Month: August 2023

Going to the Jelly Belly factory and more birthday fun

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list, friends! My birthday was on August 26th. On the day of my birthday I went to the Jelly belly factory and I can’t wait to tell you about it. I also have some other birthday fun to share with you, so let’s get to it.

August 21- On this day I went to a birthday dinner with my friend. Before dinner, we went to the candy store that I used to work by. I got some bubblegum cigarettes and stickers. At dinner, they brought me an ice cream sundae with sprinkles. It was a great early birthday celebration.

August 25th – The day before my birthday, I went to a party supply store after work to get a birthday button and to look for other birthday things I thought would be fun to have for my birthday. I got the birthday button, but I also got a birthday necklace and some other fun things, including a new TY Beanie Baby.

August 26th ( My Birthday !) – On this day, I went to the Jelly Belly Factory. The factory is about 90 minutes away from me. On the way, we stopped at Starbucks, where I got a free drink for my birthday! We met my sister at the Jelly Belly Factory, and we all went on the tour together. Your ticket for the tour is a hat. I had been here before but we did not have time to take the tour. I was excited to see the factory. The factory does not run on the weekends, but you still get to see the factory. I really enjoyed seeing the factory from the windows. During the tour, there was a game where you guarded a goal from flying jelly belly beans. We got the 5th highest score. After the tour we went to the store. The store was filled with so many fun things. I loved the stickers that I got there. One really fun thing that is sold at the store is big bags of Belly Flops. Belly Flops are jelly belly beans that have imperfections. I got some bags of those as well. There is also a Jelly Belly museum across the parking lot from the factory. I enjoyed the museum there were some great things in there to take pictures with. If you get a chance to visit the Jelly Belly factory, I highly recommend going. After the factory we went to lunch before heading back home. That night, I had a birthday dinner at Olive Garden. The food was good but it was a very busy night at the restaurant so I decided to get cake at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a great way to end the night.

Thank you for reading about my birthday fun! – Christina Epperly

My summer 2023 drawing!

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends! For a while now I have been drawing a yearly summer picture in celebration of my favorite season. Earlier this month I drew this year’s picture. Most of my pictures are colorful and fun and this year’s drawing is no different. I love that this picture is full of smiles and animals. Some of the things in the picture like the boat represent things that I did this summer. I wonder what next summer’s picture will look like.

Thanks for reading about this years summer picture! – Christina Epperly

Idaho adventure August 2023

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list, friends! This month, I went on an adventure to Idaho. I go to Idaho pretty often. However, this was my first time going there this year. I have a good number of family members living there, so that is the main reason I visit Idaho so frequently. This time, we were going to celebrate my grandma’s birthday. Since my birthday is this month I was also a part of the celebration. It was a pretty fun adventure, and I can not wait to tell you more about it, so here we go!

August 9th – This was the day my mom and I flew to Idaho. When we got there we went to lunch with my grandparents. Along with my lunch I had some soft serve ice cream, and of course, I put sprinkles on it. I was happy to see family members that I had not seen in a long time including my grandparents dog.

August 10th – Today was a big shopping day! I went shopping at JC Penny’s , Walmart, and two thrift stores. I got several great items. Some of my favorite things I got are a pair of flipflops with a colorful heart pattern, a new Barbie doll from Walmart, a bunch of Barbie books, a Las Vegas mug, A Build a Bear plush that has a colorful star pattern, a duck plush from Las Vegas, and a rubber duck that looks like a fire fighter from the two thrift stores I went to. It was a good day of shopping and being with family in Idaho.

August 11th – Today’s big highlight was going on a trolley tour of Boise. I did enjoy ridding the trolley and seeing some beautiful things and learning about some of Boise’s history. I also went to another thrift store on this day. I did not get much, but I did get a craft kit, some stickers, and some teeny Beanie Babies. There was also another trip to Walmart that night where I got some of my favorite juice that comes with toys.

