Holiday Spirit

I've been doing some thinking the last day or two about what I could do to make it seem more like Christmas. Since I've spent this holiday season mainly in Arizona, it just hasn't felt quite right. Well, this evening I came up with a solution. I created false photos of myself doing holiday things! Enjoy!

Me running from a giant snowball:




Me chillin' with a yeti:



Me putting up Christmas lights:




And finally, me as a gingerbread person:




I can't even tell you how much this has helped.

Give me the news...

You may notice it's been a while since I last posted. I've been battling a demonic cold. You know what I mean: the one you think you have licked over and over, then it comes back with a vengeful attack on your throat or eardrum.

Anyway - I finally broke down yesterday after it became excruciating to swallow and went to the urgent care clinic. After waiting for about an hour, I went into the "jungle room" (covered with stuffed birds, monkeys, and tigers, with a repetitive border around the top of the wall) and had my throat swabbed.

The doctor came in with the results and said, "Wow, you've been sick for a while now. You don't have strep!" Here's my favorite part... "Well, since you've been sick for so long, I'm sure it'll be done soon."

Seriously? I want my co-pay back. He proceeded to advise me to pick up some over-the-counter allergy medication and "hang in there."

In the meantime, I'll just try to avoid swallowing and get used to the obnoxious echo in my right ear. Cheers!

Dot Com

I was on my way out the door to work the other day and my nephew Hunter was typing away on the computer. Suddenly he exclaimed, "Aunt Ami! I found your dot com!"

My what!? Again he said, "I found your dot com! See?!" He had somehow stumbled upon my blog with my photo at the top. He'll be my number one reader, I'm sure! That is, as soon as he learns to read...

Tooting My Own Horn

As I've been unemployed and trying to spice up my resume, I've been making lists of all of the skills that make me an asset. Some of them didn't make the resume cut, but I definitely don't want them to go unnoticed. I deserve some credit for the following skills:

1. I am a phenomenal whistler. Not a great singer, but I can whistle you anything you'd like to hear. Some people can't whistle at all, you know.

2. I have an uncanny ability to choose the squeakiest, most obnoxious shopping carts at Wal-Mart. You know, the one that can be heard three aisles over? Definitely an attention-getter. This can be beneficial if you're having a good hair day!

3. I am not typically a confident dancer...unless I'm in the kitchen. If there's music playing in the kitchen, look out! I'm probably breaking it down! I've definitely got some moves if I do say so myself.

4. Boggle. I dig it. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been beaten at Boggle.

5. I am great at shooting rubber bands. My nephews were in awe the other night. Not only do I get good distance, but my accuracy is impeccable.

6. I don't mean to brag, but no matter what the commercials say, I can totally tell the difference between Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero when blindfolded. (Guess which is my favorite!)

So there you have it. Six skills that are not listed on my resume. Marketable? Probably not. Noteworthy? Most definitely!

Water works...

Last week, I went to the beach in Southern California to camp with my sister and her kids. Had a pretty good time, but would not have survived without a connection to the outside world. My cell phone pretty much never left my side. Was it tricky keeping it out of the sand and ocean!? Absolutely!

Upon our arrival home Thursday night, I sat on the couch to watch tv, sipping a glass of icy water. Ahh...heaven. My trusty cell phone sat on the cushion next to me. As I shifted in my seat during a commercial break, I heard the strangest sound. The only way to describe it is this: imagine a cell phone falling in the most unlikely way off of a couch and directly into a glass of ice water. (Oh, the irony.)

One evening and a few hundred dollars later, I had found the new love of my life. Here's a picture!

Mine is berry colored with flowers tattooed on the back. Lovely. It slides two ways! Amazing. Don't think for a second that I haven't learned from this experience. This phone is insured should anything happen in the future... and stays FAR AWAY from standing water of any kind. :)

Stand-By

The conference I attended in Dallas last weekend featured a fireside with President and Sister Uchtdorf. In order to get a ticket to the fireside, you had to register a week ahead of time online. Those of us who decided to go at the last minute received "stand-by" tickets.

When the time for the fireside came, they filled the chapel and cultural hall with "real ticket" people... then began squeezing in the "stand-by's." A few minutes before it began, and after I had gotten to the front of the line, an usher came and said, "I have seats for 8 more."

