Aug 21

This Fall Was Made For A Love Affair

Blog No Comments »

Yes, you heard me right. This fall was made for a love affair. I’m not talking about the kind of love affair that involves anything hot and heavy – my parents read this blog, after all! Besides, I don’t believe in “hot and heavy” love affairs outside of marriage. Inside of marriage? Heck yes. In fact, I think you SHOULD have hot and heavy love affairs within your marriage. Call me crazy – I think it’d make me a little less busy on the family law front. For now though, I’m talking about my self-professed totally-appropriate-for-the-parents-to-read-about love affair. With blue. Because let me tell you, this fall is all about it.

My friend Alaska* and I went out shopping last night – I was AMAZED at how much “my” color has made an appearance in fall fashion. I mean, check this out – here, here, here and here. Or here, here, here, and here. Would you like me to keep going? I could, but I think you have enough links for the moment. If you’re dying for more, send me a message. I will send you loads of them.

Fall’s color is a deeper richer blue – like a teal/jewel tone sort of beautiful awesomeness – than my favorite bright blue summer color. It. Is. Perfect. It’s even made an appearance in two beautiful shades from OPI.** (I told you I was always looking for another blue.) Ski Teal We Drop – beautiful. I wore it yesterday. On my fingernails. I never do that. What can I say? I was feeling rebellious. And it was Friday. And I wasn’t supposed to see any judges. Of course, since I did that, you KNOW I ended up seeing a judge. It must have been a lucky color though, because I wrapped up my case from start to finish in record time. I filed it on the first floor of the courthouse and fifteen minutes later it was finished on the third floor. Pretty great, especially for something I thought would take at least a month! I wonder what kind of results I’d get if I dared to wear Yodel Me on My Cell. I think I’ll still stick to playing it rebellious on days when I don’t expect to see any judges. Or maybe I’ll just wear a blue shirt. Hey, maybe you will too. After all, it’s one of Fall’s hottest colors.

*No, that isn’t her real name… you should know the drill by now. Family members = actual names, much to their chagrin. Everyone else = safe from actual names. My friend Alaska spent her summer in Alaska. I’m sure you’re shocked. Given all the places she’s been, we could have easily named her “Beijing,” “Shanghai,” “Moscow”… I liked “Alaska.” (Like I’m always telling my siblings – if you don’t like it, write your own blog.)

**For an awesome review of the new colors, check out All Laquered Out.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • •
Jul 27

Who Needs A Stair Machine?

Blog Comments Off

Why would you want to spend time working out inside when you could wake up and work out on these? Yeah, that’s what I thought. You wouldn’t waste your time inside either. Of course, when it’s freezing, I’ll be back at Scott Fitness where there’s no contract ever, and you can start and stop as often as you like. For now, I’m on the “stopped” phase. (And no, it’s not like I get any sort of bonus for linking to their site. I just like them.) Since I’m not at Scott Fitness, over the last few days I’ve spent a LOT of time on these stairs. Forget counting how many steps I’ve taken – that’s one area the machine definitely has the advantage. I just go by the number of songs I listen to while I run up and down the stairs. It helps if I pick fast songs. I definitely would NOT recommend climbing them to Jordin Spark’s “No Air.” (My mom loves working out to that song. I will NEVER understand that.)

My running has been sporadic over the past few months. I was blaming that on my fooorever long commute, but since moving to KC three weeks ago, I still wasn’t feeling it. For some reason, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” as my alarm doesn’t help me vault out of bed. And if I don’t work out in the morning, it’s probably not happening. I am SO a morning person. Last week, I changed my alarm. Nickelback. Just about anything from their Dark Horse CD makes me jump out of bed. Problem solved, and I am back on the wagon. It’s a good thing too – I unpacked my scale this week. Of course, given that I’m taller than I thought, that number isn’t really as bad as it could be – I’m only six pounds off from the range that I give myself. Give me a month and I’ll be back on track. For now, I’m just extra bootylicious. That’s hardly a bad thing.

This morning I talked my roommate into going with me. Let’s call her Juarez – that’s where her family’s from, but it’s not her real name. (Roommates are almost family, but they get some level of protection. Come on, that’s only fair, right? Reece wishes he was my roommate.) We’ve actually got another roommate who will be joining us in a few short weeks and we can’t wait! Maybe we’ll rope her into early mornings too. It’s always more fun to run with someone else. Even when you’re not running “together.” (That wasn’t a problem today. Juarez is shorter than SixFour.)