August 12th – This day was a really fun one. This was the day we celebrated three family birthdays, including mine. I started the day by getting Starbucks and then going shopping at the Dollar Tree. At the dollar tree, we got some balloons for the birthday party we were having. I also got some stickers, two art kits, a set of two hair accessories, a set of four water balls, and more! To celebrate our birthdays we went to a restaurant for some very good food and they also sang happy birthday to us. I also got some ice cream there. After lunch, some of us went to pick up some desserts to take to my grandparents’ house. I chose a colorful cake that a plastic balloon decoration on it. The night I went on a walk with my mom and my sister. It was a great way to end this wonderful day.

August 13th – On this day, I went with my mom and sister on a day trip. We drove for a while before stopping at a convenience store. Then we went to Kirkham Hot Springs. It was really interesting to visit a natural hot springs. I got some good pictures there. I do recommend visiting this location. We also went to Red Fish Lake and we rented a peddle boat there. I liked that the boat was sparkly. After the lake we went to a restaurant before going back to my grandparents’ house.

August 14th – This was the last full day we had in Idaho before we went back home the next day. It was a pretty lowkey day, but I did go to Burger King, and the one went to had one of those really cool touch screen soda machines.

August 15th – This was that day we went back home. Our flight was not till afternoon so we had time to go to breakfast. We also got to the airport early so I had time to play in the arcade where I won some prizes from the claw machine. I also got two Idaho souvenirs from a store at the airport.

Thanks for reading about my Idaho adventure! – Christina Epperly

Things I love July 2023

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list, friends! I’m excited to finally be writing this post! July was a very busy month, and I can’t wait to share my highlights with you, so let’s get to it!

Things I love July 2023

Celebrating the 4th of July – This is one of my favorite holidays, and I had a great time celebrating it this year. I bought some great 4th of July items, and then I went to a local event that had fireworks. (You can read about it HERE.)

Shopping at the toy store on the first day of July – I started off the month by shopping at a local toy store! ( You can read about it HERE)

Having a sleepover with my friend – I got to have a super fun sleepover with my friend in July. ( You can read about it HERE)

Going swimming – I went swimming several times this month. Including while I was in Oxnard.

Going to Las Vegas- this was a huge highlight of July. I had a really great time in Las Vegas, and I would love to go back again. ( You can read about it HERE and HERE)

Crossing two items off of my bucket list – In July, I crossed off two items off my bucket list. One item was going to Las Vegas, and the other item was getting cake out of a vending machine.

Getting a massage and a Jamba Juice – I love getting massages at my favorite local mall. It was a great day when I got a massage and a Jamba Juice. ( You can read about it HERE )

Yogurtland – I got to go to Yogurtland with my friend! I love going there and it is one of my favorite summer places. ( You can read about it HERE)

Thrift shopping – I got to do a good amount of thrift shopping this month. ( You can read about some of it it HERE and HERE)

Going to the movies , I got to go to the movie theater this month! ( You can read about it HERE)

Road trip to Oxnard – I got to go on a road trip this month. That road trip included a stop at a zoo. ( You can read about it HERE)

Thanks for reading about the things I loved in July 2023. – Christina Epperly

Emergency surgery

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends. As you can probably tell from the title of this post, it is going to be a little bit different from my regular posts. This was an unexpected and scary event, but I think it is important to share life experiences with others, so let’s get to it.

