It's Time!!

As some of you may know, Nik and I (and a bunch of friends) are participating in the Fight For Air climb for the American Lung Association on Saturday. I am so excited for this! I have been "training" for more than a month, and I think it will be a great time with friends, for a good cause. We are team Slingshot and we are the first to climb (9:03 am). Anyone who might be interested in coming to watch me/us finish is more than welcome to ride the elevator to the top floor and enjoy the food and music while you wait! I am only shooting for one time up. Others on the team are going for as many as 5 times. More power to them. I just want to get to the top. Lisa and I did the stair machines (me for the first time this year) on Monday, and after 55 flights I called it quits. I figure, that is almost twice what I will be climbing on Saturday, so should be good. It makes me feel good to be doing this. It is the first really physical thing I have done since finishing my treatment. It's a mile stone. I am looking forward to taking my time, and taking lots of pictures on the way up. I very much appreciate those who have donated to my cause, and I am making one final call to anyone else who might be interested in sponsoring either me or Nik. FYI- I am only $30 away from my fundraising goal!

Go Team Slingshot!!

:(

Nik just informed me that our long time friend and neighbor, Jack, passed away on Sunday. I never had a real conversation with Jack, but we talked all the time. He liked to sit in his open doorway and watch the complex. He was wheelchair bound and on oxygen most days (because of his weight, I assume), so he stayed in the complex, but he was always watching. We liked to talk when we came and went, and he always had a smile. He even made us brownies when I was diagnosed. This may not sound like much, but I always appreciated his presence. He was such a sweet man, and I will always remember him.

Huh?

Is anyone else weirded out by the Binder & Binder commercials?






**shudder**

Taxes

I did our taxes today. Everyone has been talking about the huge refunds they are getting back, and what they get to do with all the money. Well, since we did all that soldering over the last year I was expecting to owe quite a bit come tax season. I got around to doing them today, and not only did we NOT owe, but we are getting a small amount back! Huzzah! That means that the money we had been setting aside from each pay check can go directly to the "Go to Chicago" fund! No stops at the US Government! Huzzah, again! I am really looking forward to this.

Happy Birthday!

To my Dad! And my brother!


Dad's birthday is today, and Mason's was on Saturday. Being the super on-time person I am, I am just now getting around to this, and I still don't have pictures. We celebrated last night with a great ham and mashed potatoes dinner that dad made, home made bread that I brought, (but did not actually make) and a great Strawberry Boston cake (that mom bought). Dad will get his requested carrot pudding tonight for the actual birthday. After dinner we gave gifts and I once again got the t-shirt I gave Mason a size too small. Oh well. He can lose weight :). I gave Dad a t-shirt too, but I think his will fit.


Happy birthday guys!!

The 3 year itch

I am working on my third year here at the credit union. I've been here for most of my marriage, and for almost the entire time we have been at this apartment. Not long right? Barely time to get to get used to my husband, and just long enough to know where everything goes in the house.

But what of the job? Some would say that I am just getting started! 3 years? That's nothing. Others would gawk at how I could possibly stay in one place that long. I? Am somewhere in the middle. I feel very comfortable at my job. I know how most things work. And with minimal questions I can solve most problems. I am very fast and accurate at counting cash, I can usually tell what member wants to do before they finish telling me, I know the quirks of all my coworkers, I know how to work the boss, I am relied upon for the majority of the even semi-creative stuff at the branch, people ask me my opinion for things involving the branch, I can even put some faces to the names of the higher-ups I talk to over messenger and telephone. I have it made!


Except...





I'm not happy.


Most days I am frustrated by 9:30 and ready to hit someone by 10:00. The level of frustration may rise and fall, but its almost always there. Nagging me to do something different. And I hate it. This was supposed to be the job that kept me. Granted, being at a bank was not what I wanted to do with my life, but it was supposed to be where I could be til we figured out what we were doing. Or until I could get something that fit my personality better. But I was not supposed to get sick of it in less than 3 years.

