It Speaks

Moving Day!

2011-04-03T15:17:00.002-06:00

Moving day went smoothly, well, as smoothly as it can go when you are moving all of your earthly belongings across the valley. We didn't start too early both to give us a few extra hours to pack and in hopes that we would have more help if it wasn't first thing in the morning. Nik had arranged for his scouts to come over after the Scouting for Food food drive and we were lucky to have many good friends, ward members and one family member come to help us. We were on the road with the second caravan before noon.

The new house is easy to find, so I just told everyone how to get there before we left. I was really only "leading" a couple cars: my brother Jeff and my visiting teacher Maya. Maya was a huge help, by the way. She spent two days with me packing the random and last minute stuff. Well, we had just gotten on the freeway at 4500 S, I can see at least one truck with my stuff in front of me. Traffic seemed heavy, but I am not often on I-15 on a saturday morning. Just before the 5300 S exit I see a box leave a truck and promptly be hit by a car.

Now, at this point several things are going through my mind, here are a few of them:

* Oh, that sucks.

* Wait, thats my box.

* It just got hit by a car, there is stuff everywhere.

* I have to get it! It's my stuff!

* Its the freeway!!!!! I can't get it....

Last second I pull off into the "free space" the exiting lanes create and almost forget to turn off the car before I get out. I am now booking it the opposite direction of traffic toward my things, grabbing everything I can see. Among the things I see first are a pair of my new work pants, a tee shirt, a wicker basket that is now demolished, the cardboard box in several pieces, a tupperware, several papers of varying import. As I am gathering up all this I realize that my brother is now with me, also picking up everything he can see. After only a few seconds I look around and think that we've got everything and we start back to the car. I am throughly out of breath and my legs are dead (hopefully because of adrenaline, not because I am out of shape, but I don't doubt the later) so I am moving slowly. About half way back I notice something I missed on the first run. My camera. On the freeway. Smashed.

Yep. It had not only been in that box that was hit, it had been run over by a car almost immediately. I just about stopped breathing. Not really a feat at this point, but now its from shock and not exertion. But I couldn't dwell on it now, on the freeway, so we just dumped everything in the back of my car and continued on. Traffic made it so we couldn't get back on the freeway, so we exited and took state the rest of the way.

Once I knew that those behind me knew the new plan, I called my mom to tell her what happened. I would just like to point out here that my parents chose this weekend to go to St. George. I thought she was kidding when I got that text, but nope, they were really going to St. George the day I was moving into my first house. I told mom I would maybe be able to forgive them in about 10 years. It was a little less than that, but don't tell them that. Anyway, mom had the appropriate response of being horrified and shocked that that had happened. As I was relating the story and got to the part about noticing Jeff was on the road with me she suddenly exclaims "Jeff was on the freeway!?!" Thanks mom. He's fine. Oh, and your DAUGHTER is fine too.

I wish I could post a picture of it. It really is like a train wreck. You just can't turn away! But other than that, everything went great! Lots of people helped us get the house ready to move in (cleaning, painting, etc), helped organize boxes in the rooms (thanks again Jeff! And thanks Emilee for letting Spencer spend the afternoon moving our boxes. He's a great 10 year old), and helped get the boxes unpacked and put away. A big thanks to my mom who spent the better part of a day helping me unpack. One of the reasons I have forgiven her for not helping me move. Oh, that and helping me shampoo the carpets before we moved in.

We really love our new place. And would love to host anyone who wants to come see it. Just know that it is still a disaster from trying to unpack. We will certainly be having a house warming party so everyone can see it, but it will probably be when the weather is a little more stable and warm. Stupid snow.

We're Moving!

2011-03-05T16:49:00.003-07:00

This would be followed by a YAY!! And is, for the most part, but I want it on the record that we are very sad to be leaving our neighborhood. We LOVE our ward! Nik is the Scout Master and is going on 3 years in that calling. That is a good 3/4 of the time we have been in the ward. He has accomplished so many great things with those boys, and it makes us both sad that he won't be there to help them all to their Eagles. I have been teaching that same age group (the 14-18 year old youth) in Sunday School for more than a year, and, believe it or not, I LOVE my calling! I very much enjoy being able to teach the youth the Gospel. It really reminds me what I was going through at that age, and I feel privileged to be the one that brings them these stories, and answers their questions at such an important age. I love that I have life experience now that relates to the gospel. And because I was not necessarily raised in the church, and I can relate to more of my class. Some of them are from homes with only one parent active, or they are the only ones active. I love all of them. I know its cliche, but being with them has taught me so much. I will miss them all.

We connected so quickly with this ward. They loved us from the beginning, not knowing how long we would be here. In fact, we are the longest running couple in the apartments right now (just shy of 4 years). To my knowledge. We have watched so many friends come and go, it makes me feel good that we got so much time here. Please keep us up to date on the parties and such, cause you know we will come back!!

What I will not miss: My apartment. It has been home, yes, but I think it was Managements goal to make it as difficult as possible to live here. I could go on for a long time about them, but I choose not too. Just know that I am glad to have a place of my own, regardless of what it needs done to it.

So, on to the house stuff! It is in Sandy. It is near the mall. The closest grocery store is Reams. Guess which one of those I am disappointed by?......................Thats right! Reams! Yuk. That was the closest store when we lived in Cottonwood Heights too, but we had the option of a Dan's just down the road. Now I have to go like 10 minutes out of my way to get to a Harmon's. And I will. I will really miss Smith's though. I have very much enjoyed being so close to that store. Is it weird that I am sad to be leaving my grocery store?

The house is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Two fire places and a two car garage. The back yard is HUGE so yes, you can come over. Nik is excited to have a place to paint, and I am looking forward to having space to do my glass. It will be the same space so I hope we still love each other by the time this is all over :)

I will need lots of help moving though......anyone want to volunteer? We are planning to move at the end of March, but there are no guarantees cause we don't have the keys yet. Oh, and we aren't packed. Like, at all. Oh well. I am sure we will get there. Oh, hey, if you want to come help with that too?

I am willing to take any and all home-ownership advice. Also, financial advice. It is scary how broke we will be for a while. How did y'all do it?

Me too, me too!!

2011-03-03T23:02:00.002-07:00

Because I am a follower, and its a SUPER cool machine, I am here to blog about another blogs give away. The Bragging Mommy is giving away a Silhouette. If you don't know what that is, please check it out, cause, in my opinion, it blows the Cricut out of the water. And I want one!! By blogging about it, I get an extra 10 entries and I could really use them. Thanks Craft With Confidence, for letting me know about the contest! I hope one of us wins!

Just a few

2011-01-26T20:28:00.006-07:00

Here are a few picture of what I have been doing the last few months.

I almost want to make one...

2011-01-24T19:18:00.001-07:00

How About Orange's Fabric Valentine Heart's Garland

Video's from Nik's Surprise party

2010-11-30T23:19:00.004-07:00

Hopefully soon I will get the (like 4) pictures from the party up as well. In the meantime, enjoy the video!

Bragging

2010-11-06T21:52:00.002-06:00

I just have to take a moment to brag about my good (great) friend Vivian. She has always had a mild creative streak, but when she discovered what she could do with a sewing machine, she blossomed. She can make anything, I swear. What you don't believe me? Fine. But you are going to be really embarrassed when she makes that life-sized replica of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, complete with hat and all weaponry. Just sayin'.

Anyway, not long ago Vivian decided to share her talents for sewing (and general creativeness) with the blogging world. Its called Craft with Confidence. And its great. I can't saw that I think I can go out and make everything she does, but I understand what she's doing, and I know that if I had a sewing machine, I would most definitely try a few of them. And call her when I realized that I don't really know what I am doing on said machine.

After several months in the blogosphere, CwC is doing its first craft giveaway! A beautiful had made scarf perfect for the current fall weather. Please take a gander at the blog, and of course, the scarf, and enter to win yourself!

Ideas for Christmas (only partly kidding)

2010-10-22T21:58:00.001-06:00

I need a set of these:

Pantone Folding Chairs

10 Diet Myths

2010-10-19T12:54:00.001-06:00

My mom and I made a goal to go to the gym together once a week. Which so far means that we have been lucky to make it once a week. But hey, we are trying.

I got this email from www.livestrong.com, a healthy eating and exercise site that also allows you to track the foods you eat and helps monitor how many calories you consume and use in a day. I can even count my 8 hours in front of my computer (at work) as a little exercise! I really like it as a way to see what I am prone to eating, and what I am lacking in my diet. You can also track how much water you drink everyday. I was surprised to see how little it was because I have a water bottle at work and I am constantly drinking. Well, this article is about the top ten dieting myths. I was intrigued by the one about carbs, and about eating at night. Please read and enjoy!

According to Health.com, about 80 million Americans each year go on a diet, spending $40 billion annually on weight-loss aids and programs. Since dieting takes up so much of our collective consciousness, you'd think we would know everything there is to know about the facts of weight loss. Unfortunately, this isn't true--myths about dieting abound in magazines, weight-loss books and online diet sites and are interwoven into society's conventional wisdom. One of the best ways you can get on the path to real, lasting weight loss is to identify and understand the myths and misconceptions about dieting that can keep you from getting the pounds off and keeping them off.

Skipping Meals

Ask most people and they will tell you that the key to losing weight for good--and the reason why they fail at dieting again and again--is to skip as many meals as possible. Eating fewer meals is good, right? Wrong. The National Institutes of Health's Weight-Control Information Network reports that skipping meals--particularly breakfast--and eating fewer meals in the day is linked to heavier weight than people who eat small meals four or five times a day, including breakfast.

Water Will Help You Lose Weight

While drinking plenty of water daily keeps you adequately hydrated, it doesn't take the place of the nutrients in food, boost your metabolism or flush out fat. If you try to lose weight simply by drinking lots of water, your body is still going to need the energy it receives from food and you won't be able to hold that need off for long.

