What I Like About Spring

There are actually quite a few things I hate about Spring. I know you're thinking I'm crazy, but you see, I have allergies during this time of year, and they really affect my energy level. Anyway, this post is not about what I hate about Spring. It's about what I LIKE about Spring. I just need to pep myself up for this time of year, so I'm doing it by looking at the positives:

1. I've been inside all Winter, so the sun is refreshing!
2. I can begin to recreate outside by walking, hiking, playing croquet, biking, going to parks, etc.
3. Camping without freezing is feasible!
4. Flowers.
5. Movies start coming out in the theater that I want to see.
6. The outdoor vendors open, such as shave ice shacks and barbecue places.
7. I can wear sandals without freezing my toes!
8. Sometimes I take vacations in the Spring!
9. The sound of lawnmowers.
10. People seem happier in the Spring.
11. Produce seems to start to get much better in the Spring.
12. My appetite ebbs (which is bad this year, but whatever).

Ah, Spring.

Déjà vu

My life is like one extended déjà vu experience. I seem to consistently have experiences where I feel déjà vu. I've even felt it when walking in the door of my house. Of course I walk in my door basically everyday, but sometimes I just feel like that particular day I had had that day's experience before.

I also run into people all the time from earlier periods in my life. Just the other day I went to a wedding in another city, and a guy from a completely different wedding in the same building approached me and told me that I looked familiar. It didn't take too long to figure out that we had known each other fifteen years ago. FIFTEEN YEARS. The funny thing is that a lot of times this happens when I'm out of town. I'll see or run into people that I haven't seen for a long time.

I used to have a game with my siblings where we'd guess how many people we'd see that we know when we'd go on vacation. The funny thing is that I've run into people I know in places far and wide. It really is a small world, and I think it's amazing when I run into someone I know in Israel or China or wherever I am.

And since I live in the same town where I went to high school you'd think that I'd run into people from high school all the time. Well, I don't, really. There are probably some people who have lived here the whole time that I have who I haven't seen since high school. Sometimes you never hear from them again. I guess you can never tell who/when people will crop back up in your life.

Does this ever happen to you, or is it just me?

Passion

Over the course of my life I've noticed something about myself. I'm not a very passionate person. A lot of people have something that they're really into, be it sports, cooking, art, music, crafts, their occupation, other various hobbies, etc. I'm just not very passionate. In fact, in a lot of ways I'm really fickle. So maybe I enjoy bacon. But guess what? I really don't want to eat bacon all the time. I only want it sometimes. I've noticed that it's hard for people to really anticipate what I like or what I'll think. They expect me to have constant feelings or opinions about a topic, but the fact of the matter is that I just go with how I feel at the time. I reserve the right to change my mind at any minute.

Yeah, I see how this is problematic, but there are also advantages to it. While I'm not very passionate about anything, I find that I am interested in a great many things. I think that I am a good and supportive friend for other people's passions. So maybe I'm not passionate about something, but the likelihood is that I am at least interested enough to support or go along with someone else in their passion. I think that's a good thing. And it's not that I don't know myself. I do know myself. I know that I'm not passionate and that I like variety and that I like to try a great many new things.

So anyway, where I'm going with this is that I was thinking about my travel plans for this year. I have none. I am wide open here. And I'm trying to decide what type of trip I want to take. Here are some options:

1. Go someplace with a lot of history: I had a coworker one time who thought I was stupid for taking trips to Europe. He couldn't comprehend how I could possibly have fun going to old places or museums. Well, I like these types of trips. I think you learn a lot about humanity by visiting different cultures and learning about history. I still have a lot of places to go and people to meet. I think I will always enjoy this type of travel. Also, I usually think when I visit Europe that I could live there. I really could.

2. Go someplace beachy: These trips are pretty popular because you can hang out in the sun, get a tan, play around in the water, and just all around relax. I definitely enjoy the activity aspect and relaxation aspect of these types of trips, and let's face it: I could totally use a tan.

3. Go someplace to see nature: This could be seeing wildlife or seeing something awesome about the face of the earth, as is the case with National Parks, waterfalls, vegetation, and other amazing aspects of the earth. I like to see what the world has to offer. There are so many incredible things all around us, and it's fun to take hikes or walks if necessary to see it.

4. Go where the activity or event is: Sometimes there are concerts or plays that people really want to see. I have wanted to see an opera in the Sydney Opera House, and there are sporting events that I think would be really cool to see in person. There is probably something that you've always wanted to do or see that you can't do or see where you live.

5. Go to amusement parks/major tourist attractions: I find amusement parts to be amusing and enjoy visiting them on occasion. Sometimes people just like to be touristy with other tourists. This can be a real vacation because it can really take you away from reality since the idea of these places is to be unreal and to let you escape.

