The Great Blog-off

I guess I should thank Tracy for getting me involved with the whole blogging thing. It's been fun. And, I too am shocked that I came in second place. The reasons that I'm not in first place are 1) Lore got a desk job and she has access to a computer all day at work and 2) I don't blog during the summer. The number of posts during those months are particularly low for me. But I don't regret that. There are much better things to do in the summer time than sit at a computer and rant about things to the world. So, I will proudly accept my second place ribbon.

The Biggest Loser

So, another season has come to an end. It was a great finale, yes, great! I am so glad that Michelle won. I disliked Vicky so much that if she had won I would have sworn off the show forever. It's true. I could not stand that lady. She was sneaky and mean and just low. She did, however, lose more weight than I thought she would. Good for her. But, Michelle made me proud. And, can I tell you once again how much I love Jillian? I don't know what it is about her, but she cracks me up! I love it when she yells at the contestants and they start crying. I just enjoy the show. I don't know if I would want to experience the fierceness of Jillian myself, but it's fun to watch.

So the new season starts in January. It looks like it'll be a good one. It has the biggest contestant they've ever had. I think his starting weight is like 474 pounds. Yeah...wow! It'll be good.

Tagged by Trace

Whats your Favorite brand of jeans?

Silvers for sure. But since I'm a little bit too cheap to buy them I'll go for a pair of jeans from Vanity. As long as they are sized by waist and length I'm good to go.

What is your favorite restaurant? What do you get there?

The Bombay House, hands down...Saag Paneer. So delicious, if you haven't been than you should go. Mmmm...I want some.

What is your current favorite song?

Tough question. IDK maybe the Umbrella song by that punk group. Not the original...yuck.

What's your "type"? Is that what you ended up with?

I plead the 5th on this one.

What is something unusual about you?

Ooh...when I get really excited about something I talk really fast and my voice gets all high and squeaky. It's really endearing...right?!?

How do you describe your everyday style?

As casual as possible. Pull my hair up, throw on some "business casual" clothes on a work-day. Make-up??? What's that?

What were the last three movie you saw? How were they?


Twilight, Max Payne, and The Dark Knight...I know I don't get out much.

What are your favorite TV characters?

I would have to go with some of the Office characters...don't watch much else. The contestants on the Biggest Loser don't really count as characters, do they?

What was the last book you read? How was it?

The Exceptional Student. It's a text book and it was boring!

You are asked to bring your best dish to a party, what do you make?

I go to the store and buy something...

What qualities do you find attractive in your significant other or a prospective one?

Dedication, motivation, and thinking I'm funny!

Is there a song that everytime you hear it, it reminds you of a certain memory? What is it and why?

Too many to say! I guess since it's Christmas I'll say "Wonderful Christmas Time." Yes it blows, but there are some funny memories in connection to it. I love my family!

Do you swear?

For like a week in eighth grade. Not a habit that stuck..fortunately. Just doesn't go with my personality.

What is your worst vice?

Pride...I guess.

Yeah yeah, being materialistic is bad. What is your favorite THING you own right now?

Coats...love coats!

Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi...cherry! Yum!

Beach, Mountains, Big City, Country, or Desert?

Since it's winter I'm gonna go with beaches, but I did go on a really fun hiking/camping trip this summer, so maybe mountains too.

Whats your favorite Candy?

Anything sour and non-chocolate! I love candy. Laffy Taffy is a classic that usually hits the spot.

If you could dress your significant other (or prospective mate), how would you dress them? What do they usually wear?

Probably more casual...shockingly enough. Sometimes I like him in a t-shirt and a baseball cap. Something that he hardly ever wears.

What is your favorite dessert?

Ice-cream. I could go for some Farrs peppermint stick ice-cream right about now. With or without chocolate sauce.

Whats your least favorite fashion trend?

Skinny jeans for sure. Ugh...

How much did you love doing this??

So much

Another Reason Not to Have Kids

If you haven't read Tracy's blog, you should. First I must make a disclaimer...this "list" is sarcastic. While the thought of having children terrifies me, I'm sure that I would get over that and have a few...IF I happen to get married before it's too late for such things. I think that this "list" started because there is a lot of pressure in my family to have cute kids. Not that anyone is to blame. Have you seen my nieces and nephews? They are super cute! Yes, Tracy you are mistaken, I am the aunt of the cutest kids. So, with this pressure to keep up the family tradition of cute kids and the fact that having children scares me I developed a habit of responding with, "There's another reason not to have kids," when I hear women talking about child birth, etc.

I think if there was a written list most of it would be about the pain of child birth. The rest of the list would probably be the effects of child birth. For example, one of my friends said that her nose got bigger after having children. If it's true or not, I don't know. But, my nose is plenty big as it is. I don't know if I could risk it getting bigger. On the up side, one of my young women leaders quit growing hair on her legs after having children. I guess that would be a bonus to having children, shaving is a pain. So, I guess all in all, if you ever hear me say, "there's another reason not to have kids," don't take it too literally. I'm a funny girl, I make jokes!

Twilight

For those of you who may not know, I HAVE read the books. Yes, all of them. Even the illegally released portion of "Midnight Sun." I think I went into the books expecting more than they were. They are teen-pop-trash. They are what they should be. And yes, the books are slightly better than the movie.

Tracy, I couldn't agree more with you, I HATE Bella (that's the main character for those of you that don't know). Oh and I forgot one unattractive characteristic of Edward, he's also hard as marble. Weird.

Confession

Yes, I went to see the Twilight movie. I know, I am pathetic. I do want to say that it was not my idea...sorry Michael. My friend, Michael, and I decided to go to dinner one day and then he suggested going to a movie. There's really not much good out there right now, folks. (He had already seen James Bond.) So, Twilight it was. Sorry to all those hard core fans, but that movie made me throw-up a little in my mouth. At one point I leaned over to Michael and said, "If they do one more sequence with that stupid song playing and those two characters just looking at each other, I am out of here." They did do it again, but I stuck around anyway.

That brings me to my whole Twilight confusion. Could someone please tell me what is so attractive about a "person" that is cold as ice, pale as none other, and often has big dark circles under his eyes? I don't get it. So, yes, I am totally a Jacob supporter. But...since I hate Bella, I'm glad that she ends up with the Vampire.

Not to gloat...

When I was at the gym last night, I decided to step onto the scale. Something I usually try to avoid! Since it had been a while, I was happy to see that I had lost about four pounds! I was real excited about that. So, today I decided to break out the skinny jeans (as in waist size, not the trendy skinny jeans). Yeah, you know what I mean. The ones that you try on every now and then to see how much weight you've gained. Well, I was happy to see that I fit quite comfortably into my middle-sized skinny jeans. I wore them to school today. :) When I got home from school, because I was feeling so good about myself, I decided to try on my skinnier skinny jeans. While, they are not as comfortable as the middle-sized ones, they were not half bad. I think I might wear them to work tomorrow!