Take a look at how beautiful it is out there in those early morning hours. Care to join us?

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • •
Jul 20

Every Girl Should Have A Girlfriend

Blog Comments Off

Before you think I’m talking about a “novia,” let me make things clear. I’m talking about an “amiga.” Sometimes Spanish is so much more convenient than English, at least when it comes to defining relationships. For those of you who aren’t Spanish speakers (hey, it’s okay Mom), “novia” means “girlfriend.” Like a romantical kind of relationship. Yes, I know “romantical” isn’t really a word. But it is in the Christensen household. “Amiga” is simply a “friend.” But the “a” at the end of it means a GIRL, aka a FEMALE friend. Okay, English/Spanish/Grammar lesson over. Thanks for indulging the geeky part of me.

Now that we’re finished with that, let me get back to the point of things. Every girl needs a girlfriend. I don’t care who you are, or what your relationship status is. (Though, thanks to facebook, I’m bound to figure that out.) You need one. Who else is going to tell you when those jeans really are NOT the best for your figure? Because if you don’t know, you’re never going to move on to the pair that makes you look fabulous. Girlfriends are where it’s at.

I had a couple girlfriends over for dinner this Sunday – LilSis and H20Lover. It was SO. Much. Fun! LilSis looks really similar to my actual sister Alisha, aka Absolutely. Gorgeous. Plus she’s younger than me. Hence the nickname LilSis. (Yes, I’m brilliant.) H20Lover is a HUGE fan of humidity. I think that’s kind of a crazy love, but since we all live in Missouri, I’d imagine it’s a better route than hating it. I mostly hate it. I am working on my attitude. Maybe if I spend enough time with H2oLover I’ll eventually espouse the virtues of humidity. (Yeah, I’m not really buying that either.) After spending an evening with them, I came up with a few reasons why girlfriends totally rock. Here you have it – add to it if you wish.

Ten Reasons Girlfriends Totally Rock

  1. If you want to try out that new recipe, you can. If it fails, there’s always microwave popcorn. For the record, the new made-up recipe was a success. But the microwave popcorn was ready, just in case!
  2. If you cook, they do the dishes. I wasn’t even expecting this one. Total BONUS.
  3. You can spend all night talking about EVERYTHING.
  4. And looking at pictures of cute men on facebook.
  5. When you walk them out and their tire’s flat, you can all laugh about it.
  6. And eat another chocolate molten cake.
  7. And call someone – because face it, changing a tire isn’t fun. Especially when you can’t even figure out how to get the spare off. (Cut us some slack – it was a pickup truck. Not anything like my little Nissan Altima.)
  8. When you get mosquito bites from being outside, someone’s got anti-itch cream in their purse.
  9. And they’ll help you get the bites on your back where you got bitten THROUGH your shirt. Stupid mosquitos.
  10. Best of all, they love you. And you love them back.
Tagged with: • • • • • • •
May 13

Just Call Me Cinderella

Blog Comments Off

You know how Cinderella turned into a pumpkin after midnight? You might not remember the story going that way, but that’s how we always told it at our house. Last night, I avoided the whole pumpkin stage and turned into a cheese ball. Well, cheese ROLL would probably be more accurate. Actually, the technical term would be “pão de queijo,” but that would only be if you speak Portuguese. And I don’t. Hence, we’re back to the whole “cheese ball” terminology. You see, I had a business debt to pay off. Remember SixFour? He helped me find my KC office back in February (when I was in a HUGE bind because the office I was supposed to move into fell through the day of the move!) and I promised to take him to (in my opinion) the BEST restaurant EVER. I finally followed through. And just so we don’t make him look bad – SixFour NEVER would have mentioned it if I hadn’t followed through. But *I* would have remembered. And felt totally guilty every single time I went without having that debt paid off. Mission accomplished. Guilty feeling gone.

I imagine most people go to Fogo de Chao for the fantastic meats. Or the great service. Or the Brazilian lemonade. I love all of those. But what I really go for are. The. Cheese. Balls. I can eat a trillion. I must have been a little off my game last night, since I only inhaled enjoyed eight. Of course, I was determined NOT to keep track. (It’s much easier to enjoy them when you don’t know how many you’re enjoying. It makes the whole calorie thing seem irrelevant.) SixFour couldn’t help himself. The minute I said not to, you can bet the econ major in him came out. I’m telling myself it was because he was trying to figure out where I put them. Whatever it was, he couldn’t help himself. Such a guy, right? Tell them not to do something and you might as well give them an invite to do it.