6. Go someplace for the food: This is totally part of the reason I went to Japan. I love going places and eating their food. It's one of my favorite parts about traveling: trying the food.

I enjoy all of these types of travel, so the question here is: which type of trip would you pick, and why? And are you a passionate person? What are you passionate about?

Ode to Esther

I get attached to people when they have been a part of my life. I also sometimes get attached to stuff that has been a part of my life for some time. I sold my car, Esther, this month, and seeing as how Esther has been a part of my life since 2003, I was quite attached to her. So, as tribute to her, here are some memories of Esther.

Love at first drive
Red display
Her breasts and love handles
Wendy's on the parking garage
Hitting ice on the freeway
Jezebel
The Grand Canyon (both rims)
Trips to Yellowstone
Trips to Zion
Trips to Bryce Canyon
Being stopped and searched in Mexico
The alien incident
Albuquerque adventures
The Land of Desolation
Driving my nephews around
Temple trips
The windows, oh, the windows
Football trips
Las Vegas
Havasupai
I-15
The 'seat enema'
Mexican powder candy
The ash tray garbage can
The jelly bracelet
A perfect view of the stars
Hoover Dam
Hiking, hiking, hiking
The horn
The CD player
Sunsets

Esther, it's been a great adventure. Thanks for all the good times.

Some Favorite Christmas Stuff

1. I think poinsettias, fake or real, are really pretty. This year my tree has a bunch of fake poinsettias as ornaments. I have some more for my stairway banister, but I haven't put them up yet. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking for some stockings to hang with the poinsettias, but I haven't found any that I love yet. I might have to make some.

2. I love Christmas bells. I love playing the bells and the chimes, and I like how pretty bells look. I really wanted to find some cute (not cheap-looking) bells to put on my tree, but I couldn't find any I loved. But, I did find a bell, similar to the one that my mom and dad have that I put on my tree. It makes me happy to be able to ring the bell when I walk by the tree.

3. I am really into Christmas music this year. A few of my favorite Christmas songs are O Holy Night, Stars Were Gleaming, O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), and Baby, It's Cold Outside. The links are to videos, but they are songs I like. If you get the giggles to videos as often as I do, you may need to not watch the videos but listen instead. Do you have favorite Christmas songs?

4. Christmas treats are so, so tasty. There's something about Christmas that just makes me fat thinking about it. I love sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, those peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses in them, almond rocha, peanut brittle, homemade caramels (which are the only kind of caramels I really like), those Lindt truffles, fruit pies, and oranges. They're so tasty. So, so tasty.

5. Christmas lights are beautiful. I've noticed that Christmas lights participation has waned a lot in the past few years in my community, but I really appreciate people who put up lights. I hope that you put up some lights somewhere, even if you're like me and you actually just decorate the inside of your house with lights so the blinds have to be open for anyone to see the lights. But seriously. Christmas lights are beautiful.

6. Snow. I love snow. It is one of the most beautiful things that nature provides. Sure, it's pretty cold and can sometimes be treacherous or deadly, but I love to look at the beautiful drifts of snow, the icicles as they hang from rooftops, and the way that they can transform even a chain-link fence into a breathtaking marvel. Snow is beautiful.

7. There is a somber and peaceful feeling about Christmas. This feeling might come from over-consumption of all the Christmas treats that causes me to feel like hibernating until the spring, but I really think part of it comes from people's hearts and minds changing and contemplating different aspects of their lives this year. Sometimes this time of year causes serious introspection, some sad and some good. Sometimes it causes people to look beyond themselves to others and seek to help those they don't know or those they do know very well. Either way, I feel like a lot of people are their better selves around this time of year. I've been a little cranky this year, but I have appreciated the infusion of good feelings this year, as well. I've noticed other people giving of themselves to help others, and that's inspiring. I also appreciate that people are so busy during this time of year doing Christmas activities that they have less time to worry about other people's faults and things that aren't important. I think busyness goes a long way to helping people find peace because I think that we as a people create our own distress most of the time.

So, I hope that during this time of year, however you celebrate, you can look around yourself at the little things that are beautiful, peaceful, and happy. I hope that you can find a way to give to the world in some small way by just doing something good for someone else. I hope that you can look at your own life and see the beauty that is already there.

The Woes of Shopping

I don't really like clothes shopping. It's like I feel like I should be able to walk into just about any store and find something that I like. Unfortunately, my body has too many variables to really make shopping an easy thing: my limbs, my shape, I hate anything at my true waist (it looks terrible), I like to be modest, I believe in comfortable shoes, I don't like any kind of brand visible on my clothing.

You can see how clothes shopping could be a difficult thing for me. I know I'm not the only girl out there who doesn't like or has a hard time shopping, so it's hard to really complain. We are all built so differently, and I'm sure it's really difficult to make clothes to fit all of the body types out there. And it's especially hard since you can't really tell who will like what styles.