I was feeling pretty bad about this, especially considering how many people out there don't have jobs, and the fact that I was not working at McDonald's. Then I talked to my mom about it. She told me that my dad had gone through the same thing his whole life. Dad confirmed this some days later. He started with high school and went through working at McDonald's (ironically), to the Navy, to 3 different "real" jobs (none lasting more than 3 years), and finally landing with the community college. He thought that would be his life-long job (ended up being around 11 years). It was what he had gone to school for and he was looking forward to influencing the next generation (guess 3 kids wasn't good enough :) ). Then after 11 years, the college screwed him over. Luckily he had been working toward another dream in the form of a home business and it was big enough to fall back on full-time. But this is not about my dad. Well, not really. The point is, I realized that I am not alone. I am not the only one that gets itchy for a change after a short period of time. Chalk it up to heredity.

I don't know what I will do about this itchy feeling. I am certainly not leaving before I find something else. But at the same time, I feel bad leaving a perfectly good job just because its not "perfect". After all, what is? I will just have to settle until I can start my own stained glass shop. Or move to St. George and work in my Aunt Julie's stained glass shop. Got a position for me Aunt Julie?

Color Quiz

I took this color quiz and here is the result. I kind of like it.

RED

You boast incredible willpower and are capable of overcoming obstacles that would normally leave others shaking in their boots. You have a penchant for colorful environments and often impress others with your energetic bursts of energy. Your interests in many areas of life often leave you scattered, but when you focus you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

Hey, guess what??? I am off early today! And I didn't know I would be!!





Now what do I do?

Nothing big

I don't really have anything to post about, but a friend just told me that no one is updating their blogs, so I figured I should. Here is an update on my life:

It all gets mixed up, but I think Friday was the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and a bunch of friends got together to watch and make cookies. I was really excited for this, mostly for the cookies. I have not made successful sugar cookies in a really long time. Granted, these were from a mix, but Dan figured out how to make them roll-able. We used my awesome cookie cutters and made some pretty awesome (and awesomely inappropriate) shapes. I made up the frosting recipe, which I have never done before, and it got rave reviews. Thanks mom! For teaching me how to make frosting!

Saturday I worked again, and it was a terrible day, so Nik bought me pizza and rented The Proposal. It was a good night. Pretty laid back. Nik offered to give me my Valentines Day gift that day, stating that it was technically "LDS Valentines Day". Um. No. I was not raised celebrating "LDS" holidays. I told him I would wait.

Sunday we went to church, then just chilled at home the rest of the day. Sorry, mom and dad, that we didn't come for dinner, but it was really great to just hang out with not obligations. There my have been other activities as well.

Monday I had off for the holiday and used it to kind of clean. I had Friday off so I did most of the cleaning that day, but you know, there is always more cleaning to do. Talina and I traded services and kept each other company while the other one cleaned. Except that I put her to work. She helped me take down my Christmas tree (judgment space ___________. Thanks Steph) and organize some of the filing I desperately needed to do. It looks much better now. I also took a nap, watched lots of TV, and played on the computer. Hey, it was my day off! That night we went to a great FHE at Lou and Ten's house. Noah gave a great lesson and we played some killer Ring-around-the-rosie. After that we went to Percy Jackson, and with a last minute decision, Lou came with us. It was a really good movie. Different from the book enough to spark discussions all the way home. But still well acted and enjoyable. Dad, I don't think you will like it. But take mom to see it anyway.

Last night, for the second night in a row, I woke up at 2am, was up for about an hour reading, and about another hour trying to get back to sleep. The first time I think it was a stomach ache brought on by too many Reeces Pieces (which is really not that many for me), but the stomach ache this morning was a mystery. I felt a little dizzy too, so of course my mind is racing about what I ate that day, and who I had been around who was sick, and if I might actually be sick....it was an anxiety fest at my house last night. I finally got back to sleep but woke up stiff from the waist down. I guess I never really relaxed after I fell asleep. Oh well. Amanda called it sleep work out.