Never Eat After 8 p.m.

Many people firmly believe that calories consumed late in the evening turn to fat during the night while you are sleeping. According to dietitians, however, this is incorrect: your body's digestion of food and calorie usage remains the same at any time of the day or night, and energy that is stored in the evening is simply used the next day. It isn't when you eat, but what, how much and how many of the stored calories are burned off with physical activity during the day that determines weight gain or loss.

Some Foods Burn Fat

There is no food that, just by you eating it, can burn fat and magically melt away pounds. Throughout the years, dieting gurus have exalted everything from grapefruit to celery to eggs to cabbage soup as the one thing you need to eat to lose all the weight you want. While all these foods are full of essential vitamins and minerals and should have a place in every healthy diet, none of them can speed up your metabolism to the point that you will lose weight.

Exercising While Hungry

According to the That's Fit website, exercising when you're hungry not only doesn't cause your body to burn fat exclusively, if it lacks enough available carbohydrates to burn for fuel, your body will begin to use muscle tissue instead. Burning muscle decreases your metabolism and makes weight loss less, not more, likely.

Small Meals Boost Metabolism

While the idea that simply eating a series of small meals throughout the day instead of two or three large meals can make your body burn calories faster is appealing, Real Simple reports that how you consume your daily calories has practically no effect on your metabolism. The key to upping your metabolism isn't eating a bunch of times a day, but increasing your muscle mass: a pound of muscle tissue burns seven times as many calories in a day as a pound of fat tissue.

Eat High-Protein, Low-Carb

According to the National Institutes of Health, a diet that focuses on high-protein foods and strictly reduces the number of grains, fruits and vegetables consumed provides unbalanced nutrition that may yield results in the short-term only because of restricted food choices, but may end up contributing to a number of health conditions, including high cholesterol, increased heart disease risk, kidney stones and gout. Additionally, That's Fit reports that, when compared to low-fat dieters, low-carb dieters lose weight quicker, but gain it back in six months and end up no thinner than their low-fat counterparts. It is also untrue that eating starchy carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes or bread is instantly turned into sugar, then stored as fat. It's extra calories that cause weight gain, not carbohydrates, which should be an essential part of every healthy diet.

Fad Diets Work

Going on any short-term diet that requires you to make extreme changes in your regular eating patterns or cuts your calories below recommended daily levels is not only going to be difficult to keep up over the long run, but can possibly affect your health and make you upset when the weight you lost at the beginning of the diet creeps inevitably back. There aren't any quick fixes when it comes to permanent, sustainable weight loss. The best way to get the weight off and keep it off is to make healthy changes that you can maintain for a lifetime.

Eating Certain Foods Makes You Fat

Just as consuming certain wonder foods won't magically melt fat off your thighs, eating other "bad" foods like nuts, red meat or dairy products aren't a guarantee that you will instantly gain weight. Nuts, lean red meat and dairy products all provide vitamins and minerals needed by your body and, in moderation, can certainly be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Go Vegetarian to Lose Weight

While vegetarians overall do tend to consume fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians, it is not true that simply switching to a vegetarian diet will cause you to lose weight. There are as many ways to eat high-calorie, high-fat foods and exceed the number of calories your body needs while eating vegetarian as there are eating a more traditional diet. As with every aspect of weight loss, focus on what you eat, how much you eat of it and how much physical activity you engage in regularly.

Day 5: Aquarium, Planetarium, and Pizza

2010-10-03T16:10:00.004-06:00

We went hard core on day 5. We didn't want to pay for parking to come do one of these places another day, so we decided to ignore or sore feet and do them both.
Ugly and pretty at the same time!
These guys reminded me of Slimy on Sesame Street. They were in the sand the whole time, so I couldn't see how long they were.
He makes a good penguin, don't you think?
My favorite thing at the Aquarium, the Moon Jelly fish. At our aquarium here, they are in a tank with color-changing lights and a simulated current so they rotate around the edges. They are beautiful, better than any lava lamp.
The view of the lake from the back of the Aquarium.
Nik's favorite, the Otters!
This sea turtle was awesome. She was rescued after being injured and the injury makes it so her back end floats. Because of this, she can never be released in the wild. Even when she dives to get the lettuce thats anchored at the bottom, she is till completely vertical.
I guess Nik is going to the moon!

This is the best pizza I have ever had. The place was called Giordono's and it was right around the corner from our hotel. This is not the kind of place I would have driven by and said, "we should go there", but Nik looked up some reviews and it is pretty famous over there, so we gave it a try. We started the meal with zucchini sticks and cheesy garlic bread, so by the time we got our SMALL pizza, we could each only eat one slice. Now, granted, this was Chicago Style pizza, so it is two layers, but still, I was so sad to not be able to eat any more. We brought it back to the hotel with us in hopes of eating it later, but alas, we did not. There is a Chicago Style pizza place in South Jordan that we want to check out some time. On Tuesdays they do buy one get one free pizzas, so I think that would be the best time to go. Anyone interested in going?

Day 4: At the beach

2010-09-30T10:12:00.003-06:00

I had all but given up hope of being able to get near the water on this trip when low and behold there was a beach right across the street from the MoSaI. It was a little chilly that day, and pretty blustery (they weren't kidding about that wind) so there was no swimming, and I kept my jacket pulled tight around me, but it was great to be there. Here is what Nik thought of it:

Pretty with the clouds and everything.

We went to this restaurant near by called The Medici. It was in a travel book for suggested places, so I thought we'd give it a try. It was one of those artsy/moody places where you find out that artists, poets, and revolutionaries used to hang out. Atmosphere to spare. It was a fun little place lit by tiny votive candles. They had amazing onion rings and shakes. We were both a little underwhelmed with the main courses, but the price was right.

Nik looked at me like this a lot.

And I looked at him like this right back.

(love the hair, right?)

Day 4: Museum of Science and Industry

2010-09-29T19:49:00.003-06:00

Ok, so this was possibly the coolest place we went. Utah has nothing that compares to its awesomeness. It is like the Museum of Natural History (*wink*)* and the Children's Museum put together and on crack. So amazing.

This is the front of the building, only what I couldn't fit in the picture were the other two wings on either side. The place was huge!

They had this great Jim Henson exhibit there that we just HAD to go through. Don't tell anyone that I got these pictures. There were "no photography" signs everywhere. I had to be real sneaky. This first one is from my favorite Jim Henson show as a kid, Fraggle Rock. Thats Gobo on the left.

My favorite Jim Henson movie is The Dark Crystal and this is the dress that the Gelfling Kira wears in the show. It looks like it would fall apart if you touched it, which is probably why its behind glass. Its beautiful though, it made me think of Sophia. "You like my dress?"

Still one of my favorite shows. Nothing will ever beat Sesame Street for fun and educational value. I hope it is still on when I have kids. Best friends, Bert and Ernie.

The famous piano man, Rowlf. I love that he is only made from the waist up. But I guess thats all he needs to play the piano!

And me with the big man himself. Kermit the Frog.

This is one end of a ginormous model train set up to be from coast to coast. New York to Seattle. The photo doesn't do it justice. It was bigger than my house. And amazingly detailed.

Cruck Cruck!! This is the biggest pice of farm equipment I have ever seen. It was at least twice as tall as Nik. And very green. You go John Deere.

Nik says he remembers when this car was actually racing. Its a solar car. The first one ever made. They had cars like the Model T and some of the first race cars and a Rolls Royce.

Captain Nik!

*Extra points for anyone who can name the movie.

Game Day! (aka My Birthday!)

2010-09-28T18:21:00.003-06:00

We went to this great little place called Ann Sather for cinnamon rolls. We heard of it on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate. And they were. Thanks Ted Allen!

Nik by the statue of Harry Cary at Wrigley Field.

Self explanatory picture.

Love this picture. Love the skyline.

You can see this ferris wheel lit up for miles.

Yes, yes it is. This is a mosaic-cake from the stained glass museum.

This is not a very good picture, but Chicago is full of these spiders. They have webs on every sign post in down town. It was weirding me out.

Delay.

2010-09-26T21:28:00.002-06:00

Sorry, I have been less inclined to blog the last couple nights, we have been pretty tired. I promise to do a better update when we get home, if not earlier. If you are curious how its going, check out my photos on facebook. I'm a little better at updating that.

Chicago, Days 2 (sorry, I'm behind)

2010-09-24T21:25:00.005-06:00

We walked so much yesterday that I thought my legs would end in stumps inside my shoes when we got back to the hotel. It started at the Chicago Temple, where we ate our breakfast of Dunkin' Donuts by the fountain.
After that we headed to the Field Museum down town. I just want to say that I am so glad that 1) Nik is driving on this trip, and 2) that we got the GPS system with the rental car. We would NEVER have figured all this out with just the courtesy map we got at the rental agency.

This one is for you Mom.

The Museum is hands down the coolest museum I have ever been too. They had so much stuff! And it was all so well displayed. Loved it all. But my feet were well beyond done for the day before we finished. Then we kept going.

After leaving we walked around Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. It is a beautiful building. Lots of flags.

We made a trip to the Aquarium (while we were still paying one price for parking) but decided not to stay because they closed in an hour. But we rested and cooled off for a few minutes before heading back to the car. On the walk back we decided to hit the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) to walk out on the Sky Deck. We pulled out the GPS to see how far the Tower was, and thought, oh, its only like a half a mile, we should just walk and leave the car here. Great idea!! NOT. Turns out is was more like half a mile to the first change in direction. Total distance: 2 mi. Great. Then 2 miles back. Even better! But all that aside (and forgetting how much my feet hurt before we started this), the tower was really cool. The view was more than I imagined it would be, and the Sky Deck (a glass box/platform that lets you look strait down to the street) was much scarier than I expected it to be.

