Daisy Dreamin

Friday Fun

2011-10-07T23:28:00.000-06:00

I have been looking forward to the Rooftop Concert Series concert tonight in Provo, UT for awhile. Rachelle told me she would come with me. Unfortunately, it is outside, and they were one week too late. We wimped out and didn't go sit there in the rain and freezing cold. So, I guess I'll have to plan on going next year, since this was the last one of this season.

So instead of hanging out with C Jane and friends tonight, I ended up at home, after I stopped and picked up some Cafe Rio delicious-ness. I even got some extra pork and a tortilla, for lunch tomorrow, but after the enchiladas, I was still wanting more, so I ate it all tonight. Oops.

Some of the ingredients for the lip balm

About 9:00 o'clock tonight I decided to try making handmade lip balm. I have had the ingredients for it for many months, but I never got around to actually trying it. For some reason, it sounded fun tonight. Sadly, it has been so long, I didn't have my original recipes, so I just looked some up online. I ended up making two batches, and I decided I needed a little practice before I start my lip balm making business. You have to be fast - the beeswax and oil get melted, then you have to mix the other stuff in and get it in a container before it starts to harden again. I am not fast. My lip balm is not smooth and nice looking, like you would see in the store. But, it was my first try, and it was fun and easy. Here are the two recipes I used, that I copied from elsewhere online, and partly just added stuff as I felt like it. I haven't tested out the results yet, because I wanted it to get set up really good.

Easy Lip Balm
coconut oil - about 2 tsp (recipe I was using called for 2 Tbsp, I read it wrong)
beeswax - about 2 tsp
peppermint essential oil - about 6 drops
Vitamin E - 2 drops

Raspberry flavored tinted Lip Balm
coconut oil - 1 tsp
cocoa butter - 2 tsp
beeswax - 2 tsp
raspberry extract - 3 drops
Vitamin E - 2 drops
Mae Minerals Blushing Pink color Blush - tiny bit for color
(probably should have put some essential oil in, but I knew I didn't want peppermint, and forgot I had eucalyptus, don't know how good that would have been)

The mess I created with my lip balm making.

The three containers of lip balm I made tonight

So, that's the fruit of tonight's labors - 3 little lip balms. Maybe I'll get better and make some to give away for Christmas presents.

Here's a few pictures of my night with the Bennett's on Wednesday. Lindsey and Hailey were putting on shows for me, and Lindsey came down in the Batman costume, which looked hilarious on her, so I had to get some pictures.

Hailey came up with this outfit, which did have a mickey mouse magician hat included, but Rhys stole the hat before I got a picture. It was quite the ensemble - prom dress, baseball jersey, hippie vest - you get the idea.

Hailey looks like a little Jeanette in this picture, don't you think?

Her last costume change of the night.

We had fun just chillin at their house after dinner, while Matt & Jeanette went to see The Help for her birthday. I love those kids! The two girls and I ended up having a slumber party in Lindsey's room, with Hailey on a mattress on the floor. It was fun until we woke up in the morning and the girls started doing gymnastic tricks on the bar above the bed I was still in. Let's just say that got me out of bed quickly.

So long for now, my friends

Grateful for computer smart friends

2011-09-29T21:36:00.004-06:00

Two nights ago, I was online, doing what I normally do, when my computer started going bananas. Telling me that I had a trojan, that I needed to click here to get anti-virus software, etc. It scared me. I'm not a good updater, or back-up-er. I don't take good care of my computer.
Don't worry. I learned my lesson. I took my computer in to work, and my friend Ty worked his magic and got all the viruses off, and updated everything. He gave me a lecture this morning when he gave it back to me about how important it is to run the anti-virus software weekly, and backing up often.

I am very thankful that I didn't lose anything. He was able to put my computer back together. I wouldn't be typing this today without his help.

I am going to be better about taking care of my computer, so that it will be nice to me and I won't have to go through this again.

I learned my lesson.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2011-09-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

- I just watched Biggest Loser, while eating some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I should have gone to the gym, but my couch was too comfortable.

- I am trying to be a little 'unplugged' this week. Not so much TV, less playing on the internet, etc. I did good yesterday, because my cousin and his family came over for the evening. Today was Biggest Loser, and I told myself I could watch that - my one show of the week. But now I want to watch Parenthood, too. It is hard to change your habits.

- I have quickly found the love for Pinterest. So many ideas. So little time to do all of them. The one thing I am going to try is the trick for hemming jeans.

I am short, so I can never find jeans that are the right length for me. I hope this trick works. I have always wondered if there was a way to do this, but I've never tried it.

