Winter Break: Christmas in LA

December 23

- Headed to SLC for my late night flight to LA.

- Got picked up from the airport by my little brother, Luke, and went to eat a late dinner at

In-n-Out.

December 24

- Got a mani-pedi with my mom.

- Headed to OC where I had a reunion with a few of my high school girl friends. It was so much fun catching up with the girls. I can't believe where everyone is 7 1/2 years after graduation!

[Jessica, Me, Aubrey, Kristen, Shannon, Lauren, Jamie]

- Went back to LA where Luke, my mom, my dad, and I played our annual Christmas Eve Monopoly game.

December 25

- Woke up and opened Christmas presents.

[Luke; money, slippers, books, and a camera]

[Me; books, Beauty and the Beast, an ESPN hat, and Toy Story 1-3]

- Headed to OC for the Neilson Christmas Party.

- Watched the Lakers loose. It was a very depressing game.

December 26

- Watched the Chargers loose. WHY?!

December 27

- Went to the LA Zoo.

[Asian Elephants; the bull]

[Asian Elephants; the cows]

[Me and the giraffes]

[Gorilla]

[Kangaroo]

Overall I really enjoyed being home with my family and friends for a few days.

Merry Christmas everyone!

How to Pamper Yourself

Along with a nice phone call from my boss I also got a sweet Christmas bonus this year!

cha-ching!

So what do you do when you get a nice bonus? Go and spend it in Vegas!

I decided to pamper myself this weekend... why not?

I stayed at the Bellagio in a Tower Suite which overlooked the pools/gardens (I really wanted a lakeview but they were all taken). My room had a king sized bed, a large tub with jets, and drapery and sheer controls that you can operate from bed!

I really wanted to see O but it's on break until later this month so I went and saw KA (a Cirque Du Soleil show) at the MGM Grand Hotel instead and I'm glad I did. It was amazing! The acrobats were incredible, the story was fun, and the entire stage constantly rotated. I kept hearing people say, "how are they doing that?!" and I was constantly thinking the same thing! It's definitely the best Cirque show that I've seen so far!

I forgot to tell you but I completed my 100,000 meter rowing challenge! It was supposed to take 30 days but I did it in 7. Needless to say I was sore and deserved a massage.

So I got one!

While at the Bellagio I got an 80 minute hot stone massage and a facial. Both were heavenly!

To top things off, I went to a huge dance party with a bunch of my friends that live in Vegas. There's nothing like dropping it like it's hot with one of my best friends, Emily, and a great group of people.

Overall it was a great weekend! I have been working hard and thought I deserved a nice "vacation".

I almost forgot! I bought these super cute boots too!

Geminid Meteor Shower

I woke up at 2am Tuesday morning so I could see this:

I was worth it.

I really needed a wish.

My Choice

I can't believe how many people emailed me about the blog I wrote last week. I really appreciate all the love and advice. It means a lot coming from people that are going through or have gone through what I am experiencing.

After a lot of thinking (and crying), I've decided to not do "the drug" right now. I think with the combination of sunless tanning, some good face washes, and maybe some therapy (which should help reduce my unnecessary stress) I can get this acne under control.

The 2010 World Armwrestling Championships

I don't like Mesquite, NV. I've stayed in a lot of places over the last few years (nature of the work) and Mesquite would have to be my least favorite. I always dread going to NV because my boss would rather have us stay in Mesquite instead of Vegas (which would be my choice).

This last week I was sent to do a survey just north of Vegas with my co-worker, Heidi, for our big pipeline project. I begged my boss to let us stay in Vegas but, of course, he said no.

So Heidi and I headed to Nevada to do our survey.

Since we are awesome, Heidi and I finished the survey faster then expected. I called my boss to let him know and he told us to head back to Mesquite to hang out for a few hours while he tried to come up with something for us to do.

To kill some time Heidi and I headed to the Casablanca Hotel to get some lunch and walk around. While we at lunch our server asked us if we were "in the competition". We laughed and said no and then she proceeded to tell us that the 2010 World Armwrestling Championship was taking place right now in town. WHAT?!

Apparently it's a huge deal! Over 1600 contestants from 31 different countries! And the best part?! Admission was FREE!

So Heidi and I headed over to watch the competition. It was so awesome! The place was full of super buff guys from all over the world. I still can't believe how intense it all was.

My favorite team (next to USA of course) was Sweden! The Swedish were really into the competition and they showed their pride buy wearing Viking helmets and waving the Swedish flags.

I'm still not a huge fan of Mesquite but being able to go to the 2010 World Armwrestling Championship made it tolerable!

Beauty is Pain

I'm 25 and I still have my teenage acne. It covers my face and my back. It's embarrassing and painful. I've been to SO MANY dermatologist and I've been on EVERY type of acne medication (no joke) and only two things have ever worked: "the drug"* and sunless tanning.

I hate sunless tanning. I don't like being hot and sweaty when I'm not working out. I hate that it makes you smell like burnt chicken and that it leaves rings around my eyes. I hate that if you sunless tan you have a higher chance of getting cancer. I hate it all. Except that it clears my skin... I love that.

I've been on "the drug" twice already. Not only did it clear my skin but it keep my skin clear for about a year after I stopped taking the medication. My clear skin came at a price: "the drug" made my depression worse.

It's hard for me to admit but I've been depressed for most of my adult life. It affects me everyday. It's the reason why I'm quick to get emotional. I get mad easily. I get upset easily. I get frustrated. I have little patience. I have anxiety.

I'm having a hard time right now. I'm sad. I'm disappointed with my life. I'm lonely. I'm tired. I'm unhappy. I don't sleep. I forget to eat. I don't really care about anything anymore. I cry... a lot. I thought I was special. I thought I was supposed to do something with my life. I thought I was going to be great. Instead I've accomplished nothing and I'm alone. I wish I could just quit my life and start over.

That being said... is it worth it? Should I go back on "the drug"? Should I put myself through pain just so that I can have clear skin? It seems like a simple question but it's not. I'm starting to scar! My acne is getting so bad that it's embarrassing! Sometimes it actually hurts! It sucks!

I don't want to be sad any more but we all know that's not going to happen. I have to just deal with it. If I'm going to be miserable I might as well get clear skin. Right?

I have a Dr. appointment next week and I need to decide by then.

*I prefer not to say the name because the blog is public. If you want to know the real name then email me.

Missing My Bed

I decided, kind of last minute, to go home to LA for Thanksgiving. Even though it was a short trip I was able to see some friends in Vegas (I flew out of there), go to Missy's (my sister-in-law) baby shower, go out to dinner with the family for my dad's birthday, get a massage, finish my Christmas shopping, have Thanksgiving lunch/dinner, and see all my married cousins, so it was worth it!

[The Neilson Clan]

[Missy, Me, Tiersha, and Tahnee]

After a long weekend, I flew back into Vegas just in time to find out that the freeway was closed down in Cedar due to another storm. Luckily, my best friends fiance let me crash on his couch for the night.

I woke up early the next morning, drove back to Cedar (instead of taking 2 1/2 hours it took about 4 1/2 because of the storm), got to work, was told we were heading to Vegas to go hiking, went home, unpacked, repacked, and headed back to Vegas for the week.

After a long week of hiking in the Vegas desert, we headed back to Cedar where I went home, unpacked, repacked, and then headed to Provo to attend my cousin, Tiersha's, Christmas Party.

*Phew*

So where am I now? Well, after another long and fun weekend I am finally back in Cedar. But not for long. Come tomorrow night I will likely be back in Vegas or St George for work.

Being in the field can be fun but sometimes I really miss my bed... hotel beds suck and mine is so comfy!