My unexpected surgery – The day that I returned home from Oxnard, I started having pain. I thought I was having the mussel spasms that I get sometimes. However, this time could not make the intense pain go away. All the things that I usually do to treat my mussel spasms were not working, and the pain kept getting worse. I started thinking about going to the ER, but my insurance is not very good, so I put it off for a little while, but the pain was so bad that I was throwing up from it. When my mom was driving me to the ER, I couldn’t wait to get there. I was in so much pain, and I just wanted it to stop. The last time I had gone to the ER with mussel spasms, I had been given some medicine that stopped the pain, and then I went home. I thought that it would be the same this time but I was very wrong. When I first got to the ER, there was a line. I could not stand, so I sat down in the line. Someone brought me a wheelchair so I didn’t have to sit on the floor. It was around 10 or 11pm. when I got to the ER. I was also throwing up in a bag in the waiting room. I had some blood taken, and I was told to go back to the waiting room. I also was told it would be an hour or so before I could be seen. I was in so much pain that I thought I would pass out before then. I went back to the check-in and told them that my pain was worse. At one point, I was lying on the floor of the waiting room. I was very happy when they called my name and took me back to a room. It took a little bit, but I got some pain medicine, and I felt like I could think more clearly, and the pain was not as overwhelming. I got a CAT scan and an ultrasound. After the ultrasound, I got more medicine because my pain started again. After the 2nd dose of medicine, my pain was at a four, and I felt really good. It turned out that I had a grapefruit sized ovarian cyst. At first, I was told I could schedule the surgery to have it removed at another time. However, my doctors were concerned that my pain was still there after two doses of pain medicine. They said that my cyst was probably twisted, and that’s what was causing my pain. They advised me that I should have surgery right away. I was also told that it looked like my ovary had blood flow, but they could not be sure, and that my ovary may have to be removed. I had never been put under before, and I had only dental surgery in the past, so I was absolutely terrified. I started crying when I learned that I needed to have surgery. By this time, it was well past midnight, and it was officially August 1st. My birthday month had begun with me in the ER. They took me into surgery pretty quickly, but before that, I had some time to post on social media and ask for prayers. I took some pictures before I went into surgery. I liked the sea animal decorations in the room I was in so I also took a picture of the Octopus on the wall. Another thing that made it even more stressful is that I had to cancel some job interviews that I had scheduled. Before I knew it, I was being wheeled into the OR. When we arrived at the room, it looked just like what you would see in a hospital TV show, but it was real. Before I knew it, my fear kicked in again, and I began crying. I remember the tears flowing down my face as I laid on my back. I was told that I was going to be given some anxiety medicine. Right after it was given to me, my tears stopped. I was still nervous, but I felt better than before. The next thing I remember is an oxygen mask being placed over my face while we had a short conversation about the oxygen bars in Las Vegas, and that’s the last thing I remember before I had surgery. After that, I remember waking up in the recovery room. It’s kind of weird because it doesn’t feel like I went to sleep. It feels like I lost memory, but I’m ok with that because everything went well. My cyst was successfully removed, and my ovary was fine, so they did not have to take it out. It was twisted, and that’s what was causing my pain. I went home shortly after surgery, and my pain was gone. The recovery process is still happening now, but I’ve made it past the hardest parts. My incisions hurt for a while, but now they are perfectly fine. It was a scary thing to go through, but I know that God was with me the whole time, and I’m glad that the cyst is no longer inside me.

Thanks for reading! – Christina Epperly

NOTICE SOME OF THE PICTURES BELOW ARE OF INCISIONS AND BRUISES

Oxnard road trip 2023

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends in this blog post. I will talk about a fun road trip I took at the end of July. I didn’t cross off any bucket list items, but I did have a pretty good time, and I can not wait to tell you more, so let’s get to it.

July 28 – This was the day that our road trip began. The main goal of this road trip was to go to the Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard. On the way to Oxnard, we stopped at a small but amazing zoo. While we were driving, we saw a sign for the Charles Paddock zoo, so we decided to check it out. One of my favorite things that I saw here was the flamingos, including a baby flamingo. I also really enjoyed seeing the tortoises and the tiger. I also went to the gift shop and I got some fun souvenirs. After we made it to the hotel we went swimming it was a pretty great day.