A List

You can only type ONE Word! Not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers.
1. Where is your cell phone? Bag
2. Where is your significant other? Home
3. Your hair? Long
4. Your mother? Funny
5. Your father? Corny
6. Your favorite thing? Candy
7. Your dream last night? Nonexistent
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Teach
10. The room you're in? 101
11. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
12. Your fear? Roller-coasters
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Graduated
14. Where were you last night? Scott's
15. What you're not? Spontaneous
16. Muffins? Like
17. One of your wish list items? Recess
18. Where you grew up? Orem
19. The last thing you did? Read
20. What are you wearing? Shoes
21. Your TV? None
22. Your pets? Yuck!
23. Your computer? Ghetto
24. Your life? Going
25. Your mood? Tired
26. Missing someone? Sometimes
27. Your car? Red
28. Something you're not wearing? Make-up
29. Favorite store? Depends
30. Your summer? Super!
31. Like someone? Yep
32. Your favorite color? Yellow
33. When is the last time you laughed? Earlier
34. Who will retake this? Candice??

Winter is Here

Yesterday morning I actually had to brush the snow of my car before I could go to work. I know, it was a sad day. At least there was no ice-scraping involved. I would have been late for sure. Although there are some good things about the winter, it's still kind of depressing. It's so cold! It feels like I'll never be warm again. *sigh* I guess it's my own fault for living here. I'm old enough now that I could move out and far away from home if I really wanted to. Guess I shouldn't complain any more.

I forgot how heavy the bar feels the second time you try to lift it...if it's been a while. It's like when you go running for the first time after a while. It's not that bad. But the next time you go it's a whole lot more difficult.

Gotta Get Big

While getting big is certainly not one of my goals, it is for my friend. Because of this I got a gym pass again. Yay! I do like to workout and I always feel great after I've had a good workout. Shoot, I even like the soreness the next day...or two or three.

I used to be pretty good at working out regularly. Then I stopped (about 2 months before my pass expired). I decided that since I didn't use it those last two months, it wouldn't be worth it for me to renew my pass. But now that my gym-going friend is home, I got another pass. (And we got a good deal. Only about $15 a month!) It's so much easier to go to the gym when you have someone to go with.

I went yesterday for the first time in months. I am so feeling it today. On the upside, I'm not as weak as I thought I would be. For example, the first time I tried benching I think I lifted the bar (yes, only the bar...it's 45 pounds) maybe two times by myself. Yesterday I was expecting about the same, but I did probably 20 reps myself. I was proud.

Anyone wanna start a biggest loser competition again??

For Laura

Here you go, Laura. This is from the Freedom Festival in Provo...not this year, but last year. It was the 5th of July. I believe. After we went to the balloons, we went to IHOP for breakfast...perhaps the wost experience I've ever had at IHOP. Our food took forever to come out, and when we did get it, it was cold. Yeah, I guess out waiter dropped the ball on that one.

Calculus

Well, I guess the world is demanding to know why I'm happy. Ok, ok, so maybe they're not really demanding to know. But a few people asked. Let's see...here are a few reasons why I'm loving life right now. I think the main reason is that I've been doing really well at making time for personal scripture study and meaningful prayer. I know, you all thought that I was a pro at that type of thing. But, it's not true. I think, like most of you, there are times when I do really well at those things and times when I don't. I feel really stupid, because I always know I'm so much happier doing it, so why not just be dedicated all the time, right?!? Yeah, I know. It doesn't make sense.

Also, it's coming on coat season. As much as I don't love the cold, I do love my winter wardrobe. Especially the coats. So, even thought it's ten times harder to get up when it's cold outside (and in), at least I have some coat-wearing to look forward to.

My family. Yes, Shannon, we are lucky to have 5 sisters. And not just that, you all are 5 amazing sisters. So thanks for that. And, although there was some drama with one of my brothers about this time last week, it's all good now (I think). So that too contributes to my happiness.

Also, I have some really great friends. They are patient with me, and despite all my crazy, they apparently like to hang out with me. Also, they will try foreign foods when we go out to eat. What's the point of going out if you're always going to get a hamburger and fries? You can make those things better at home than a restaurant can. You've got to try some good Thai food or some exceptional Indian food! Good conversation contributes to a fun evening out too.

And finally, calculus. I don't know if you've ever been the only girl in one of your college classes, but it's kind of fun. Especially when the boys ask you for help with homework. (Don't worry, I ask them for help plenty too.) But it does make you feel like you're breaking through the generalization of 'girls aren't as good at math as boys are' when you are the only girl in a calculus class.

Oh, and yeah, it doesn't hurt that my good friend is home from his mission.

I've just been really happy lately. Well, at least the latter end of the week, I guess I should say. Just thought you might like to know. Find happiness in the little things...ultimately, life is good!

Lyrics

One of my favorite things is when you find out you've been singing a song wrong for years. I had this experience the other day. I was driving home from a friend's house and a Gin Blossoms' song came on, "Hey Jealousy." Don't laugh too hard, but I always thought the song said, "Hey Josie." I know, I was shocked when the radio announced the name of the song. And then I had a good laugh at myself. I know you've all done this before, except for maybe Tracy. I guess the way I sang it might not have made any sense, but I've never really paid enough attention to the song to know what it's actually talking about.

There are, of course, other songs that I've sung the wrong words to. I used to sing, "When you love a woman tell her that she is a woman." I know, it doesn't make sense. I think that's why I hated that song...not that I like it now. It's a stupid song, but the real lyrics are slightly better than my version. "When you love a woman tell her that she is the one."

It's been a while

I know that I've been slacking on the posting. But, I've been doing a lot of math homework and other school stuff. So you should be proud of me! Um, as you know I recently went to Denver. To read more about that trip and to see some fabulous pictures you should link over to Sandy's blog. I can't write about the same thing. Although, you will need to check the comments to hear a little bit of what she left out.

It was a great trip, and as always, difficult to get back into the swing of things. Although a mid-week vacation is pretty fun. Even if it makes you a little late to work the day after you get back. I finally got to go to Vern's Toffee House in Fort Collins. Not that cool. The toffee is good though. But I really like toffee. Yum! Other than that little excursion, my life is pretty normal. Just working and going to school and studying.

So the other day my friend and I got a movie from Redbox. I must say that I do love the convenience of that company. Rent a movie anywhere and return it anywhere...pretty ingenious whoever thought of that. Anyway, the movie we selected (not our first choice by any means) was "The Call of the Wild." About 10 minutes into the show we are realizing that it was not exactly a quality film. Word to the wise: DO NOT rent that movie. It sucked! I don't know how it got to be in a redbox anyway. I thought the box only offered quality films. Luckily it was a free rental, that movie was not even worth a dollar.

Denver

So, I'm on vacation in the middle of the week, I know I am the luckiest person in the world! Well, me and my BFF, Casey. We made plans this summer to come to Colorado to see the Counting Crows in concert. Here's the reason. Casey and I are opposites in every possible way. It's true. She loves country music...me on the other hand, not a big fan. I love Mexican food...she thinks black pepper is spicy. Despite these and many other differences, we get along famously. We served together as missionaries for 6 months. Most of you might not know, but that is a really long time to be with one companion. It was great! We got home from our missions and kept in touch and are still great friends.

Anyway, one of the few things we have in common is our love for the Counting Crows. When they came out with a new album, we were anticipating they might go on tour. They are, but they did not go to Utah. Colorado is close and I have a sister that lives here, who also loves the Counting Crows, and gets along well with Casey, so we decided to make a trip of it! Yay! We got here late last night and are flying home late Thursday night, but it's bound to be great!

