Shameless plug......

Well So I am sure people might not care about this.... but when I find a product line I am THIS excited about I had to share..... Now as an Esthetician I sort of feel like it is my professional duty to only promote "professional" products. Since I started Esthetic school in 2004 I have used nothing but professional products. Some I liked some I didn't.

After the salon closed in summer 2009, I no longer had access to ordering my favorite products from Dermalogica because unfortunately you have to have an account with such companies and well in these economic times I do not have 2k to spend on opening an account and it is sold in other salon/spas but I would have to pay retail... GULP GULP and I just couldn't bring myself to do it..... ok finished with this tangent....

ANYWAYS... on a trip to Sally Beauty I decided to try the Beyond Belief skin care. I thought hey this is in-expensive and it will get me through for now. At the time I bought the product I was experiencing a lot of clogged pores and my skin was just BLAH!! I had read some reviews online about the products but I am a BIG believer in testing things for myself. This product claims to be developed by professionals, but a LOT of product lines claim that and well they suck.

So I bought the Vit. C foaming cleanser (pictured above left) and I FELL IN LOVE!! on the front of the bottle it says that is removes all traces of dirt and make-up... I can verify that it DOES!! Best of all?? It does this with-OUT stripping my skin! After like using it for a week I no longer had the clogged pores! Amazing.... I will of course not guarantee that for all who use it but I can tell you it made a difference in my skin! It was soft and supple. I actually did not HAVE to put moisturizer on right away!

I have SUPER SUPER oily skin so I also got the oil-free moisturizer... WOW! I noticed a decrease in the oily, heavy-ness of my skin in the first use!! My forehead is still quite oily but no where near what it was before! Also it goes on GREAT under make-up. I usually have to wait a few minutes before applying my makeup after I moisturize... not with this!



As I am quickly approaching my 30's I have been very diligent in using an under-eye, wrinkle reducing, make me young and beautiful forever, erase the bad nights sleep under eye cremes. Since I had loved the cleanser I thought I would try the Vit C nourishing eye treatment. For several years I had this millia, clogged pore thing under my right eye... really close to my lash line. As an esthetician I know that these things happen in the eye area and really the only way to get rid of it is to see a dermatologist. Mine was small... no larger than the head of a pin so I didn't bother me much. After using this eye cream for 1 week I noticed that this thing looked kinda like an ingrown hair.. So I kinda picked at it and it came off!! Just off! It didn't hurt but it just sloughed off..Looking back I think it was an ingrown eyelash. But wow this eye cream sloughed it off without irritating my skin!



As I mentioned before my skin is SUPER oily. I saw this serum that claims to refine your skins texture and even skin tone with Alpha Beta Hydroxy acids. Now most OTC products have some ABH but in a concentration that usually just irritates the skin. Not this product!! At first I was using it everyday and I noticed my skin was getting a little sensitive so I have cut back to every-other day. LOVE IT! I did use it last night and then decided to wax my eyebrows... not a brilliant idea since these acids tend to thin your skin and make it prone to ripping. Well this is true.. I do not apply this on my eyebrows but still.


In conclusion I would just like to recommend these products to my friends and family if you are looking for some new, inexpensive skin care. I still use some professional products, there are just some that cannot be duplicated. But I will let people know that the Beyond Belief Skin care is a personal favorite of mine and they offer a wide variety of products.

Today might suck but the future sure is looking BRIGHT!!!

This is me being MAD at January 2010

So the month of January pretty much sucked. Ya, no other word for it. It sucked. I was sick pretty much the ENTIRE month! At Christmas I got the croup.. THEN got an infected tonsil. 2 weeks later I got a NASTY sinus infection. Here comes round 2 of antibiotics (which I JUST finished). Also, there was a lot going on the family front... A lot. I attended 2 very, very, very sad funerals in less than 1 month.

We lost a dear friend, Charlie. Charlie took his own life soon after the New Year. This is a great loss to all those that knew him and he is going to be greatly missed.

The second service I attended was for my Cousin Jessis' baby. Jessi was due in early March but suffered some complications and the baby did not survive. This was the first funeral for a baby I have ever been too. I truly hope it was my last! This little angel is going to be greatly missed but loved even more. Going to this service to support my amazing cousin I took the time to reminisce about our wild youth. Jessi and I used to, in her mom's words, "Raise hell." Haha and well that wasn't too far from the truth. Jessi and I liked to have a good time and one could be had no matter where we went.

This is me being happy about February 2010

February started off pretty great. The family stuff is 90 times better.... I am not sick... and I have some AWESOME things coming up.... wanna know what they are? Well here goes.

This is Cami, Lor and Nikki 2007

In April I am going to sunny ST. GEORGE with 3 of my favorite people! Nikki, Cami and Lor Lor! This will be a MUCH MUCH needed girls trip. We are going to hang out, eat crap, shop and um be crazy girls! Soo excited... I just wish ALL of my favorite girls could come... oh man that would BE AMAZING and we would need a really really big house, a fire extinguisher, a slip and slide.. and well basically it would be like the playboy mansion without being skanky and gross! HAHA. What can I say? All my friends are beautiful!!!!!

These are some of my beautiful friends!

After St. George I (WE) are going on our annual Billings, Montana trip. This trip is always so so so so much fun. 9 hours in the car on snowy highways isn't so fun but man the people that go make dying in the wilderness worthwhile :0) I hope I didn't just jinx us... hmm... scratch that last bit about dying in the wilderness......

Kathy, Mark, Danny and Me 2009

A few weeks ago I took HarLee and Jade to the mall. Ya.. what was I thinking!? It actually was pretty fun. I think Jade was more traumatized. He had to go in a lot of girl-y stores and well we went to Ulta and Jade saw his first um..... homosexual wearing make-up. Needless to say it was an experience he won't soon forget.... and neither will I!!

