Because I Should Really Finish Christmas Before New Year's

December moves way too quickly. I vote we eliminate March and make December twice as long.

Since it's nearly 2011, I thought I'd better hurry and put up the rest of Christmas 2010 pictures.

I love the pewter nativity on this coffee table. I loved it so much that I asked my mom for it last year. She said she wasn't sure. Later that afternoon, someone dropped by to give my parents a gift and it was the exact same nativity! So she gave that one to me:) Christmas books are one of my favorite parts of the season. I've read and re-read all of the books on this table. Including the one I got from Rychelle last year. Thanks for that.


I think this is my favorite Christmas spot. The poor cement nativity wasn't even going to get picked at my parents---and I ended up taking pity on it before it went to DI. And I'm SO glad I did! I bought the red runner in Germany two years ago, and I love how that looks under the nativity, and ties the color of the book together. It's one of my favorite Christmas books. I boutht the crystal nativity when I went to the Waterford Crystal Factory in Ireland. It stays up in my house all year long.


And here are Christmas Eve pictures:

Some of the grandkids doing the nativity. I'm particularly fond of the enthusiasm of the Asian angel in the top right.



Our two Babies Jesus. We were extra holy this year.



The result of trying to do more than just recite Luke 2:1-18: The sheep's head is off, the donkey sat up, one of the Baby Jesus' is getting angel accessories and the shepherds returned to their fields.



My parents with 17 (of their 45) grandkids with new jammies.



Grandma with some of her granddaughters.


Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Pictures #2

I think this is the first time all year that I've posted 3 times in one week. I'm really getting in the Christmas spirit by sharing all these awesome pictures with you guys, no? Anyway.

This spot is an open window (I really don't know what the technical term is) between my kitchen and my living room. It makes the house feel all "connecty." One of my brothers gave me the Grinch doll several years ago. The animated version of that is one of my family's favorite movies. (The Jim Carrey one is pretty great, too.) The Richard Scary Christmas book leaning against the wall is one of my family's favorite books. We love the story of "Abe and Babe, the Bad Twins" best. There were fights over that book---so I got online and ordered extras so we could all have one. I bought the nativity on the red, wooden background from Metal Moms. I love it! It's one of my favorite things I own. The wooden half-circle nativity I bought in Germany a couple years ago.


It used to be my job to decorate the little Christmas tree and I hated it. The branches were scratchy and hard to get into the right place. So why'd I end up with it? Cuz I like all the ornamnets that went with it. And cuz I needed a tree:) The three nativity pieces at the bottom are all ornaments, but they're too heavy for the tree so I left them on the music cabinet. The two other nativities are made of olive wood and were given to me by two of my cousins. Chrissy brought me hers from Jerusalem several years ago---I'm not even sure how many. And this last year, Becky brought me the other after spending the semester studying there.

Christmas Pictures #1

I thought I'd post a lot this month. And by a lot, I mean I was thinking I'd get up to four posts... I love Christmas and have so much to say about it, but I've just been spending all my time enjoying the season instead of writing about it.

So, I started writing a picture post with all my house decorations. Then it was too long. So, I'm splitting things up. Maybe I'll get up to four posts this month after all.

Anyway, this was my first year to really decorate my house. I had just moved in about this time last year and was still in the unpacking phase and didn't take the time to make it festive. Earlier in the month, my parents divided some of their Christmas decorations (that we've seen in their home our entire lives) amongst the kids. It was fun. And it was sad. Sad to think that the house won't always be the same and we'll all get older and things will change. I could live without that. But I did end up with some nice things for my home and so finally did my own decorating this year.

This nutcracker isn't actually mine. It belongs to my brother's family---but they weren't going to put it up this year so I borrowed it. He greeted everyone that came to visit me this month. I think my dad was glad to get rid of it, cuz big kids like to crunch dry noodles in his month and it makes a mess. I think my brothers are sad it's not in the house anymore, cuz they used it to scare little kids.

My niece (who's very cute)(and who is moving to New Mexico next month) (and I'm not happy about it) actually refers to him as a "mutcracker." Nobody's bothered correcting her cuz we all think it's funny.

Several years ago (19 in fact) my aunt took her kids to Germany for Christmas. But her youngest at the time(Becky)was only one so she left her at our house for a month. My brothers and I LOVED having a new "little sister." My parents weren't complaining either.

Our traditional Christmas Even nativity---with new jammies. Becky was a very patient Jesus in the manger that was too small for her.

We loved it so much we didn't want to give her back in January. As thanks for keeping the child, and then begrudingly returning her, my aunt brought this decoration from Germany.

Since I'm such good friends with Becky, and since I love Germany so much, I received it for my own house.

Help/Advice! Please?

See these cute boys? And their cute parents? (I don't care about the dog.) It's one of my brothers and his family. Well, I get to buy a Christmas present for them. They live down in Arizona. And I really like them. A lot. And I want to buy them something they'll like. Our family usually does games for the gift exchange but I'm not sure what to get. The boys are 6, 9, 12 and 15. And seriously, aren't they really handsome?



Any advice on what to get?

PS-don't judge me for doing this so late. I just got my gift exchange assignment yesterday.

And don't worry-they don't read my blog so you won't give away any surprises if you comment and tell me what to get.

The One Where I Talk About Christmas

I read this Christmas list off a few blogs recently. Apparently the people who did it were competing for a prize. I'm a little late on that aspect...but I still liked the idea so, in the spirit of being completely un-original, I'm using it.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
That the jobs and school taking them away from Utah and away from living close to me will become unnecessary and we'll all live near each other. (This doesn't have to be realistic, right?)