As it turned out, the seats he had were up on the stand with President Uchtdorf and his wife. I sat in the seat directly behind his two rows back. If I had thrown a paper airplane, it surely would've hit him. Great fireside and very lucky placement! I bet a few of those "real tickets" wished they could trade me seats. :o)

I found out afterwards that because I was behind him, my friend and I were both on screen for the entire fireside. Hmm... I only nodded off for a second! Honest!

Fortunate...

I spent this weekend in Dallas, TX for a young single adult conference. I figured I'd do some last minute soul searching before making big changes and seek further inspiration for my future.

Saturday night dinner was a variety of ethnic dishes...Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Texan, etc. Sunday morning, I went to get a drink and found something stuck between the heel of my foot and my super cute slingback wedge. It was a fortune from a Panda Express fortune cookie that had been carelessly discarded by its original recipient and serendipitously found its way to me. It read:

"You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course."

Revelation? I think so.

7 Dresses

I think I have crossed into a new phase of life. Last month I turned 24 years old. Two days later I broke out bridesmaid dress #7. That's an average of one dress for every 3.4 years (only counting the times I was an official member of the bridal party.) Now, I know this doesn't quite make me a professional bridesmaid, but I do think I've got the process down pat:

-Get dolled up.

-Smile constantly.

-Try not to ruin any photos.

-Dance enough to be noticed... but don't get crazy.

-Answer politely and laugh it off when people in the reception line ask why you aren't married yet.

-Act happy for the 12 year old girl who catches the bouquet that by all means should have been yours! and...

-It's always polite to help clean up.

This is where the new phase comes in. No one asked why I wasn't married, and no bouquet was even tossed. (Which was more refreshing than the time a bride actually handed me the bouquet because I "deserved it most.") I'm not sure whether it was due to the fact that nobody at this wedding knew me besides the bride, or because there really is some magical line that was crossed at lucky #7. Either way, I had a lovely time.

I may always be a bridesmaid, but I'm getting very good at it. :)

Fueled

Every time I fill up my gas tank, there's that moment when I'm about to pull out of the station and I think, "How far can I get on 14 gallons? Where shall I go from here?"

So far, I've only proceeded on to my original destination...usually work or home. (Lame.) One of these days, though, I'm going to find out just how far it'll take me! I'll pick a direction and just keep going! Now THAT will be a fabulous blog post!

Okie NOT out of Water...

Last Saturday our singles branch spent the day at the lake! We were out on a boat for about 4 hours, and I waterskied for about 7 minutes. Only one of us (not me) had ever skied before, so needless to say, everyone took a good chunk of time. Unfortunately, due to my mad skills, I got up on my second try and made two good runs before passing my life jacket to someone else.



This photo was taken by one of the girls on another boat. She must have caught me between all the awesome tricks I was pulling!

Big News!

Due to my lack of hobbies and abundance of horrifying dating stories, I've created a blog (mainly for my own therapeutic purposes) dedicated to the sharing of past experiences. The link to it can be found in the righthand sidebar for anyone looking for shameless mocking of the opposite sex.

Everything's Up to Date...

I spent this last weekend in Kansas City! What a lovely adventure it turned out to be! Let me tell you about it. I would have included some pictures, but can you believe I forgot it?!!

Friday after work around 2pm I set off for the great journey. There is very little excitement to this portion of the story apart from a power steering incident in the middle of a roundabout. (The road turned but my car wouldn't.) I stopped for a large Diet Coke about 1/4 of the way there, then again 3/4 of the way there to get rid of it.

My brother Andrew took me to a baseball game Friday night(the Kansas City T-Bones: an independent league) and luckily for us it was Elvis night!! Apparently that means that an Elvis impersonator would serenade us between innings. The T-Bones pretty much rocked it. The Omaha coach was thrown from the game for some inappropriate outbursts and nagging of the umps, which was quite a little show, and some guy got hit in the face with a foul ball. What a game!