The walk home was much easier, and we made a pit stop at the Chicago Library, which is the most spectacular library in the world! Well, maybe just better than anything we have in SLC. The Children's section alone was about the size of the Calvin Smith location by my house. Hear that Talina? Just the children's section!! I thought of you, and of Lou, while we were there.

We expected to hang out at the pool when we got home, only to find out that it is under construction. So no pool for us.

Some things I have noticed about Chicago:

* The drivers are MUCH more courteous than Utah drivers, but they like to honk.

* The humidity here is off-set but the wind.

* They weren't kidding about the wind.

* We have not gone anywhere that we weren't given excellent customer service (except the hotel people here, they suck). It's a very friendly town.

* The "down on their luck" people seem to think that if they approach us civilly, and tell the truth, that we will be willing to give them lots of money. I'm sorry, just because you are nice, doesn't mean I have money to give you. If you won't accept the change I am giving you. Stop following me.

Greetings from Chicago!

2010-09-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

Hello all! It's 7:00am over here (Chicago), and I am wide awake. Why? No idea. I've been up for half an hour. Oh well.

So I do have some pictures but they are mostly of the clouds from the airplane. They were hands down the best clouds I have ever seen. I imagine this is what the clouds look like from Heaven. I will out a picture up when I download my camera later.

In case you were curious, it gets light a lot earlier here cause there isn't mountains to block the sun for an hour. And the sun rise is gorgeous. Nik's probably upset because I opened the blinds a little bit so I could watch it, and he is still sleeping. Thats what happens when I wake up first!

So, a few of you may have seen my facebook status last night that said I was upset with this trip so far. I just wanted to clarify that everything has been taken care of. Or rather, the thing that I was most upset with, the fact that they jipped me out of a king sized bed, was taken care of. I am willing to bet that the walls are still thin in the new room, and that this one will not come with breakfast either. But I am satisfied. I called Yahoo! Travel three times last night only to have the voice on the phone eventually say, "I'm sorry, your call could not be completed, please hang up and dial the toll-free number again." Then, like 30 minutes later, when Nik called, he got through is less than a minute. And got it fixed!! He is my Chicago Hero! They are moving us to a king room (yesterday they said one wouldn't be available til Sunday, I wonder what changed) today. Although, the two double beds that we pushed together is working out pretty well. Still want that king though.

**I can hear the neighbor weird music through the wall. I'm kind of annoyed by that**

Today on the agenda is going out to the Temple grounds, to a hot dog place that Nik found for lunch, then to the Field Museum. Maybe to Navy Pier tonight, or maybe some shopping. Picture when we get back!

Early birthday!

2010-09-20T22:29:00.001-06:00

My birthday is friday, but since we didn't want to haul the gifts with us both ways, Nik opted to give them to me early.

He really surprised me this year. Despite asking me for a list of things I wanted, he still managed to get me some things I loved, but that weren't on the list. He got me two CD's (Greenwheel andDexter Freebish, a couple of blast from the past bands from high school), a cake caddy - hey, don't knock it, I really wanted one. I make cakes a lot and always have to hold them in the car and try not to let anything touch them. This will be awesome. Also a pair of sewing scissors for my crochet bag. The point of them being sewing scissors is that they fold up pretty little and keep the points protected. I take my crocheting to church with me, so the more compact it all is, the better. The bestest present was a FlipVideo camera. I really wanted one for our trip but couldn't bring myself to buy one cause our camera takes videos. But now that I see the awesomeness that is this camera, I am so glad he got it. It records in HD!! I can't even describe the quality. This will be great when the holidays come around. I may even be able to get some videos of my grandparents and cousins down in St. George.

Now, the video camera may have been the best gift, but the biggest surprise was the Snuggie. Yep, you read that right, a Snuggie. And you know what? I am excited! We keep our place on the cooler side and Nik teases me for the way I wrap up in blankets to keep the use of my arms and hands. And I know what you are thinking, why not just put on a sweater? Well, its not the same. I like the way I feel all wrapped up in a blanket when it is cold. So sue me. I would never have bought one for myself, but I am excited for my Snuggie.

My parents spoiled me again this year with some money for the trip, and my brothers teamed up to get me a card that said they were sorry they didn't get me a gift, but that I should be happy that I got the card. And I was.

Thanks family, for helping me celebrate early. I will miss you while I am gone!

Computer update

2010-09-19T22:27:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know (cause I know you were all on the edge of your seats about this) that the data on my old computer was fully recovered. Thank you Mac Docs! Everything is in perfect shape, and I am just waiting for Nik to put all my pictures on this new compy. I am hoping for a few posts in the coming days, we have some fun things coming up.

New Computer!

2010-09-02T21:13:00.003-06:00

About a month ago, in the midst of a facebook conversation, my computer crashed. Hard core. Nik thinks its the video card, cause it turns on fine, but the screen never comes up. But, because my computer is about 7 years old, it was time for a new one anyway. Unfortunately we are having trouble getting the info from my old computer. So I only have pictures from before February. I desperately hope Mac Docs can help out there. Anyway, the moral of the story is*, Lena has a new computer! Its a 13 Macbook Pro. And it is the most advanced piece of technology I have ever owned. I need Nik to tell me all the cool things it can do. It doesn't have a mouse click button, just a smooth track pad that I just press, and it even makes a small click sound. Very convenient. My keys are black with illuminated letters and such that make typing in low light a lot easier. I can't wait to play my new Chocolatier game on it, the last one was not fast enough!

div>But, I do miss it. It was my first computer that was all mine. Nik got it for me for my birthday the first year we were married. He was working at Mac Docs and it came in as a trade-in so he got a good deal on it. It was about 3 years old and was discolored from cigarette smoke. But I loved it. And I was hard on it. I left it in my car over night in the middle of winter....I stuck it in the couch cushions when I wanted more room on the couch...I dropped it on its side when it was plugged in, so the power cord would never quite stay in the way it should have. All of these things Nik has pointed out WILL NOT happen with this computer. Oh sure, of course not Nik.

I have been very sentimental lately. First the computer, now my car is making some horrible noises and I am afraid that Mason is going to tell me that I need to get a new one. Which would not only mean saying good bye to my second most favorite car ever, but that we would be that much farther away from getting a house. Hopefully Mason will tell me its a easy fix and I can have have my car back, nice and healthy. Oh sure.

Well, there is my post. Don't expect anything else soon unless I can get my photos off the old compy.

2010-07-23T00:34:00.001-06:00

I talk about my life with, and after, cancer. Mosey on over.

Go here.

Photo Update (long)

2010-07-20T20:57:00.008-06:00

I finally uploaded my camera so Nik could take it to Scout camp, and I was thinking I would do a photo update, little did I know that I had like 4 months worth of photos on there. So now, I have a small sampling (believe me, I held back) of what I have been up too, even though I failed to blog it then. Have fun!

My Opinion

2010-07-12T11:14:00.001-06:00

Do you remember going to the bank with your parents as a child? I do. It didn't happen very often at my house, but when it did, oh man. You knew it was coming. The only reason you sat quietly in the car on the drive over. Your motivation for standing right by mom's side til she was done. Just to hear those words:

"Do you want a sucker?"

Why yes mother, I think I would, thank you.

This, in my opinion, is what the bank suckers are for. Children who were made to come to the boring bank with their parents and were still able to stand still and stay relatively quiet. I know this is hard for kids sometimes, especially when there are such fun and tempting things like window blinds, and line dividers, and dry-erase boards, and pens, and all this room to run around! But if your kid manages to stay in the vacinity of you, and is not screaming or messing with the blinds or line dividers, then by all means, give them a sucker! Give them two! What the suckers are NOT for are grandparents who tell me that their grandkids count on these suckers, so they take six or seven. Or a car of four asks for six. Or a lady with no kids with her says that she loves these suckers, so she empties a basket of them into her purse, right in front of a teller.

Does this make me a mean person? Maybe. I feel like if you like the suckers that much, ask us where we got them, or what they are called, and try to get them yourself. If your grandkids are so dependant on candy that you have to steal it from the bank, there are some deeper seated issues than just wanting candy. I can sometimes over look asking for more suckers than the number of people in the car, as long as it is not one guy asking for 7 suckers, with no one else in the car. Trying to quit smoking? Try the patch.

I really don't mind adults who take a sucker. I'm a sweets fan myself. Last time I went to the doctor I had 4 Jolly Ranchers. I get it. Take a sucker. Whatever. But don't take a hand full just because they are complimentary. Grow up.

Don't hate me #2

2010-07-11T22:18:00.003-06:00

I know, I haven't been on here in forever, and now I do a post like THIS? I'm sorry, but I just could not resist taking part in this give away from Little Birdie Secrets. Back when I was reading blogs all day long, I was on the site, well, all day long. I love their tips, and crafts, and recipes. It's an all around great site. And now they are giving away a machine I didn't even know existed, but now must have. A Silhouette digital cutting tool. It functions similar to a Cricut, but like 100 times cooler and more efficient. Follow this link to check it out for yourself (make a point to see some of the example projects she has done, fantastic!). But do it soon, cause the give away ends on the 14th!

Good luck to me!