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?
Forlornly listen to the children outside playing with their new toys while we're banished to our bedrooms to wait for Dad to get home from working at the hospital. Then, when we finally get up, go into my parent's inhumanely cold room, patiently suffer through Mom's ubsurdly long prayer and finally (around noon) get to go into the living room to see what Santa brought. Then, about half-way through, get re-banished to our rooms while Dad goes back to the hospital to deliver a baby and we wonder if there will ever be a Christmas that Dad doesn't have to work.* I highly resent any child that was ever born on Christmas.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
Is it weird that I don't know? Can Santa bring a boyfriend? I guess that would be decadent.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
Spend my parents money.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
Any games you can play with Rook cards. Oh Heck, Hearts, Golf, Rummy, Speed etc. Or, we'd play The Glob: one person throws a blanket over their head and tried to catch and smother someone else to make them The Glob. Wonder why I'm claustrophobic?

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
Well, I still insist that my parents do Christmas Eve jammies. And I still try and force everyone into the same car (which is clearly impossible at this point) to see lights. And did I mention the whole waiting-for-Dad on Christmas morning thing? Guess who's working Christmas Day this year?

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?
Nowhere---I love being home. Instead, I'd want all my family to be here, too. I guess if I had to go somewhere, I'd head up to Cokeville, Wyoming.

What about the rest of you? How would you answer these questions?

Also, it's the beginning of a new month which means a new edition of The Barrel. And I still don't know how to post the picture link. It features all kinds of Christmas ideas (lots of saving money ones so you don't have to spend your parents money either), great recipes to make you gain holiday weight and fun stories. Plus, stories from other bloggers outside of the U.S. with different cultural traditions. So go check it out.

*Don't let my dramatics fool you---Christmas morning was actually always wonderful. Yes, there were interruptions, but it didn't matter. It prolonged the time we sat around the tree opening presents and being together.

Thanksgiving and Such

Because it's almost Thanksgiving and because I want to show gratitude like everyone else, this is my list of things for which I'm thankful. My brain is a little full right now of all the things I have to get done today (and tomorrow...and the day after that) so I couldn't even think of a decent title for this post. All I had were titles of hymns and elementary school songs running through my head. Anyway, this is my superficial list of "thankfuls" (cuz the non-superficial list would be long. And heavy):
1. I'm grateful for pretzel m&ms (big shocker there).
2. I'm grateful I worked out before I weighed myself today. If I had weighed first I probly would have gotten back in bed, pulled the covers over my head and cursed the world. Oh, and I would have eaten pretzel m&ms.
3. I'm grateful that the ward Thanksgiving dinner that I have been planning will be over and done with in about 6 hours.
4. I'm grateful that I'm learning now, and not later, that planning a dinner for an entire ward is a stupid idea and I'll never do it again.
5. I'm grateful my office is closed Thursday and Friday.
6. I'm grateful for my three youngest nephews. They're very cute and very sweet and very fun to hold.
7. Fine. I'm grateful for all the other nephews, too. And nieces.
8. I'm grateful abc puts episodes of Dancing with the Stars online so I can watch them the next day.
9. I'm grateful for yams.
10. I'm grateful I live in Provo. Very close to my parents and several siblings. (Fine-that wasn't superficial.)

Also, my cousin and her husband have recently started a non-profit business that supports families in third world countries. They are selling handmade clothes, jewelry, bags etc. made by workers in India and 100% of the profits go toward humantitarian projects. Their website has all the information and, lucky for you, there are products that would make great Christmas presents! So go check it out. You're welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

iPod Exchange

First off, can I just say (or write) how upsetting it is to me to start a title with a letter that isn't capitalized? It's just wrong. What's with mac people creating products that start with a little i instead of a big one?

Anyway, a few months ago, I participated in my cousin, Damian's, iPod exchange. Basically, I gave him my iPod and got someone else's in return to use for a couple weeks. The purpose was to introduce me to new music, remind me of stuff I liked, etc. It kind of did that---but it also reinforced my dislike of some artists/songs. Here are the thoughts I had as I participated:

1. Willie Nelson, although he's really annoying and has lame hair, isn't half bad.
2. I still hate 'Come on Get Higher' by Matt Nathanson.
3. It doesn't matter how sad your song is, if your voice is annoying, I won't like it. I'm talking to you Pearl Jam.
4. Anyone who has George Straight on their ipod deserves a life full of happiness.
5. Second Willie Nelson song. Turns out he is as much of a tool as he looks. Good to know my initial judgments weren't incorrect.
6. I still hate 'Come on Get Higher' by Matt Nathanson. And any other song he sings. Is it just me or do they all sound exactly the same?
7. I'm never not in the mood to listen to Paula singing 'Straight Up.'
8. An entire country list and not a single Rascal Flatts song? The owner of this ipod is the smartest person alive.
9. Ashley Huff's 'Heart of Gold.' First song on the ipod that I'd never heard before and quite liked. Second was Don Williams singing 'If I Needed You' with Emmy Lou Harris.
10. Seven Abba songs in a row makes for a great work-out playlist.
11. Running out of iPod battery when working out=immediate loss of energy.
12. I like my music better than anyone else's.

Letters

Dear Katy Perry-
Please stop being popular. I don't want to hear your songs anymore. Your voice is like a black hole that sucks all good from the world.