Aariel and Har
while at the mall Har and I got some matching "glasses" they are not prescription but boy oh boy we look cute in them! Aariel could not be left out of this.......... Har ditched us to go to a stake dance.... but to make it up to me she let me do her make-up. I think I did an awesome job...

Me and Har in our glasses

A Grange Family Christmas

This year Christmas was a little bit different but it was still good. We didn't get to spend Christmas Eve with My sister and her family but they came over on Saturday and spent the whole afternoon! We made treats, played games and DANCED!! That is right casa de Grange is a dancing HOT SPOT! haha our favorite tune these days? Party in the USA... ya I know it is Miley (yuck) but you can't help but dance when you hear it... Check out Miss Shay and Aariel shakin their money makers!!!

Aariel shakin it!!

Shay likes to dance like me :0)

My daddo made some AWESOME gifts for each of us! I got a custom belt rack for my Martial Arts belts. Jade got a tool box, HarLee, Shay and Atta got jewelry boxes!!

Jade is not a fan of the Samiee style paparazzi

Surprise Surprise I was SICK over Christmas.... actually the big surprise is that of all things I had the CROUP... I use to get the croup all the time as a kid but you are suppose to out grow it.. Apparently my respritory system like the rest of me refuses to admit we are 27!!

HarLee, Atta and Shay playing with the AWESOME sticker books my Mom got them.



Aariel got her own laptop... so she will stop pushing the buttons on mine :0)

c'mon Samiee I don't wanna pose before I open my presents!!!

Holidays are here....

Thanksgiving is just a couple days away. This time of year always goes by too fast and is too quickly forgotten. This year this is what I am thankful for:

* My family. Without family this would be a very lonely very sad world!! I love my parents, my brother and sister and all of my nieces and my nephew. I love those kids like they were my own!!

* My friends. I consider my friends as family and I am soo grateful for all the different people in my life. They make everyday interesting and worth getting out of bed for!

* My training. I am so grateful for the studio and for the martial arts. The people I train with are my family and my friends and they have all helped me through some very very tough times. No matter how bad of a day I have going to the studio always makes me feel better. ALWAYS... I guess there is something about kicking, punching and throwing someone to make you forget all your troubles........imagine that... It also helps that our studio is full of amazing people!!!

*My job. In today's terrible economy I am VERY grateful to have a job. Especially a job that provides great benefits and values its employees. I am ESPECIALLY grateful for my co-workers and my manager. You make coming to work soo much fun!! I know that some of the customers we deal with are straight up CRAZY but they do make for good stories!

This time of year is always a little emotional for me, ok a lot emotional for me. I was fortunate enough to have the love and support from my family and friends after being hospitilized for 3 weeks after my blood clots. My family and friends where there to take me to and from my Dr. appointments, to work and where just there to support me. I know I don't tell them often enough how grateful I am for them.

Wyomin....... what a place

Derek, John, Danny, Kevin, Aubry, Kathy,Mark, Frank

FR: Midge and ME!

Well we made it back safe and sound from our yearly trip to Wyoming..... This year we went to Cody, Wyoming. I have never been there before and it was a long trip but it was fantastic. Danny and Frank tested for their 2nd dan and Kathy tested for her 4th. They were awesome!! My fave part of the test is when a friend from South Dakota came to tell me she loved it when Utah came b/c we just do whatever we want! HAHA This is VERY true.....

Frank, Danny, Kevin and Me after the test

We had to take a 200 mile detour because of a fire in Yellowstone.... this meant that we were a little late for the test and our group didn't get a chance to practice or really warm up. Despite this they still kicked butt! During our little detour the road we were on ran out of pavement! Ok not literally but the road was torn up for about 10 miles and thanks to the recent snow and rain it was MUDDY. So my little Mazda became an all terain veeee-hicle!

My car after driving on a muddy highway

On our way home we were able to go through Yellowstone, where I have never been, and we stopped to see Old Faithful.... and it SNOWED! We saw a buffalo and an Elk as we were leaving the park.

Me, Danny, Frank, Derek Mark and John in Yellowstone

Another year older..... but not a bit wiser!

Me at 22 on my way to Vegas

There are several old adages about age. "Your only as old as you feel." "age is a state of mind." "Age is just a number." etc. Well today I turned 27 (although if you ask me I am 22). 27 is still plenty young but it is a number that encroches onto the age of maturity. A mature stage in life that I am not sure I am prepared for.

Proof I am not mature... Me and Vicki 2008

First off I still live with my parents!! Sure I have a mound of health related debt that eats up a majority of my income along with the fact it is difficult to live the way I do and keep my precious Dayzie Maye. I am grateful that my parents let me stay with them and even MORE grateful that they let Dayzie stay here too and that they help me care for her. I could not do it without them.

Me and Ginna Oct 2008

Secondly- I am a kid at heart!! Get me around my neices and nephew and I act my shoe size (which is a 7 1/2)!!!!! I tickle them tease them and teach them things there parents wish I wouldn't (HAHAHA). I often have pink hair, wear crazy clothes and use curse words as punctuation.

Me and Har Aug 2009

So ya I guess I am another year older........ a little closer to the age of maturity but not even an inch closer to understanding what anything means!!

Me and Ness at the 5k for breast cancer May 2009

Newest Morbid Obsession........................

So the newest show I can't get enough of is Dexter. This Showtime drama is so captivating I can't help but watch!! I know this show is about a sociopath serial killer that has no discernible emotions (at first). As the show goes on you see he really has strong emotions towards his sister, girlfriend and some co-workers. It is intoxicating!! I am half way through season 2........ thank heavens for netflix!!!!!!