At any rate, my debt’s paid off. Which means I can feel free to turn into a cheese ball whenever I want, no guilt attached. That’s WAY better than a pumpkin.

Tagged with: • • • • • • •
Apr 18

Lilacs Are My Favorite Flowers

Blog 1 Comment »

Except for calla lilies. But calla lilies don’t grow out in Missouri unless they’re in a pot indoors. The last time I tried to grow them, they died. In less than a week. And that was in Las Vegas, where they’re actually SUPPOSED to grow. May the calla lilies I killed rest in peace. (Okay, confession over.) Now I just enjoy calla lilies when other people grow them. I feel a lot less guilty that way.

There IS a cool story behind my love of calla lilies. (It doesn’t involve dead ones, don’t worry!) When I was around 14, my church group had an activity for moms and daughters. The moms were asked to identify a flower that reminded them of their daughters and talk a little bit about it. My mom went above and beyond. (If you know my mom, that is no surprise.) My mom chose a calla lily for me – and she brought a beautiful silk calla lily with her, along with a whole letter about why calla lilies reminded her of me. (No, you can’t read it. Mostly because I can’t find it right now. I think it’s in an old journal somewhere.)

Anyway, back to lilacs. Of all the flowers that grow in Missouri, lilacs are my favorite. They come in the most beautiful colors, can grow as bushes or trees (and are equally gorgeous either way!), smell absolutely divine… AND I just discovered a whole bunch of them blooming in my postcard. (Notice the transition… I’m totally claiming Loose Park as “mine” now.) What a great life.

Tagged with: • • • • • •
Mar 29

I Went Running In A Postcard

Blog 2 Comments »

Today I went running in a postcard. Well, not really – but doesn’t it look like it should be one? When you’re in Loose Park, it feels like you’re miles away from the city. You’d never guess that it’s just a few minutes from my office. It was beautiful outside today (a WELCOME change from all this cold!) and since I’m thinking about a half-marathon in September, I thought it was a perfect time to get away from the treadmill and onto the pavement. Because really, who LOVES the treadmill? Certainly not yours truly. When I’ve got to exercise inside, I’m more a fan of the stairmaster – we’ve carried on a love affair for quite awhile. The treadmill and I have more of a hot-and-cold relationship. Mostly cold.

Running today made me want to create my OWN postcard property. Not this week of course. But I think one of these days (when I get that space of mine that I’m still pining for), I’m going to put together a really great running trail so that I can have a postcard in my own backyard. Or in my front yard. Or all around my whole house. A few lilac trees, lots of roses, a grapevine or two… It could be Totally. Freaking. Awesome. Oh yeah, I can see it all now. (And no Mom, I did not forget a water feature – it’s totally got to have a water feature.)

Until I’ve got my own postcard, I’ll stick to running in one of Kansas City’s. After all, it’s looking like the perfect place to steal ideas from.

Tagged with: • • • • • •
Mar 06

The Animals Came Alive

Blog 1 Comment »

Just kidding. The animals didn’t come alive – the 2.0s and I were smart enough to go to the museum during the day. (What, you’ve never seen Night at the Museum? Well, WE have and WE played it safe.)

I’ve discovered it’s easy to keep the title of “BEST SISTER EVER.” No, I did not give myself that title. I totally earned it. Just ask the little girls, who proclaimed it today. (Sorry Alisha and Jessie. I’m the oldest, and I’m likely to keep it.) Today, the rest of our family (minus Logan, who had to study, and Alisha, who is busy in Utah compiling reasons that she should NOT move to Missouri) headed to Nebraska today to attend the Winter Quarters Temple. (Alisha, you can’t count the long drive to a temple as reason number 1309 because we are getting a temple in KC. Scratch that off your list.) Once a temple’s dedicated, you need a recommend to attend it, and little kids can’t get recommends.  You can find out more about temples here or here, if you’re curious. The temple in KC will have an open house for whoever wants to come see it before it’s dedicated.

Since Sam and Cassie can’t go yet, someone had to keep an eye on them. I volunteered and we decided we’d make a girls day of it. It was SO fun! The 2.0s put together a soundtrack for our adventures (iTunes is a wonderful thing), we put it in the CD player, and we were off to Kansas City. They got to check out my new office (loved it!), went to Union Station (to pick up my mail, but they thought it was the coolest building ever), to the Nelson-Atkins (my favorite museum in KC, which is now their favorite too), and to Miller Park (where we ate the picnic they prepared and they ran around for ages). It. Was. Great.