Afterwards we headed to Dave and Buster's (where I had the best salmon I've had in my life...and I've had some!) We decided to play some Hot Shot (that arcade basketball game where the hoops are linked so you can compete with each other.) As it turns out, I'm not bad at it! A large, black fellow and his lady were playing with us for the first few games. After I won the first game he said, "Oh no! I ain't gonna let some little blondie white girl beat me." He did win one, but I think I won the rest. Andrew wasn't too bad either. ;o)

Saturday morning was supposed to be spent getting ready for a bridal shower that afternoon, but since I was staying with two bachelors, a grocery intervention was in order. We ran to Wal-Mart for all the food we would need for the weekend... and a hair dryer, since I had apparently not brought mine. I was still able to get ready for the shower and get where I was supposed to be on time. (Note to self: Google Maps does not always take road closures into account. Be ye warned!)

The shower was a lot of fun. The girl that threw the shower seemed to feel the same way about them as I do. The games were simple and short... food and presents were the main focus. I learned at this point that there will be 8 bridesmaids in this wedding. EIGHT! (Note to self: Elope.) I still haven't found a dress for it.

Saturday night was an 8 stake singles activity involving inflatable games, an outdoor dance, and BBQ. Sound weird? I thought so, but it was actually a lot of fun. I ran into a few folks I already knew and had a good time. We went out to Denny's afterward (which took forever and a lot of wrong turns to find since none of us were from around there.)

Sunday was lovely. I went to Andrew's ward (after he left me directions since he had meetings beforehand.) I learned a valuable lesson. If you want your new shoes to be noticed, you shouldn't wear them where nobody knows you. The big debut won't get the attention it deserves! One girl did comment on how much she liked them, but it wasn't quite the same. Not a lot of excitement in this portion, except for when my sacrament cup sprung a leak and dumped 50% of its contents onto my skirt before getting to my mouth.

After church, we headed to the visitor's center in Independence, MO to check out the Reflections of Christ exhibit that was in town. Very cool. Then home to make snacks and for the gathering that evening. Andrew had invited some of his friends over to play games while I was in town. Lots of fun! I found out that he's taught them to play Pit, which a few of them seemed pretty excited about. I hoped the fact that I won wouldn't keep me from making friends.

Great trip! Had a fabulous time. I think I've told you just about all of it. Except of course that my car stopped functioning somewhere near Riverton, KS on the way home and had to be towed while Mom and Chris came up to get me, meanwhile I waited inside the Spring River Assembly of God with Pastor Gretta. The End.

Rises and Falls

I'm a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance. That's not actually what this post is about... I just thought it would make an interesting opener. Anyway, one of the dances they draw on that show is the Viennese Waltz. This dance is known for its rises and falls. Today I must have drawn the Viennese Waltz.

I woke up as usual at 4:53am, said my prayers, rolled out of bed (in that order), and headed for the shower. I'll skip ahead a little. I got to work just as the world's most beautiful sunrise was occurring. I would have alerted you all, but I doubt you would have appreciated it.

I soon remembered that it was payday! Sure enough..there in my box were my checks. With my checks this week, however was a lovely yet official letter informing me of a small raise in wages and commission rate, as well as a short note of gratitude for pulling some extra weight. Oh, the fabulosity of being appreciated!
Naturally the rest of the morning went beautifully as I was now in a remarkable mood. At one point we received a marketing call that also happened to be my friend Derek. Serendipitous.

On the way home from work (lunch time) I stopped by Subway for some $5 footlong action. Of course, my absolute favorite sandwich is not available at that price, so I paid an extra $1.50. While the stranger in plastic gloves was preparing my toppings, I noticed two young police officers at the table in the corner.
***Important Interruption***
A few months ago, a woman that works out at Curves tried to set me up with her friend who is a police officer. This never occurred as he expressed (without knowing me) that he was completely uninterested in going out with me. Since this incident, I try to look painfully attractive around police officers.
This was difficult in this situation as I was in cutoff sweats and a t shirt with yesterday's hair nastily tied back, but I did what I could and put a little sass in my step on the way out.

After lunch I got some painting done, then headed out to enjoy some sun. The pool was about 104 degrees Celsius (slight exaggeration) so I planted my floatation device awkwardly in the middle of the grass and took in some vitamin D for about 15 minutes before realizing how ridiculous I looked/felt. Nobody could really see me, but I'm sure the angels were snickering. Mom had the idea of washing the cars since I was in my bathing suit -- Genius.