- I am coming up with ideas for all the pears and apples off my trees this year. I picked a box of pears yesterday, and there is probably another box still on the tree. And I have 2 big trees full of apples, which I think are going to be yummy this year. I am thinking I should dry some, maybe freeze some, eat them every day until I can't stand it, make some mini caramel apples (although my apples are red, not green), give some away, and whatever else I can think of to do with them. Any good ideas for me?

- I want to take this class, Onward & Upward, but I am scared I won't finish the class. That is what I do. I start something, but rarely finish it. But, I really think this would be a good class, and i want to do it. I have to decide this week, since it starts next Monday. Maybe it's time for a new habit for me, of finishing things.

- I had my first lesson in 'gauge' for knitting this week. I made a fingerless glove, using a chunky yarn, and a size 10 needle. The pattern I used called for a size 7 needle, and worsted weight yarn. My glove is a little, or a lot, too big. Who knew it was important to use the right size needle and yarn? Now the question is whether I am going to undo the glove and start over. I haven't decided yet.

Finally Friday

2011-09-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

Hey, world, it's me - Diana. I really am alive. Thought I would try blogging again. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head about what I want to blog about. And I have been reading lots of awesome blogs lately, and part of me just wants to be that cool, too.

Lily and Grandma Carol

I know that's not likely right now, but a girl can wish, can't she?

So, just for tonight, I will give you a rundown of my day.

5:15 - alarm went off
5:22 - got up, decided not to go walking, checked FB, blogs, pinterest, email
6:30 - showered
7:08 - left for work, which is much earlier than I have been leaving
7:45 - stopped for gas
8:00 - work
4:15 - left work, took an hour or so to get home, stopped for a milkshake on the way (JCW's - the best milkshakes around, in my opinion, but so bad for me)
6:30 - home, watching NCIS, checking email, FB, reader
7:15 - thought I heard kids out in my backyard, so went upstairs to investigate. But, then wondered what I would do if I actually saw someone. I decided it was my neighbor's grandkids getting a ball out of the yard. It made me feel better to think that, rather than any other option.
7:30 - emptied dishwasher, loaded dishwasher, took out garbage (very stinky!)
8:15 - back downstairs, working on blogger, watching NCIS

So, there you go. My exciting life. What does your Friday look like?

What happened this summer?

2009-08-29T21:05:00.003-06:00

Ten Random Tidbits from my Summer

1. I went camping with my whole family in Logan Canyon, we played at Tony Grove lake on the canoes, and went on the nature hike with Jill and Brandon.

2. I went to my niece Jill's horse show in Logan.

3. I drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon, over Guardsman Pass, to Park City, and inadvertently ended up in the middle of the Wasatch Back race.

4. I took several weeks off in June, to be home with my grandpa. And it was a nice break for me. I was able to hike Timp Cave with my sister several times, which was great. We do it for exercise. Most people hate that hike - it is hard, but it's a very good workout.

5. I spent the 4th of July in Idaho Falls, for the first time in a long time. My newest niece Capri was blessed that weekend

6. I got set up on a blind date, and have since been out with him several more times this summer

7. My mom spent nearly the whole month of August living with me, taking care of grandpa, but it was fun to have her here for so long

8. I've been running more, and just the other day, I ran for 40 minutes straight. It is a big accomplishment for me. I'm thinking about entering a 5k this fall.

9. I decided to take some classes at the BYU-Salt Lake Center. I am taking one class fall semester, History 400 - Family and Law in American History. I'm a little nervous to be going back to school. I hope I like it. The class starts on Thursday.

10. I am becoming a little more domesticated. In my backyard there is an apricot tree, a peach tree, 2 apple trees, and a pear tree. So far I've made apricot raspberry jam. The peaches just recently started ripening, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with all of them. I also planted a small garden, and found out I am really good at growing zucchini (mainly because it grows no matter what you do to it) so I've had plenty of zucchini. I'm going to attempt to make some zucchini bread here one of these days.

The world says summer is over. School is back in session. But, I'm not ready to let go of it just yet. Maybe on Thursday when I go to class I will feel like it's over.

June 30, 2009

2009-06-30T19:39:00.002-06:00

So, where did June go? That's my question. The summer is 1/3 over already. Wow. Last year at this time, I was just getting back from my ward trek at Mosida, and gearing up for girls camp at the end of July. I wish I was doing girls camp again this year. I'm quite bummed I am not going this year. I love girls camp, and both my old ward and new ward went to (or are going to) the Heber Valley Girls Camp, and I really wanted to go up there. But, it was not meant to be this year. I'm ok with that. I know I will get plenty more opportunities to go. (I hope!)

This year, my June consisted of taking off work, a lot of work. I took off almost three weeks. Crazy, I know, but I loved it. It was perfect timing for lots of reasons, but the main reason I did it was to help out my grandpa. On top of that, though, it was just nice to have a break. I was thinking about it, and I have worked a full-time job every day for the last 11 years. (Of course I took vacations and days off, but not an extended, just-stay-home time off sort of deal.) So, I figured a break was warranted. And, the work flow at PDC was pretty darn slow this month, so I was doing my part by not going to work therefore leaving more work for the other people to do.