Another inherent problem with this situation is that I tend to wear the same clothes all the time. For a long time. If the shirt or pants are still intact and don't have stains, I'll probably still wear them. This mentality is rough when your sisters tease you about a certain shirt monstrosity that you've been wearing for years. I have a skirt that I've been wearing for about ten years now. It's an awesome skirt because it doesn't need to be ironed. I can throw it in a bag, and it will come out looking just fine. I used to wear it with the shirt monstrosity.

Then that creates a problem for when I walk in my closet, look around and hate everything in it. If almost all of my clothes items are old, it's just depressing. Periodically, we all need something new, even if it's just one item.

Because of this problem, I have decided to trick myself. I've done it a few times without really planning it, but I think I'll start planning it. When I have to go shopping, I try to find at least one thing that I like. I usually buy more than one shirt at a time, so it has worked well with shirts. After shopping, I wear the new shirt. I feel like a new, cool person when I have the new shirt on, like my wardrobe is not nearly as pathetic as it really is. And then I wait. I don't pull out the other new shirt until I walk in my closet one day, look around and think to myself, "Ugh, I don't want to wear any of these same old shirts again today. I wish I had something new." And then, viola! I have a new shirt still in the bag! (I keep it in the bag so I can't visibly see it and count it as mine during the routine of picking out something to wear.) And then that helps my mood. I feel new and cool again, only I've used one shopping trip and made two awesome periods of time out of it, instead of expending it all at once!

So, that's what I do to curtail the woes of shopping. Do you think I'm crazy? Or do you do something similar?

Okay, so I was going to be done with this post, but I decided that I want to mention that my dislike of shopping has affected my dating life. It's amazing how guys can be really judgmental about whether a girl does or doesn't like to shop. If the guy likes to shop more than I do, I think to myself, "Yes! He is awesome! Maybe he will go shopping for me and buy me clothes that will magically fit!" But of course, that is not realistic. This is probably more what the guy is thinking, "Wow, this girl has no taste in clothes and wears the same thing all of the time. This will never work if I like shopping more than she does." It probably makes the guy feel more like a girl (or causes him to think I'm really a man) because for some reason we have adopted stereotypes as a society with regard to gender and shopping. And stores tend to reflect that stereotype because, well, have you seen the clothes section for men? There is very little variety there. The styles don't change as much as they do for women, and really, you've got a choice between collared button ups, polos, and tees. Sad. End rant.

About Me at Thirty-Three

The other day I went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant. The fortune in my cookie read "Your future looks bright." Besides reminding me of wearing sunglasses, it kind of caused me to reflect on who I am and what I like. Since I have recently celebrated a birthday, I thought I'd document some things about me, but specifically what my five senses like.

Sight:

Sometimes I like staring at other people's eyes. The other day I was staring at this lady's eyes and thinking about how cool her eyes were when she remarked that I have great eyes. I was flattered because while I like my brown eyes that have some green and orange streaks, people don't usually tell me that. Hers were blue and sparkling. I hope when I am her age (she was probably 60-something) I still have great eyes like she does.

I like bold colors, red being my favorite. I love the colors of springtime. Blossoms and other early growth can provide some great shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, etc. Springtime reintroduces different color into nature after winter's blue, white, and brown, and I love that.

As far as art goes, I like impressionist-period work, as well as photography of architecture and nature. I also like work done by my friend Tearese because I feel like her use of different colors than I would expect is striking and really emphasizes attributes of her subject.

I also like watching movies. I like a variety of movies, and I appreciate a clever script and a fresh storyline. Occasionally I really like to watch old movies because in some of those movies they spent more time doing nothing. They were slower at getting to the point. A lot of movies these days are just so fast that they forget to really tell the story. I guess I like the variety.

Hearing:

I like live music and concerts. Live music always wins. As one of my friends said tonight, "With live music, you never know what will happen." And that's true. I like to be able to hear people's different interpretations of the same piece.

I am still participating in a hand bell choir, which I really enjoy. I have always thought that bells and chimes were beautiful. When I was little, I also thought that the harp was really beautiful and wanted to learn it. I consider hand bells to be up there in beautiful sounds with harp music. I enjoy that I've learned how to play the piano, violin, and bass guitar, and I hope to learn more instruments in the future. Music is awesome. Go make some music.

I wore earrings the other day for the first time in at least a few months. I always forget to put earrings in.

Tasting:

Sometimes I bite my lips, and I now have some discoloration on my lips from having bitten off too much of my lip. It's kind of embarrassing.