Dear Killers-
You are a dumb movie. You have a dumb concept, made somehow dumber when it's put on film. However, Tom Selleck is attractive, so points for that. And it was smart of you to put Catherine O'Hara in the cast. You must have known you were going to be a dumb movie and that she would be your only saving grace.
You're also the name of a dumb band. Double whammy.

Dear Pretzel m&ms-
Please stop being manufactured.

Dear People Reading This-
There's a new online magazine out that you need to read. It's called The Barrel. And if you click on those words, it'll take you to the site where you can read it. Cool people like Melissa write/edit/design it. And cool people like Shelle write stories for it. And you can win stuff like photography sessions, or a blog makeover. And it's all online so you can read it anytime. And I'd post a picture-link to it, but I don't know how. So just go read it.

Dear Self-
It's nearly 12:30 a.m. and you're getting up at 6:30. Why the heck are you blogging instead of sleeping?

Good night.

It Wasn't My Fault

Alternate title: Why I Blame Others For My Road Down to You-Know-Where That's Paved with Good Intentions.
I had this plan for my day. It involved work, gym with my friend, institute, then meeting up with another friend. But do you know what happened? While I was at work, I got a text from my friend saying she's sick and couldn't work out today. So do you know what I did? Instead of going to the gym and working out alone, which I am fully capable of doing, I did the opposite. I went to Gandolfo's to get a sandwich. And it was good. And I liked it. And then, maybe I totally skipped institute. But hey, my plans for meeting up with a friend later tonight are still standing.
But that's why it's my friend's fault, not my own, that my good intentions are leading me down the hot place.

In other news, it turns out I have a non-medically-diagnosed case of multiple personality disorder. Awesome, right?
But seriously, I love nothing more than being barefoot, and yet I own...a lot of shoes. I was going to put how many I own, but I don't want you to judge me.
Also, I am hating that the summer is ending, but I am in love with the fall colors I'm starting to see every day.
My favorite TV shows are Biggest Loser and Man vs. Food. No way can those two concepts co-exist peacefully.
And, my "pump up" songs on my ipod are Lose Yourself, by Eminem (don't worry-I linked to the clean version) and Reach for the Stars, by S Club 7. Those songs aren't even kind of similar. I'm pretty sure if they ran into each other on the street, Eminem's song would beat up S Club 7's song. But seriously, both of them get me going on the treadmill (that I skipped running on today...remember?) when all I want to do is push stop and go spend an hour in the sauna.

Maybe can one of my personalities take the punishment for things that aren't my fault, and the rest can still be saved in the end?

Dancing with the Questionably Famous People

It's not like it's a surprise that I like Dancing with the Stars, so I won't pretend I accidentally saw it last night and am now commenting. The truth is, I watch it on abc.com the day after it airs. Judge if you want. I don't care.

Anyway, I wasn't going to watch this season. They announced the cast and um, it sounded really lame. The few names I did recognize were ones I didn't like. But I was reading a review of it, and decided to watch just the one dance...and got sucked in. Just like every other season. Here are my thoughts thus far (don't pretend that you're not interested).

Florence Henderson. I automatically want her to leave cuz her partner, Corky, irritates me so much. His personality is even more irritating than his name. But this week, she talked about her husband and it was sweet. And then they danced to Edelweiss. I love that song. It's one of the songs that makes me want to cry for no reason. I didn't want to like it...but I kinda of did. Just kind of.

Kyle Massey. Like it's any surprise that I love the Disney channel. But, I never loved Kyle's shows. They were too loud and annoying. And I was prepared to think of him in the same way. But, the dang kid is actually charming in a goofy sort of way. Which, quite frankly, is the best kind of charming there is.

Kurt Warner. Well, he's athletic and attractive. Why would I not like that? Plus, he had a tea party with his daughters. I don't care if it was staged, it was cute and he's my favorite. He also pointed out that it's a positive thing to show "I can dance next to a beautiful woman for six to eight hours a day and still honor my wife." Favorite.

I still don't care enough about the rest of the cast to have an opinion.

Fish vs. Squirrels

Boys are fish. Girls are squirrels. It's true.

Fish are easily caught. Put something sparkly in front of them and they'll bite without even thinking about it. They are just as easily distracted. If the certain something sparkly doesn't have a substantial hook (she's boring, lazy, high maintenance, involved elsewhere), the fish are just as easily un-hooked and they swim away never giving the sparkly thing another thought.

Squirrels. Now, they're more cautious. They see something of potential interest, like a nut, but they're not gonna rush right in a grab it. Nu-uh. They circle around it, finding out all they can about the nut before they're gonna commit to wanting it. And they'll try and keep the nut from realizing it's being evaluated. Once they've decided they want it, they rush in, grab it, and then hurry and hide it before some other squirrel comes along and creates competition. And the squirrel won't forget about the nut. She'll hang on to it for a good, long while.


There's a reason fish and squirrels don't co-exist. What on earth makes men and women think they can?

I Already Graduated. Thanks.

I got a packet in the mail the other day from my alma mater. Being that a certain amount of time has passed since I graduated, they want me to fill out a questionnaire. So, I open it and the dang thing is 10 pages long! And, they're making me fill it out with a #2 pencil---making sure I don't go out of the lines. I'm surprised they didn't ask me to come to the testing center to complete it. Good grief.