And what did I do with my time off? I had high hopes of doing all kinds of things. I did not check off every item on my list, but I feel good about what I did accomplish. I took pictures of things I have made, I still need to post them here. I made several books, got back in my creative groove a bit. I read, A LOT. I love the library. I have been a voracious reader lately, reading lots of books, mostly LDS fiction. I am currently reading a book called American Bloomsbury, about Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, among others. It is quite interesting so far. I didn't know they were all contemporaries, living in the same neighborhood in Concord, Massachusetts.

I also hiked to Timp Cave with my sister Rachelle about 5 times. Am I crazy? Probably. But, it is great exercise, and it's beautiful, and cooler than down here in the valley.

I went to the Utah Arts Festival, once again with Rachelle. Only spent money on food, getting in, and parking, but still had a great time. I like to just look at all the amazing things artists can do.

My parents were here for a few days, and we took my Subaru on a drive from Big Cottonwood Canyon up over the top, down into Park City. The drive was beautiful. It was raining, unfortunately, so we didn't get out anywhere. And, as an added bonus, we ran into the Wasatch Back Relay Race, drove along the road with the runners for a few miles. I was very intrigued and amazed that these people sign up, pay money, to run 189 miles with their team. It was quite entertaining.

I have watched my little garden grow, and not grow. My zucchini is doing well, and I will hopefully get some cucumbers and a few beets. But, no beans at all came up. And my pepper plants aren't doing well at all. I think two of them are dead. One might survive, but it is doubtful. So, maybe I'm not meant to be a farmer. Or maybe, it's my first garden and this is a learning experience.

I participated in a singles conference in Orem. Not a lot, but I did go on a hike with them, and went to the fireside on Sunday night.

My cute sister Kaylynn brought three of her girls to spend the night here last weekend. We had a great time at the Lehi Parade, and playing in my craft room. Her girls are so cute. I wish we lived closer so I could see them more.

I got quite used to not working. It was an adjustment for me to go back this week. I liked sleeping in a bit, and exercising for an hour. I liked having a smoothie for lunch. I liked getting my hair cut at 10 am and not having to worry about getting back to work. I just liked being home all day, relaxing.

So, now it's almost July. July will bring a trip to Idaho to see Capri get blessed. And Waite Family Fun Days in Logan at the end of July. My niece Hailey is in a play at the Hale Center Theatre, so I'm going to try to go see her. And hopefully, more exercising, maybe more hiking to the cave, go check out some festivals and boutiques around the valley, go up Little Cottonwood Canyon to see the wildflowers in bloom. I'm also looking forward to the Jon Schmidt concert in September. And, I want to plan a trip with my mom, either to San Francisco in October or to Boston sometime this fall. I also might try to squeeze in a trip to Arizona to see my cute sister Sharon who decided not to move up here after all.

People keep asking if I have any big plans for the summer. I really don't. But, I'm ok with that. I like to just be laid back and relaxed in the summer.

Do you have any big plans?

Oh what do you do in the summertime?

2009-06-23T22:30:00.002-06:00

I like to play in the creek with my cute nieces and nephew. I don't like it when one of them falls off the rope swing, though.

I love the warm summer nights.

I love sitting on the porch reading a good book.

I love being able to grab my purse, slip on some flip flops and run out the door.

I love the fresh fruits and veggies of this season.

I love going to the library and finding some great reads. (This isn't really a summer activity, but I just did it today and it was so fun.)

I love seeing my garden growing. I'm likely going to get tons of squash (of course) and maybe a little of the other things i planted.

I don't really like pulling weeds. Not my favorite activity.

I like eating salads for dinner.

I like hiking to Timp Cave with my sister in the morning.

This summer, I've been enjoying my extended time off.

I like it when the sun comes out after the rain. I do like rain, and thunderstorms, but not really for 3 weeks straight.

I like not being tied to the tv, since there isn't much on in the summer.

I love the smell of fresh cut grass.

I love going on drives through the beautiful canyons around here. On Saturday, we went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and ended up in Park City. Pretty cool. I'd never been on that road. We ran into the Wasatch Back Relay up there, which was fascinating to watch the runners and support people.

I love that it stays light outside until 9 o'clock. And it is light early in the morning. Sunshine makes me happy.

I love summer festivals, farmers markets, arts festivals, etc.

I love the 4th of July, and I'm pretty excited to be in Idaho Falls this year.

Random Thoughts for June First

2009-06-01T20:25:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know, it's been awhile. Life has been crazy.