I endorse electronic toothbrushes. I've been using a Sonicare toothbrush, and I really like it. The first few times I used it I almost couldn't stand it because it tickled so much, but I think I've got the hang of it so it's tolerable now. My teeth do seem like they get much cleaner with that toothbrush. I floss daily. Do you?

As far as food goes, lately I've been enjoying thai food, fresh fruits, tortillas, cheese, salsa, yogurt, citrus flavors, chicken, bacon, basil, fresh mozzarella, salads, sushi, seafood, and pies. Bacon is still my love, but I've been trying to go easy on the bacon for fear of high cholesterol. The most regular cravings I have are for seafood and pies. I regularly crave fruit pie at night.

Smell:

I've been sick this last week, and I think that I stink when I am sick, especially. I stink other times, too, but even more so when I'm sick.

I like to use nice smelling hand soap. I like Bath and Body Works hand soap, especially the kitchen lemon, country apple, and sweet pea scents. I also like their lip gloss, but the hotcakes flavor makes me want to eat my lips, which as you have already read, is bad.

I like the taste and smell of garlic and onions. I know that's weird.

Touch:

I like snuggling in my blankets. I like the feeling of it being cold outside but still being warm in a cocoon of soft and nice blankets. I do not own a Snuggie, nor do I think one is necessary. Blankets are all you need.

I decided that I like my feet massaged. This is a breakthrough for me, since I generally think feet are kind of gross. I still haven't decided to like playing footsie, though. I don't want YOUR feet touching me. Gross.

The Sense of Humor (or "sence," if you like):

That joke will never get old.

Recently I've been watching Psych. I think it's really funny. They have a lot of 80s pop culture references and a lot of guest stars from 80s movies, and I think those are delightful.

I don't audibly laugh very much anymore, even if I think something is funny. I don't know what happened to my laughter, but it's really more of a thought inside my head that goes something like this: "That is very humorous and clever!" The end. I can't really explain it. When was the last time you truly heard me laugh out loud?

So, I hope you enjoyed reading about me.

Not Inspired By Coldplay

There is something really mesmerizing about Christmas lights. The LED ones tend to kind of bother my eyes. I don't really like looking at them. The classic ones, however, are really pretty. I can easily sit around in the dark with only those Christmas lights on and just stare at them. Do you do the same thing?

My neighbors had two Christmas trees and gave me one of them. I got it late one night and was having a get-together the next day and wanted to decorate it. Since I wasn't going to go to the store, I just scrounged around my house to find decorations. I had two strands of white lights, two bolts of white and silver ribbon, some olive wood ornaments which I hung with scraps of small ribbon. I only had enough ribbon for eight of them. I had four ornaments that had been gifted to me during various Christmas seasons, a random starry piece of string, some reused gold and white ribbon (for the star), and a red ribbon.

I was also given 12 rolls of green and red paper that have Christmas stories on them. I chose to stick those in the tree. I also got the excess silver material from a dress I just altered and wrapped it around the base for the skirt.

The result? Well, it looks like I threw it together, which I did. But the interesting thing is that I don't care, as long as I have those white lights on the tree. Enough white lights can make the tree appear beautiful, almost no matter what else is on it. And when I leave my blinds open, it looks great from the parking lot.

So basically, lights are awesome. I love them. Come sit in the dark and look at the lights with me. You'll love it. And besides, friends can listen to endless love in the dark.

2010! It Only Happens Once! For a Year!

Happy new year. I used up all of my exclamation points on the title, so that's why it doesn't seem exciting.

But it is exciting. I started this year in another country. I soon remedied my ways and came back to the U.S., which is really the best place to be in the world. And especially this little spot called "my bed." It's quite comfortable, warm, and cozy. You should try it sometime.

Or maybe not.

Also, remember that post where I said that my pining to receive for Christmas was a blender, a toaster, or a hand-mixer? Well, I got a blender. My brother got me a blender. Yay. Also, I got a toaster, which makes it even better. Two of my pinings. It just doesn't have the same effect without the exclamation points.

Also, the movie review is coming. Sometime.

Yes, I Moved

It's funny how you can start the new year with no plans to change much at all. I had just decided to not buy a townhouse in December and was settling on living in my parents' house while they served a mission, but then... well, here I am. I moved last week into a basement apartment with two university-attending gals. In fact, the university is less than a block away. Weird. I don't go there, but I have one of the sweetest locations if I were to attend this school.