July 29- This was the opening day of the Dallas Cowboys training camp, and it was packed full of fans. It took a long time to park, and then it took a very long time to get into the event. I did enjoy the event, though it is always exciting to see people that you usually see on a screen in person. I also got a really good ice cream cone here. After taring camp we had lunch at Whole Foods. I love the Whole Foods hot bar. After lunch, we went to a Goodwill store. I did not get much here, but I did get a few things, including stickers and two Barbie nail files. At the hotel I went swimming again. I love being able to go swimming when I stay at hotels.

July 30- On this day we had plans to go parasailing but it candled due to weather. I was disappointed, but we decided to go on a trolley tour in Santa Barbra instead. We did a trolly tour and had fun exploring the city. I loved the dolphin fountain! There is a lot to see here, and I would love to come back sometime. Before going back to Oxnard, we ate at a really good Mexican restaurant. I also went swimming again!

July 31 – This was the day we went back home. We made a few stops on the way home, including a stop at another Mexican restaurant. I’m a big fan of veggie burritos!However, as I came back home, I had no idea that a major challenge would be coming my way. In my next blog post, I will tell you all about it.

Thanks for reading about my road trip adventure! – Christina Epperly

The time between two trips

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends after I got back from Las Vegas I had another trip that was coming my way however, I had some time before that next trip so I decided I would write a blog post to get more caught up with my posts. Without any further introduction, let’s get to it.

July 21 – The day after I got home from Las Vegas, I got Starbucks, but I also got some not so great news. I found out that the store I was working at was going to be closing soon. I had already been looking for another job to pick up more hours, but I knew that I had to speed up my search and find a job very quickly and knowing that was stressful.

July 22- This was a pretty good day. I went out to eat at a Mexican place, got Starbucks, and I got three Kind Joy eggs at Safeway!

July 23 – I worked this day. I was not in the best mood, so my friend came by and brought me some treats, including a beautiful rainbow cake slice. I’m truly blessed to have a very wonderful friend.

July 24 – On this day, I went to the movies. It was nice to eat popcorn and watch a movie. We saw The Sound of Freedom it was an important movie.

July 25 – On this day, I got coffee, and I got a keychain at the hardware store. It is a flip-flop key chain, and I was very happy to get it.

July 26 – The big highlight of this day was going shopping at my favorite local thrift store. I got some American Girl books, including an activity book that includes supplies to make your own greeting cards.

July 27 – Going to the candy store was the highlight of this day. I got some bubble gum cigarettes and a bunch of candy!

Thanks for reading this blog post ! – Christina Epperly

My fabulous Las Vegas vacation part 2

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list, friends! I’m excited to tell you about the second part of my Las Vegas vacation. In this post, I will talk about another bucket list item I crossed off. Our last full day in Las Vegas was packed full of adventure, and I can’t wait to tell you about it, so let’s get to it!

July 19th – On this day, we also had a lot of things planned. We started off the day by going to get tickets for the America’s Got Talent show later that night. Due to some confusion, it took longer than we thought it would. However, we ended up getting our tickets and getting on a tour bus. The tour bus dropped us off at the Mob Museum. It is an very interesting place, and I even bought the picture they took of us doing a line up. After the Mob museum, our next activity was the Madame Tussauds wax museum but of course on the way to the museum I had to stop and do some more souvenir shopping. I had been to the wax museum in New York years ago, but this was my first time at this location. I did enjoy taking pictures here, but honestly, I liked the selfie museum more. However I  was happy that we went and checked it out. After that we went had lunch before doing our next activity. Our lunch was really good. The pasta I had was wonderful.  Our next adventure was a very popular Las Vegas attraction, the gondola rides. We did the indoor ride because it was very hot outside but outdoor rides are also offered. I did enjoy this ride it was an relaxing experience. After that, I had a mission to cross use a cake vending machine off my bucket list. However, we did make a stop at this cute bath store where I got a soap that had a unicorn toy in it. Then, after that, we went back to where I had seen one of the vending machines the day before. I was so happy to cross another item off of my bucket list! When we went back to the hotel, my mom and I road the roller coaster that went around the outside of our hotel. It was a crazy ride prefect for thrill seekers. Then we all got ready for one last night in Las Vegas! The big highlight of our night was going to see the America’s got Talent show. The show was a lot of fun. It had a wide variety of acts, and I highly recommend going to see it. After the show, we went to the sky pod at the Strat, which is an amazing observation tower. The views from here were the best of the whole trip! I also got some amazing pictures from here. After the Sky Pod, we went to a store where I got some stickers and other items before we went back to our hotel.