• My grandpa, whom I live with, fell down while taking a walk around the block on April 24. He was in ICU at the hospital for a day, and spent another couple of days in the cardiac unit. He has been home for a month now, getting better every day, but still needing lots of attention and care. My mom was here for the few days he was in the hospital, then her sister came for 3 weeks to help out. When she left, my other aunt who lives in Rhode Island came for two weeks. She just went home yesterday, and now it is back to just me and him. We have lots of visitors during the day, which I appreciate. It has been an all-consuming thing, dealing with him, his doctors, etc. We probably have a few more months of craziness with him, then hopefully he can drive again and get back to all he was doing before his fall. Lately he has been telling people that he tried to "erase his face". I think that's a funny visual. He did fall on his face, broke his nose and several other bones in his face, but you wouldn't know it for how he looks now. He has healed amazingly fast for an 87-year-old guy.
• We have had some awesome summer storms the last few days. We had one tonight that kept knocking our power out. (ok, only twice, but that's enough, don't you think?) These are the kind of storms that make me want to go back to Taylorview Lane, get my doll out, and a lawn chair, on the porch so I don't get too wet, and watch the storm. I did go sit outside for a minute tonight. I love the smell. I love how everything looks green and fresh after the rain. I love watching the puddles form. I love watching the rain hit so hard that it is bouncing off the road. I don't love driving in it. My aunt and I went to Sweet Tomatoes on Saturday night, and we had one of these crazy storms on our way home. It was a mite bit scary driving home - couldn't really see anything, felt like I was hydroplaning. So, I like to be home during these crazy summer storms.
• I planted a garden a few weeks ago. I helped my mom in the garden when I was growing up, but this is the first time I have actually planted my own garden. So, I've been watching it every day, getting so excited when the first little sprouts came up. My zucchini plants are doing great, and so are the cucumbers. I planted beets for my grandpa, those might produce a little bit. But my beans are looking kind of sad. I only have a few sprouts coming up. I planted some pepper plants just the other day, I think they will be ok. And my aunt planted a tomato for my grandpa. So, we should have some good veggies in a few months. My grandpa also has some fruit trees in the backyard, so we will hopefully feasting on pears, apples, peaches and apricots, too! Can't wait!
• I went to The Homestead in Midway, UT, last weekend with my cool family, thanks to my very generous sister Jeanette. We had a great time swimming, hanging out, and eating yummy food. It was beautiful up there.
• I became an aunt again on Friday. My little sister Julie had her fourth child, first girl on Friday in Idaho Falls. Capri Jasmine is a cutie! I can't wait to go visit her sometime soon.

I guess that's all the randomness in my head tonight. It is 8:40, and lately that has been when I'm getting tired and going to bed. I must be getting old.

Moab is perfect in April

2009-04-22T21:39:00.003-06:00

I went to Moab this past weekend with Rachelle and Nathan (my sis and bro-in-law). We had a fabulous time - it was a perfect weather, not too hot, just a little breeze. It was actually a little cold on Friday.

We went to Arches one day. We hiked to Delicate Arch - a pretty hard hike but so worth the effort. It is an awe inspiring sight. It took us about 3 hours, but really we sat up there by the arch for almost an hour.

My favorite arch that we just discovered is Sand Dune Arch. It is a little, non-descript .2 mile hike, but such a hidden treasure. The hike is in between two giant walls of red rock, and as you go up the canyon, the ground turns to sand, until by the time you get to the arch, you are standing in a giant red sand sandbox of beautiful fine grain red sand. We spent another hour just sitting there, playing in the sand with our bare feet. It was the perfect thing to do after hiking to Delicate Arch - the cool sand felt really good on our tired and sore feet.
Our other activity of the weekend was Letterboxing. I think I've written about it before. I finally got my stamps carved about a week before this trip. I found a letterbox in West Jordan - my very first letterbox. I love it! Moab is saturated with letterboxes. We could have spent the entire time we were there looking for letterboxes. I tried not to be that annoying about it. We ended up finding 10 letterboxes. We searched for 2 others but didn't find them. So, we did spend a good deal of time on this, but the searches took us to some beautiful places. We found Moonflower Canyon up Kane Creek Rd because we were searching for a letterbox.
I think I even got Rachelle and Nathan a little bit intrigued by the activity. They were good sports and went along with my crazy ideas - I wasn't sure if they would like letterboxing or not.
Now I am wanting to go searching for them everywhere I go. There are some in Idaho Falls and Jackson that I want to look for. There are also quite a few in the Salt Lake area, so that will keep me busy for awhile.
This is a self portrait of the two of us at Double Arch. (Not sure that's the right name...)

I love exploring this world of ours. The southern Utah area is one of my favorite places to go. The red rocks are beautiful. We were discussing how it is a different kind of beautiful from the Wasatch Mountains, or the Tetons. But, I love both of them.