Stats with regard to my moving out:

1. I finally get to use that quilt that I made in Young Women.
2. I have a mini-fridge in my room.
3. I broke out the refrigerator conversation magnets.
4. I took out my lava lamp to enjoy its groovy glow, but it didn't actually work!
5. I have set my alarm for 7 pm twice since I've moved here.
6. I scrape every time I leave the driveway.
7. I am okay with bare walls.
8. My sister who moved into the house in my place was very kind to give and loan me lots of stuff, which saved me from a considerable amount of shopping. I appreciate that a lot.
9. My goal is to spend $50 or less on groceries each month. For March and April. Then I'll re-evaluate.
10. My life is not very different now from what it was before I moved.
11. I feel that the hanging bar in my closet is about a foot too high. And I'm tallish! (5'9")
12. My new bed suffices. It can never--nothing can ever replace my former bed, but it suffices.
13. I have too much crap, moving stinks, and family and friends who help are awesome.
14. I miss having a sewing machine available. Not that I used it much, but ... it's nice to have.
15. I totally miss the piano.
16. I should buy a keyboard.
17. No, my old room isn't clean yet.
18. Neither is my bathroom.
19. No, I didn't bring my crazy pajama pants.
20. I might still.
21. I am trying to follow Dub's example by having a dish that is constantly supplied with tasty chocolate candies.
22. The current dish contains Reeses Eggs. They are delicioso!
23. I filled an entire huge box with just my DVDs. I have too many DVDs!
24. Bathroom sinks without drawers should be against code.
25. This place has spiders.
26. I hate spiders.
27. I'm moving out before the Fall.
28. I don't know where I'll go.
29. I'll worry about that later.
30. Thanks for making it this far.

Regarding Hair

Some of you have known me for quite some time. And some of you may have noticed that I don't really change my hair that often. In fact, it's been since... like, middle school since I've had any real difference in hairdo. Yeah, I know. I am totally hair-challenged. Anyway, there is a reader of this blog named Emily, and she has a cosmetology license (and is a great cook!). And I asked her what I can do to get my hair to grow longer. You see, I want to give it to Locks of Love, but I don't really want to end up with really short hair when I do it. But, my hair isn't really growing any longer than, well, where it is now. Anyway, she addressed my question, so I'm going to send you to her blog. And you can ask her questions, too. If you want.

That's all for today. I'll try to blog again really soon. But no promises.

Living Alone

I know that I don't actually live alone, but I have been pondering the pros and cons of living alone a little bit lately. And since I did a post on living with one's parents, I thought I should do one about the pros and cons of living alone.

Cons

• When you're sick, you have to make your own chicken noodle soup
• If the plants are to survive, you are the one responsible
• It's kind of annoying to cook for one person
• You have to get the mail everyday
• Even if you're sick, you still have to shovel your driveway
• Sometimes it's lonely
• You are in charge of everything yourself
• All food offerings of Christmas have to be devoured by you... or regifted
• When all the Christmas decorations are up at your house, you have nobody to sit and appreciate it with
• The house is all dark and foreboding when you get home at night
• You can't use other people as an excuse if you don't want to do something at your house
• Nobody has dinner waiting for you when you get home
• There is nobody waiting for you who is excited to see you when you get home
• There is no automatic social life at home

Pros

• You can blast the radio, play the piano, and otherwise be loud at night without disturbing anyone else
• You can use the washer and dryer anytime
• You can pick whatever you want to have to eat for whatever meal
• If you put something somewhere, it stays there until you move it
• The thermostat gets set where you want it to be
• It's easy to be by yourself if you want to be
• You are in charge of everything yourself
• No need to worry about cleaning up after anyone else
• You get to choose what to eat when people give you Christmas food offerings
• Your friends are more likely to come over
• You don't need to make time to give sufficient attention to your roommates
• Ability to sleep where ever you want
• You get your own bathroom(s)
• An automatic social life at home

Do you guys have anything to add?

Warnser's List (Blog Exchange)

Thanks to Warnser for participating in this little blog exchange. I'm really glad he picked this topic. Enjoy!

My List (by Warnser)

A while ago Cardine wrote two really cool blogs based on a list that she wrote many years ago about the things that she wanted to accomplish. I imagine I've written a list or two like that myself. I'm pretty sure that if I still had one of those lists, a lot of the things that I have done would not have been on my list. When Cardine asked if I wanted to do a little blog exchange, I decided to share my list. Here are the things that would probably never have been on my list, and a few things that I would still like to add to it.

'Are you a pole vaulter?' 'No, I'm German, but how did you know my name was Walter?' It's true. In high school I actually vaulted for our track team. I was probaly as surprised by this as anybody, but it was cool. There's nothing like taking a really long stick, jamming it into the ground, and throwing yourself as high in the air as you possibly can. Eleven feet seven inches: that's as far as I possibly could.

Greece! I really like Greece. You might even say I'm a bit obsessed. I haven't always been this way, but then again, I didn't always know that I would spend the better part of two years of my life there.

Can I please speak with my lawyer? For a long time in Greece it was illegal to actively seek religious converts. So it was not exactly a surprise when a few of my friends and I got arrested. I admit I was kind of pleased by the whole thing. I mean, when else would I ever get the chance to spend some quality time in jail?