Don't think I'm strange

2010-07-10T09:13:00.002-06:00

If you know the band Ludo, you know they are a little weird. Good, but weird. I really only know a couple of their songs, but I very much enjoy them. My new favorite of theirs may be a touch weirder than others. It's called The Horror of Our Love, and basically its about a stalker/killer singing about the object of his affection. Here are the lyrics so you can get a taste of it, but I highly recommend finding this song. Maybe on YouTube. Anyway, here it is:

I'm a killer
Cold and wrathful
Silent sleeper
I've been inside your bedroom
I've murdered half the town
Left you love notes on their headstones
I'll fill the graveyards
Until I have you

Moonlight walking
I smell your softness
Carnivorous and lusting
To track you down among the pines
I want you stuffed into my mouth
Hold you down and tear you open
Live inside you
Oh, love I'd never hurt you

But I'll grind against your bones
Until our marrows mix
I will eat you slowly
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood pulled through my veins
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood

I wake in terror
Blackbirds screaming
Dark cathedrals spilling
Midnight on their alters
I'm your servant
My immortal
Pale and perfect
Such unholy heaving
The statues close their eyes
The room is changing
Break my skin
And drain me

Ancient language
Speak through fingers
The awful edges
Where you end and I begin
Inside your mouth
I cannot see
There's catastrophe
In everything I'm touching
As I sweat and crush you

And I hold your beating chambers
Until they beat no more
You die like angels sing
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood pulled through my veins
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood

You're a ghost, love
Nightgown flowing
Your body blue and walking
Along the continental shelf
You are a dream among the sharks
Beautiful and terrifying
Living restless
We dance in dark suspension

And you bury me
In the ocean floor beneath you
Where they'll never hear us scream
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood pulled through my veins
Ohhhhh
The horror of our love
Never so much blood

Real Quick

2010-06-09T18:00:00.001-06:00

Cause I don't know if this should go on my other blog, or what, but I don't know when I will get a chance to update again, I just wanted to let you know the results of my blood test for my thyroid: Hypo-thyroidism. Or something involving the fact that my thyroid does not work properly. Hm. Sounds like a trend huh? That's what they said about my gallbladder too, and I had to have that one removed. Either way, I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday, and I already know that I will need to take medication for it (possibly for the rest of my life).

Sorry to leave you there, but I have to go. Hopefully soon I will finish it up.

DON'T WORRY, NOTHING IS REALLY WRONG. REALLY.

Where did May go?

2010-05-27T09:28:00.000-06:00

I know people say this all the time, but really, I feel like this month should be just starting. I had several dates I was looking toward that I think helped move the month along.

First, the 10th: Both my younger brother's birthday, and the Paramore show. Still need to get those pictures up, but you can see them on facebook. Some of them turned out pretty good. I didn't hurt that we had awesome seats with no one in front of us to block our view.

Second: The 14th, my CT scan. I was not really looking forward to this, but it was a date that was looming in the future, and now not only is it past, but today is my follow up, more than 10 days later.

Third: the 18th. Our 4th anniversary. We didn't make a big deal of this one, but we both took half-days at work and went to lunch and the Aquarium to celebrate. It was perfect.

Fourth: Today, the follow-up appointment. I'm not really worried about this, but there is always that niggling thing in the back of my head that tells me it will come back some time, and I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Fifth: Memorial Day Weekend. I was not expecting to have this weekend off, so we didn't make plans. But since finding out, we have made and unmade numerous plans. Finally we settled on being good little workers and taking a crack at cleaning out that second bedroom. I will try and take some before and after pictures, so you can see what we were up against and how much progress we made. Nik and I are looking at moving toward the end of the summer, and having this room cleaned out would make that whole process go much smoother, I think.

And then, BAM!! The month is over. One more weekend. Then what? What happens in June? A couple birthdays, including the land-mark 12th birthday of my niece. I am very exicted for that. Probably start the summer with an out-door's type party some where. Probably not our place. A friend gets married. Not nearly the full month that May was. At least not yet.

May was a very eventful month for us, and I wouldn't trade (most of) it for the world. And looking ahead to the rest of the summer, it looks just as promising. Some very interesting and exciting things are in store for us, just you wait.

Help!

2010-05-26T17:28:00.001-06:00

I am trying to plan this trip to Chicago, and I am in over my head! I have so many things I am thinking about, I just don't know where to start. Can anyone offer any advice? Anyone been there (I'm looking at you Lisa)? How about general travel tips for an unfamiliar city? We want to see as much as we can without over loading ourselves. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

CT Scan

2010-05-15T09:52:00.001-06:00

I know, I would usually do this on the other blog, and I may move it when I get home, but I just wanted to get it up in case anyone had any questions. The scan went well, and I only had a minor attack. The nurse lady was very nice, and understood that it was going to be hard for me. I drank the contrast just fine, but I guess, not fast enough cause they made me chug the last cup. Which just about made me sick. *Yuck*. The injection is what really gets me, but since I was expecting it, I was able to fight it a little. Not as bad of a reaction as I thought it would be. Though, the aftermath was not what I thought it would be either. That problem I always get? I thought it would be started and over with in a couple hours. Nope, it didn't even start til amost midnight, then made a comeback at 3am. Which led to very little sleep for Lena. One of the reasons working on Saturdays has it drawbacks. One of many reasons. I am looking forward to a nap when I get home. And because I thought I would be stuck in the house most of the day yesterday, I ended up stuck in the house. Not that I would have gone many places. That contrast does weird things to me. Even drinking water, and eating lunch, I couldn't shake that weird feeling. At least I got a couple loads of laundry done, and the front room picked up a little. That makes the day not wasted, right? Oh well, follow-up on the 27th. I'll let you know the results.

Help me out

2010-05-11T19:44:00.001-06:00

So, here is my problem:

I am eligible for a new phone this month. I don't necessarily NEED the new phone, I just want one. So I have been researching phones on att.com and came to the conclusion that I wanted the Samsung Propel a767. It was available refurbished for free, so yeah. But every time I tried to buy it, it would disapear. I could no longer find any of the refurbished phones. I talked to people online, and over the phone numerous times trying to find out why, and he problem always seemed to be something with my account. Well, today I find out that the real reason is because refurbished phones are not available for upgrade. Translation: You can't buy one if you are already with AT&T.

I'm sorry?

Rarely are you punished for being a long-time customer. I have been with AT&T for as long as I have had a phone. I was even with Cingular when they changed. That is like 7+ years. And now they tell me that I can't buy the phone I want? But you will let me buy other phones for free. Just not the one I want. Even though it is used.

Really?

So here is my dilema. Is it worth calling and complaining about it? I feel like I have a case, and I know that some time the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so I may get what I want. On the other hand, I work at an institution where we have to stick to some policies, no matter how big of a fuss you make. So, what do I do? Forget about it and look for a new phone later, or call and make a stink in hopes of getting what I want?

Help!!!

Belated Birthday

2010-05-11T12:26:00.001-06:00

I have (what I think will be) a good Mother's Day post if I can ever get it up here, but in the mean time, I want to wish my youngest brother Jeff a happy 17th birthday yesterday. I am sorry we celebrated by going to a concert without you. I hope taking you to Iron Man 2 on Friday helped you over look that.

Happy Birthday Jeff, I am so proud of you.

I Don't Care....

2010-05-07T15:08:00.001-06:00

Who you are, where you're from, what you did...

As long as you love me.

As true now as it was in 1997

Sick

2010-05-06T13:25:00.001-06:00

And it starts. I officially have a cold. I generally don't get sick that often (well, the REAL kind of sick, not the "Lena has anxiety" kind of sick), so when it actually fleshes out into feeling like crap, it hits me hard. This one was weird though. Usually, when I am getting a cold, I start with 3 days of progressively worsening sore throat, then congestion, then cough, then everything goes away except the cough which sticks around for about 2 more weeks. This one started with just one day of a very mild sore throat, then a runny nose, then congestion starting while I was sleeping. All in just 2 days. So, I might be just speeding through this one, and I will be done in another days, or this could be a whole different can of worms. Just as long as it is gone before my scan. I just don't want to deal with that.

With all that in mind. I have been struggling in getting to the gym once a week, as per my New Year's Resolution. I did great for about two months, then it tapered off. I really need to get back into the habit, cause I can really see that I would have been one that struggled with weight my whole life, if circumstances were not what they were. I can't let this get out of hand. Luckily Mom has a gym membership with me, so hopefully we can motivate each other. I do much better when I have some one to go with. Also, because of the weight gain, none of my summer clothes from last year fit. Not the pants, not the shirts, not the swim suits. Nothing. Those who know me will know that I like my clothing on the snug side, or at least close fitting. That makes for very little wiggle room in the wardrobe department. Which means that I need a whole new summer wardrobe! I will do it slowly, so that by the middle of the summer, I have enough clothes to last. And my meager selection will not be hard to replace. I feel like I wear the same 5 shirts every week to work anyway.

2010-05-05T19:44:00.002-06:00

Well, I am glad that my test post was a success. That means that I should be able to do more blogs from work. I don't think there will be very many pictures, but at least there will be content. I feel like I have fallen short in the blog world lately. I used to have great posts that were at least funny, if not informative or thought provoking. Now all I can think to post about is small random events that don't seem important enough to write about. And then the important stuff (like, last month was 1 year since being diagnosed) gets overlooked cause I don't know how to write the posts. I have lost my writing abilities. And I don't know how to get it back. How do I get it back?

Test post

2010-05-04T08:15:00.001-06:00

I am sending this post via email in an attempt to master "email posting." I am not sure I have the address right, so this is a test. If anyone happens to see this blog, please email me, so I can know it worked. Thanks!

I'm Back!

2010-04-28T21:31:00.005-06:00

Well, at least for a minute. When I am not at home, with access to a computer, I have lots of good blog ideas. But then they go right out the window. That would be why I have not blogged in a long time. I finally got some time to catch up on some blogs, and I came across this post from my friend Annie, and I liked it so much, I thought I would give it a shot too! So without further ado,

What's In Your Wallet? (haha, I stole the title too, Annie!!)