July 20th – On this day, we woke up early to fly home. I did not want to go home. I was hoping our flight would get delayed, so we would have another day in Las Vegas. That did not happen, but at the airport while I was waiting for my Starbucks order, I went to a store nearby and got some more souvenirs to help me remember this wonderful Las Vegas vacation.  

Thanks for reading about the second part of my Las Vegas Vacation! – Christina Epperly

 

             

My fabulous Las Vegas vacation part 1

Posted on by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends! I crossed number 15 off my bucket list in July  by going Las Vegas. It was a pretty short trip but it was jammed packed with fun so I decided that it would be best to write two different post about this adventure. In my second post about this adventure I will talk about another bucket list item I crossed off. Without anymore introduction needed let’s get to part one of my Las Vegas adventure.

July 17th – This was the day that our adventure began. On this trip, I went with my mom and my friend. Our flight was in the evening. The flight went well, and after we landed, we checked in to our hotel. We stayed at New York New York. I wanted to stay at a classic Las Vegas hotel, and this one seemed like the perfect fit. I love how the room was decorated to fit the New York theme of our hotel. We had one activity planned for our first day, and that was to take a tour at the neon museum. The neon museum is full of old neon signs that used to be displayed around Las Vegas. My favorite sign was duck that I took a picture with. After the tour we went to the gift shop where I got some souvenirs  from our first adventure of the trip!

    July 18th – This day was packed full of adventure! We started out by getting Starbucks at our hotel, and then we went to the ABC store. I loved shopping there. I got some great Las Vegas souvenirs, including a much needed water bottle because Las Vegas is very hot in the summertime. Our first big activity of the day was going on the flyover ride. This ride is one of those rides that makes it feel like you are flying over some amazing places. I enjoyed going on this ride. They had a few different ride options we did the American West ride. I would like to do some of the other rides if I go back to Las Vegas. After the ride, I bought some souvenirs from the gift shop. Our second activity of the day was the Dino safari walk through adventure. I had a lot of fun walking through this attraction and taking pictures. There was a dinosaur slide that I got to go on. I also enjoyed getting to color a dinosaur coloring page. Our next activity, after that, turned out to be one of my favorite things that we did during this trip. We took a ride on the high roller observation wheel. The views from the wheel are amazing, and when it was announced that we got to the top, it was very exciting. I highly recommend going on the high roller observation wheel if you are in Las Vegas. After all of that adventure, it was time to stop for lunch. We ate at a really good Mexican restaurant. After lunch, we went to see the real flamingos that live at the Flamingo hotel. I love flamingos, and it was cool to see them in Las Vegas! The next activity I did was going to the selfie museum with my friend. I had a lot of fun taking pictures here. I especially enjoyed taking photos in the ball pit and the bathtub. After the selfie museum, I road the zip line with my mom. It was a quick ride, but it was definitely an adventure! We had already done a lot on this day, but we had another thing to do before we went back to the hotel. We went to the Eiffel Tower observation desk at the Paris hotel. It was a great way to view Las Vegas. After that, we went back to the hotel for some rest before going out again. My friend and I went to Hershey’s Chocolate World, which was located in our hotel. There were some fun things in there to take pictures with. I also bought a magnet and a chocolate bar there. After that, we all walked around a bit and looked for a cake vending machine. we didn’t find one that night, but I was determined to find one the next day.

Thank you for reading part one of my Las Vegas adventure! – Christina Epperly