One thing about taking a vacation in the middle of a work week is that it totally messes your days up. It feels like it should be a weekend to me. And, yeah, Casey loves to sleep in. Since I took my sister to work early-ish this morning, I am up with not much to do.

The Biggest Loser

So, one of my shows started last night. I don't know why, but I am hooked to The Biggest Loser. It all started last season. They are doing families this season, and already I am loving it. Although, I am a little disappointed. None of the men on the show have nasty man boobs. I mean, nothing really could compare to Jay's from last season. Yikes!

For the first time ever, one of the contestants was restricted to only a half-hour of exercise everyday. How is that possible? Well, I mean I know it's for health reasons, but all they do all day everyday is work out. He still managed to lose 17 pounds at the first weigh-in. I know a lot of that has to do with eating habits and I am sure that he spent time at least walking on the treadmill most of the day. At least I would think he could do that. Who knows?!?

I used to always like Bob the best of the trainers, but I am leaning more toward Jillean each season. I think I would love to have some time to work out with either of them for a day or a week. If anyone knows how to set that up, let me know! Happy watching to you all!

Hello Yogurt

So the other day I went to this new yogurt shop with some friends. It was good. It's kind of an interesting idea (at least I've never seen anything like it in Utah before). You pick your size and then you fill it with some yogurt (they had maybe 6 different kinds) and then your put some toppings on it and then they weigh it and you pay 38 cents per ounce.

After getting our yogurt we sat on the couches in the store to enjoy it. We were sitting in front of the yogurt dispensers and so we got to observe all the people that came into the store. This group walked in that were two big Polynesian guys and their wives. When they came into the store some other couple that was already there started chatting with them (apparently they were all friends). A little while later this other couple came in that were probably in their 50s. For some reason the wife says to me, "I think I better get in front of them," pointing at the talking Polynesians.
I agree with her thinking they might be talking for a while and I wouldn't want to wait for them either with the line moving ahead.
And then she adds, "There won't be any left when they get done."
I quickly explain to her that I thought they might be talking for a while...blah de blah.

Can you believe it? I mean who says things like that? She was talking loud enough for me to hear and we weren't that close to each other, there's no way those guys didn't hear what she said about them. I was rather appalled at her nerve or maybe her tactlessness. Just plain rude. I hope that they didn't think I was agreeing with her because I thought they would eat all the yogurt, honestly, I was just thinking they would be talking with their friends for a while. Sheesh!

Another Sign of my Age

So the other day I was working at the fabric store. I only work there about twice a month, but for some reason interesting things happen when I'm there. Anyway, we were listening to the radio station FM 100. For all of you not in Utah, it's an easy listening station. Typical listening material for fabric stores and other such places. Anyway, near the end of the day they announced a new album coming out for the band Matchbox 20. One of my favorite groups. I got excited to know that they were making a new album that would be out the beginning of next year, and then I realized that I was listening to FM 100. You may not know what this means. It means that one of my favorite groups is old people music. For real!

I Must be Old

When I take the time to think about it I realize I'm in my late twenties. However, it's not something that I think about often. Occasionally I have a wake-up call that makes me realize just how old I am. The other day I was shopping for some new school/work clothes. It's that time of year. You have to buy new outfits in the fall, it's just the way it works. Anyway, I was wanting some new slacks so I could look semi-professional when I go to work. I was becoming frustrated as I tried on pants and didn't like the way they were looking. Most of the time I can tell I won't like the pants (or any article of clothing) just by looking at it. I mean, I've lived in this body long enough to know what I'm going to like on. Anyway, as I went to yet another store I found some slacks that looked like they might work. I went to the dressing room and it turned out they fit quite well. They were long enough and not too tight.

While wearing these pants at work the other day, I realized that they are totally old-people pants. I mean, they were so not the type of pants I would normally wear. They were a "straight-leg" cut. I don't know why they are called straight, because what it really means is that they are tapered. Well, I still like them and I will still wear them, but it just made me feel really old.

Hmmm

So, Sam and I went to his friend, Kevin's, house the other day. The reason was that Kevin's wife had made Sam some salsa and Sam was wanting to get it to eat it. It was quite tasty, by the way. Nothing I love more than home-made salsa this time of year...delicious!

Anyway, while we were there Kevin pointed out this particularly fetching picture of himself. (I hope you sense the sarcasm there.) As I picked it up to look at it more closely I noticed that it was Kevin without his shirt on and shaved vertically into his chest was "I 'heart' U." Yeah, I know, sick, right?!? It made me throw-up a little in my mouth. I don't know if that was an attempt at romance, but boy-howdy, that is pathetic. I guess some girls might like that of think it's at least amusing...just not me.

A Day at Work

Well, the school year has started again, so I am back working full time. And you might think that this post is about that job, but you are so wrong. I was working at the fabric store last night. One really great thing about that job is that the store closes early (we close at 6:30). So, I locked the doors and asked my co-worker if she knew if there were any more customers in the store. Since neither of us knew if there was or was not a customer in the back I decided to go check. As I neared the back of the store I could see that someone was there. I approached the lady and asked her if she needed any help with anything.
"Oh are you closing?" she asked.
"Yeah, we are."
"Ok well...(she asked some questions about the fabric she was looking at)...let's just take this up to the front then to measure it."
"Alrighty," I respond as I reach for the bolt, to carry it up there for her.
"Oh," she starts as she is reaching toward my stomach, "are you expecting?"
After I revive from the shock this question put me in I tell her that no, I am certainly not expecting. And yes, she actually touched my stomach.
She replies, "Well, I just wouldn't want you to carry this if you were in that motherly way."

Ok folks, I know that I could stand to lose a few pounds, but for real?!? Who does that? And even if I were pregnant, I would hope that I could carry a three pound bolt of fabric...for the love! Now if you have never had the experience of being asked if you are pregnant when you are so not pregnant, let me just tell you: it's not fun. It's a little funny in hind-sight. After she left the store I told my co-worker what had happened. We had a good time thinking about what I should have said in response to her question. Here are the top four:
Number 4: I could have just hit her upside the head with the bolt I was carrying for her.
Number 3: "You could stand to lose a couple pounds yourself, ma'am."
Number 2: "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Get out now."
Number 1: "Hey listen, you're no perfect ten either!"

I guess it's good to know that my poochy stomach is at least firm. It's not just all flabbin' around.

Pictures to Appease Tracy

Who doesn't love the Bourne series??


This was part of the "studio tour," just some cool special effects.


Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...I think that's what that ride is called.

This meal was about $25

We rode the Winnie the Pooh ride...the wait was non-existent. We had just finished Splash Mountain. (I don't know why I look like I'm grimacing.)

Memory Tag

Here are the rules:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a lot or a little, just any memory you have.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave memories for you.
If you leave a memory for me I'll assume you are playing and I'll leave a memory for you. If you don't have a blog I will email you.

Goodbye Summer

Well, today was my first official day back to working full time. It wasn't a typical work day for me, but we had pre-start-of-school meetings. It was so much fun. :( I did, however, have one last hoorah for the summer. Sam and I went to California last week and got back yesterday. It was fantastic! Not one of those relaxing trips, really, but fun.