I am going to check on my 33 Things list soon. I think I have a few things I can already check off. Yea!

Someone does actually read this blog...

2009-04-10T22:08:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I was feeling down about things when I posted the other day. I hate dealing with car problems...that's why I need a husband! But, several prople told me they actually read and care about what I write. So, I will continue. Sometimes I think I should make a schedule for myself, and do a creative post once a month, and a month in review post, and a weight loss post, etc. But, then i remember that I hate schedules. So, it is in the back of my head to do that, but I am not going to even say I will do it on any sort of schedule... whenever I feel like it...that's when things happen around here.

But, honestly, I think there is something weird and therapeutic about writing a blog, putting your thoughts and words out there into the universe for anyone to read. I admit, though, that I have written several posts in the last little while that have not been published. Just a little too personal.

So, I have been doing a lot of thinking, pondering, wondering about my life. I find it interesting how life changes. How my thinking changes. I have gone for many years, enjoying my life, feeling like things were going fairly well, feeling happy for the most part, content with what I was doing. I am not in that place anymore. I don't know why my mood has changed. Well, I could name of several things that I am sure have triggered some of this thinking, but I think it is just time for introspection on my part, to decide if I am on the path I want to be on, to contemplate my next steps, to see if there is anything I should be doing differently.

I hate the topic, but the economy is on my mind a lot. My job security has taken a hit, not that I am going to lose my job soon, but it is a worry. Other people have been let go, and it is being discussed among the managers in production if there needs to be more layoffs. Our work has slowed down considerably, and we are not seeing a huge pickup anytime soon. So, I think about it, wonder what is going to happen, stress myself out thinking about what I would do if it did happen, where I would work.

Of course, I would go work at Archivers. :) I loved working there. It was a very happy place for me. I felt confident and valued as a team member there. We always had a good time at work. I realized I really do like working in a retail store. I love seeing all the fun new products coming in, and I even learned to enjoy helping people figure out what they needed. (That was one thing I wasn't very good at, giving my opinion, offering suggestions to customers...)

I am off on a tangent.

I realized tonight that my confidence level in my job as a graphic designer is not the same as that confidence I felt at Archivers. I do not feel that same confidence at PDC. I know there are many factors involved in that thinking, but it is something I am trying to figure out, wondering how I can find that confidence again. Because, I used to have confidence in myself and my job. I thought I did a pretty darn good job at designing those phone books. And, honestly, I am not sure if it is something other people have said or done to make me feel this way, or if it is just me not feeling confident. Deep thinking, I know.

This is the kind of thing I have on my mind constantly now. My commute is good for this kind of thinking. Or maybe bad, because i have too much time to think. I need to come to some conclusions on some of these things, or at least answer some questions for myself, because i am sort of making myself crazy with all this in my head. I think it is just a time of growth and discovery for me. It is good. I am trying to embrace it and learn what I am supposed to be learning. And, if change is supposed to happen, I want to be ok with it. I stress out about changes when they first happen, but I have come to know and understand that it is usually for the best, and life always calms down again, and you get back into a routine, and it's all good.

I just hope that too much change doesn't happen all at once. I think my head might explode if that happens. One thing at a time, please.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a perfect writer, so don't judge me for bad grammar or bad sentence structure or things like that. Posts like this one are just me writing stream of conscious style, so it is a little disjointed sometimes. I hope it sort of makes sense. And if not, you are seeing into how my crazy random brain works. :) And, once again, no pictures. I'm still working on that.

Why do I even have a blog?

2009-04-08T20:59:00.002-06:00

That is the question I ask myself sometimes. I am horrible at updating it, and frankly, when I do write, I don't have much to write about. I like posts that have pictures, but I haven't downloaded any pics for awhile, so you are going to get a post without any pictures. Sorry about it. It was either this or no post at all...

I got my tire fixed today. So, I am a girl, and I hate pretty much anything to do with taking care of a car. I can put gas in it, and I even get the oil changed when I'm supposed to, but it is definitely not my favorite activity. So, in my new car, there is a light for my tire pressure, and the light has been on for awhile. When it first came on, I checked the tire pressure myself, and put some air in. Light was still on. I looked at the tires, and they looked ok to me. So, I let it go for awhile. Then, I went to ID, so I went to Discount Tire before I drove up there, and they put air in all my tires. The light went off for a day. So, the light has been on for a few weeks again. I look at my tires almost every time I get in the car, they looked ok to me. Last night, my uncle came over to visit my grandpa, and he told me one of my tires looked low. Ok, so it's true. I need to do something about it. Ugh. I gave myself a pep talk, pretended to be Marsha, and went to Discount Tire this morning. I go in and tell the nice worker that I think I have a slow leak in my tire. He was very nice to me, but at that point he kind of gave me the, ok-you-are-a-girl-and-don't-really-know-what-you-are-doing look, and said, "Do you know which tire?" As he's asking, he looks out the window at my car in the parking lot. I said I thought it was the passenger rear tire, and he says, "Yea that one looks low." And, he and I were both right. I had a nail in the tire. They fixed it. Didn't charge me anything. The light went off, and has been off all day. Let's hope it stays off for awhile.