Anyway, I'm filling out questions about if I read a wide range of literature and appreciate and understand the texts and cultures they discuss....what? I just finished reading Mockingjay. Before that I was busy reading The Alchemyst series. Suffice it to say, there's little to no analyzing going on when I read.

Then, it starts asking me about my writing. Let's begin by saying that I hate writing. Research papers were death, in my opinion. I don't think I managed to ever get anything over 11 pages. And they want to know if I can "tailor my message to my audience," or if I "construct effective sentence patterns." Do I develop my central idea well? Um...I never really have a central idea, let alone develop it. If I weren't so concerned about filling in the bubble so carefully, I'd makes notes in the margin telling them that the only writing I do is on this blog. That I write at the spur of the moment when I get an idea and give zero thought to sentence structure.

I still have 5 pages of the questionnaire left. Do you think they really want my responses? Are they going to take away my diploma? Cuz I wrote a lot of hated research papers to get it, and I'm not gonna give it back.

On a completely unrelated note, look at this picture. Not because I think the movie looks good and am recommending it. Cuz really, I think it looks horrifically lame. And inappropriate. I do, however, like the way he's "leaning."But look at her right arm.

What the heck? Is it over his shouler? Reaching around? Under his arm? What is going on here?

More Questions?

Perhaps I should just turn this blog (that never had any specific subject in the first place) into a question forum since it seems like that's all I have to write about these days. Anyway.

1. Where are the yellow m&ms? Do they still exist? They don't in the pretzel kind. And also-maybe I should stop asking questions about m&ms.

2. If I send out graduation announcements now, do you think I'll get presents? I found a box of announcements at my parent's house recently that I never sent out. Announcements from high school. My 18 year old self was not aware that people sent money in return for getting one of those. Dang my past self! But anyway, if I send them now, what do you think will happen?

3. What was your favorite part of Eclipse? (I finally saw it last night.) Mine was Victoria's hair. Red? And curly? It does not get better than that.

4. If you had to choose between having a pool or a sauna, which would you pick? I know pools are great and all, but I think I could live in a sauna forever.

5. Kindles. I get that they're convenient and all, but can they compare with the joy of owning shelves of books? Actually having the books to hold, and stack and collect? I don't think so.

Do you think I should stop asking so many questions and start finding some answers in life?

Bad Prediction

Why does my predictive text write "perverted" before "requested" when I text? Do people really use that word more than "requested?" Cuz that's just weird.

Also, the name Brian comes up "Asian." This is funny to me cuz I have an Asian nephew named Brian. Except he spells it (or rather, his parents spell it) Brien. Oh well.

My phone also chooses "in" before "go," and "he" before "if." It bugs me cuz I use the second options more often.

Maybe what all this means is that I text too much?

MOS and Vacation Anxiety

I've never made it a secret that I hate hiking. A lot. My dad and a few brothers will be hiking Timp this Saturday morning and I can't go. And I have a good excuse for it. And in reality, I don't want to hike it. Cuz I hate hiking, remember? But I still have MOS (missing out syndrome) and I'm bummed that they're gonna be on top of a mountain without me. It's probly better this way. I'd probly be half hour into the hike and be angry that I let my irrational MOS take over my hatred of hiking. Still...they'll be on top of a mountain. Without me.

And I have another edition of really important questions. Who knew it'd happen twice in a row? Not me.
1. Coconut m&ms versus almond joys? I think I vote for the m&ms...but I'm not sure.
2. Which is better: anticipating the vacation, or being on the vacation? I'm about to go out of town for a whole week and I'm all kinds of excited! I haven't taken vacation time from work since last summer and I'm ready for a break. Not a national holiday kind of break that everyone gets, but the kind of break where normal people still have to live their normal lives, but I get to sleep in, and swim, and relax, and maybe eat too much. But then, I look at the calendar at work, and see what's gonna happen as soon as I get back...and I start to feel like the vacation is coming too soon. I'm just gonna have to go back to real life after it's over. How can I go back to real life after vacationing? How can I go into vacationing with this kind of stress? More importantly, am I the only one who feels this way, or are there other irrational stressers out there?

Questions

Welcome to today's edition of "really important questions." I don't know why I wrote it like that. It's not like there are daily editions. Or like I've done any other editions for that matter. Nor do I know if there'll be future editions. I just know I like the way that sounded.

Anyway.

1. If you had to choose between chicken or beef for the REST of your life, which would it be?
Personally, I'd go for beef and I can tell you why in one word: Steak. Oh, and hamburgers. And Sunday roast. Okay, maybe more than one word...

2. If you could have ANY pet in the world, regardless of cost, safety, living standards etc., what would it be?
I'd have a penguin. I don't think I need to explain this. Penguins are awesome and everyone should want one.

3. Would you rather be able to sing really well, or dance really well?
I'd pick sing. I'm always a bit jealous when I accompany for great singers. When I see people dance, I mostly just enjoy watching rather than coveting.

4. Which is better: the new pretzel m&ms, or the old crunchy ones?
I'm leaning towards pretzel these days, but that may be because I've had them more recently.

5. Have you ever watched the TV show 'Psych'?
If not, you should. It's great.

24th of July

Last weekend I headed to my favorite place on earth (besides my own home town), Cokeville. It's a mini-town in Wyoming where my dad grew up and where I've spent all but two Pioneer Days in my entire life.

We started out Friday night with a BBQ out at the ranch...but I have no pictures of that. Suffice it to say, there were s'mores and that's all that matters when it comes to BBQ's.