We got to California Friday night, late. We went to Universal Studios free on Saturday (thanks again, Bryce). I had never been to Universal Studios, so it was fun. Sam even got to participate in the special effects stage presentation thing. It was pretty sweet. The best part about Universal Studios is that they had these fans set up that would also spray water out. They were called "cool zones." I should have taken a picture of them. It made it way nicer to walk around the park, and they had water mists in all the lines too. It was bearable to wait for 40 minutes in the hot California sun because of those.

Monday we spent the day at Disneyland. Yay! I love that place. Disneyland did not have any cool zones, and I think that they should look into it. They really make the park-going experience so much more pleasant. I don't know if you've heard, but the small world ride is shut down. How sad is that? Sure, it's not a very fun ride, but it's classic. It's made fun of and you just have to ride it when you go to Disneyland. The reason it's shut down (as we were told from a group of kids that looked maybe 16) is because America is too fat. Apparently the boats were not meant to support so much weight and they would sink to the bottom of the shallow river that went through the castle that housed the ride, and then the boats wouldn't move. (I should take the time to actually research the reason that the ride is closed, but I like this version.) Anyway, the front is all covered up and rumor has it that they are going to change the ride completely. I think that is so sad. Come on people, if this isn't a wake-up call to the obesity problem facing this country, I don't know what is. Personally, I'm going to resolve to get in better shape. Hopefully shed a few pounds, so tragedies like this don't happen on my account.

All in all, it was a fun trip though. Other than the small world ride and space mountain being broken, Disneyland did not disappoint. The worst part, as is true for most vacations is coming home. It's been a great summer for me and I really will be glad to get back to work.

Hair

We might as well admit it right now: we all have quirks about us. If you deny it, you are just lying to yourself. Everyone else around you knows it's true. And yes, we are ALL strange too. There is no such thing as normal. With that said, I wanted to share one of my quirks.

I have some strange opinions about hair, I guess is the way to say it. I think hair has appropriate places, and when it is not in those places it is unacceptable. For example, hair should not be left in the shower, on the walls the floor or any other place that it will be seen by the next shower user. (I had some Mongolian roommates once and finding their black hair in the shower made me crazy!) Hair should not be left on the bathroom floor, counter top, or sink. It's just not okay. Clean up after yourself, please. Now, here comes the extreme part of my opinion. I really think that every human should shave their arm pits. For real. Guys, hairy arm pits are repulsive. I don't want to see it. I can accept hairy legs and arms for the boys, although if we (girls) have to shave I don't see why you get off scot-free. I won't even start to talk about hairy chests and, perhaps the worst of all, backs.

I attribute a portion of this opinion to my first real boyfriend. He was a lacrosse player and would shave his legs, because if you get a leg injury and wrap it when your legs are hairy it really hurts to pull it off, or so I'm told. At the time that I dated him he didn't play lacrosse, but I guess the shaving habit stuck. And I liked it.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime

There are some things that I really love about the summertime, and I thought I would share those with you.

• Not working 40+ hours each week
• Hanging clean laundry on the line: I think this is an acquired taste like corn tortillas with melted cheese and pickle on it. I love the crunchiness of towels and jeans after they have been line-dried. And they smell so good.
• Summer rain storms. The smell...the warm puddles to jump in. Good stuff.
• Driving with the windows down: you can't do this when it's too hot though. It's more of an evening or morning activity.
• Ultimate Frisbee. So much fun! If you're in town and want to join in a game, we play twice a week. Just let me know :)
• Running outside. I haven't done enough of this so far. Also this has to be a morning or evening activity.
• Sleeping in
• Snowie shacks: I've always loved a good snowie. Add some cream on there and it is even better. Also a good way to make a fat-free snack not so fat-free. If you haven't tried it though, you need to. Tiger's blood with cream (or ice-cream). Yum!
• Popsicles. One is definitely not enough. I love the giant otter pop types at Wal-Mart and I always eat at least two, maybe more at one time. Twin-pops are also good, classic. And I love a Big Stick, it's a yellow-orange swirled dream-come-true.
• Summer school. It's great to finish a class in half the time. Stressful, yes, but worth it.
• Swimming! Fortunately both my brothers live in condo neighborhoods that have swimming pools, so this activity is free to me. Here's a hint (for the girls reading this): being comfortable in a swimsuit has less to do with how you feel about your body, and more to do with finding a great swimsuit. It might cost more, but it's worth it to feel cute in a swimming suit.
  
• BBQs. Grilled hot dogs are good.
• Outdoor movies
• Indoor movies. Not as fun as outdoor movies, but there are always great movies that come out during the summer.

I may have missed some of my favorite things, but still, a pretty good list. I hope that you've been enjoying your summer as much as I have been enjoying mine. Take time to appreciate the small things. Life is good!

Mr. Miyagi Knew What He Was Talking About

As predicted, this summer has kept me from blogging very often...or at all. But that's a good thing, I think. I'm glad to know that I have better things to do than sit at a computer. A few weeks ago I decided to wash my car. You know, the good old fashioned way. Drive it onto the lawn and get the hose and a bucket and get to work. It was...well, hot. But afterward my car did look nice.

I went up to Sam's house, he had also washed his car. He went to extra mile though. He decided to wax his car, by hand. If you've never had this experience, I don't recommend it. We thought it would be a good idea to wax my car as well. It took so long! It's hard work to wax a car. I really think that it could be good training for fighting. I am putting a lot more stock in the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi, "Wax on. Wax off." That circular motion gives you a shoulder work out like you've never had before. It SUCKED!! (For those of you that know me, you know that working my shoulders is by far my hate-iest type of exercise. Yes, hate-iest.) Needless to say, after that fun experience, Sam and I realized that waxing two cars at the same time is not the smartest thing ever. If you do want to wax your car, get a friend to help you, but don't do their's that same day.

Raffle

So, apparently my brother decided that I am unable to make the choice of marriage on my own. Yesterday he came up with this fabulous idea...well it's funny anyway. He decided that he was going to put on a raffle to determine my future husband. He wrote the rules during church yesterday (he thought the meeting was boring, I thought it was fine).

"Any temple-worthy, non-related male can choose to enter and gets one initial ticket. Additional tickets will be added one ticket per month of dating Diana, post DTR months as determined by Diana. Diana's parents each get five tickets with the name chosen by the parent. Diana's siblings each get two tickets of their own choice. Diana's BFF, Casey Davis, also gets one ticket of her choice."

Those are the rules as set forth by John. It did provide for an entertaining dinner conversation yesterday. Since most of us were home for Father's Day, my siblings were taking a poll to see who would have the most tickets. It was amusing. Not sure when the alleged raffle is to take place. I'll keep you posted. Yeah, I guess my brother is pretty funny.

*I should give some credit to Megan. She claims the raffle was her idea. John did write the rules however.*

Summer!

So, I work in the public school system. I do love it! I love my summer break and all the other vacations I get throughout the year. This is just to let you know that I do not play on the computer near as often during the summer as I do during the school year. Thus my posts will be few and far between. That's just the way it is. If you look at my blog and get frustrated that it has not been updated, just think to yourself, "Oh well, I guess she is busy doing something fun, outside in the warm Utah summer." And then you can sit at your desk and pout because you have one of those jobs where you have to work all year 'round.

