We Are All Blessed!

I was just thinking today how happy I am for my friends and family.  I have been overly blessed with the presence of incredible people my whole life, especially right now.  I am particularly happy for the amazing things happening in their lives right now.  

I have friends having babies, buying houses, getting married, getting promotions, finding true love and discovering themselves.  I am truly grateful for the blessings in their lives because they have all been blessings in mine.

If you're reading this, you are either a friend or a stalker  :)  Please know how excited I am for what lies in store for you.  The future is bright for both of us and I want to thank you for being a part of my reality.  Good luck and God bless!

No Plans

For the first time in a long time I have no game plan. I always, always, always have a game plan.

It feels SO good!

PS - My sweet momma brought me a bouquet of daffodils today. She rocks my socks!

What's The Deal With....

...boyfriend jeans?

Do people, other than celebrities, actually wear these? I sure hope not. I'm not the most stylish girl on Earth but I know ugly when I see it. Aren't those just fat pants that you put on when you're too lazy or everything else is dirty?

Grrr....

I find this picture extremely disturbing. Why would we allow a foreign nation to purchase our debt? The debt that we got ourselves into. I take very little responsibility for adding to that debt but I still see the danger in allowing another country to basically have some sort of ownership over us by bailing us out.

I feel like I'm going slowly insane when I hear stories like this, or more about bailouts, or CEO's of financially and morally bankrupt companies giving themselves HUGE bonuses. I love America but what has happened to us? People seem to think this all happened overnight but it has been building up for many years. You can't just have an overnight housing crisis. A crisis is a natural disaster that no one saw coming but this so-called crisis was orchestrated by the greedy mortgage companies who knew it was going to happen, even as they padded their pockets even more.

I want a good life for myself and any family I may have in the future...but what sort of future will be left? You want to think that if you live your life right, pay your taxes and teach your kids good values that everything will work out. Lately I'm beginning to think that it's the opposite. Be some lying, cheating administrator for a huge company and you and your family will be fine. God bless America.

Picture courtesy of FoxNews.com

Urgent Care - Never Again!

Twice in my life I have gone to Urgent Care. They have their place and I'm sure are a wonderful service for other people - but not for me. I will never go back.

About four years ago I woke up on the morning of a road trip to Utah not feeling very good.  I was driving up with my new boyfriend, we were going to hang out with his family for a bit and then up to Logan to hang with mine.  We took off at about 3pm and I slept the whole way to Orem.  That's about 12 or 13 hours.  We got to his mom's house early the next morning and proceeded to go to bed....I then slept until 11am.   At this point I hadn't eaten anything for about 24 hours.

That afternoon we went up to Hyrum to visit my family.  My mom made my favorite meal and I couldn't eat any of it  :(  The next day I still hadn't eaten anything and I had slept almost constantly.  My mom took me to an urgent care where I was diagnosed with having ulcers.  The doctor gave me some antacids or something and sent me home.

When we got back to San Diego a few days later and I still wasn't feeling well but I had to go back to work.  After basically collapsing at work I was rushed to the ER by my boyfriend where they determined I had mono, pharyngitis and was severely dehydrated.  Thanks Hyrum urgent care doctor.  By the way - mono is no fun!  It's not just sleeping and hanging around your house like I used to think.

Last Friday I went to the urgent care in Springville after having a fever and a very painful cough for a few days.  I'm not some hypochondriac who goes to the doctor for every skinned knee so I hope that clears up any questions of how sick I was feeling.  The doctor basically spent about 3 minutes with me, dismissed it as being a viral infection and gave me a prescription for a cough syrup.

Finally, yesterday I was so sick of being sick that I went to the ER.  I was almost out of that cough syrup without any improvement and I was to my breaking point.  Come to find out, I have bronchitis and now have 3 different medications to help me get rid of it.

I will never, ever go back to an urgent care.  My 2 experiences have been awful!  It's like they don't care!  They have diagnosed me with very minor illnesses that have then only worsened and ended me up in the ER with a much more serious diagnosis.  

Never again!

Fight of the Century

Yep, the fight of the century is between the ShamWow host and TV personality Billy Mays who previously pitched a similar product called Zorbeez. Check out the article here

Seriously?  They are selling washcloths!  Worth it?  I think not.  

Blah

I am so sick right now! I have been sick since Thursday and I think I'm getting worse. If you have had the pleasure to hear my voice yesterday or today, then you know just how awesome I sound right now.

I went to the doctor on Friday and he diagnosed it as being a flu-like viral infection and I have pulled muscles in my rib cage because of coughing too hard. Blah. He gave me prescription strength cough medicine and told me to take it easy. I am not feeling better! Last night I was up until 4:30 because I was freezing and my temperature was 102. 

I have been sick for almost all of spring break and I have to get back to work and school tomorrow. Yuck! Yes, I want your sympathy. Please, feel badly for me. :)  Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!

Finally!

I love, love, love spring and summer for many reasons. Being a San Diego native I think it's pretty obvious why these are my favorite seasons. The Utah winters are tough on me but the past few days we've had gorgeous weather so I'm feeling a bit better about this place. 

