poster filled a bedroom wall (right next to my Teen Bop tear outs of the Beverly Hills 90210 cast) and one of my favorite animated movies was Unico.

It wasn't until I was an adult, though, that I really understood the significance of unicorns. They're not just pretty, they're unique! They're special. They can do all the sames things that a horse can do, yet so much more. The unicorn has become a metaphor for who I want to be and how I want to live my life. 

"Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn."

Coming up next: "Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member"

5 Things That Make Me Extremely Uncomfortable

{Awkcards via For The Love Of Words}

I'm not very easily offended, but there are a few things that do make me squeamish. We're talking skin crawling, hot-flashing, palm sweating levels of discomfort!

1. I can't stand it when a couple fights in front of me. If you can't even maintain civility in front of your friends, your relationship is probably doomed. To make matters worse, sometimes these disastrous couples try to wrangle others into the fight by forcing them to choose a side. Yikes! No thanks! When this happens, I try to toss out a diplomatic response and then make my exit as quickly as possible.

2. Roller coasters that go upside down freak me out! I'll go on them here and there, but I'd take a steep drop over a loop any day.

3. Pushy sales people make me really uncomfortable. After years of seeing Living Spaces commercials on TV, I finally decided to step inside one of their stores to see what all the fuss was about. Nightmare alert! They have WAY too many employees, and each one makes a beeline toward you to ask if you need help. I understand the first one or two as you make your way into the store, but 10??? I even went so far as to look down at the floor to avoid eye contact in hopes that that would deter them. I felt horribly harassed and filled with anxiety by the time I fled the store.

4. Strangers who trap you in a conversation that you don't want to be in are the worst! If I'm responding in one word sentences and inching away from you, let me go! This always seems to happen at the grocery store or airport. Those are two places where you tend to be crunched for time and on a mission, so long-winded conversations about a stranger's life story aren't always welcome. It's so awkward!

5. Witnessing rudeness toward someone working in the food service industry always makes me feel uncomfortable. I want to apologize for the rude creep who is making a waitress' afternoon a nightmare. I sometimes even overtip just so they'll feel appreciated by someone.

What makes you uncomfortable? I'd love to know!

Coming up next: "Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it"

7 Tips for an AMAZING (Affordable) Las Vegas Trip!

{Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas via Charlene Precious Vintage Photography}

Since today's blogging challenge is to educate the readers on something that I know a lot about, I figured that I'd skip the tried and true recipes and crafty tutorials and instead give some travel tips. Las Vegas tips, to be exact!

There are countless ways to do Vegas, from down and dirty on the cheap to posh and in style like a rockstar. Personally, I like to feel like a rockstar on the cheap! Each visit to "Sin City" is different, but here are my favorite tips on how to get the most out of a whirlwind trip.

• Secure an awesome room - Book a hotel room on the "strip" ahead of time, and choose one that meets your basic standards in case this tip doesn't work due to capacity issues. When you check-in at your hotel, take a folded $20 bill and strategically hold it under your palm so the front desk clerk can see what it is. With a friendly smile, ask if they have a complimentary upgrade available. Unless the hotel is at capacity, this will usually earn you a room that is a step or two above the one that you booked. My most successful upgrade using this method took me from a standard room to a corner mini-suite with an INCREDIBLE wraparound view of the Las Vegas strip, and all it cost me was a little courage and $20! If they can't accommodate your request, thank them kindly and slip the money back into your pocket.

• Score a little room service treat - If you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion, let the reservation operator know when you initially book the room. Chances are that you will have a bottle of champagne or chocolate covered strawberries waiting for you in your room!

• Eat for free - Sign up for the free players cards at the casinos. Not only do they come loaded with some starting credits to gamble with, they are also a great way to earn free comps which often include free buffets after you reach a certain amount of points. I did this at the Wynn and used the pre-loaded credits at the slot machines and earned enough points for their pricey buffet. At the time, I think it was $50. Not only was it free to me, it was also one of the best buffets I'd ever had! Since I saved all that money on that awesome meal, it enabled me to spend more at their steakhouse the next night.

• Ask to be rated - Speaking of players cards ... Most people know that they can slide their players card into a slot machine and rack up tons of lovely points, but did you know that you actually have to ask for this at a game table? If you want to sit at a real table and try your hand at blackjack, poker or roulette, ask the dealer to have the pit boss rate you. They will personally load your points onto your card when you're done, and will sometimes even dole out comps on the spot! Room upgrade? Sure! Free drink vouchers? Why not?!

• Free drinks - Aside from free drink vouchers thanks to your players card, you can also get your drinks comped simply by gambling in a casino. Cocktail waitresses will happily serve you all-you-can-guzzle free drinks (albeit slightly watered down) so long as you're actively gambling. Just tip them a dollar per drink and they'll be back around to serve you another.

• *A tip within a tip! Make friends with the bartenders. Some will adhere to casino policy and keep your drinks weak whereas others will pour generously. My favorite bartender even pushed free snacks on us and had us sampling new recipes. It made us feel special and was good for his tip ;)

• *A tip within a tip within a tip! Ask your new bartender friend about Happy Hour. I didn't realize until my last trip to Vegas that many of the bars have LATE night happy hours! A very cool bartender surprised us with double the amount of drinks and explained that it was 2 for 1 at 2:00am. I wish we'd known that earlier in the trip!

There are tons of ways to save money in Las Vegas without having to stay in a 1 star hotel or eat bad shrimp! What are some of your tried and true tips?

Coming up next: "Things that make you uncomfortable"

The Story of Me in Exactly 250 Words

I was born in 1981 to divorced parents who were giving their relationship a final shot. It didn't work out. That was fine by me since I didn't have to go through the divorce with them and I ended up with a "modern family".

I was an only child for 9 years, 8 months and 5 days. Then I became a big sister to a baby brother. My mom's longterm boyfriend came along with the baby which I wasn't entirely thrilled about, but they did provide me with one more little brother before their relationship fizzled.

We moved from Los Angeles to Oregon and within a year we were back home in California because too much rain sucks and moms like mine crave sunshine. I became a teenager, fought with my parents a lot, fell in love with Nirvana and Tori Amos, had a high school sweetheart and remained a pretty good kid even though I was grounded all the time. I was a mouthy one.

My first job was waitressing at an Italian restaurant (I was terrible!), then I was a receptionist at a textile company, then a behavior therapist for a school district. That put me on a great career path that ended with an injury which is when I decided to follow my true dream of being a writer.

Now I live with my boyfriend of almost 10 years with our 2 quirky cats. I spend my days writing, photographing and spending time with those I love!

Coming up next: "Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)"