1: My purse. I got it for my birthday from my mother-in-law, and I love it! It is the second purse she has got for me, and she is two for two. The only thing I would change is longer straps. I like to hang my purse cross-body. So I don't have to keep a hand on it. Other than that. Perfection.

2: Lotion. The big one is a travel container from Walmart, and I refill it with my favorite lotion from home, Vaseline intensive rescue moisture (sorry Steph) locking lotion, unscented. Then I add a couple squirts of a good scented lotion. Making it smell good, without being over powering. I have this with me all the time. Its essential. The little one is a sample from Mary Kay Romance, that does not exist anymore :(

3: Gum. Orbit Spearmint. Also essential. Though the flavor is not set in stone.

4: Rolaids. I actually don't really need these anymore, but for some reason, they are still there.

5: The Little Green Machine. I love my iPod. I hope it lasts forever. Oh yeah, the red and white Skull Candy headphones that I got for Nik for Valentines. Now they are mine. Hope he's ok with that.

6: Mary Kay oil reducing sheets. I really love these. My skin started getting very oily at the end of the day again, so I dug them out. Very useful.

7: The inconspicuous box of "mints". That is really filled with medication. Mostly advil and tylonol. But it changes depending on what I am suffering from. I got the mints at Cracker Barrel a long time ago, and the tin was just the right size to keep around.

8: Thumb drive. I don't use them as much as I did in school, but I still like to have one around.

9: Green marker. Left over from when I helped Jeff with his school posters. I actually did not use the marker, but once again, still in there.

10: "Get Lucky!" coins. You heard me.

11: Lip stick collection. I have several shades of MK lip stuff that I really like....when I put Bath and Body Works lip gloss over the top. So I always have at least 2 lip options in my purse, plus a regular chap stick in my pants pocket.

12: Coupons from Smiths. I keep forgetting I have them.

13: WALLET!!! I love my wallet. I got it on clearance at Torrid.com and it just may be the best purchase I have ever made. Its got zippers!! Did you hear that? ZIPPERS!! It goes great with my zipper shoes.

14: (Whew, narrowly avoided that 13 thing Annie) My "Organizational Tools". A small day-to-day planner with pen, and an even smaller composition notebook. They help me keep my life in order.

Well, there it is. I have to say, it is not as much as I thought it would be. But I should mention that my purse is divided into three segments. Two on the sides with snap closures and one in the middle with a zipper. The zipper one has a smaller zipper pocket where I keep my cash, hand sanitizer, and "various unmentionable feminine products". And that small pocket on the front that you can see there, that is where the lip stuff is kept. Also my phone when its not in my pocket.

So, anyone else want to share what's in their purse? Feel free to copy the post, or just leave a comment! Hopefully this will not be the last time I am on!

Update?

2010-03-29T21:49:00.002-06:00

I had planned on posting a bunch of pictures of what Nik and I have been up to, but you know what? There weren't any! The top picture is of Nik holding our good friend's baby a couple months ago. The next is of some of my best friends at a great Swap Party we had at Annie's house. The last is from a karate tournament Nik and his do-jo went too. It was great fun.

Speaking of Karate, Nik was given a great opportunity on Thursday. He has been learning Kenpo Karate for about a year now, taught by our brother in law, Gearold, at a rec center. Much prior to this, he earned a Black Belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. Since his sensei has stopped teaching, he was unable to find out what his linage was. In martial arts your linage is determined by who you earned your black belt from. For example, Gearold is a Dragon. And because Nik could not determine his linage, and some other reasons, Gearold went out of his way to submit Nik's name to his sensei to have him inducted as a Dragon. So now he has a black belt with his name and the year he got his first black belt, embroidered in gold on one side. It is awesome. Gearold did a great little surprise ceremony after normal graduation on Thursday. He went way out of his way to do this for Nik and we are both extremely grateful. Thank you so much Gearold.

Nothing really exciting has happened to me. I work. Then I sleep. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night feeling sick. That part sucks. But the rest of my life is pretty normal. My house is a mess, and I need to do my dishes. Just like the rest of you right?

Before and After

2010-03-17T21:39:00.004-06:00

Most of you know by now that I have dyed my hair blonde. I love it. I can't be sure if I will keep it up for much longer, but I like the look. Why would I not keep it up? Oh, probably because of the excruciating, fire ant-like pain in my scalp while the color processed. Here is what I looked like while I was waiting:
It was bad. Really bad. It was tingly, and hot, and itchy, and painful, and like my scalp was slowly disintegrating from acid. And yet. I think I will do the roots one time before I give up on blonde. Also, my hair is getting long (compared) so I am trying to figure out what to do with it. The back is longer than the top, but its hanging over my ears all funny. I don't know. Any ideas?

While you are thinking, here is a before and after of my little(younger) brother the same day I dyed my hair. Quite a change huh?

Darn

2010-03-13T16:49:00.002-07:00

I have been waiting for Nik to get home from his scout over-nighter, and I seem to have forgotten that he would be tired when he returned. Now I have to wait for him to nap before I can make he do stuff with me. Bummer.

And it starts.

2010-03-09T21:10:00.003-07:00

Or, more accurately, ends. They blocked blogs at work. I will do my best to keep up with everyone, but don't expect much from me. In the mean time, here is a picture of me and Nik from the climb. Thanks Jess!

Look how cool my hair looks!! All blonde...love it.

It's Time!!

2010-02-25T15:33:00.002-07:00

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!!

:(

2010-02-24T22:46:00.002-07:00

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?

2010-02-24T10:10:00.001-07:00

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

**shudder**

Taxes

2010-02-23T11:50:00.003-07:00

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!

2010-02-22T11:42:00.002-07:00

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

2010-02-18T16:08:00.003-07:00

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

2010-02-18T09:35:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-02-17T12:02:00.002-07:00

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

Now what do I do?

Nothing big

2010-02-16T11:21:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-02-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

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

2010-02-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

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

2010-02-08T23:00:00.001-07:00

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

Letter to the Editor

2010-02-08T08:44:00.003-07:00

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?

2010-02-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Cause I do.

An open letter to credit union patrons:

2010-02-05T15:16:00.001-07:00

Go home.

HUMOR FOR LEXOPHILES

2010-02-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-02-03T12:37:00.005-07:00

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

2010-02-01T09:43:00.002-07:00

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.

Another Credit Card Scam

2010-01-29T10:39:00.004-07:00

Please take this seriously. It was sent by our VP in charge of Fraud, and it got to her via an employee it happened too. Its a little long, but very important.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it...This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called on Thursday from 'Master Card'.. The scam works like this: Caller: 'This is(name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. MyBadge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497..99 from a Marketing company based in ?'

When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?'

You say 'yes'. The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800 -VISA) and ask for Security.'You will need to refer to this Control Number.' The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?' After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do, and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number... But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20minutes to ask a question.. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card.

Long story short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything onthe card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving acredit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of Master Card' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

Please pass this on to all your family, friends and neighbors. By informing each other, we protect each other.

Get it?

2010-01-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Two fish are in a tank, one says to the other, "you man the guns...I'll drive"

I need new music

2010-01-21T12:03:00.001-07:00

That pretty much says it all. And for that reason I am turning to all of you for recommendations. I am willing to look into just about anything, but I do draw the line at country. And rap. Other than that, bring it on! Please recommend your favorite song, or artist, or album. Here are a few of my favorite artists, just for reference:

Fall Out Boy
Jason Mraz
Train
The Killers
Keene

Ready?

GO!!

Stupid Vault Door

2010-01-20T11:38:00.003-07:00

So, I did it again. I bent my wedding ring in the vault door at work. The first door has these two grooves that my ring gets caught in a lot. This is only the second time it has actually bent it, but man, I am so mad. Last time it was so mutilated I could not even wear it. This time is not as bad, I am still wearing it, but I can tell its bent.

For those of you unfamiliar with my wedding ring (so, like, most of you), the engagement ring fits into a slide on the wedding band (see image) and it is that track that gets caught in the door. Oh, and by the way, it hurts when it bends. It kind of wrenches my finger and bruises for a couple hours.

Anyway, the reason it is such a bummer, is that we take my ring to a little company in St. George because that is where I got it. And I was just down there a couple weeks ago, and don't anticipate going again for months. And my grandma doesn't even work there any more, so I can't just send it down to her to fix. Darn.

Hey family, you sure you don't have another trip planned soon?

Happy Birthday Talina!

2010-01-19T15:25:00.003-07:00

Today is one of my very best friends in the whole wide world's birthday. We have known each other for going on 17 years now. That is most of our lives! It is funny to think that it all started when I moved into her ward in 3rd grade, and now she lives in my ward. I love that it has come full circle. Church is so much more fun with her. Grocery shopping is more fun with her too. I love that we can call each other up at random times and request company to Smiths, or Walmart, or the library. If we go out shopping together the one with the purpose always spends less than the one thats moral support. So keep that in mind if you ever go out with us.

I love Talina so much. She has been such a great support to me for as long as I have known her. She is a big reason I wanted to go to church as a child, and she is a great example of a faithful, beautiful woman everyday. She is a sounding board, a buoy, a Redwood, and so much more. I don't know what I would do without her.

Happy Quarter of a Century Talina! Here's to another!

And here's a picture of a frog I like

2010-01-19T14:42:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-01-15T14:57:00.002-07:00

To my Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell! They are celebrating 60 years together tonight with family. Their actual anniversary was yesterday, but the partying will be tonight. Obviously I will not be there. As I am stuck in SLC cause of work. Oh well. I am sure they will have fun with out me.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Why can't I live in Delhi?

2010-01-13T09:18:00.002-07:00

On Jan 15, people living in the southern tip of the country at Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu will get to watch the 'Ring of Fire' when the moon will cover the sun's disc during the millennium's longest annular solar eclipse.

Is it normal....