Wait! You're not the pastor? I went to Greece with purely religious motives, but I never expected to give a lecture in someone else's church. Then one day it happened; a priest stopped my companion and I and invited us as guest lecturers. Imagine my surprise when we walked into a packed house! There must have been a hundred ladies all waiting to hear us. It was a really good discussion, even if they didn't invite us because of the message.

Knock! Knock! When I got back from Greece I decided to join a summer sales program. I'm not sorry that I did, but I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I am a pretty lousy salesperson. I got better, but it wasn't exactly my dream job.

Go for the Gold. It seems like everyone dreams of one day competing in the Olympics, but that never seemed very likely to me. At best, I thought I might be able to go see them sometime. I never thought I would work for them! When the winter Olympics came to Salt Lake, I saw the opportunity, and I jumped right in. All I can say is 'It was so worth it!'

What's that sound? There is a place in the lower part of Tennessee that is unusual at best. You hike down into this cave, and then you tunnel into the mountain about a mile or so. Suddenly, you hear something and you feel something; it's wet. You look around, but you can't see. And then they flip the switch. It's one of the most impressive waterfalls you've ever seen, and it's inside the mountain. I never even dreamed of such a thing.

Action! ...and cut! So once upon a time some friends of mine decided to make a movie, a real movie... with a plot and a script and everything. Well, almost immediately I knew I wanted in. We had a really cool crew, and some of the cast were pretty fun too. And we spent many a late night at Cardine's house reviewing the footage. It was a lot of fun. Hey Cash, how is it?

Okay those are the things that were beyond my imagination. Here are a few of the things that are not or, in other words, the things that are still on the list:

• Have a talk with Warren Buffett
• Own a waterfall (not a big one, any size will work)
• Write a book
• Be on TV... maybe for my book
• Surprise someone with... well, I can't tell you or it wouldn't be a surprise
• Map out and learn all the constellations
• Go hang gliding

There's a lot of adventure out there to be had.

The Little Things

I didn't get a ton of sleep last night, so I've had one of those days where I feel a little psycho. I am more easily bored, annoyed, excited, sad, happy... well, just more of whatever. My attention span is smaller than normal, and I really just want to sleep.

So, I just need to relax. And then I started thinking about all of the things that help me relax. So, here are some of the things that I thought about, in no particular order:

- Cuddling close to blankets and sheets
- Naps/sleep, in general
- When people play with my hair
- A cocoa-smelling cream that I put on my legs after I shave them
- My cocoa-smelling lotion
- Swimming
- Hot tubs
- Hand and arm massages
- Non-busy vacations
- Star gazing
- Good music
- Foot massages, pedicures, or anything dealing with my feet
- A good game of volleyball
- Talking with good friends
- Cooking for fun
- Back massages
- When people read aloud to me
- Driving long distances
- Listening to general conference
- Bougatsa
- Accomplishing a difficult or stressful task
- Lying in a sunbeam
- Listening to friends' stories
- Picnics on the lawn
- Croquet
- Playing the piano for fun
- Making snow angels
- Shrimp coconut curma
- The gentle rock of a ship at sea
- A good, long laugh
- Ultimate strength games
- A long shower
- Listening to someone practice the guitar
- Sitting/hanging upside down
- Smelling flowers
- Closing my eyes and letting the wind whip around me
- Good news
- A good rain
- Massaman curry
- Sitting around doing nothing on a Saturday morning in my pajamas
- Seeing someone smile at me warmly
- Forming crop circles in the carpet
- A clean bathroom
- A gentle touch
- The smell of bacon cooking
- The smell of cooking, especially baking, in general
- A cathartic cry
- Museums
- Symphonies
- Handel's Messiah
- Watching the leaves fall
- Sweet relief
- That daily moment when I blow my hair dry and read scriptures
- Thinking
- Hugs
- Golf
- Going in a hot air balloon
- Dancing
- Singing
- Being alone, especially in nature
- Other stuff

What helps you to relax?

Bits of What I'm Doing

I don't really know what to say tonight, so maybe I'll just update you on what I'm really doing.

So, today I got up pretty late. I hurried over to work, and attempted to get some work done before I delivered dictionaries to third graders at an elementary school. This is just a side note to say that 8 - 10 year-olds are totally my favorite ages. I think it's something about my own maturity, but I just get along with them really well. We liked each other, but I also gave them free stuff, so ... yeah, everyone loves free stuff.

I also went and ate at a restaurant in town that I had never tried. They make Southwest wraps. It was tasty, but nothing really special. I could go there again, but I am trying to limit my restaurant patronage.

We also celebrated my coworker's birthday today. We had angel food cake. We also celebrated a different coworker's last week. Maybe it would make sense to combine them, but we all know that wouldn't work. (The Office, anyone?)