Sucks to be you.

WHAT?!?

So, I read a lot of blogs. More than I should waste my time on. I link through my friends' blogs and have found quite a few blogs of people I knew in high school. No one that I was really good friends with, just acquaintances. To me, they are interesting to read...and a little bewildering. Honestly, I CANNOT believe that there are people out there, my age, that have three or four kids. What is that?

Granted, I was never the type to get married young, but still. How is it possible that a girl my age could have a child old enough to go to kindergarten? Wow! It blows my mind. I don't feel old enough for that. I guess I am just a slow mover in life. You know, slow to marry (if that ever happens), slow to graduate college, and for sure slow to have kids.

Rain Dance

Why is it that every time I wash my car it rains the same day (or the very next day)?!? It just makes me sad. I spent all that time to wash my car for nothing. I mean it takes a lot to actually remember to buy a car wash when you gas up and then find a nice day to go through the wash, hoping you won't have to wait in line behind anyone. I guess I should start watching the weather...it might save me some heartache.

On another note...if you have not seen the new "Prince Caspian" movie, I highly reccomend it. I loved it! More than "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe."

The Pretty People of Utah

I've lived in Utah my whole life. Lately, it seems, I've heard many people comment about the attractiveness of the people that live in this state. The first time that I heard someone mention this strange phenomenon was when my friend came down to visit from Oregon. As we were eating lunch he pointed out quite a few women that he found attractive and then he said, "Everyone in Utah is pretty! Everywhere I go there are so many pretty girls! I think I'm going to have to move here."

I didn't really think much of his opinion. I mean people that I think are pretty and people that he thinks are pretty are probably not the same. The next incident was with a college professor. She had moved here from Florida, and had lived in other southern states. She taught at a junior high near Salt Lake City and then taught at the college in the afternoons/evenings. She would always comment about how all the boys and girls in her junior high classes were so beautiful. And she thought they all looked very similar as well. She talked about this on more than one occasion.

If you are an American Idol fan you may have noticed, like my friend, that there was a difference between the people they showed when David Archuleta came home and the people that were neighbors or fans of the other two contestants. Also, there are more gyms per capita in Utah than other states in the nation. I'm not saying that all people in Utah are more fit than those in other states, but it does seem to imply that they generally are thinner and fitter than others.

As I look at all of these facts and opinions of those from out of state I think, "Wow! There is a lot of pressure to be pretty here in Utah. I don't think that I am living up to that." Then I wonder to myself, "WHY am I still living in Utah?!?" I mean if I am average looking here imagine how beautiful I could be somewhere else!!

The Stinky Locker

This post is dedicated to my faithful locker buddies of 1998-1999.

This morning as the announcement came on that it was time to clean out the lockers, as tradition holds for the end of the school year, I was taken back to an experience I once had with a locker. The first day of school in my junior year one of my good friends came to pick me up, since we were planning to walk to school together. As we made the trek up to the high school we talked about our schedules and the lockers that we were assigned to. I remember the previous year I hadn't put any name down to share a locker with for the next year. I was really surprised to find that this friend and I would be sharing a locker, along with one more friend. Neither of us had put each other's name down, so we assumed that it was the third friend that had listed both of us.

We located our locker that first day and continued to use it throughout the year. The third friend never used it much, but since it was close to our trig class, which we had with another friend, she started using it as well. A few months into the school year we started noticing an unpleasant aroma every time we opened our locker. We tried to get the janitors to clean it for us, but that was fruitless. We stayed after school one day and cleaned it ourselves. Still, the stench was there. We put air fresheners in the locker (perhaps too many). People walking by would comment on the strong smell of the air fresheners when we were at our locker. Besides, it was one of those air fresheners-mixed-with-stink smells that was now protruding from our locker. Eventually we started smelling the stink during our classes too...it had spread to our text books. Nothing we tried got rid of the smell. We think something had died behind our locker or underneath it or somewhere in close proximity to it.

The best part about this stinky locker experience was that a couple years later my friend's little sister was in a trig class. Her book still carried the rotten locker stench.

My Bother's Engaged

It's true. My younger bother is engaged. It's really strange when I think about him being engaged. He's getting married in less than two months...yikes! It's not like he's too young to be married, it's just that he's my little brother (although nothing about him is actually little...unless you count his fiance).



It's just weird that my little brother is getting married. It is also strange that both of my brothers, although eight years apart, will be married in the same year. (My older brother got married in February this year.) I am happy for the addition to my family, and just want to send out a big congratulations to the happy couple.

Also a quick shout-out to Sand. Pound it for being single. Just think how good the picture will look this time around, now that the ugly brothers are out.... :)

Some People's Kids

I know that there are a lot of annoying people in the world. I am sure that I am one of them to some people some of the time. We all are. I get more annoyed from the people that think they are the exception to this rule.

The other day I was working at a school that is not normally where I work. It starts later than my normal school so I was going to have to go straight from that job to my next job and would probably be late anyway. The day came to an end and I went out to my car. When I got there, much to my dismay, there was a car parked behind me. This is not unusual, because there are always parents out there waiting to pick up their kids. They are usually nice enough to move out of the way when they see that I want to back up and leave. The great thing about this particular parent was that they had actually left the car...there was no one in it...I was stuck. Needless to say I was frustrated with this situation. I sat in my car kind of side-saddle on the front seat, reading my book, while I waited for the owner of the Ford Mustang to come move his car. When he finally did come out and get in his car I looked at him or rather I glared at him. I am sure it was a good crusty stare too. I can give good stink eye when I want to. He's just lucky I kept my mouth shut.

Dad's Birthday

Tonight I am going to some Celtic concert. I really don't know a lot about it. When I asked my dad what he wanted for his birthday he told me he would like me to go this concert with him. And I bought my own ticket too. I'm sure it will be just lovely. It's not the first time that I've been to a concert with my dad. It's one thing he really likes to do that my mom hates, so it's usually one of us kids that goes with him. In fact, we often joke that the way to get Dad to love you is to go to concerts with him, thus I am the most loved child my father has. That's right, not only have I been to more concerts with him than anyone else, I've also been to his favorite performers. Kathy Matea, Susi Boggus, Allison Krauss, etc.

Although my dad might love me more than he loves my brothers and sisters, my mom isn't so easy to win over. We (my siblings and I) think that my mom bases her favorite on the number of children we have. Since I have none, it kind of takes me out of the running. For now, Shannon has a firm grip on first place as my mom's favorite child. Don't get me wrong, I know that both my parents love us all a lot. But coming from a family of eight children we are always asking our parents who their favorite is...you think I might have learned my lesson about that question.... It's just a funny subject to talk about with my parents. They never really give us a straight answer, so we just assume and speculate about what they really think. Not quite as often as we used to though. Not since Sandy moved out of state.

Tagged

1. What book have you read recently?

I just finished "If life were Easy it wouldn't be Hard" by Sheri Dew. It was fantastic and made me want to be a better person.

2. Given the chance, what special ability/power would you like to have?

Flying, of course. Is there really any other answer?