After a shower and some serious primping, I headed out in my newly-washed, shiny car to visit with a few friends before catching a show. This would be a good place to interject that my hair looked remarkably awesome for such a humid day. The visit was lovely and long overdue, but did make me late for the show. I got to the theatre about five minutes into the movie (Up) but did not let this deter me from getting a Diet Coke. The fact that this theatre only carries Pepsi products did, however. I settled for a mediocre beverage then headed in. Cute flick.

All available options for activities after the show seemed unappealing for one reason or another, so I stopped by the store and headed home. Something must have happened at some point because by the time I pulled into my driveway, half a bag of miniature candy bars was missing and had been replaced by empty wrappers. Don't look at me!! I don't know!

Anyway-- I realized that after all that preparation I spent the evening in the dark. I hate wasting good hair.

Very Superstitious

So I was sitting here gazing at my lame, out-of-date blog wondering what I should write next when I noticed it was 11:11pm. Here's something some of you may not know about me: I am a compulsive wisher. A flood of thoughts came to my mind and I thought I would share with all of you (as unlucky as it is) the first ten in the series of things that I wished.

I wished:

1. that the back bedroom of my parents house would paint itself so I could move in.
2. that I could afford not to live in my parents house.
3. that I would get a new job that paid more.
4. that my current job would pay me more so I wouldn't have to get a new one.
5. that I didn't have to get up so early for my current job tomorrow.
6. that I hadn't had so much caffeine that I was still awake at 11:11pm.
7. that I had MORE Diet Coke right this second.
8. that more Diet Coke really could solve any and all of my problems.
9. that I had MORE Diet Coke right this second.
10. that I hadn't looked at the clock in the first place and had gone to bed so as not to waste any further time on this nonsense.
11. ... I only promised ten.

My Favorite Men

I was clearing off the memory card in my camera today and found a few photos of a couple of my favorite guys. I definitely thought they were worth sharing with the world! World... you're welcome!

My dad:

Wittling his waistline with an Amazing Hoop!

With hairy feet from the Shire....

My nephew Seth:

Cute as a bug!

There's a face I miss!!

And "that's how it means!"

YSAs looking for ECs in AR

So last weekend we had an 11 stake young single adults conference at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I will proceed to tell of the heights and plights of the weekend.

Friday:
I took Friday off and spent the morning getting the house ready to be left alone, and the rest of the day preparing every needful thing for the trip. Around 4:30, my friend Dallas showed up to carpool and we were on our way (after stocking a cooler with caffeine free Diet Coke!)

After taking a windy path through podunk Oklahoma and getting caught in traffic just outside Springdale, we finally made it to our hotel in time to change quickly and get to the Sheri Dew fireside ten minutes late.

Following the fireside was a dance. Luckily, I was feeling extra cute with my curly hair. Danced some. Met some folks. Got back to the hotel late, but had plenty of time to get in our pajamas and make a Taco Bell run.

Saturday:
Saturday morning we had to be dressed, cute, and down at the University by 8:30 for all the opening what not. Sheri Dew then spoke again to all of us (but much was repeated from the night before.) The most enlightening part of that meeting was when a YSA asked how they should decide on a career and the stake president suggested that your career is not what defines you. I liked hearing that.

After the morning fireside we went to a workshop, lunch, then another workshop. The first workshop we chose was entitled "The Woes and Wows of Dating." I must say I was more woed than wowed. Not that it was bad... just very disjoint and not actually applicable to dating. oh well. Lunch was wonderful, of course (aside from the perfectly good cookie I dropped on the gym floor. I may have eaten it anyway. Don't judge.) The next workshop was about Unity and was actually pretty good!

We had three hours of freetime which we spent playing volleyball with "new friends." Lots of fun. Met some more people. Then our branch met back in the gym to "decorate" for the dance that night. The gym was HUGE and nearly impossible to decorate with our cliche theme -- Luau. I think we pulled it off nicely, though.

Then dinner. Then getting cute again. Then another fireside (which was wonderful). Then another dance! This dance was much better ventilated than the first, and much better attended. Met some more people.

Of course we stopped at Wendy's on the way back to the hotel.