I went in the grocery store this morning and bought two delicious cartons of strawberries and that truly lifted my spirits. To me, strawberries are in direct relation to spring and summer so I am tickled pink that I have them in my fridge right this moment! Hooray!

I can't wait to eat them plain, with chocolate, on a shortcake and more!  Raise your hand if you love the 3 S's: spring, summer and strawberries!

I Like Me?

For a class I'm in at school we had to write a midterm about three of our identities (like White, Woman, etc). Dissecting my status as a woman was really, really hard for me because of a lot of the experiences I've had. I feel as though I turned in my paper incomplete because since I finished I've thought of several other experiences I wanted to mention that I feel have shaped my identity in a certain way. 

I'm going to share one with you today! It's not awful and I'm over it but it has gotten me thinking about how I want to teach my kids to talk to each other. Most of my body image issues come from comments made by peers. Kids need to treat each other with respect and love, they need to know that words hurt more and last longer than physical pains.

A few years ago I was at a party at my boss' house. Everyone was just hanging out and mingling with the friends he invited that we didn't work with. The evening was uneventful to say the least. The next day at work my boss came up to me and said that one of his buddies thought I was pretty cute. (Ready for the best part?)

Boss: "He thought you were cute but said it looks like you have FP, so yeah...."

Me: "What's FP?"

Boss: "Fat potential. Like you gain weight easily and will let yourself go"

That really stuck with me for a while. Now it doesn't bother me because that guy was just a jerk and knows nothing about me. After writing that tough paper and really looking into my past I am more confident than ever that I will overcome all those mean remarks.  

Check me out!

 

(this picture was taken by my 3 year old niece....I think she did pretty good!)

Spring Break - Day 1

I have wonderful intentions to accomplish a lot over this short, sweet break. Today though, was not that day at all. This is what I did:

Watched a show on the history of ice cream on Discovery.

Watched an episode of Maury Povich (when did he get SO trashy???)

This blank space represents a whole lot of nothing - which is what I did for most of today.

And then I hung out with this lovely lady.

All in all, I would say it was a good day. I have to get to work tomorrow though.  Sad face.

Wise Words

I thought this was particularly relevant concerning what is happening in America right now.  The image credits it to Abraham Lincoln but it is actually by William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister. Either way, it strikes a cord; let's hope our decision makers start paying attention.  (I especially like the last sentence).  Have a great day!

Today

Today was a great day. I was able to spend some amazing quality time with my dear friend Shanna and when I went to Costco, I found out that they have returned my favorite item to their menu. The ever so delectable hand dipped ice cream bar. This is a very good day!

Secret Addiction

I have a secret. I absolutely love infomercials! I am so gullible, I see one and it sucks me in. I could and have wasted a lot of time watching infomercials. 

They make everything seem so amazing and like it would make my life so much easier! Yikes. Lucky for my checkbook, I have only bought one or two things off of TV.  

This is my current love.  The Wonder Hanger.

Anyone who has been to my house has seen my obviously unruly and obscene closet. I see this infomercial and visions of a more spacious closet have started haunting me. 

While I was looking for a picture of this online, I found several websites claiming that these are cheap and break easily. So, my infomercial addiction will continue unsatisfied until I find the gadget that feeds that need for me.

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

- H. Jackson Brown

Unfortunately, I say "I don't have enough time" all too often.  Yes, I am a very busy girl but I know I'm not reaching my full potential.  I don't want to look back on this incredible year I have had and think that I wish I would have done more.  I wish I didn't like reality TV so much!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Toothbrush

I got one of these at a day after Thanksgiving sale last year and it is one of my favorite things. Like Oprah. 

When I went to Aspen I left it at home (accidently) and had to buy a manual brush so I didn't have poor dental hygiene all week. I hated it! My teeth didn't feel as clean, my arm got tired from brushing vigorously and I just didn't like it in general. 

I'm so super grateful for my Sonicare toothbrush. 

The end.

Happy 69th Chuck!

Today is Chuck Norris' 69th birthday! Did you know that he didn't start martial arts until he was in the military? After leaving the military he began to fight professionally and retired with a record of 183-10-2. He then was convinced to get into acting and quickly became a popular action star. My favorite role of his was Cordell Walker in the long running series "Walker, Texas Ranger". 

In the past few years he has become an internet celebrity based on his phenomenal super-human strength. So, today we celebrate his birthday and to do that, I thought I'd post my favorite "Chuck Norris-isms"

• Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he never cries. Ever.
  
• When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn’t get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris.
  
• Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.
  
• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
  
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
  
• Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
  
• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.
  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHUCK!

Did You Know

A few months ago my sister Elisabeth told me that if you have fresh blood on your clothing you can get it out with hydrogen peroxide. I tried it over the weekend and it totally works! The super nerd in me loves this sort of thing. Give it a try the next time you want to avoid the arduous task of getting blood out of clothes. It's well worth it!

not funny but kind of funny

Is this real? Would someone really put this on a label?

So, my next question...what is the husband's job?

Ummmm.....