2010-01-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

to have a persistant runny nose for the last 9 months?

2009 Meme

2010-01-08T11:30:00.004-07:00

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Lots of stuff!! Got cancer, had chemo, lost ALL my hair, gained 10 pounds, had an unemployed husband, Went to Disneyland with my husband, oh, and got rid of the cancer.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I have never really made resolutions, but I did this year. 5 of them. One for each aspect of my life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Our good friends James and Sarah had a baby boy, and our new friends Ryan and Ashley had a baby girl.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Nope, lucked out on that one.

5. What countries did you visit? just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A house. But I don't have high hopes.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Beating cancer.

8. What was your biggest failure? beign so impatient.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury? um, yeah.

10. What was the best thing you bought? New TV.

11. Where did most of your money go? Rent.

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Disneyland. And starting to plan the trip to Chicago.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? a) Happier, b) Fatter, c) a little of both. Nik was still with MacDocs, but on his way to Lumenas, then gone from their within two months.

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Stuff with just Nik.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? TV.

16. What was the best book you read? I read too many to just pick one. Good Omens, Fablehaven, Sookie Stackhouse series, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

17. What did you want and get? A party for my 25th birthday, and a snowflake necklace from my husband for Christmas.

18. What did you want and not get? Nothing. I got everything I wanted this year.

19. What kept you sane? crocheting and praying.

20. Who did you miss? James and Sarah since they moved out of the ward. Also my grand parents down in St. George.

21. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I actually don't remember the exact date, but the end of March will forever be etched in my brain.

22. What song will always remind you of 2009? Lots of them!!! Lucky (Jason Mraz), Human and Spaceman (The Killers), Viva La Vida (Cold Play), Soul Sister (Train), Why I am (Dave Matthews Band).

23. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Lightly layer in trends with what I can afford, and avoid leggings.

24. Who was the best new person (people) you met? Ryan and Ashley. I love them both so much. We are sad to have them out of the ward so quickly, but I know we will keep in touch.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009? Don't give up. It will get better. And even if it doesn't, its not worth losing your faith in others and in yourself. When people say they want to help, believe them. Family is the best thing anyone can have. I never want to loose mine.

The Power of Prayer

2010-01-06T09:30:00.003-07:00

Gather around children, while I tell you a story of the power of prayer.

I know we like to tell our children, and our primary classes that if you are having a hard time, or have lost something, or just need help, they should pray. I have done this. And things have worked out. But I will admit to never having a very clear answer as to why. But since I have seen results, I have kept at it. Here is what happened to me (Keep in mind this is not meant to be a really serious experience, but it has a pretty serious moral):

Yesterday on my day off I decided to start my New Years Resolution off right, and hit the gym. The last time I went (in like November...) I forgot my padlock so I made an extra effort to find it and test the combination to make sure I could get it open. Success! I remembered it! So I go gym it out for about an hour and a half (got some serious reading done on the treadmill), and return to the locker room to retrieve my purse and jacket. After putting in my combo I am surprised to find that the lock won't open. Ok. I try again. Nothing. Again with slightly different numbers, maybe I forgot one. Nothing.

Now, I know the progression of my combination and I am pretty sure I know about which numbers I am supposed to use, so I figure it is only a matter of tries before I get it right. Um, yeah...I tried for a solid 20 minutes to no avail.

Thoughts running through my head:

*could call Nik but hes out for work, couldn't come get me.
*could call mom, but not sure if she has a key to my car.
*have to get my purse out or I don't have my phone or keys.
*without keys, can't get in to house.
*without phone, limited phone numbers I know by heart.

At this point I am desperate. I went in to the bathroom and prayed. "Please let me get my keys out. Help me to remember my combination. I thought I had tried it before I left, what happened? Please help me get my locker open." After sitting for a minute I returned to my lock. Stood, hands-on-hips and stared at my lock. Tried the combo again, with a last minute change that I had not thought of yet, and BAM!! Lock opens. First time.

Now tell me that was not divine intervention.

Like I said, not really a serious story, but a pretty awesome moral.

I'm back!

2009-12-29T09:42:00.003-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA recently. We just got back from a long weekend in St. George (just in time to attend Cam and Paige's baby shower, and miss seeing Sofia on her birthday, Happy Birthday!).

We left Christmas afternoon after two gift opening extravaganzas. And with little to eat most of the day we decided we should stop some where for food before we got on the road. Guess what? NOTHING is open on Christmas day. Well, except Denny's, as I was informed today. But I didn't know that on Friday. Anyway, after a fruitless search from Magna to Taylorsville, we opted to stop at 7-11 and load up on goodies. Which was ok for the trip down. Love me some Lornadoon cookies. And the Dill Pickle flavored sunflower seeds helped keep me awake. Thought of you, Jake, the whole time.

It was a great, non-plan filled trip. We saw Sherlock Holmes (highly recommend), went to the mall, had a wonderful dinner with my Aunt and her family (and her family's families...everyone has kids now!), learned to play two great new games, spent a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, got me TWO glaciers (they have changed them, and they are even better now!), and spent all of the trip trying to breathe.

I was sick the whole time. In fact, I am still sick. The first three days were sleepless and mostly miserable. Now I can't stop blowing my nose. Oh yeah, I took a bunch of tissues from Grandma's house. Thanks Grandma! I would not have made it through the trip home without them though. And Grandma has good tissues. Not the crap I have here at work. I think my nose may just fall off if I don't regularly apply lotion.

Oh yeah, I got a good-hearted reaming from my Grandma Dumas about not giving her any pictures since my wedding. I know! I have been horrible about getting my pictures printed out. But mom told me that you can upload the pictures to a site like Walmart and have them shipped directly to Grandma. I think I will have to do it that way. I will never remember to bring them down with me (cause who knows when I will get to go down again). So that is my New Years Resolution: Get Grandma(s) new pictures of me and Nik.

Well, I hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe Christmas.

2009-12-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Frank Cross: "It's Christmas Eve. It's-it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we-we-we smile a little easier, we-w-w-we-we-we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be."

How excited is TOO excited?

2009-12-23T09:38:00.001-07:00

For fingernail polish?

Tis the Season

2009-12-15T12:35:00.002-07:00

With the bombardment of Christmas music around me all day, I have come to some serious conclusions about my taste in said music.

I hear some pretty crap-tacular stuff on my work radio and some slightly better stuff in my car. Here is a small breakdown of what I like and what makes me want to shoot myself.

The Good:

Hymns:
* Angels We Have Heard On High
* I Heard the Bells
* Hark the Herald Angles Sing

Traditional (ones I grew-up listening to):
* Santa Clause is Coming to Town
* 2000 Miles (The Pretenders)

Non-Traditional (been around for a while, but not "old")
* Last Christmas (Jimmy Eat World version)
* Jingle Bell Rock (not really picky here)
* Winter Wonderland (Jason Mraz version)

The Bad:

* Any version of The Christmas Song (you know, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...)
* Any artist that sings a gender-based Christmas song, and is the wrong gender. Example: Santa Baby being sung by a man. Trust me. It's been done.
* Anything over played. Even my favorite songs can be ruined by over exposure. Example: Owl City

The Ugly:

* Taylor Swift. Sorry Mason, that's just the way it is.
* Unknown Boy Bands that sing unknown Christmas songs "with feeling"
* Anything by a Crooner that is techno-mixed with a current artist. No. Just....no.

So there it is.

I would like to know what your favorite songs are. Or even more, which ones induce seizures.

Crafty

2009-12-10T16:00:00.002-07:00

All of the crafts I have been doing lately are for Christmas gifts, so I am not going to post details, but just know, that I am not as good as I thought I was. I had grand aspirations for these things and I was so excited to do something with my hands. Besides type. And don't get me wrong, they turned out....ok. Well, ok enough for me to still give them out. So just keep that in mind when and if you get a hand-made gift from me. Chances are it was the first time I had attempted that craft, and it just may be the last. I promise I will post at least one picture of everything after the holidays.

What have you been crafting? (Except Vivian, she has been way more crafty than me, and I just don't want to hear about it!! :) )

So far behind

2009-12-09T14:52:00.002-07:00

I have done so much this last month or so and I have not posted about any of it. Instead I post random what-not cause I am at work with no pictures. Now that we don't have our web gallery anymore, I am with out my work link to my home photos. Oh well. Here is a small sampling of what I have done, and you might get pictures of it later.

* Halloween Party to celebrate being done with chemo
* Several hangouts with friends from out of town
* Making suckers for the first time
* New Moon with Kieran and Lou (and spouses)
* Thanksgiving!
* "Little" Spencer's birthday party
* Putting up the tree
* Lots more crafting than I thought I could do, and lots more to do still. (by the way, Amy, sewing your gift yesterday just about had me pulling my hair out!)
* Christmas shopping...

Ok, so now you know what I have been up too. Combine this list with Holiday crowds at work, and I am lucky to be doing anything at all. Merry Christmas everyone!

Dear Magazine Publishers:

2009-12-04T17:57:00.001-07:00

Please print more images Quarter-sized.

Sincerely,

Lena

An only slightly sarcastic guide to banking.

2009-12-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

When dealing with a Teller face-to-face:

1. Please give your account number. I know that not all institutions use deposit slips, but we all need to know where we are going.

2. If you are asked how you want your cash back and you say "I don't care." You had better be serious. None of this, "Oh wait, can I have two ten's?" crap.

3. Don't assume we screwed up. If we ask you a question that doesn't seem to make sense try asking us to explain. Either we misunderstood or we have some other steps we have to do to get there. Bare with us.

4. **Very Important** Don't get mad. It only makes us hate you. If we messed up, we feel bad enough, and know we need to fix it quickly. Having you yell at us or continuously point out the mistake only makes us hate you more. And we WILL call you names when you leave. Just so you know.