3. List two things you have eaten today:

A. A spearmint mint

B. A cheese stick...both of which were free treats during Core testing! Yay for testing treats!

4. What's your favorite color? Why?

Yellow. I guess cause it's happy! I don't know I've just always loved it.

5. Where is the place you want to go the most?

Somewhere warm...no hot. I'm not much of a traveler so maybe California or Portland. Haven't been there in a while. I miss it.

7. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?

Literally? Yep.

8. What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Invest my money. Share with my family, fund a national recycling program.

9. Which type of person do you hate the most?

People that are insincere. I really don't like fake niceness. I'd rather not have you be nice to me if you really don't mean it.

10. What are two things on your to do list right now?

Clean my car and talk with an advisor in the math department at UVU.

11. If you have a fault, would you rather the people around you point it out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?

Whatever. I'm sure I'm already aware of it. They can tell me if they want.

12. List two jobs you have had:

Gift Wrapper and Envelope Stuffer.

13. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?

My religion.

14. Is there anything that you have done which you regret?

Sure there is...not that I want to tell you.

15. Name two of your bad habits:

Staying up late and sleeping in til the last minute possible.

16. What are your feelings about the person who tagged you?

She's nice and funny. Really a great person.

17. Who do you Tag? Why?

Suzi: to see what she says.
Tricia Flores: cause her blog is really boring and this might make it more interesting.

Instruction: Copy questions, remove answers and replace with your own answers to the list of questions. Then, tag as many people you want, at least one, and list them out in the end of your post. Notify them that they have been tagged. Enjoy getting to know those you have tagged better, unless they are bitter and decide not to play along!

Fast Food

Sadly I eat more fast food than I really want to admit. My new favorite is a spicy chicken go wrap from Wendy's. If you haven't tried it, don't! I find that I am starting to crave them. They are quite tasty. I've also tried the grilled wrap...not as good. I think that is because it has some sort of honey mustard sauce which I don't care for.

I was first introduced to the wraps by Tracy's boyfriend, Randy. She was telling me that he loves them and then he sent me a picture of one...I'm still not sure why. A couple of days after that Tracy and I were planning to have lunch together. After much deliberation (as is always the case when we are trying to decide where to eat), we settled on an old classic, Wendy's. I thought it would be a great time to try the new spicy chicken wrap. And I did. And I liked it. I ate my second one yesterday. It was delightful.

I went to the Wendy's website to find a picture of one and I also looked at the nutrition information. 320 calories for one. And you know it doesn't fill you up. Yikes! I have got to be better at packing a lunch for work and avoiding the ease of fast food.

New Links

I've decided to expand my link list (ahhh...that's a good alliteration). My sister asked me to link some of my cousins to my blog, so here you go. I don't know if I recommend them, since I've never read them myself. Hopefully that will change since I did take the time to find their blogs, and then copy the addresses and then add them to my list. I guess I love my family to do all that for one sister. :)

Spring Break

I realize that it has been a while since I have favored you with a post. I was out of town and then home for a few days and then out of town again. It was fabulous!! The worst thing about a vacation is coming back to work...yuck.

So, I went to Colorado first to visit my sister and her new baby and the rest of her family. I also have a sister living in Fort Collins that was down for the occasion. My sister's newest baby, Aubrey, was being blessed. I just want to let you know that my sisters have super cute kids! Thus, my fear of living up to those family expectations. All of my nieces and nephews are really cute. I fear I may have to adopt children, therefore having the ability to hand-pick my children and their cuteness. Anyway, it was fantastic to see those members of my family. Also, kids are funny. My seven-year-old nephew described himself as a "total weird-o." I was asking him some questions for a homework assignment. The Colorado trip was really fast. Especially considering the eight hours to get there. But it was worth it.

After being home for a few days I went to Las Vegas (this trip has actually been planned for a while). I have another sister that lives there and went to visit her during spring break. It was a fun and warm trip. That's the second worst thing about going on vacation: coming back to cold Utah. While in Vegas I ate a $7 fried cheese triangle, went to see Phantom of the Opera, played with my nieces, bought some summer clothes, watched the Belagio Fountains, went to Madam Tussuad's wax museum, watched Sam waste $20 dollars in a slot machine (so boring), and celebrated my niece's third birthday (I bought her a black baby doll...she named him baby boy). That niece turned three today and she is super funny! My favorite quote from the week is, "Kallie and Whitney and they have hair and THEY HAVE MY CABBAGE PATCH DOLL!!!" Good times!

Updates

I just thought that I would give a few updates to those that read my blog regularly...not that there are too many of you.

I am feeling much better now, thankfully. Although, I still have an unusually large amount of mucus. I'm not sure how it is possible for one to blow their nose so many times and still have stuff left to blow.

After talking with a return missionary that served in Thailand, Sam and I found the secret to good sticky rice. It's sweetened-condensed milk. I know, who would have thunk? Yummy. Still not quite perfected though.

The Counting Crows CD was good, there are some strange songs on it though. Like 1492...not a big fan of that one. It kind of scared me too, considering it is the first song on the CD. I listen to it often though.

And my computer has been behaving much better recently. It maybe loves me a little bit.

Monday Funk

So, as you may or may not know, I really don't like Mondays. They are always the worst! I hate trying to get up in the morning and I am usually EXTRA retarded on Mondays. I know...that is saying a lot, considering my normal level of retardedness.

Today I woke up feeling good, for a Monday. I was getting into my car and noticed that the sky was particularly dark. (I had decided to dress springy and wore capris and flip-flops.) I was thinking I might have chosen the wrong thing to wear, but was optimistic that the dark clouds would be blown away soon enough. Well, as I drove to work it just got worse and worse. It started raining and then it turned to hail...yuck! During the first class and a half that I interpret the hail had turned to snow. Why is it snowing on April 7th?!? That is so not cool.

Sick

I consider myself to be pretty lucky. I work in public schools and I rarely get sick. When I do get sick, I am a complete baby about it. Really, I am only talking about colds, sore throats, etc. I can't remember the last time I threw-up (knock on wood). At the first sign that I may be getting sick I run to the store and stock up on anything and everything that will help. It's interesting how when I am sick it drives all other things from my mind. I mean today is the day of the new Counting Crows album and the only reason I remembered was because I looked at my blog. Isn't that pathetic?!?

When I do get sick, there are some things that I must have. First and foremost is Puffs tissues with lotion. I am a tissue snob. It's true. I carry my own box with me wherever I go. As a little side note: What's with those cheap tissues that schools have anyway? Where do they even buy that junk? Those things are awful! I know that my nose is going to get all red and irritated anyway, so I try to help it as much as possible. I also start taking decongestants as soon as possible. I think it helps. I ensure I get my daily dose of vitamin C (although I should probably do this all the time). Last time I had a cold I did the whole zycam thing. I think it helps but I bought the kind you let dissolve in your mouth...YUCK!!! They are sick. I've also done the aribourne thing. I also thought that it helped to keep my cold to a minimal duration. All I have to say is that it nice having a real job, so when you feel like your head is going to explode you can stay home and still get paid for it.

Counting Crows

Probably my favorite band ever is the Counting Crows. It's true. Their music is just classic. They have been around forever and they are still making albums. Their newest one comes out tomorrow! I'm pretty excited about that. I think it's amazing that they have been around so long and are still going strong. Unfortunately, I have only had the opportunity to see them in concert once. It was fantastic! I thought that since they are releasing a new album they might also go on tour...and they are...with Maroon 5...but not coming to Utah. Just my luck, right?!?