I got my hair trimmed today. I was really close to chopping it for the locks of love, but then I wasn't mentally prepared for it, so I said no. Whew! But, I am loving it. I love hair cutting day. My hair ends up so soft and the ends are so straight and non-split. Loving it.

I had band practice, too. It was so much fun for me, even though technically I suck still, but ... well, I'm learning. My fingertips feel so raw. I need to practice by myself. We are learning new songs, and I am behind the learning curve.

My visiting teachers came over and brought me cinnamon rolls. We talked of cool things, such as the Heroes premiere. I have theories.

These cool girls who sometimes read my blog and never comment (I'm looking at you, Emily) invited me to their house tonight for some food. It was lasagna night. The lasagna was so tasty! I also had bread sticks and the filling from twice-baked potatoes. Mmmmmm... I am so blessed. So blessed. Also, good conversation. What was decided in the conversation? Free dates are good. Expensive dates are bad. Going stargazing is awesome! Flowers are pretty. We like males. Flirting is fun. Leading on is bad. A date is not a committment. People have varying tolerance levels or desires for romance.

And here I am blogging. Ah, what a day!

The Goals I Met

Here are the other half of the goals that I made six years ago, only these are the ones that I accomplished. You'll see how I choose some really simple goals. Also, be thinking of some good easy goals that I can make in the future. Or just tell me some of yours. I might want to do it, too!

- Get to sleep by 10:30 on a weekend
- Drive a BMW
- Ride a motorcycle
- Play 9 holes of golf (non-business-related)
- Build a fire outside
- Burn a mix CD from my computer (he, this really dates the list)
- Make a website (here you are!)
- Pass an exam
- Read the Chronicles of Narnia
- Make a good scrapbook
- Make a craft and like it
- Learn how to play the harp or guitar
- Get my nails or toenails done
- Own a leather jacket, skirt, or pants
- Buy a DVD player (I have two now)
- Own a computer (typing on it right now)
- Purchase an automobile
- Go to the dollar store
- Go to every restaurant in town
- Go to a movie by myself
- Go horseback riding and not feel scared (horses scared me)
- Be on TV
- Be an extra in a movie
- Go to a water park
- Go snorkeling
- Go scuba diving
- Go to the Grand Canyon
- Go to Las Vegas for fun and come back the same day
- Go to Europe
- Go to South America
- See a Neil Simon Festival play

I also kicked off the list naming a star or having a star named after me.

So, thanks if you ever took part in any of these goals that were accomplished! I've had so much fun doing all of this stuff. Yay for goals! Must make more.

Also, I am unofficially going to try to blog everyday this week. Just to see if I can/do.

List of Goals

About 6 years ago, probably, I sat down and brainstormed a list of things that I wanted to do someday. It was a goal list of sorts. It had 64 items on it that I wanted to do in both the short term and long term. I will now, for your pleasure, embarrass myself by listing the stuff that I have not yet accomplished:

- Read an entire Ensign
- Eat brains
- Build a kite & fly it
- Learn how to knit
- Learn how to crochet
- Learn how to weave
- Be able to play all of the hymns well
- Make the shot in pool where there's four balls that go in different pockets
- Get above 150 points in bowling (I may have actually done this one; I can't remember)
- Try on lace-up pants (preferably leather)
- Go on a walk with my sweetie's hand in my back pocket & mine in theirs (yes, totally awkward)
- Make out at the 'C'
- Become a "True T-bird"
- Own a widescreen TV
- Own a house
- Do the Zion Challenge at Grandee's (it's possible that I participated in this; it seems familiar)
- Eat by myself at a restaurant
- Go to the birthday ball and dance
- Do endowments in another language (preferably Spanish)
- Go latin dancing
- Go to an NBA game
- Go to a Monday Night Football game
- Go on The Price Is Right
- Take a hula class
- Go surfing
- Go to all 50 states (I still lack Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Hawaii, Rhode Island)
- Go to Africa
- Go to Jerusalem
- Go to Australia
- Get up and walk the treadmill before work for a whole week (a lofty goal I still haven't met)
- Go sky diving
-Go bunjee jumping

Those last two I feel less and less passionate about everyday. I think I need to add some more worthy goals and pick a couple to accomplish soon. I don't look at the list very often, but every time I do, I get to cross some more stuff off! Somehow writing them down has helped me to stay interested in accomplishing these goals. But seriously. I need more good ones.

Just When You Think You Know Yourself

I have felt a little overwhelmed the last couple of weekends. I have a hard time saying no to doing things that I want to do, so I frequently end up with too many activities planned. Over a week ago dub came to visit with some friends. I hung out with them and went to some plays and somehow fit in camping with other friends. I was sleep-deprived and a little crazy, but it was fun. And I'm glad that I did it.