I'm doing fine this morning though, so no worries!!







And no. I am not pregnant.

Ok, I am like 40 pages from the end of Fablehaven 4, and its killing me. I am off in 10 minutes and I may just have to go home and read.

Part-Time Plant Care Specialist

I really want this job, but alas, its part time. Someone should get it so I can live vicariously through you.

I want to make scones in my fryer. Does anyone want to do this with me?

Letter to the Editor

Dear Blog writer,

I just wanted to take a moment and express my disappointment in both the content and frequency of some of your latest posts. We used to be able to count on you for daily updates that could include anything from anecdotes from your daily life to recent pictures of family and friends. Now we are lucky to have one or two poorly written posts that may include such things as old email forwards and personal gripes about your job. I mean, if you don't like your job, get a new one! We don't need to hear about the crazies that you deal with everyday. We all have our share of crazies. Anyway, please take this letter into consideration and adjust your content accordingly.


Sincerely,


A concerned reader.

Have I mentioned how I hate working on saturdays?

Cause I do.

An open letter to credit union patrons:

Go home.

HUMOR FOR LEXOPHILES

I wondered why the baseball was
getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Police were called to a day care
where a three-year-old was
resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the guy whose
whole left side was cut off? He's
all right now.

The roundest knight at King Arthur's
round table was Sir Cumference.

The butcher backed up into the
meat grinder and got a little behind
in his work.

To write with a broken
pencil is pointless.

When fish are in schools they
sometimes take debate.

The short fortune teller who escaped
from prison was a small medium at large.

A thief who stole a calendar
got twelve months.

A thief fell and broke his leg in wet
cement. He became a hardened criminal.

Thieves who steal corn from a garden
could be charged with stalking.

We'll never run out of math teachers
because they always multiply.

When the smog lifts in
Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

The math professor went crazy with
the blackboard. He did a number on it.

Thanks!

For all the music suggestions guys! I have a few of them in CD form in the back of my car, waiting to be listened too. So far I have sampled:

Butch Walker (Sycamore Meadows),

Vampire Weekend (self titled),

Lily Allen (It's not me, it's you),

Ingrid Michaelson (Be Ok)

and am currently listening to Matt Nathanson (Some Mad Hope).

I am working on a good review for each of these albums but it is a work in progress. I will say that I have not disliked any of them so far. Vampire Weekend is its own type of music, but fun to listen too, and Lily Allen had a little more language than I like in my music, but I really like her on the radio, so its all good. If you recommended one of these artists and you think I got a bad album, let me know. I can always switch. After all, some of my favorite artists had flops. Thanks again for the recommendations, I am really enjoying all the new music.

Thank Heavens for Bloggers

I really don't know what I did to pass time before I discovered blogs. I know they have been around much longer than I have been into them. But nothing gives me more entertainment than to find a new blogger that really knows how to write. Or on the flip side, is such a horrible writer that its like a train wreck, you just can't look away!!

I have many friends and family that blog, and I love to catch up. Sometimes I can forget how long it has been since I have actually seen them, cause I know most of what is going on in their lives. I love to hear stories about the kids doing kids stuff, and see pictures of my married friends who get to travel. I don't care the length of the post. Just something that lets me know that you are there, and that you have something you thought someone might want to read. In fact, you know, I don't even care if you think someone will read it, write it anyway! Some of the best posts come from random thoughts or actions that don't seem to have a point.

I hope that others feel that way about my blog. I would like to say that I do this because I like to write, and I guess that is kind of true, I write the stuff I am interested in. But it helps immensely if that post get comments. Just a little big of validation. Something that tells me you are reading, and that you liked it. Or didn't. I'm up for debate. Heaven forbid we all have our opinions.


Anyway. Thanks for reading, and for posting, and for commenting.