I know, that was a long story for a silly thing. But, as all of this happened, I was just thinking about how boys have a sense about stuff like air in tires. They can look at a tire from a long ways off and know if it is flat or not. So, I emailed my sister this morning and told her that. She wrote back and said that yes, that is true. But, girls have an inate sense, too. She said: But girls just have different senses. Like I can smell that Fred* is burning the rolls (almost everytime he bakes something), but do I tell him to take them out, or let him learn and let them burn? Tough call in life.

*names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Anyway, her response was just funny to me. Very true, but funny. Boys and girls have different talents. Like, my little brother was born with the ability to make every kind of car noise imaginable. I was not born with that ability. But, I'm sure there is something I can do that he can't.

So, that was the excitement of the day.

I have a long commute these days, which really isn't bad. I don't mind driving. Especially in my new car with a brand new nail-free tire. I think a lot on my commute. I listen to good music. (My current cd is Ryan Shupe's newest, "Last Man Standing" I believe is the name of the cd. My favorite song is "10,000 Lakes". So good!) I pray sometimes. Today I was thinking that if there was a way a could dictate blog posts while I was driving, I would probably post every day. I think up some good things to write about on my drive. The problem is remembering them after I get home. I'm still working on that.

A few things I'm looking forward to:
• weigh in tomorrow, I think I'm going to do pretty good this week. hopefully...
• Moab in a week with my sis and her hubby. Love Moab! Love the Moab Diner, been dreaming about going back to that place for years. Love Arches. Love the red rock everywhere.
• spring, warm weather, wearing flip flops and capris - getting rid of my winter wardrobe
• Cafe Rio tomorrow for lunch
• bike ride in Grand Teton National Park with my dad, fulfilling one of the things on my list for this year.
• meeting my newest niece, Capri, when she makes her appearance sometime in late May/early June
• sleeping good tonight. Which means I need to get off the computer and head that way soon.

Birthday fun

2009-03-02T21:33:00.002-07:00

So, today was my birthday. It was a great day. Full of good fun. We had Cafe Rio for lunch at work. Ummm, my current favorite. I get two pork enchiladas a la carte. So yummy! Then, later we had Key Lime Bars for treats. Tiffany made them and they were delicious. I ate two, and then regretted that. I should have just stuck with one. Saved the other one for later.

Tonight, I went out to dinner with three of my sisters, two husbands, and 8 kids. Crazy, huh? Well, we went to The Mayan, which helped with the craziness because that place is huge, and the kids had a great time exploring the whole thing. They have divers that do cool dives off rocks into a little pool. The kids loved that. They were a little slow on the food service, but it was good food. I really liked the chips and salsa. So good. I had a Chile Verde Burrito. But, I was so full of chips and salsa that I didn't eat much of it. I'm looking forward to a good lunch tomorrow. My sisters are very generous. I got some books on cd to listen to in the car, and a gift card to Old Navy to buy some new clothes. Yea! I need that for sure. I really need a new skirt. Maybe I'll go look tomorrow. That will be fun. Anyway, on the way out, we took a few group pictures. The two brothers-in-law were the picture takers, so they aren't in there, but this is my sisters and adorable nieces and nephews. Yea for birthdays! Yea for families! Yea for good food and good fun.

33 Things to Do Before My 33rd Birthday

2009-03-01T21:05:00.004-07:00

So, I've been working on this list for the last month or so. It is just a list of things I would like to do this year. We'll see how many of them I actually do.

1. Get my passport.
2. Ride my bike in Jackson/Grand Teton National Park in the spring
3. Really run a 5k - the whole thing
4. Make 25 books
5. Visit Olympic Park in Park City
6. Finish 4 mini scrapbooks
7. Go to Guild of Bookworkers Conference in San Francisco in October
8. Reconnect with old roommates - get together
9. Get published in a magazine
10. Order Moo cards
11. Plan and execute a Guerrila Art Adventure
12. Find a Letterboxing box
13. Stay in one of the old lodges at Zion, Grand Canyon or Yellowstone
14. Get rid of old computer
15. Organize art studio
16. Have another nieces (& maybe nephews) sleepover
17. Get to my goal weight and maintain that weight
18. Take a pottery class
19. Learn a new low-fat recipe at least once a month
20. Do as many homemade gifts as possible this year
21. Go to Color Me Mine
22. Visit a fun new shop at least once a month
23. Take classes at Book Arts Program at the U, and go to their exhibits
24. Get on etsy, sell my books
25. Do a book swap
26. Hike Timp
27. Go camping as much as possible this summer, at least twice
28. Attend the temple regularly
29. Read the Book of Mormon
30. Go to Goblin Valley on a full moon night
31. Join Zion Natural History Association
32. Make a cute bag/purse
33. Do something creative every day

And my bonus ones:
34. Go to Boston, visit Bookbinding school there
35. Help Grandpa go through all his family history information
36. Pay off car
37. Ride the tram at Jackson Hole

March is here!