I think it would be a great reason to go on a road trip. They won't be to the West until later in the year, but I am going to start planning it now!

I also love Matchbox 20 and have been to most of their concerts here in Utah, and the Rob Thomas show as well. Those were some good times. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the most recent of their shows. When I went to the Rob Thomas concert I had amazing seats! (Just because my friend and I had joined the fan-club and got to buy tickets early through that.) I think it made me a concert-snob though. If I have to sit further away than the 7th row on the floor, I don't want to go. Once you see Rob Thomas that close up, there's just no going back.

Music is good. What are your favorite groups/artists?

My Computer Hates Me...

So, my sweet new car has an auxiliary plug in it. Yeah, it's pretty cool. I thought that it would be a good time to transfer all of my CDs to my computer so I could put them on my ipod. Genius, right? Well, not really. I should have done it a long time ago, but I was lazy.

In the midst of this transfer, my itunes decides to stop working. Yeah, it's very strange, and super frustrating. I was working on it this afternoon, when it freaked out on me. I think I am going to have to restart my whole computer to get it to work again. I just don't know why my computer decided to hate me now. I've been good to it, really I have. I think it must be due to the fact that I started blogging. First Amber, then Tracy (although her computer has had issues for a while), and now me. I just hope the curse doesn't continue. Good Luck.

Sweet Thai Sticky Rice with Mango

This is my new love. Saturday night Sam and I went to Thai Chili Gardens for dinner. When we got there they sat us and then no one came to serve us. We sat there for a while...trying to decide if we just wanted to leave or complain or what. A waiter walked by, Sam stopped him, and the waiter asked, "Have you been helped yet?" We told him we hadn't and he said he would go see who our waiter was supposed to be.



He came back and said he didn't know who our waiter was supposed to be, but he would just go ahead and help us. (Yeah, we think he was supposed to be our waiter the whole time too.) They did give us a free appetizer for our trouble though. Anyway...on to the point. We ordered our food and it was good, but the best part was the dessert! We ordered some sticky rice with mango and oh-my-gosh! It was soooo good! If I wasn't so full I would have eaten another order of it by myself as well, instead I decided to get one to go.



After that delicious dessert I was determined to figure out how to make the sitcky rice dessert. Sam and I got online and found a recipe. It seemed simple enough, although we knew we would have to find an Asian market to get the right type of rice, etc. Yesterday we went to this sweet Asian market (1st Oriental Market in Orem) and found a 5 pound bag of rice for only $4 (that's as much as the dessert was at the restaurant). Yeah, we were pretty excited to try and make our own sticky rice. We tried it last night...it was our first attempt. It tasted fine, but turned out more like a rice pudding than the rice that we had at the restaurant. So, if you want to try a really good dessert, I would recommend that you go to Thai Chili Gardens on 800 North in Orem just west of State Street.

Pore Sucker

I have developed a new hobby...I guess you could call it that. A few days ago Sam and I were out shopping. We were looking for something specific and the store I thought would have it, didn't. They suggested we try Dollar Tree. So, we rushed over to Dollar Tree (it was almost nine and we assumed they would be closing soon). Although, they didn't have what we were looking for, it was an entertaining shopping trip. If you haven't been to a dollar store lately, and you have absolutely nothing better to do, you should go walk around one. It had been a while since I had been to the great edifice that is Dollar Tree.

We decided that since we were there we would walk around the store. We found a few interesting things to buy...sour nerds (a big box), these delicious sweet tart licorice rope things (they were cheaper here than other places we had bought them before), and there were other entertaining things. For example, did you know that Dollar Tree has a refrigerator section? Me neither. If you wanted you could buy some fish from the dollar store. The best thing that we bought was a pore cleaner. That's right, for only one dollar we were going to have the cleanest pores on the block!

Needless to say, the pore cleaner didn't work. But it did provide some fun for the night. When we got to my house, I opened the pore cleaner. There were some short instructions, most of which warned against over use saying the pore cleaner could cause "purple scars or spots" on your face. Let me explain. The pore cleaner was basically a handheld vacuum for your face. We did have a concern that we might get pore cleaner hickeys on our faces. To safe guard against that, Sam offered to try it on his stomach first. Once we got the pore cleaner turned on we gave it a go. It really didn't have enough suction to do anything. Mostly it just vibrated our skin. We had a few laughs over it, and then Sam tried to attack me with it. Later, when my brother came home, he also tried the pore cleaner. We were hoping he would get a face-hickey so we could tease his girlfriend, but it didn't turn out that way. All in all it was a great find. The shopping trip caused us to visit more dollar stores, and we did eventually find what we were originally looking for (thank you Honk's). And some other fun things along the way, none of which are as great as the pore sucker.

Spring Ahead!

I am so excited for the time change coming up...this weekend! I am ready for the warm weather and for the night to be light when I leave work. Everyday I work I look outside and say to my co-worker, "This is what it is going to be like at 6:00 next week." It's so great! I can't really say that I have a favorite season, but winter may be my least favorite. Although, I think it is important to have the cold to appreciate the warm. There are some good things about winter. I know that Tracy made a short list a while back...I was going to add to it, but wasn't in the blogging club at that time. So, I am going to say my favorite things about winter:

1. I LOVE coats/jackets...you have no idea unless you really know me. I have quite a collection. One down side...getting them all dry cleaned at the end of the season. I made two fabulous coat purchases this year. LOVE!!!

2. Your car is like a refrigerator...I keep a case of water bottles in my car and it's icy cold when I drink them during the winter. Sometimes they are a little too icy...

3. I like my winter shoes better than my summer shoes. Boots baby.

4. Snow is really pretty, just so long as it stays off the roads. That first snowfall really is spectacular. The world looks so white and clean. It's just nice.

5. There are long breaks from school during the winter (that means time off of work for me). I know summer vacation is longer, but the breaks during the year are really nice and refreshing.

I suppose those are my top 5 resons for liking the winter. I guess it would be nice if it could just be shorter. We've had a really harsh winter this year, something none of us are used to anymore. I am so ready for the spring!

This blog is dedicated to Tracy for telling me how to add pictures.

I am blog retarded...

Well, I've never really claimed to be tech savvy. In fact I've often said that I am computer illiterate. That fact was recently renewed as I tried to put a picture with my last post. I hear it's easy. But, I tried...and failed. It was going to be sweet too! I was going to have a picture of some pixie stixs. Since that didn't work out so well, you'll just have to imagine the picture. Awesome, right?!?

I might try again to add some pictures to my posts, after I have received some instruction from those who are more wise than me (yeah, that's basically anyone). I hope the content of my posts are enough for your entertainment.

Sugar...

For those of you that don't know, I LOVE sugar! Seriously, it is my addiction. Seriously. I tried living without it once and it was not good. I was grumpier than I usually am and it just created inner turmoil. Let me explain. It was a bet that I had going with my family, to see who could go the longest without eating sugar. Well, I have this stubborn streak in me, that is unyielding. So, there was the part of me that wanted to eat sugar and then there was the other side of me that was refusing to give in to the bet.