Saturday morning, early morning, was the David Dayton Memorial 5K Fun Run. Although the term "fun run" is a complete oxy-moron, it was great being with so much family. Below is the picture of all the David Dayton relatives that ran the race. The race official was yelling out directions and no one was paying attention (cuz it's impossible to get lost on a course with zero turns) and so finally just shot off the gun before anyone was even lined up! I'd like to blame the fact that I never found a good pace on the surprise start, not on the junk food I ate the night before.


At 10:00, the best parade in the world starts. It goes up and down main street, and takes 20 minutes tops. And there's TONS of candy! Here we are waiting for the Grand Marshall to get things started.


More of my nieces and nephews waiting.


This float has 4 generations on it---beginning with my 100 year old Grandma. She's the one waving under the very large umbrella.


That afternoon was the Family Flag Football Tournament. Daytons won---because they are awesome. There may have been another team that actually won overall, but I can't remember...


My brother took everyone out to the ranch later that night to set off his homemade bomb. I missed the event...but I hear it wasn't quite as great as anticipated. But hey, at lest the kids waiting are cute, right?


It's a great event. The best things about it are the fact that it brings SO much family together and it's always the same. Right down to the town dinner on Saturday---it's been roast, dutch oven potatoes, cole slaw and cupcakes my whole life.

There's nothing like a celebration in a small town.

All Nines!

Guys, check out the odometer on my car!

I reached 9,999 miles the same time that I reached 99.9 miles for that gas trip. You can't plan stuff like that! Except that maybe I totally did. And maybe I drove around with a camera in my car for a couple days to make sure I got a picture. And maybe I drove slowly around a parking lot right before it happened cuz I didn't want to try and take a picture while I was driving on a busy road. So what? It's all nines. Isn't that awesome?

I'm Brilliant. Shh.

I started building a bookshelf for my room today. It's the DIY, comes in a box with all the screws, nails and stickers you need type shelf. I'm no Tim Taylor, but I still feel accomplished after the building is completed and the shelf becomes filled with my massive amounts of books.

Anyway, I'm opening the box, creating my assembly line, and I pull out the provided glue. There's a bright orange sticker on the package that says, "Dangerous if ingested." Well, duh. Anyone that has made it past kindergarten is aware of the fact that glue doesn't belong in your mouth. Without giving it another condescending thought, I began to build and as I was transferring screws, pegs and the like between hands what did I nearly put in my mouth? The glue. Yeah---that knocked my self-assumed brilliance down a few notches.

On a completely unrelated note:Kent on So You Think You Can Dance. I've always like the kid. He seems decent. But the worst thing they could have done to him was make him dance with Neil. Neil is everything that is right with dancing...as far as my limited knowledge goes. Next to him, Kent's previously charming, endearing self seemed trite and immature. Love Neil.

Also, if you know the reference of my blog title, you get 25 fake points. Unless your name is Emily K. in which case you should fully know it and if you don't you should be ashamed. Stop blushin. That's lame.

Computer Maintenance

Has anyone else ever had bugs living in their computer? I don't mean virus, robotic bugs. I mean real-life, six legs, antenna bugs. Seriously. I just had three (THREE!!!) crawl out of my computer! I'm grossed out. And freaked out. And my skin feels creepy crawly. And now I'll probly have horrid, yucky dreams.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Is there a way to kill these bugs that doesn't involve taking a sledgehammer to my computer? As satisfying as that would feel, the aftermath of having lost pictures, documents and, oh yeah, an expensive computer, makes me rethink that solution.

I Vote for More Power Outages

First off, this might be my new favorite version of one of my favorite songs: Listen to it while you read. I promise you'll like it.

I always think it's fun when the power goes out. Kinda exciting and such. It went out twice yesterday while I was at work. Listen, if the phones are down and I don't have to hear people whining at me, I'm not gonna complain.

Maybe one of my attorneys was super uptight about it, though. And made me call the phone company (pretty sure they knew the power was down). And when the power came back and the phones still weren't working? I had to call more people (if only power outages turned off cell phones as well). And maybe he pushed every single button under my desk trying to fix things and turned my computer off more than 3 times. Maybe I was laughing inside cuz I got a kick out of how uptight he was.

But really? It was nice to turn off technology for a minute. At work I always have things pulled up: my work website, my music, my email etc. It was nice to have it all go off, take a break, just talk face-to-face, and listen to the storm. We need more moments in life like that. I think.

P.S. For those of you who care (and really, who doesn't?), my living room is now TV free!! Wahoo!!

Guest Post

Hey guys. I'm guest posting over at The Real World: Venus vs. Mars today. Come check it out.

Thoughts on Tuesday

My first thought: this isn't thoughts about Tuesday, it's thought I'm having on a day that happens to be Tuesday. Just sayin.

I love whoever it was that fixed my AC. If I had to sleep another night in 80 degree weather I may have died. By melting.

I'm watching The Bachelorette right now. Yes, I watch that show. Yes, I'm at work. Yes, I'm watching it at work (but all my work is completed right now---don't worry). All I can think is that The Weatherman is such a goober. I feel awkward just watching the poor kid.

I think I actually might be even more awkward than him, though. Bummer.

Getting up early in the morning isn't so hard now that it's not freezing cold outside. I can handle being outside at 6:00 if I don't have to wrap up like an eskimo.