And the whole “best sister ever”? Don’t tell the girls, but I already know who really has the title. Here’s a hint – it’s a tie between four people. Alisha, Jessie, Sam and Cassie have me all beat. For now though, I’ll claim it. After all, isn’t that the point of being the oldest?

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Feb 08

Leila Shea Law, LLC

Blog Comments Off

You probably know it already, but I’m a lawyer. Normally I wouldn’t bore you with the details (it’s not YOUR job to deal with them after all), but I’ve noticed an awful lot of people end up here when they search for “Leila Shea Law, LLC.” If you’re one of those people, welcome! You are on my personal website. My law firm’s site is at www.leilashealaw.com.  (For some reason, my blog ranks higher up in a google search than my business website.  I’m working on that.)

If you’re here visiting, let me introduce myself.* My name’s Leila Shea Christensen and I’m the owner of Leila Shea Law, LLC. I practice exclusively in family law, and I’m licensed in both Missouri and Kansas.  (I’m licensed in Nevada too, but I do all my work out here in the Midwest.) I grew up in Utah, went to Brigham Young University (for both undergrad and law school), worked in Vegas, and then moved out near Kansas City. And no, I did not get a serious case of wanderlust in order to move here – my parents and six (of seven!) siblings up and moved on me, and I finally followed them. (We’re working on getting my last sister out here, don’t worry.) Oh – and I am the oldest. My brothers and sisters will tell you that I never let them forget it. Now that I live here, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  Kansas City’s a gorgeous place and I love it. I especially love it when it’s warm – this whole freezing thing is not really me.

I’m crazy about great food, working out, salsa dancing, speaking Spanish, and making cupcakes. Reading’s one of my favorite things, and I’m always in the middle of a book. I love all sorts of music, think art museums rock, and enjoy going to movies.

My law firm’s located just a block from the Family Courthouse in Kansas City at 2526 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri 64141. Reach me at 816-471-1000 anytime.

*The “official version” of my bio can be found at www.leilashealaw.com. You’re getting the informal version if you stick around.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Jan 29

I Am Not A Computer Genius

Blog Comments Off

But my law firm site is now up! It is not perfect yet, but it’s done enough for my office move to Kansas City on Monday. Wahoo! Take a look – www.leilashealaw.com.

PS – I promise to blog more later. This weekend is full of boxes and moving. Normally, I wouldn’t plan for anyone to move their apartment AND their law office all at one time, but when you live above your office… It’s going to be a busy weekend.

Tagged with: • • • • • • •
Jan 24

A Mile in His Shoes

Blog Comments Off

Obviously, these shoes are not the same size. No, it did not take a genius to figure that out. (If you couldn’t tell, perhaps you should get your eyes checked. Just a suggestion – worth what you’re paying for it. I’m not an eye doctor after all! But I DID try and line the backs of the shoes up in this picture, though it’s not super clear. Heels are complicated sometimes.) You’ve seen one pair of these before – the black shoes are mine, and they love to go dancing. This weekend, I took them salsa dancing. It’s the first time I’ve gone salsa dancing in over 3 years. But they almost didn’t make it!

You see, my brother Logan hasn’t been to a night club EVER. When we decided to go dancing at the spur of the moment, silly me failed to check that he had the appropriate footwear and we happily took off for Kansas City. He was wearing TENNIS SHOES. Well, technically, they were futbol shoes. But whatever you want to call them (Spanish speaking shoes or not!) they got him turned away at the door. I even used my best pleading look with the bouncer. Total fail. I am out of practice!

Enter the beautiful size 15 shoes you see in the picture. (Note to you – the brown shoes are the size 15s. My black shoes are a size 6. Please. I’m 4’10″. Think about it.) After the total fail with the bouncer, I texted a friend to tell him that I. Was. Not. Happy.  (Actually, what I think I texted was “I. Am. So. Mad!”  But you get the idea.) I was sad, but I wasn’t going to buy Logan a pair of dress shoes so that we could stay and dance. My friend’s 6’4″ – I knew that there was no way he and Logan would wear the same size shoe. And they don’t. But my friend came through and saved Logan’s life. No, Logan does not wear a size 15. But these shoes worked to get into Casa Grande and I danced the night away. And Logan can now claim he’s walked a mile in my friend’s shoes…

And just so you know – I tried them on too. If you want to get specific, I went about 2 steps. Definitely not a mile. But who’s keeping track?

Tagged with: • • • • •
Previous Entries
preload preload preload