5. Please count your cash before leaving the building. If there was a mistake, it is your word against mine whose fault it was. If you count it before leaving, it can all be rectified within seconds.

When with a Teller through the Drive-Up:

1. Please, PLEASE give us all the information you can. If you can, fill out a slip. If not, write the account number on something. It is always hard to hear you through the tube mic's, and I hate yelling at you. Also, I will never turn down an ID. At the very least, I know your name.

2. Always remember that the drive-up is first and foremost a fast way to complete transactions. If you need a photocopy of your check, a print-out of anything, cashiers checks, money orders, or any extensive research on your account, please come inside. The people behind you will thank you. **Exception** Mothers with multiple/sleeping kids in the car. I know that hauling everyone in the bank is not always an option. But try to still be courteous.

3. If I ask you to repeat yourself because I can't hear you, saying it again exactly how you just said it is not going to get us anywhere. Be louder, or write it down.

4. It is not worth changing lanes. If you are in one lane and the other finishes faster, 9 out of 10 times it is not faster to move. Chances are there is really only one teller working both lanes, so you still have to wait.

When waiting in the lobby:

1. If accompanied by children, please try and keep them under control. If you bring them with you to get a loan, know that there will be some waiting time, and some time in the office where they will probably get bored Please be prepared for this. It does no one any favors to have wrangle your kids for half an hour. Oh, and don't let them mess with stuff like the blinds, the bulletin board, or the line dividers. That makes us hate you too.

2. Understand that if there is only one loan officer you may have to wait a long time. Know that we are not doing this on purpose and that we will get to you as soon as possible.

3. **General Rule** DON'T TALK ON YOUR CELL PHONE!!! It is so frustrating to try to do business with someone who is not paying attention to me. Our time together will be minimal, there is no reason not to tell your friend that you will call them back. That is all.

Can you tell that I have had a hard day at work?

In the beginning...

2009-12-03T10:02:00.002-07:00

I'm just going to come right out and say it. Nik and I joined a gym. Mostly for me. Well, I say that cause its because of me that we actually went and signed up. Not that Nik was not into it too. His complaining about gaining weight was really getting to me. So, I am there to get back to being able to get out of bed, or get something out of the bottom drawer with out hurting myself. You laugh, and well, you should. I laugh too. It's pretty ridiculous when I can't get out of my car without twisting something. I used to be able to do stuff like that. You know, MOVE.

Anyway, I picked this particular gym because it has convenient yoga classes. And I finally made it there last night for the first time. I don't even know how to describe how this class went for me. It was only an hour long, and I think I spent at least 20 minutes in Child's Pose. And that is not counting the 10 minute cool down that I spent on my back. I can handle the easy stuff like Warrior One and Pigeon Pose (though, keep in mind here that I have to hold myself off the ground a little, cause my hips don't bend like that). But when we started doing Eagle Pose, I started sitting down. There was no way I was getting my body into that position and staying upright! And when I opted to not do the Headstand, I found that the alternative was worse. She said, "If you don't want your feet to leave the ground, just spread your feet and bend over, place the top of your head on the ground and try to put some weight on it." Oh, yeah, just bend over and put your head on the ground. I got my head to about waist level. Let's just leave it at that.

I love yoga, and I really don't want my lack of abilities to stop me from continuing to go. I know I need this. And I know that it just takes time. Maybe I just need a friend to come with me. Any takers?

R.I.P.

2009-11-30T12:07:00.003-07:00

Sushi, we only knew you for a few days, but you will be missed.

Hopefully we will have another fish to help heal our pain by tonight.

**edited to add** I picked up a new fish after work, and he is really pretty. A little nontraditional for a male Beta. Kind of pink and iridescent. But don't worry, he's all man.

What they MUST be thinking....

2009-11-28T11:55:00.002-07:00

"Wow, look at that line for Drive-up! It goes all the way around the building! And hey! There is no one in the parking lot! I guess I will go inside."

"Why are the doors locked?"

Wait, what day is it again?

2009-11-26T07:44:00.003-07:00

I am once again stealing from other people's blogs. I promise I will give credit...does that make it better? Anyway...

Today my sister-in-law Laurie posted this line about gratitude: "it turns what we have into enough, and more." How true is that? When we count our blessings, we start to realize just how much we have. It is so easy to fall into a routine of comparing ourselves, or our lives to others. They have more money, a better car, a house, a great TV, even a great marriage, or perfect kids. And we always lose when we do that. There is always going to be someone who has more than we do. If we can't see what we have for its value, we will never be happy. Never. There are always things to be thankful for. Here are a few of mine:

* Our jobs.

* Two cars.

* My own computer.

* Pets.

* Food in my house, even if I don't cook very often.

* Blankets. One of which I have wrapped around me now...

* My sleeping husband.

* Our apartment, as much as I complain about it, its keeping the cold out.

That is just a small list compared to what I could say about what happened this summer. Too many blessings to count.

And that brings me to my next act of plagiarism. My good friend Dan (I call him Danny, cause I have since 3rd grade, sorry Dan.) said this about blessings: "In everything around me, I can see the blessing of Heaven, when I look closely." His post was about seeing the Savior in everything, even eyeglasses. And if you have ever taken seminary, you know that you can do it. You can relate everything to the Savior. And should. When you notice how many things we take for granted reflect Christ, and what he has done for us, you can really start to see the blessings in the little things.

I loved these two posts, and I love the people who wrote them. I am so grateful for my family and friends. I could never make it without them. I am so imperfect, and I know it. If I didn't have all these wonderful people around me, helping me be better all the time, I would never complete my journey here. I would be here forever trying to learn my lessons. Thanks to everyone who has stood by my side. I love you.

Um...

2009-11-25T16:02:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to tell you all that you need to update your blogs more. I am bored at work.

Thank you.

Laughing at other peoples expense

2009-11-21T15:32:00.002-07:00

I love it when, forgetting they have not rolled down their car windows, people turn to say 'hi' to me, and run themselves in to the glass.

A post about bare-chested goodness

2009-11-21T09:19:00.002-07:00

So, I hate to be one of those girls that posts about New Moon just minutes after seeing it....and I guess its been about 22 hours now, so I waited long enough right?

And I am not actually reviewing it. I am stealing a review from one of the ladies I saw it with. (Hi Kieran!!) I think she sums up what I thought of the show, even if she is maybe a little more into it than I am. I was not even going to see it in, like, the first month, but she wouldn't have any of that, and got us tickets for opening day. I braved the squealing, cheering tween crowds to see it with my husband, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, and good-ol' Kieran and her husband. So with out further ado, Kieran's New Moon Review.

Words of a friend

2009-11-20T19:55:00.002-07:00

In the recent past I have read a lot of blogs about Feminism. And I agree and disagree with each of them in different parts. But I think the last sentence of my friend Danny's blog says it best:

"The women who do the most for womanhood are the women who are not afraid to be women."

Well said.

Happy Birthday Baby!!

2009-11-17T16:24:00.002-07:00

I was not going to post while at work, cause I don't have any pictures of Nik, but since it is looking like there will be no extra time tonight, here it is. You will all be lucky if I remember to get a picture up here later.

I love Nik. He is perfect for me. He has such an imagination...I just can't fathom how he comes up with some of the stuff we talk about. He is a romantic at heart. I sometimes think it is wasted on me, cause I am usually not. But I always appreciate that he was thinking enough of me to do whatever he did. Make sense? I thought so.

Nik has been especially wonderful during the last 7 months. He can practically read my mind now. When I was home on the couch, and I said "Nik?" He always knew what I wanted before I said it. He is amazing.

He is an amazing Uncle. I have never seen anyone interact with kids the way he does. We like to joke that it is because he is right on their level, but in truth, that is not a bad thing. He always knows what kind of playing the kids need: wrestling, cuddling, reading, make-believe...and he does it all. I would be more upset that he is preferred over me, but I just like to watch them all play. It's hard to be mad :)

He tells me he loves me all the time. And I love it. He always tells me that I am beautiful, and likes to point out when I am wearing his favorite shirt. Even when I don't feel like I am pretty, he assures me that I am. Its good for the ego.

He smells amazing. Don't laugh! It's a big deal! And he actually smells better at the end of the day, than at the beginning. I often find myself nudging closer to him on the couch, just so I can smell him. Or sleeping on his pillow when he is gone. I'm not the only one who thinks so either! Little Abigail will agree with me. Huh, Abigail!

This is just a small list of the reasons I love Nik so much. I am so happy that he chose me to spend the rest of eternity with. It will be an adventure.

Always.

Just a little reminder

2009-11-12T00:01:00.002-07:00

By now, I suspect everyone is familiar with http://www.snopes.com/ and/or
http://www.truthorfiction.com/ for determining whether information received via email is just that: true/false or fact/fiction. Both are excellent sites.

Advice from snopes.com. Very important!

1) Any time you see an email that says forward this on to '10' (or however many) of your friends, sign this petition, or you'll get bad luck, good luck, you'll see something funny on your screen after you send it, or whatever, it almost always has an email tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and E-Mails of those folks you forward to..

The host sender is getting a copy each time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of 'active ' email addresses to use in SPAM emails, or sell to other spammers. Even when you get emails that demand you send the email on if you're not ashamed of God/Jesus .....that's email tracking and they're playing on our conscience. These people don ' t care how they get your email addresses - just as long as they get them. Also, emails that talk about a missing child or a child with an incurable disease - "how would you feel if that was your child"....E-mail Tracking!!! Ignore them and don't participate!

2) Almost all emails that ask you to add your name and forward on to others are similar to that mass letter years ago that asked people to send business cards to the little kid in Florida who wanted to break the Guinness Book of Records for the most cards. All it was, and all any of this type of email is, is a way to get names and 'cookie' tracking information for telemarketers and spammers - - to validate active email accounts for their own profitable purposes.