My right arm is sore from dodgeball. Dodgeball---really. How does that small rubber ball have the capability to make me sore? Lame. We played it for FHE last night and I brought some little balls about the size of small cantaloupes. I figured they'd be harder to catch and it would maybe even the playing field for boys and girls. Yeah-I did not take into account how hard the boys would be able to throw them. I think most of the girls in my ward are mad at me now. Oops.

I'll be guest posting over at Real Word: Venus vs. Mars later this week. It's a site about relationships and I'll be writing about how not to speak to those that don't have one. Ironic? First step: if I truly am as awkward as The Weatherman, you can tell me. But please be gentle.

My Mutti

Memorial Day always makes me think of Mutti. Mutti was my mom's mom. She claimed each birthday that she was turning 26, and was never referred to as "Grandma." It was always Mutti to everyone around her.

Some of my earliest memories are of going to the East Lawn cemetary to visit my Grandpa's grave with Mutti and other family members. This Monday when I go to East Lawn, I'll be visiting my Mutti's grave as well. She's been dead nearly a decade and my memories are stating to fade a little. But I still remember her home phone number. I remember watching Jeopardy on the tiny TV in her kitchen and the weird footstool in her basement that was stuffed with nylons. Kinda creepy. I remember the figurine of a Chinese man fishing that sat on her piano. I remember her always perfectly manicured hands. I remember the Eagle Scout wall with pictures of all her grandsons who had received their Eagles. I remember her beautiful garden and the many flag inspired sweaters she owned. I remember learning how to make apple pie with her, and even though I hate making pie, I'm glad I have that memory. They are all great, happy memories, but I'd trade them all for a chance to see her again. I think she would've loved to do Sudoku puzzles with me. And she would've helped me decorate my house. She would still cook my mom's favorite birthday dinner of salmon loaf and scalloped potatoes while the rest of us avoided it as much as we could. She'd play Rook with us, make homemade chocolates, and continue writing poems. And she'd be so happy to see all of her amazing posterity.

I'm pretty sure she's busy up in Heaven directing choirs and insisting that every member have their music memorized. But I hope she knows how much her family loves and misses her.

Here's the Thing

So, those people that stand on busy street corners with company billboards dancing around and acting crazy? I don't get it. While I vaguely admire their confidence/lack of shame, their crazy dancing and spinning the sign makes it impossible for me to see what it is they're supposed to be advertising. How am I supposed to know what company is having what deal? I think the companies that do this (seriously, who are they? I can't read the signs) could save a lot of money with a self-standing sign stating their promotion. The dancing people are just making me dizzy.

Bands I Don't Like With Songs I Like

I get irrationally irritated when a band I don't like comes out with a song I do like. I feel like I'm not being legit anymore. Like I was too legit. Too legit to quit. But now I'm not legit. I'm unlegit. (Bonus points if you know that movie.) I mean, these are bands that really irritate me: their voices, their style, their name etc. It all combines to serious irritation.

That being said, here's some songs I like from bands I don't like.
-Soul Sister by Train. Serously though, that Drops of Jupiter song is lame enough that I can't stand the band or any of their other songs. How does one get drops of Jupiter in their hair. What does that even mean?
-Viva la Vida by Coldplay. But Yellow? I mean, really? And also, Clocks. Just gross. Plus, Chris Martin. Ew. He gives me the creeps.
-Carry this Picture by Dashboard Confessionals. What is a Dashboard Confessional? That's just weird. So is the rest of their music.
-Home by Foo Fighters. In my defense, this song sounds nothing like their usual style. I think Foo Fighters sounds like something a little kid is trying to pronounce but not getting correct. It's annoying. You're grown men. Act like it. Also, Long Road to Ruin is slightly enjoyable. Mostly for the video, though.

Anyone else have songs like they by bands they hate?

Things I Learned Before I Turned 26

-There is no such thing as too many white shirts.

-You will always run out of windshielf wiper fluid when you need it most.

-Reese's peanut butter cups taste best when you buy the special holiday ones in new colors. They're fresh, so the chocolate hasn't had time to get yucky on the grocery store shelf.

-Pomegranites are totally worth the effort it takes to eat them.

-You will never regret making credit card payments before they're due.

-Soccer players are always the hottest.

Things I Should've Learned Before Age 25

-Shaving without water is never a good idea. No matter how much of a hurry you're in.

-Even though ending sentences with a preposition is grammatically incorrect (and super irritating), it's impossible to avoid all the time.

-What purpose the freeway belt loop serves. Seriously, where is that thing supposed to take me?

-Glaring at your alarm clock doesn't stop the annoying sound.

-Flossing is a necessary evil. I hate flossing. Hate Hate Hate. Double hate.

-How to put up curtains in a house. My windows look naked.

-Just because you don't tell people when you're birthday is, doesn't mean you won't get older. So, you may as well tell them so you can get presents.

On May 3rd I won't be 25 anymore. Just so you know.

I Shouldn't Admit To Liking Reality TV As Much As I Really Do

I was already cheering for Evan whatever-his-last-name-is on Dancing with the Stars. Cheering in the sense that I want him to win---not that I voted for him. In my mind, if I don't vote for people then I'm not really sucked into the show, right? Just agree with me, okay? Plus, I really like Evan's partner. I liked her better with Chuck Lidell, but I think that's cuz I liked Chuck better. She's probly still the same person. But anyway, here's a quote from Evan last night which makes me like him even more:

"It's just such a positive show, and there's so much stuff on TV right now that's not positive. You've got murder mysteries, shows about rehab, or trashy love shows. "Dancing With the Stars" is truly a positive show and you watch people go through a brand new challenge and face the fear. And it's a show you can watch with your whole family."