Sunday:
Sunday morning we had a testimony sacrament meeting at a fancy hotel in Fayetteville. What we didn't know is that the testimonies would be by invitation. Naturally I was one of the 15 out of 600 that was chosen to share my testimony in front of EVERYONE. (I'm not good at sharing feelings, and I'm REALLY not good at speaking publicly. Naturally it was horrifying.) I felt a little embarrassed, but I suppose it went just fine. I was proud of myself to getting up at all.

After that meeting we had two more fantastic speakers, then were given sack lunches for the drive home. Since our stake has no YSA representatives, Dallas and I were asked to attend a meeting afterward with the reps from all 11 stakes. Hopefully we'll be able to have more joint activities in the future.

GREAT weekend (even though it produced a boring blog.) Learned a lot and met lots of folks. (Plenty of new Facebook friends...even if I didn't meet the love of my life! :o) )

One Year Plan

My horoscope for today reads:

Today, you could delay, procrastinate, or simply feel lazy. You could take longer to do things than most people, dear Leo. Why? Consider the fact that you may be scared of taking the next step. Perhaps you are scared of facing the truth. Perhaps you are scared of making the next decision. By the time you are ready to move, you hope that someone else has already decided which way you should go. This method has probably gotten you far, but perhaps not in the direction you need to be going.

At first I was offended, but then I realized how true it is. I always wait for someone else to make decisions for me. I decided I need to make a rough one year plan! (I know you're supposed to have a five year plan...but come on! I'm taking baby steps.)

In one year I plan to have:

• Saved a personally decided upon amount of money.
• Become certified and be teaching aerobics again.
• Taken the GRE.
• Applied to a graduate program in either Oklahoma or Arizona.
• Gone on a date or two.
• Gotten a passport.
• Plans to get a stamp on my passport.
• Made a five year plan.

It's a start. The whole masters thing is a new idea for me... so surprise! I'm excited. Let me know if you have suggestions!

Heaven Freezes Over

So some of my college roommates and I have been planning a reunion in Denver for a few months. It was originally scheduled for Valentine's weekend, but was moved to April partially to improve the chances of good weather. Oh, the irony.

I left for the airport Thursday morning (after frantically throwing together a warmer wardrobe when I saw the forecast). Apparently I attract women with small children on airplanes. This experience wasn't quite so traumatic as was the other**. After a short flight I was there!

My flight got in before the other two girls, so I walked around getting sucked in by every solicitor strategically placed throughout the airport. I did finally give Kevin -- if that really was his name -- a dollar to pay for Malaria shots for children in Africa. Hey, I'm not heartless!

That evening was lovely: filled with catching up and eating food...just as I like it! By the next morning, the ground was covered in snow. Refusing to let it get the best of us, we went for pedicures in our flip-flops, which turned out to be the best pedicures any of us had ever had!! (Too bad we had to fly to Colorado to get them!) After a little shopping and dining at the mall, we decided not to push our luck with the weather. Home we went to enjoy the rest of the day indoors.

Saturday was much the same... but we did manage to get to a store to buy supplies to make jewelry. (I should mention here that I've decided to create my own line of jewelry and sell it on the internet. Wish me luck!) We then took some glamour shots (one of my friends is a skilled photographer) just like the good old days in Rexburg!

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day for flying home. We had a lovely dinner and off we went --each to where we had come from. Magical.

I learned something from this trip -- Don't make any awesome plans for your life... It's probably just gonna snow anyway. Just be sure to keep yourself in good company so it doesn't completely suck when it does!

**See January 2007

Hippity Hoppity

Due to the 90% chance of rain that was forecast for today, we had our Easter egg hunt for the kids yesterday afternoon. I was busily hiding the brightly-colored (though I think they ought to be brown, green, and grey,) treat-filled eggs. There's a small drainage pipe carrying water from the gutter out into the yard that makes a prime spot for an egg. Before dropping a fully-loaded Easter bomb into the hole, I happened to glance inside. This is what I found...

I appropriately named him "Peter" and moved on (without dropping an egg on him.)

-------------------------
I woke up this morning as I do most Sundays -- took a shower and wandered out to the kitchen to make my protein shake. I decided I must have reached some kind of right of passage as there was no trace of any Easter Bunny droppings...