After they left town, somehow I ended up inviting a random guy to live in our basement for a week. I didn't really know him, but he was friends with my friends and had been staying in a tent, so I found myself saying the words that caused him to stay at the house.

He moved out today, and banana arrived tonight with her family and in-laws. I ended up spending some time cleaning up around the house a little before they got here. Back when I was 19 and all of my family abandoned me at the house, I used to get a little homesick. And when I missed everyone, I would vacuum. I did it frequently enough that my friend "Jay" used to come over to the house, check the carpets and ask me if I had been feeling homesick again if the carpets looked freshly vacuumed.

Whoa, tangent. Anyway, so when I was cleaning the bathroom tonight, I got to thinking again. I always think that I really like to spend time alone. I like it when I am busy, but it's so refreshing to just watch movies or blog or have some good alone reading time. But then I discovered tonight that I missed my basement-dwelling roommate. And I thought, "WHAT!?!" It was quite the shocking discovery for me. Why in the world would I miss the random guy from my basement? Well, first of all, he was nice. Second, we had good conversations and fun times. Third, I found that even when I got home at midnight or somewhere around there, it was pleasant for me to either have someone here to talk to or to have someone come home that I could look forward to seeing before I went to bed.

Shocking. Very shocking. Now, granted, this past weekend I only ended up getting six hours of sleep in two nights. That is not enough sleep for me to be a rational being. So, on one of those nights when we were talking until the wee hours of the morning, I discussed things that I wouldn't normally discuss with someone I don't know very well. I am usually way more shy and/or closed off to someone that I don't know, but I've found that I become a little irrational and different when I don't get enough sleep. So, because that happened, I guess I started to feel more comfortable around him more quickly than I normally would around a person.

Okay, upon re-reading this, it makes it sound like maybe I'm crushing on this guy, but that's not what I'm saying. What I learned is that I like having someone to come home to. Someone, you know, besides my parents (although they're great, too). And it doesn't even have to be a husband or anything. Just someone who is my friend and who I enjoy talking to. I guess I never made the connection with my siblings because I really enjoy it when they visit, anyway. But it makes sense. I mean, what with the midnight cheese parties we would have in the kitchen or the excellent bathroom talks... I guess I just never really thought about how much I love that.

So, yeah. Maybe I wouldn't feel like I'm selling my soul if I get roommates someday. Maybe I could handle being married to someone. I was always worried about the whole sharing-a-house-with-the-same-person-all-the-time thing. I always thought I would need way more alone time than what a normal married person should have. I guess I was wrong about myself. Heh.

Scanning Fiend Reprise

Well, since the scanning was popular last time, I'll keep it up. And maybe you won't think these are as funny as I do, but I think they're great. My sister Cash made me some excellent politically correct Old Maid cards for my birthday this year. When we played Old Maid with our nieces earlier this year, we weren't huge fans of the stereotypical personas of the old Old Maid cards. So, an idea was born. Maybe some of you have been lucky enough to play with these cards.

Yippee!

I am afraid of her:

Awww... how cuddly:

Good when they're hot; good when they're cold!
Good when they're fresh; good when they're old!

I could totally crush on this guy:

Right on, Sherry. Right on.

Legend of Rock:

Maybe her horse is named Charlie:

Not even Johnny Lingo could do this:

This one's for you, banana:

This one reminds me of "The Village:"

I don't think I could behave vigilante-esque in that. The nylons have to get in the way:

Those curly fries look really good:

Does he look like Adam Sandler to you?

You can tell she's a true traveler by the closed eyes:

I think there's a girl with the name of Javelin in my town. So, is this two first names?

And lastly, for the non-Mormon folk:

And for the Mormon folk:

Cardine: Scanning Fiend

Happy Monday to all my readers! Okay, so Monday usually stinks. But, despair not, for I have a treat today! Last week, I went to the baby blessing of ... Ewan's little brother. I'll have to come up with a name for him. Maybe Lou? Anyway, I was sitting next to my excellent cousin... um... Dusty when he discovered a fantastic treat in the hymnbook! Get ready. I present to you: crazy female notes from sacrament meeting! Enjoy!



I think something was missing here...












I'm not exactly sure I got the order right. It's so hard to follow. There are probably some pages missing ... or maybe my neural pathways can't follow theirs. It's hard to tell.

My best estimate at age is 19. Mr. Darcy made it in the note. Ah, that Jane Austen. I loved "freekin." That was awesome. Same with starting one word and finishing it on the next line, as in "mome-
nt." And the part where she calls her friend "narsacist." Oh, that is a jewel.

All I really know is that these are future mothers of children. Probably in just a couple years, too. And that scares me a little.