How can you not like someone that says things like that? If only there were more people like him, TV might be cleaner! Maybe, maybe I'm guilty of watching those trashy love shows. And I do like Psych, but that's less a murder mystery and more a mystery comedy where sometimes there's murder. So, that's okay, right? Please. But I've never watched the rehab stuff, so that's something.

Glamour Shot Envy

Kristina is hosting a glamour shot party over at her blog today and I have turned a serious shade of green.

All my life I wanted to have a glamour shot!! I remember the ones my older cousins got together and couldn't wait till I was "mature" enough to do that with my cousins. I planned so many times what I would wear, how I would pose, how I'd do my hair. Or rather, how I'd have my hair done since I don't know how to do anything besides brush and straighten my hair. I even had a photographer picked out! He took my baptism pictures, my performing-with-an-orchestra-newspaper pictures, our family pictures, he's even promised to come out of retirement for my wedding pictures. (He's not retired yet, but clearly he will be if that time ever comes.)

Bottom line? I never got my glamour shot! I waited patiently to get my braces off: nothing. Waited till I turned 16: nothing. Waited till I graduated: nothing. Not fair. The closest thing I have to a glamour shot it at the bottom of this post which totally doesn't count cuz there was no glamour involved and I never had any delusion that what I was doing could be considered glamourous.

When do I get my glamour shot? If you want to see pictures of the lucky people that DID get their glamour shots, go here.

Did You Know?

-Youtube has a feature where you can make your own playlists? Where was I when that happened? Okay, I realize that's probly a basic feature that everyone knew about, but I'm one of those people that didn't score real well on the world-smarts portion of life. I'm better with useless facts. My playlist is currently a weird mix of Weezer, Michael Buble and Chopin.

-Americans dislike Shannen Doherty and Pamela Anderson even more than they dislike Kate Gosselin? What? Really America? I mean, don't get me wrong, Pam and Shannen aren't anywhere on my list of people I care about, but are they any better than Kate?

-Despite her ridiculous work-out outfits, (who really works out in a skirt?!) (unless they're a tennis player), the Turbo Jam lady has decent work-out videos. Actually, I don't really like any of her dancey/cardio ones, but she's got a Turbo Sculpt one that works my you-know-what off. And since that's my goal, well then that's actually rather nice. But seriously-I can't take anyone seriously who tried to work out in a tiny, pink plaid skirt.

Teeth Whitener, Eye Brightener, Coverup!

New magical make-up product from Hare Krishna!

Makes your teeth look whiter, your eyes much brighter and it covers up any pesky skin problems.
Side effects include fluorescent chalk that you cannot remove from your scalp, underneath your fingernails and the bottom of your shower curtain. But it's totally worth it!

My cousin chastised me for my two line post last time. Well, I hope the fact that this post is more than double that in lines makes up for it!

In Retrospect

Maybe continuing to run after rolling my ankle was not the brightest idea. At least that's what my new cankle tells me.

Apparently I Feel Like Being Random Today

I'm still not crazy about blogging these days, but I feel like forcing out some random things today. If it feels forced...well, like I just said, it is.

~

I never get sick. It's a weird source of pride for me. And yet, for the past three days, I haven't necessarily been able to breath, my head hurts and I've been forced to gargle with salt water in the morning. I'm not sure what this means.

~

I've never told anyone that wasn't family that I loved them. Because I don't think I do. I might like them a lot, but that's not the same thing. When my friends say good-bye to me it's always, "K bye. Love you." I usually respond with a "See you later." Sometimes I wonder if they notice that.

~

Supposedly I'm going off junk food for Lent again this year. I have no idea where those candy wrappers in my garbage can came from!! I may need some help in the self-discipline area this time around.

~

I used to think I wanted one little girl. Now I think I want none cuz then I will have no money. Every time I see cute little girl clothes it's all I can do not to buy them for my nieces. They I remember that I need to pay for other things like food and mortgage.

~

I'm done forcing. Have a good weekend!

Something New

So, I have this sister-in-law (actually, I have 11 sisters-in-law) but the one I'm talking about now just started a blog.

She's one of those people that's super, amazingly creative. She always looks amazing and I'm pretty sure it's not right to be as gorgeous and talented as she is. She's one of those people that can pull off wearing a whole bunch of bracelets at once, and big rings on her fingers and it doesn't look pretentious or silly-it's looks awesome. She makes jewelry and it's amazing. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, I don't like feeling things all over my fingers, wrists and neck---but every once in awhile I'll be brave and wear something and more often than not it's something that she created.

She's known me for longer than I can remember. When I was 8 and got my ears pierced she gave me a pair of little silver hoops. She probly regrets doing that now---cuz I only ever wear little silver hoops now. Never take them out. I'm sure she thinks I should branch out.

Anyway, what I'm saying is, she's beautiful and brilliant and she has a fun blog now that you should check out if you want ideas on how to also be beautiful and brilliant.

Ranting Part II

Guess who has a TV in their living room right now? Guess who does not want a TV in the living room right now? Or ever?

If you guessed me on all of those, you'd be right!!

My roommate decided it would be too costly (for whom?) for her to store her TV at her friend's apartment so she went ahead and hooked everything up and re-arranged the living room furniture while I was at work and couldn't do anything about it. And she and my other roommate agreed that putting her TV in the living room shouldn't be a problem if I'm willing to compromise. Well guess what tiny aspect they left out of that equation? It's MY house and I'm NOT willing to compromise. If she's willing to start paying the entire monthly mortgage then she can store her TV in MY room for all I care. But until then, the TV will be moving out of the living room, it will not be stored in the family room or any other public room and she's just gonna have to deal.