While drinking my shake I heard some stirring in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Dad came in and said, "Oh, has the Easter Bunny been here?" Not realizing what had just happened, I ignored him and finished my breakfast... but on my way back through the kitchen, this is what I saw:

Can you guess what's in the giant egg? --

You guessed it! The Easter Bunny might have been slow this year, but he sure knows his clientele!

Conservation of Appreciation

I was having a conversation with an old friend today and recalled the Law of Conservation of Energy which I was taught in my physics and chemistry classes. The law states that the universe always contains the same amount of energy at all times. Energy is never lost or gained... only transferred.

It occurred to me as we were talking that the same seems to be true about people and their appreciation for other people and things. In the world these days... people seem to have what I would describe as Situational/Social Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD). It is through the frequent SADD cases that the Law of Conservation of Appreciation becomes apparent. At times when it would seem that someone has "lost interest"... in reality the interest of that person has merely shifted or transferred to another person or object. It is my hypothesis that the universe constantly contains the same amount of appreciation. It is neither gained nor lost... but transferred.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Lately I've been looking for some kind of inspiration about where to live. I've received no such inspiration. In fact, there seems to be very little pull on me in any particular direction. This leads me to believe that perhaps I should stay here until I do feel drawn somewhere. I realize, however, that in order to receive any kind of confirmation, we should "study it out". I've decided to make a list of pros and cons for you all to enjoy! Feel free to weigh in.

------The Official Pro/Con List for Ami Staying in Oklahoma------
Pro: Not paying rent.
Con: Not being independant.
Pro: Awesome storms.
Con: Tornadoes.
Pro: Sometimes it's 70 degrees in January.
Con: Sometimes it snows randomly in the Spring.
Pro: Small, close circle of friends.
Con: Limited possibilities for making new friends.
Pro: Fireflies.
Con: Mosquitos.
Pro: Keeping my job.
Con: Keeping my job.
Pro: Lower gas prices.
Con: Less places to go.
Pro: Being close to the family.
Con: Not all of the family.
Pro: Saving $$.
Con: Saving $$ very slowly.
Pro: Security.
Con: Lack of adventure.

I'm torn...

Popular Vote

Our stake has an annual adult prom. Normally my parents go... but since my mom's been "out of comission" I thought I'd go with my dad. So off we went in our snazzy duds to the party. (I know we have pictures, but I couldn't find any to post.)

It was lovely. The food was fabulous! Let me just say... my dad is quite the dancer! You can live with a guy your whole life and not know a thing about him, I swear. Anyway, I even had him attempting the electric slide at one point.

After dancing the night nearly away, we were winding down and getting ready to go when an announcer came over the microphone to announce the "2009 king and queen." Yup, you guessed it! Somewhat sheepishly we stepped up to the front to accept our sashes and my roses. Embarrassing. And I say I never win anything...

Love and Laughter

Haha. Okay, I hate to admit that I'm writing a blog post about The Bachelor, but it rekindled some memories and inspired some thoughts. Allow me to share!

So as most of you will have heard by now, Jason chose Melissa. Then tonight, after being with Melissa through the last few months, he broke up with Melissa and asked Molly (the other girl) for a second chance. Of course Molly was thrilled. Why does it not occur to her that he could get sick of her just as easily?! It brought up a little anecdote from my past... Some of you have already heard it.

I'm fairly certain I can safely share this story, since I'm 103% sure he'll never read my blog. A little over a year ago, my apartment was assigned a new apartment of boys for our FHE family. Two of my roommates and I went over Sunday evening to chat before we had FHE the next night. After FHE Monday night, one of my "brothers" pulled me aside and said, "Hey, I just feel like I need to let you know that I have a girlfriend." (sidenote: I don't think I gave him any reason to need to have this conversation.) He went on to explain that he still wanted to hang out with me..I should just keep in mind he has a girlfriend. I let him know I was completely okay with the fact that he was taken.

Long story short: He went to run errands a few days later with a roommate and myself and we were in the children's story section of Deseret when he sits me down to tell me that he's supposed to be engaged to this girl, but since he met me (4 days ago remember) he's been having second thoughts. "Do you think there's a chance between us?" Very flattering. Not super tempting. Why would I want to date someone who would break an engagement for someone he doesn't know?