Saturday night an old guy at Denny's compared me to Cher.

Ok?  Thank you?

A Little Nostalgia

When I was younger my parents led me to believe that there was only two radio stations, KYXY - soft rock and KBEST 95 - the oldies station.  These were the only ones that they listened to, therefore I was never exposed to anything else.

I am extremely well versed in music like The Carpenters (love them), The Eagles (amazing), The Beach Boys (to die for), Billy Joel (the greatest) and many other incredible old school acts. I thought this was the same education my school friends were getting.

Wrong.

Junior high was a shock when I got exposed to what my generation was actually listening to. I was astounded, to say the least. I was so curious how they all knew this new music and where all these new radio stations came from. I wouldn't say that I was sheltered as a child, but I'm actually glad that's my musical background because music like that just isn't made anymore.

Trippin'

I have several super fabulous trips already planned for this summer.  Yes, I need to plan for summer now because if I don't I get super depressed that it is still *really* cold in Utah!  It also helps me to follow through and do most of them if I put it out for the publics visual consumption.  Here goes:

Mt Hood, Oregon for more snowboard training with the Deaf National team. It will be the end of June for about 10 days. It's on a glacier!!!! I'm going to die this time, I know it. (sad face)

The Utah Shakespearean Festival to do some interpreting. Hopefully this one works out, I'm still waiting on a few things. Due to budget cuts this year they basically need volunteer interpreting services. I love performance interpreting and would love to have this experience. It will take hours and hours of practicing up here before actually doing any interpreting but I think it will all be worth it! 

Eliza and I want to go to Europe for a couple of weeks in the summer to hang out and possibly track down all we can about Deaf culture over there. I have been wanting to go to Europe for as long as I can remember and I'm making it happen this summer!

Finally, I have been talking to my sister (Meghan) about going on a quick cruise down the Mexican peninsula. I have wanted to go on a cruise since I was 8 years old so I think my time has come.

Goodbye savings account! I'll try to fatten you up again in the Fall!

Hole in the Wall

When Eliza and I were in Vegas I caught a crazy new show called "Hole in the Wall". I took this picture off the TV with my camera so I apologize for the poor quality, but it was just too funny!  It demonstrates the goal of the game quite well and it's just a funny picture!

There were two teams of three and the object was to get through the cut out in the wall without being pushed over or breaking the cutout. The wall is made of foam so it was easily broken, they had to be very precise. Behind them was a tank of water that they would land in if they missed the shape and were pushed back.

It was hilarious! I haven't looked for it since but I'll absolutely watch again if it's on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they wear skin tight shiny silver body suits. Why those are necessary I'll never know.

I Just Need A Moment

I'm sure I am as transparent as a sliding glass door but I want to do this post just once and then hopefully never again.

I am really, truly over being single. It's a real chore to be over 23 and single here in Utah. To my close friends and single friends I can voice my true opinion but to everyone else I feel like I have to play the "I'm single and it is super awesome" card. I feel like it is in everyone's best interest if I keep up the facade. While I do enjoy the freedoms that I have due to my single status, I am at the stage in life where I am ready to share opportunities and experiences.

It seems somewhat socially unacceptable to really discuss this. If you are in my position, you typically come off as pathetic. If you are a guy, you're a weirdo. So most people just keep their mouths shut. Why are those the only options? Sigh.

I was talking to my lovely and talented friend, Sariah, the other day. She is single and also here in Utah and we talked about options for staying here or moving. She is a truly amazing lady and I know without a doubt that she will find a wonderful spouse someday. She said the same thing about me and I appreciate it but I have to finally admit and say out loud that I really don't think I will ever get married. I'm not looking for any pity, I just have been feeling this way lately and I can't deny it.

I have never been in love even though several guys I've dated have told me they loved me. I don't get it, I never seem to attract the type of guy with whom I could have a real relationship. As humans I think most of us crave love and affection and the opportunity to give it back to someone. I have all those same wants but I 'm pretty sure I have to figure out how to redirect those feelings into something else. Like my nieces and nephews....lucky kids!

Thanks for letting me get it out. Now you know my secret, no judging!

Winner!

This cute little guy holds the title of "World's Ugliest Cat". But why?

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

This is the man and today is his birthday, he would have been 105 years old. His real name is Theodore Geisel but when writing he went by the name Dr. Seuss and he has made a huge impact on many people, not just me. If you look at his books for more than just the amazing art, the funny words and outlandish creatures you will find beautiful and simple life lessons. So, happy birthday Dr. Seuss! And, thank you.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

-- Dr. Seuss

What Goes Around

Lately I've been thinking about karma and the notion that bad things still happen to good people.  We all know that bad things happen to good people because I'm guessing you, my lovely and faithful reader, consider yourself to be a good, if not great, person.  You have had your share of heartbreaks and personal tragedies.  

If bad things never happened to good people, don't you think life would be near perfect?  No one would dare step out of line for fear of something bad happening!  From time to time though, I still want bad things to happen even more frequently to nasty people!  Because sometimes I wonder.....

What's the point of being good?!?!?  Is karma real????  I just don't know.