And I told her that. Not quite that strongly...I'm still working on that whole confrontation thing. But seriously, there's no way that there can be any question about how I feel about this issue.

And one more thing. I plan on sleeping VERY well tonight!!!

Recovery

Thanks everyone for being upset with/for me. It helps to have that when I'm wondering if I'm over-reacting. The good things is-things are fixed. I think.

I never did end up sleeping Friday night---and I even went on a anger fueled six mile run that day. You know, the kind you always read about? I didn't think they actually existed. Anyway, my roommate was gone when I got home from that, and I was leaving for the day, so I took the chicken way out and wrote a note. But I think it was a good thing cuz I was able to explain how I felt and why---something I probly wouldn't have been able to do in person. We talked yesterday and she said that she'll change things back to the way they were Monday. My mama thinks this is just a sign of things to come. I disagree. I choose to believe everything is fixed. On Monday my TV will be back where it belongs, hers will be stored somewhere (I told her I don't want it just hanging out in the family room) and all will be well.

And I still haven't changed my mind about Dear John. Awful movie.

Ranting

I'm a little uptight right now. It's almost 6:00 a.m. and I haven't fallen asleep yet. It all started this afternoon. I got a text from one of my new roommates (remember how I bought a house? I have people that live in it that pay me rent now) saying her dad had bought her a TV and where should she put it. Well, that's nice and all...but there is already a TV down in the family room. I wrote back and told her I didn't want it in the living room. I grew up in a house where the piano was in the living room and pianos and TVs don't mix. I'd like to keep it that way. So, I told her she could just put it in her room if she wanted because there really wasn't any other place. She suggested putting it where the current TV is...but I told her that didn't make a lot of sense, cuz then where would that TV go? Right? So that conversation was all by text. Then later, I talked to her on my lunch break. Again, said I didn't want the TV in the living room, there was one in the family room...cool that her dad bought her a TV, but she either has to store it or put it in her room. Clear enough, right?

Okay-so I get home from seeing a movie with my friends later on that night (Dear John-lamest movie ever. Except for the Notebook which nothing could be worse than that...anyway) I walk in and guess what? The TV her dad bought her is in the place of my TV that I set up in my living room in my house! What?! Gosh-and my mother thinks I'm passive aggressive? I think this girl takes the cake on that! And, she had unpacked all my movies and put them in the entertainment center that apparently came with her TV. I guess that was nice of her? And she even alphabetized them. But do you know what? I already had them split up into genres and THEN alphabetized. It took me quite a while to get them that way, too. So, I came in and she's watching a movie, and basically I'm kinda speechless. In addition, I don't do confrontation well. Not to mention the fact that I live with this girl and I don't want things to be awkward. Then again, it's my house! Right?

So, where does that leave us? Well, I don't know about you---but it leaves me with one entirely sleepless night, which has never been the case for me before. Not even when I was in school when people supposedly pull all nighters. Seriously, I've slept zero. But I did go down to my family room and fix all my movies back how I want them. But guess what? She threw out the boxes they were in! Why are they still in boxes? Well, I just bought a house---and so things like DVD and book shelves haven't quite made it onto my grocery list at this point. I'm slowly getting the feel of my house and where I want things to go and movies have taken a back seat in the priority process. I want them back in their boxes! And I want my TV back where it belongs! So I've decided when she wakes up today that I'll say I appreciate her efforts at organizing my movies, it was nice of her dad to send a TV, but would she please put my TV back where it belongs. I really hope this goes over okay. Cross your fingers that I survive confrontation and get some sleep tomorrow night.

And seriously-don't waste your money on seeing Dear John. Lame.

Running Out Of Reasons

I feel like I'm blogged out. I've had a few post ideas floating around in my head, and I just don't feel like turning them into anything.

It's kind of hard cuz I've made good friends through blogging, and been able to stay in touch with family and friends and I feel like I may lose touch with them if I stop. Hopefully that won't happen. And I'll still post if I find something I want to write down. It could be tomorrow, it could be next year. I don't know. But it used to be fun, and it's just more of a hassle now.

I'm not going to delete this blog, I'm not going to go private or declare the blog finished, I'm just not going to write unless I want to. Right now I don't want to.

I Hate Resoluations

Not mine. I don't make 'em. Not really. I hate other peoples'. Because know what? They all make resolutions about losing weight. So they go to the gym. And they take over!

I had big plans today. I was gonna do an interval/speed run on the treadmill. It was gonna be my best workout of the year so far. So I walk in the gym---and out of the gazillion treadmills they have, 40% of them are broken. No joke. Cuz the resolutioners have worn them down and they haven't been fixed yet. So, of the 60% left, all were in use. With people waiting. So I played on the stair-stepper for awhile. Treadmills still packed. Did the bike for a half an hour. Treadmills MORE packed. Did the poor-mans version of the elliptical. Seriously, that machine was so disgraceful I think I would have lost more calories picking up a remote. Once. Treadmills still packed. So then guess what I did? I left.

I can't wait till February and all those resolutioners leave me and my treadmills in peace.

Best Way To Watch Biggest Loser?

Eating steak and chocolate.
Bring it on Bob and Jillian. I'm not afraid of you.