2009-03-01T11:24:00.003-07:00

I love March. It means the beginning of spring. Flowers start blooming. The snow is almost over. I can start wearing my flip flips again. (Ok, I have been wearing them the last week, but it really is still too cold for that. I just couldn't wait!)

And, the best part about March is all the birthdays! Mine, of course, and then three nieces & nephews birthdays are later this month. So fun! I love birthdays. One of my goals this year is to remember all the birthdays in my family, and to do handmade gifts, as much as possible. So, we'll see how that goes.

I have been playing with my blog today. I am so an amateur at this...you would think I know what I'm doing, but I really don't. So, it is a work in progress. I am learning, slowly.

Also, I found on Stacy Julian's blog, she linked to Lisa Day's Creativity Project. She is going to do something creative every day in March. I am going to try it, too. You should too. It doesn't have to be big. I think Lisa said that her creative thing for the day was to have breakfast for dinner. So, I'm going to try it. I will try to document it here. I started working in my workroom last night, I have lots of projects floating around in my head. I kept jumping from thing to thing last night. I need to focus on one thing until it is done. But, what's the fun in that? I am working on a mini book, and some birthday projects, and I have made a mess in the basement, going through stuff, getting ready to file it, and organize it. So, I really need to work on that, because I can't really walk anywhere down there. :) But, I get easily distracted by other things.

I have had a fun weekend. Yesterday I went to breakfast with my sister and her husband for my birthday. We went to Kneaders in Highland. I had yummy French Toast. So good! Then, I went shopping! I had a list of local shops, boutiques and such, from Your Heart Out, and I ended up only going to two of them. But, they were both very cute and fun. Some of them I drove right past, because they were in random, crazy places. But, I did stop at one called Hip & Humble, and my favorite was Emilie Jayne's. Just cute fun boutique type shops. Emilie Jayne's was sort of a consignment, very random stuff. Hip & Humble was more just cute, fun stuff. I almost bought a crazy apron there, but i thought I could make my own instead. I got a big platter with cute stripes on it at Emilie Jayne's. I think stripes are my new thing. I bought some paper yesterday, too, and it was stripey, too. I also bought a rug awhile ago that is in my room that is striped. It makes me very happy.

My other project, that I've been working on for awhile, I will post more about it later today or tomorrow. On another blog I was reading (I can't remember who now), she had made a list of 37 things to do before her 37th birthday. So, I've been making a list of 33 things to do before my 33rd birthday. I want to post it here, but I need to tweak it a little more, then I will post it for all the world to see. That is one of the projects I'm working on. I want to make a little book, or something to hang up, so I remember what is on my list. I guess it's a little bit like new year's resolutions, but it's different. Anyway, I'm excited to get that done and post it. I'm trying to get it done before my birthday. (which is tomorrow...)

Pay it Forward

2009-02-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Pay it Forward

Your mission, if you choose to accept...

So a friend of a friend of a friend is doing this pay it forward thing. This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a hand made gift from me during this year - and you all know how crafty I can be - be excited! When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift.

This should be LOTS of fun!

February is almost half over already

2009-02-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

Random thoughts from my head

• Sometimes I don't know how time just passes me by. I thought I was being a good blogger, and then all of a sudden, it's been over a month!

• I went to AZ to see my sister and her husband and baby last week. It was such a fun trip. Her little girl is adorable. We had fun shopping, and swimming, and just hanging out. Unfortunately, it wasn't sunny and warm like I had hoped.

• Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Someday I hope for a good Valentine's Day. Tomorrow is looking like a trip to the library, maybe a trip to the gym, perhaps a movie, and some house cleaning. Exciting, I know. I hope everyone else has a great Valentine's Day.

• I honestly don't care that I don't have a boyfriend/husband for Valentines, but I must care on some level because I was being an emotional eater all day today. I ate all the snacks that were in my bag, and I stopped at the store on the way home and had Chili Cheese Fritos and Boston Baked Beans. And now I'm sick from eating them.

• I made a goal many months ago to lose 32 lbs by my 32nd birthday. I've been plugging along, and now with two weeks to go, I am only 3.6 lbs away from meeting that goal. Are you amazed? I am. I am going to get my hair cut and colored when I reach that goal. Should I go blonde? Or red? Short? or shorter? I guess we'll see how adventurous I am feeling that day.