I later found out that I made a fabulous call on that. As it turns out, he's an underwear recycler. Apparently it can air out while he showers. Don't ask how I found that out.

Truth be told -- I just like excuses to tell that story. It's much better in person!

The Losing Game

I have a confession: I am a member of the Wheel of Fortune Wheel Watchers Club. Each evening I enter the bonus puzzle from the aired show in hopes of winning $$ and prizes like the contestants. Each time I watch as someone else's Spin ID is chosen and wonder, "Why not me?"

Last night it hit me.

It seems that every time you see someone win something they say, "Wow, I've never won anything before!" Is that a prerequisite to winning? That you've never won anything before? This got me thinking...

In fifth grade I drew a picture of an elephant in the jungle. There were big, beautiful, flowers, bugs, animals...even a waterfall! I won the Reflections 1st Prize trophy for pencil drawing.

I haven't won anything since.

Business/Road Trip

Yesterday I had to go to a 3 hour training meeting in Norman. It was one of those things that you'll do anything to get out of. I spent Tuesday night eating everything I could think of that might give me a stomach ache and tried to develop a hacking cough...to no avail. Alas, I awoke early the next morning and prepared myself for the worst.

The drive there was relatively uneventful. In Norman, we stopped for breakfast at a little French cafe. Afterwards, there was a meeting for the regional managers that three of us didn't have to go to. My boss let us take the car...(She's a brave and trusting soul.)

Our first stop was the Sprint store. My coworker, Shelly, needed a car charger for her phone. While she was checking out, Jennifer and I noticed two of the Sprint workers talking by the door. The guy was asking the girl if she knew the name of a song he was playing from his phone, and the dance that goes along with it. I could tell she was super annoyed so either out of desperation to help her or complete lack of thought I blurted the name of the song. Somehow he even convinced me to do the **dance (mainly because his version was WAY off) after which he proceeded to give us a lecture on the origin and history of the dance, and three other succeeding dances. Oh gosh. We weren't sad to see that Shelly was ready to go.

The rest of our spare two hours were spent at the mall where we met numerous black men of questionable sexuality and bought next to nothing. Our next mission was to wander around Norman looking for a Sonic (which we never found), settling for McDonald's, and barely making it to the meeting on time. The 3 hour meeting is hardly worth mentioning.

On the way home, we stopped at Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar & Grill" in Oklahoma City. It was amazing! There were sports channels on every TV, a hanging disco ball in the shape of a saddle, and plenty of scruffy men checking women out from the bar. The ladies kept insisting that I talk to a tall cowboy in a black Stetson. I know, he sounds dreamy, right?! Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he was twice my age. At least. Maybe next time.

By this time, you should all be feeling bad for me and my lame day full of out-of-town meetings. I could go on and on about the fabulous conversations, driving incidences, adventures in the space car... but if you've honestly read this far, I at least owe you the courtesy of ending the post! :o)

**This is the dance...

Valentine's Eve...or Friday the 13th?!?

Okay, many of you may have read my sister's post documenting our Valentine's Day makeovers at the MAC counter last night. When I saw my eyes, I was reminded of something, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. This morning it hit me.









Do we see the resemblance?! :o)

Anyway, I'm fairly certain people were remarks at the theatre, but it was a lot of fun, anyway.


So we saw the movie "He's Just Not That Into You" and I've gotta say... it was an eye-opener. All those guys I thought liked me these last years probably had absolutely no interest...and others probably did that I totally blew off. I think it's interesting that men and women struggle to communicate effectively when they're supposedly programmed to be together. When one does manage to get their point across to another, it's doubtful the other will agree. Yet another reason to avoid dating. :o)


Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

My Type

These days it seems that a lot of people are concerned for my happiness more than I am. They keep asking me what my "type" is in hopes that they can set me up with a perfect man. So I've asked myself what my type is, and I've come up with a few examples:

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Keith Harkin:

Blonde dreamboat of Celtic Thunder. Singer, songwriter, guitar player. Lovely eyes, good style, great hair, cute accent, amazing voice.

James McAvoy:

See? Look how cute. Can't say that I know much about him, but I like his style and he definitely knows how to pretend to be a dreamboat in the movies. Even when he was half goat it was all good!