I lasted for about two months before the addiction took control and beat the stubborn half down. I vowed that I would never do that again. It was just not worth it. It's better to eat some sugar everyday in moderation than to go without for a couple months and then gorge on it later. So, here's my personal philosophy about sugar. The more pure it is, the better. I am not the biggest lover of chocolate. It's just not that good to me. I mean I do eat it, just not that often. I hardly ever choose to buy it either. I think a pixie stick is as close to pure sugar as you can get. Mmm...good stuff. It's not like I want to go eat sugar from the pantry or anything (although the occasional spoonful of brown sugar is delightful). I just like my candy to be super sugary, but also have a flavor.

I also love sour candy. I eat so much of it at a time that it makes my teeth hurt. Ever had that experience? It wears the enamel off your teeth and then it hurts to chew regular food, and sour candy too. It's not that fun. So, I try not to let it get to that point. Although, I've been bored at work lately and so I've eaten a lot of sugary-sour candy there. I am currently taking a break from the sour stuff. Ahh, the one true love of my life! Sugar!

AWKWARD

So, I have a funny story that I thought I would share with ya'll. The other day I went to a star raising for my boyfriend's niece at make a wish. Just a little note, if you ever have the opportunity to go to the make a wish foundation building, I highly recommend it. It's really neat. Not that I hope any of you know someone that has a reason to go to make a wish. Maybe you could do some service there. Anyway....

So one of Sam's brothers recently had twins, a boy and a girl. (They are cute babies, for those of you that really know me and wanted to know my opinion on Sam's reletives.) Everytime I see him (the brother), he is holding the baby boy. So, jokingly I said to him, "Hey, Jacob. Which one of your children do you love more?" His reply, "Both. Which do you love more Sam or your missionary?"

Where has February gone??

I must say that time does go faster the older you get. I know that when I was a kid months were not this short. Strange how that happens.

For some reason I don't feel like it's February. Perhaps that is because I took a sweet vacation at the end of January...it totally jacked up my life...at least when it comes to my sense of time. So, here are some ways this internal time change has screwed me over: One of my very good friends has a birthday in February. I was on the ball at one point and totally bought her a present at an after Christmas sale. Needless to say, her birthday came around and I totally forgot about it. I EVEN talked to her ON her birthday and did not say one thing to her about the fact that it was her birthday. For that I am deeply sorry. I hope she will forgive me for being so flaky. But wait, that's not the best part. I went to a party at her house this past weekend. We were discussing the day that she was down here (her birthday) and I said, "So were you down for some one's birthday in your family or was it just a big dinner?"
She so sweetly replies, "I was down for a birthday."
"Oh," i comment, "Who's birthday was it?"
She in turn gives me this look like I am the biggest idiot in the world...which I was. And then she says, "It was mine."
At this, I apologize profusely and repeatedly. Wow! I am retarded. That present I bought her was totally forgotten. Yeah, if you haven't had that experience, I highly recommend it. It was a good one!

Another friend's birthday is coming up and I almost did the exact same thing. Fortunately this recent experience was still weighing heavily on my mind and I was able to realize that this other birthday was nearly here. PHEW!!! That was a close one.

I am so excited for the spring, but to me it's like February was never here! Did I mention that I taught the Visiting Teaching message from January, thinking it was the right one? I basically rock!

My Obsession

Well, I must say there are many things that I am obsessed with in this life. But recently my obsession is "The Biggest Loser." That's right, folks, I am a sucker for that show. I can't really explain it. I used to love "American Idol" and watch it religiously, but that is no longer the case. I guess there is just something super appealing about watching overweight people work their butts off. It gives people like me hope. I mean, I'm not really overweight, but I could definitely lose a few pounds.

My family is strange...in more ways than one. Last year we had a sugar-free competition. We all went sugar free and whoever lasted the longest won some money from the rest of us. I must say, that sugar free is not the way for me. I did it for a couple of months, but as my closest friends and associates will verify, it makes me very grumpy to not eat sugar. What can I say? My body is addicted. This year we are having our very own biggest loser. Granted there are no requirements to weigh yourself publicly in spandex. I mean no one really wants to see that. But, we are having the challenge for about 5 months. At our first weigh-in I was in second place. Yeah, that was after the cruise where I gorged myself. I was proud.

Well, my show is on. I need to make it short. One more thing. If you do watch "The Biggest Loser," what is the deal with Jay's man-boobs??? Those are disgusting. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing those, I highly recommend that you get online and check those out. It's like a freak show. You want to look away, but something inside you won't let it happen. Enjoy!

The great catch-up

I've been receiving a lot of crap about my lack of blogging. It seems that I like to use my spare time in other ways than blogging. It's a lot harder than I initially thought to keep up on the great blog-off. I must pay my respects to the great bloggers of my day...you know who you are. It's especially difficult when you go to work and you actually have to do something! What is that, anyway?!?

Ahh...work. Now if you'd like to see some interesting things, just walk down the halls of a high school. Here are my top three pet peeves I encounter 5 days a week:

1. Why, when there are two doors out of the school, does everyone insist on going out just one of them? It creates a great hold up where you are bound to get bumped into other people...yuck.

2. PDA...was high school like that when I was younger?

3. If you think the hallways are bad, the parking lot is worse. Teenage drivers in large masses...scary!

I really do like my job. It's great. And, believe it or not I like teenagers too. Of course, like any other job there are the ups and the downs. I can't complain though. I'm paid fairly well, I have benefits, and I get time to do my homework or read a good book. Life is good.

Red Tape

So, for all of you who don't know, I work in a high school. It's a dream. Really, I do like it. It's interesting going back to high school after being graduated for more years than I want to admit. I actually appreciate the classes (I am a sign language interpreter and so I attend a variety of classes), and retain more knowledge than I did as a student.

Some of my more difficult subjects are actually interesting to me now. For instance, I was in a government class and they were learning some new vocabulary words. One of which is red tape. Do you know what it means? Well, I'm going to explain by giving a real life example:

I recently bought a new car. I am going through the process of getting it insured. I actually have to grow up a little and get my own insurance policy. I know! Outrageous. I started by calling the insurance policy my parents use. I just wanted to get a price quote and then call other places to compare prices. Friday I called the company, around 11:30 in the morning. The agent I talked to, we'll call her Linda, said she would have to call me back with a quote. No big deal.

All day Friday I was expecting a call. I never received one. So, I called back Monday to see what the deal was. You may not know this, but it takes about two days to get an insurance quote when you are getting a new policy. Yeah, I didn't believe it either. Linda, tried to tell me that since I called late Friday afternoon they didn't have the chance to get a quote for me. After telling me some more lies, which made me feel like I was talking to a used car salesman, she said she would call back the next morning. It's a bit frustrating, but I decided to hold off on expressing my feelings to Linda. I'll see if she actually does call me tomorrow morning with a price quote. Linda, wherever you are, you better make sure you do call in the morning tomorrow. I can be pretty snotty when I want to be.

It's on!!!

Well, this is my first time blogging. Really the only reason I created this blog was to compete in the competition my friends are having. I am now a part of the great blog-off! Yeah. That's right folks. Perhaps I'll write something interesting when I have a bit more time.