You can do your Friends and Family members a GREAT favor by sending this information to them; you will be providing a service to your Friends, and will be rewarded by not getting thousands of spam emails in the future!

If you have been sending out (FORWARDING) the above kinds of email, now you know why you get so much SPAM! Do yourself a favor and STOP adding your name(s) to those types of
listings regardless of how inviting they might sound...or make you feel guilty if you Don't!...it's all about getting email addresses - nothing more!

You may think you are supporting a GREAT cause, but you are NOT! Instead, you will be getting tons of junk mail later and very possibly a virus attached! Plus, we are helping the spammers get rich! Let's don't make it easy for them! Also: email petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress or any other organization - i.e. Social Security, etc.

To be acceptable, petitions must have a signed signature and full address of the person signing the petition, so this is a waste of time and you're just helping the email trackers.

2009-11-11T15:20:00.002-07:00

This is possibly the best thing I have ever seen on the subject of love, marriage, and parenting. Its directed by Andrew Zuckerman. I love it so much.

Wisdom

2009-11-09T15:31:00.002-07:00

I'm sorry that the system was down last time you came.

I'm sorry that the system is down again today.

No, I don't know what that means to you.

Yes, I understand that you are handicapped, and that coming out here is a bid deal.

I still can't give you $4000.

Deal with it.

Welp...

2009-11-09T09:18:00.003-07:00

Yeah, so nothing got done on Saturday. Nik went to scout camp over Friday night and that meant that Lena went shopping. And shortly after Nik got home we were off to the Utes game courtesy of Annie and Steve. And it was a blast! We had such a good time at the game, and hanging out afterwards. We don't get to see them enough.

But it means that my house is still a mess.

Darn.

Help?

2009-11-05T17:10:00.002-07:00

I am looking for some brave souls to help me tackle the ever-growing pile in my second bedroom. If you are free and want to donate your time (any amount of it) to my cause. Please let me know. I am looking to do this on Saturday afternoon. I'll buy lunch....

Happy King Tut Day!

2009-11-04T14:50:00.001-07:00

Cause I know how much y'all like celebrating!

King Tut Day

Halloween party

2009-11-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

I am way behind, so my pictures from my awesome Halloween party are on up on Facebook (which, frankly, is better than I usually am at stuff like this) so check them out if we are friends, if not, have a sneak peek on my moms blog for the ones from her camera.

Thanks again to everyone who came! It was so much fun to see everyone!

Some Holliday Humor

2009-10-30T12:40:00.005-06:00

Q. What do goblins and ghosts drink when they're hot and thirsty on Halloween?
A. Ghoul-aid!!!

Q. What is a Mummie's favorite type of music?

A. Wrap!!!!!

Q. Why do demons and ghouls hang out together?

A. Because demons are a ghouls best friend!

Q. What's a monster's favorite bean?

A. A human bean.

Q. Why can't the boy ghost have babies?

A. Because he has a Hallo-weenie.

Q. What do you call a witch who lives at the beach?

A. A sand-witch.

Q. Where does a ghost go on Saturday night?

A. Anywhere where he can boo-gie.

Q. What did the skeleton say to the vampire?

A. You suck.

Q. What do ghosts say when something is really neat?

A.Ghoul

Q. Why did the ghost go into the bar?

A. For the Boos.

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?No, they eat the fingers separately...

Why don't skeletons ever go out on the town?Because they don't have any body to go out with...

What do ghosts add to their morning cereal?Booberries...

What is a vampire's favorite sport?Casketball...

What is a vampire's favorite holiday?Fangsgiving...

What would a monster's psychiatrist be called?Shrinkenstein...

What did one ghost say to the other ghost?
"Do you believe in people?"

What do you call someone who puts poison in a person's corn flakes?A cereal killer...

Finally

2009-10-29T10:51:00.002-06:00

So, if you have been following the side of my blog, I have been preparing to start a new craft project. I say preparing because I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but I am so useless with crafts lately that I have just been stock-piling the objects needed in hopes that I will start the actual craft soon. Did that make sense. I don't feel well today, so excuse my confusing blogging.

Anyway, I am actually ready to start this awesome project now! I have everything I need, I just need to put them all together. I hope it happens before Christmas.

Come on, Really?

2009-10-28T14:50:00.003-06:00

If you insist on announcing to the whole world how many kids you have on the back of your mini-van, for heaven's sake, please do not include their names too.

There are no blue foods

2009-10-23T12:32:00.003-06:00

While eating some strangely delicious Wild Berry Skittles I started to ponder the fate of the raspberry. How did it end up blue? I know, there are lots of red fruits, but who decided it was the raspberry that would be shucked of its identifying color and reallocated to blue?

But that's the way it is now. When you see a blue candy, you think two things: Its either cotton candy, or blue raspberry. And for some reason Blue Raspberry is always a slightly different flavor than Regular Raspberry would be. Has anyone ever had a blue raspberry candy that tasted like a real raspberry? Yes, I know, the strawberry and cherry ones don't usually taste right either, but you get my point.

Does anyone know why/when this happened? Could we just have easily have been eating Blue Strawberry candy?

Can you catch the Flu from money?

2009-10-21T11:11:00.000-06:00

With all the talk of what a horrible flu season we will have this year, we (at work) have done some research on ways you can get the flu and some ways to prevent it. And (surprise) the prevention methods are very simple. It will help keep the spread of the flu down, and hopefully stop it from being a pandemic if we can all do these things everyday.

First, an interesting article about catching the flu from money, something I come in contact with everyday.

To reduce the risk of catching the flu, wash your hands frequently and use tissues when you sneeze -- those are the recommendations from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there's another way to protect yourself, even if it's not so good for the economy: Stop handling money.

It doesn't get talked about much, but paper currency -- the dollars, fives, 10s and 20s most people routinely touch every day -- can spread viruses from one person to another. So if you have contact with money that an infected individual has also handled, there's a possibility of catching the flu.

How likely is that? Despite the pervasiveness of cash in society, its role in transmitting illness has been the subject of surprisingly little study. But some recent research suggests that flu bugs can show some staying power when they land on one of the countless bank notes that change hands every day.

Generally speaking, scientists interviewed by SmartMoney estimate the lifetime of a plain flu virus deposited on money at an hour or so. But mix in some human nasal mucus, and the potential for the virus to hang on long enough to find a victim increases, according to one of the few scientific studies done on flu transmission through cash.

In a study conducted at Switzerland's Central Laboratory of Virology at the University Hospitals of Geneva, researchers tested to see what would happen when flu virus was placed on Swiss franc notes. In some of these tests, researchers placed flu virus mixed in with nasal secretions from children on bank notes and saw some unexpected results.

When protected by human mucus, the flu cells were much hardier, lasting up to 17 days on the franc notes. The virus that persisted for 17 days was a form of influenza A called H3N2. In an e-mail interview, Dr. Yves Thomas said samples of an influenza A strain called H1N1 also endured for quite a bit -- in some cases, up to 10 days. That bug was similar but not identical to the virus at the center of the current swine flu outbreak, which is considered a new strain of H1N1.

The research suggested that in the real world, where runny noses get wiped by hands that then handle money, flu viruses may have more persistence than previously thought. (Read the study "Survival of Influenza Virus on Banknotes" in the May 2008 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.)

To be sure, many kinds of frequently touched surfaces could temporarily harbor the flu virus. Broadly speaking, scientists consider the risk of transmission in this way to be low, particularly if hand washing and other hygiene measures are practiced, says Dr. Philip Tierno, the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Center and author of "The Secret Life of Germs."

How you'd catch it

Three things likely must happen for a flu virus to be transmitted from one person to another via paper money:
* First, a person who is infected with the flu must sneeze or cough onto the bill or blow his/her nose and leave remnants of mucus on the currency.
* Next, an uninfected person needs to touch the money while the virus is still present.Finally, that person needs to put his (or her) contaminated hand in his mouth or pick his nose, says Dr. Murray Grossan, an otolaryngologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Next are the preventions:

Swine Flu Prevention....
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat.. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to sto ck N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one.
Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water . *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.* Neti pots and sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and relatively inexpensiveS.under $15.

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction.
They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist)

hint hint

2009-10-19T15:20:00.002-06:00

(I want this)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32876680

Come on down!!

2009-10-16T10:17:00.002-06:00

I love The Price Is Right. It is a great show. And even though Nik would disagree, I think it is just as good with Drew Carey. Maybe even better. Bob was getting bitter.

Anyway.

I got to watch some of it this morning before work (not something I normally get to do) and I realized something...........I like it when people lose. It gives me great pleasure when someone (usually wearing a shirt that says something like "Pick me I'm Spayed!") is so confident that that is exactly where those numbers go, and they are totally going to win that set of luggage and the leaf blower, only to have their dreams smashed against the stage when hear that buzzer. No numbers right. MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

I don't know why that is so fun, but it is. And don't get me wrong, I like to see them win too. Usually the ones close to my age, or the little old ladies that remind me of my Grandma Great. Who was a total pro at all the games, and would have won the whole kit and caboodle, had she ever had the chance to play. In fact, I may now be able to trace this whole thing back to Grandma. She used to tend me when I was very little, and we watched The Price Is Right every morning. Did she like to see them lose? Probably not. She was a nice lady. She wanted them to win I am sure.

Maybe I am just jealous. I would love to have that Toyota Corolla, or the his and hers mountain bikes, or the thousands of dollars up for grabs on Plinko.

I can pass on the oriental rug though. Thanks.

Thanks for playing, and remember, have your pets spayed or neutered!!

2009-10-14T12:18:00.000-06:00