John Krasinski:

Or should I say Jim Halpert? That's probably more accurate. Look how cool and cute he is. I don't even feel the need to defend this one.

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So what we've learned from this is that I have no type. I just wanted an excuse to ooze over a few perfect-for-me non-options. Hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have!

(If you do happen to know any of these guys or someone with similar or otherwise attractive qualities, please let me know.)

Five Things I Probably Could But Wouldn't Want to Live Without

I happened to look at my cousin's blog the other day and noticed that she tagged me (rather persuasively) to list my five favorite things. I think it was more of an attempt to make me update my blog than anything else, but I'm down.

I started by making a list of everything I love, but the first 10 items were edible, and the next few were people. We'll just say these are in addition to food, friends, and family. Here we go!

1. Diet Coke -- Diet Coke is quite possibly the sweet nectar of the gods. No other soft drink comes close to the colossal joy I get when I take that first little fizzy sip of calorie-free goodness. Liquid bliss. Love in a can. This is what Diet Coke is to me.

2. Text Messaging -- If I couldn't text, I would lose contact with 90% of the people in my life. Sad, but true! I've always hated talking on the phone, and to this day, I avoid it when I can. Speaking on the phone opens up opportunities for sharing unwanted information and rambling. Texting allows me to maintain control of my level of involvement in the conversation. I'm never obligated to stay in a conversation longer than I wish, answer right away, or express any kind of emotion. Bottom line: Texting is impersonal and to the point. I love it!!

3. Going to the Movies -- My favorite passtime! The movies are always a good idea. Is it the sticky floor? Is it being in a dark room with strangers? Is it the kids kicking the back of your chair? It's hard to put my finger on the exact reason, but the cinematic experience is lovely. Even a bad movie can't always ruin a trip to the theatre!

4. Sales -- I am 100% opposed to paying full price. For anything. Ever. If I can't get it on sale, there's a good chance I won't get it at all. Either way, I'm saving money!!

5. Song Lyrics -- I am a song lyric junkie. I hate not knowing the words to the songs I like...and I hate it even more when I hear someone sing the wrong words to a song! I have a habit of posting random song lyrics as my Facebook status. Dorky? Yes. Can I help it? No. It's compulsive.

So there you have it. Five of my favorites. I could probably live without them...but why would I want to?!? Tagged: Kelli F, Holley, Megan P, Kellie, Shauna

My Escape.

I was recently listening to a Reliant K song with the lyrics, "I've gotta get out of here. I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake." It was during this song that I came up with a completely new game plan. Let other people run my life!!!! Heaven knows I'm not doing a very good job.

You know when you see those ads for those really nice retirement homes for the elderly. These people have lovely living arrangements, nutricious, well-balanced meals, planned recreational activities, and plenty of channels. Does nobody else see the rockin'ness of this!?!? Why do I have to be 80 years old before I'm allowed to live it up?'

Okay. That was an extreme example. I'm gonna go slightly more mild. I'll start by taking suggestions. I need answers to the following questions: Where should I live next? What should I do for a job? Whom should I date? What hobbies should I take up?

Before you answer, please consider that this is my actual life we're talking about. Let's be reasonable.

Happy New Year!?...

So...I had a few optional agenda items for New Year's Eve. One was a dance (1.5 hours away) full of desperately single adults eager to meet ANY unattached LDS kids within a 300 mile radius. Another was a branch "party" which sounded nearly identical to our last New Year's Eve party...and three parties we've had since. The last (and surprisingly least irritating option) was a midnight 5k they were putting on in Tulsa. More surprisingly..Brenda agreed to go with us.

The race started at 11:45 pm, fireworks went off at 12 (while we were running), and pizza was waiting at the end of the race. I can't think of a better way to start a new year! Burning calories and wasting NO time consuming more! It was a bit below freezing, but luckily the wind had other plans that night, so as long as you were moving, it was relatively comfortable. They served champagne at the water stops... because what all serious runners need during a race is carbonated alcohol. We chickened out and drank water in an attempt to rehydrate our bodies. We're just crazy like that.

Is that guy checking us out!??

Speaking of the New Year... I've decided to keep an updated list of my goals for this year on my blog. I'll have to put a star by them as they get done or something...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!