• I have rekindled my passion for knitting. Not real knitting, mind you. I use the fun Knifty Knitter looms. I have made two little bags and a scarf, and I just started on another scarf tonight. I am amazed by my awesome sister-in-law Emily who is a very talented girl and has been teaching herself to knit (the real way). Someday I wish to be like her. Love you Emily!

• Living with my grandpa has proved to be an adventure for sure. We are getting used to each other, and I think we are going to survive this. He is sick with a cold right now, which makes me sad for him. I hate being sick.

• I got to go to the Draper Temple Open House a few weeks ago with my sister. It was so beautiful! I loved all the art, especially the murals in two of the rooms. They were amazing. I could have sat in that room for an hour alone, just looking at those amazing works of art. I wish I was an artist like that.

2009

2009-01-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

I had a good Christmas. I was at my sister's house for Christmas morning. Kids are great on Christmas, aren't they? After Christmas, I spent a couple of days in St. George with my parents. We thought we were going to warmer weather, but it wasn't that much warmer. They had snow in areas right around St. George. Zion had lots of snow and was FREEZING!
But, the snow against the red rocks was really pretty. We didn't get out much, because we weren't ready for the freezingness, and because my mom wasn't feeling that great at the moment. But, I got a few good pics.

The greatest discovery of the trip was the Life is Good store in St. George. I was so excited. My mom was laughing at how giddy I was. But, you must understand... I am a Life is Good groupie. I love them. I love their t-shirts. I like their bags. I really wish I could just own everything LIG, but it is pricey, so I try to limit myself. This is me on the fire truck in front of the store.

I had a great New Years Eve. We had a great party at my sister's house. Her kids all stayed up until 12:30 with us, except for her 5 year old. He fell asleep at 11. Lindsey, the 3-year-old, was up til the bitter end. She didn't want to miss the party. But, she was being funny and cute, so it was good. We played Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Zarahemla (a LDS version of Settlers of Catan), and Bingo, and did Karaoke. My new brother-in-law is the new king of karaoke. He was hilarious - totally getting into it.

And, at the end of the night, I ended up reading a story to the kids. My sister took our picture. It's not the greatest shot of me, but I like the picture anyway. This was taken at 12:25 am, and look how awake we all are still. It's quite amazing. I'm usually sound asleep at about 12:10 on New Years.

And now, it is 5 days into the new year. I have thought about a few goals/resolutions/intentions I want to work on this year. I'm still thinking. I don't have any huge resolutions. I do want to continue to lose weight and be healthy. I am thinking about running a 5k with some work friends in April in SLC. I need to start training for it if I'm going to do it. If I make a real list of goals, I will put them on here. For now, my goal is to have a good year. Be happy. Be healthy. Be productive. Be in the moment.

Happy 2009!

pictures, finally

2008-12-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, I thought it was high time to do a post with some pictures. Let's see if I am smart enough to do it, since it's been awhile.

So, this is a picture of my "nightstand" in my old apartment. I took a bunch of pictures of my apartment, in all it's crazy messiness, before I packed it all up. This is my pile of books and magazines that I had been reading at night.

This is my bookcase, full of books. I spend too much money on books, but I can't help it. On top of the bookcase is Anna Karenina, a book I bought a couple of summers ago. I actually didn't really like the book, but I read it, because it kept me busy for a long time. Most books I read in a day or two, but that one lasted all summer, I believe. I also have my cute "W" and picture frame on my bookshelf. I made those for girls camp the first year I was camp leader. These were the samples I made, the girls got to do their own initial and frame. They had a great time with it, and made such cute ones - much more creative than mine.

I am having issues with picture placement. So sorry.
This next picture is my front door. I was #1. :)

This is my sister Rachelle and my cute niece Carly Jo in my apartment the day we were boxing everything up. Carly was a great help!

Kaylynn came down with Carly from Logan to help me box everything up. I whined a little bit that day, but she really was a great help, getting stuff ready to move the next day.
I had done a lot by myself before she came, but I needed her there to keep me working all day. I am sort of a random girl when it comes to packing. I work better when someone is there helping me.

And, this is the last picture of me in my clean apartment. I went back on Tuesday night and finished cleaning. And Rachelle came and helped me. We got done in about an hour. Luckily we had done most of it on Saturday.

So, that's a short journey through my packing and cleaning adventure. Hope you enjoyed it.

My normal has changed.

2008-12-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Change is ... hard. complicated. good. bad. unnerving. fun. learning. crazy (good crazy & bad crazy). Humbling. different. happy. sad. inevitable.

So, I've been living here for 4 nights. I am still very much learning the tricks of how things are supposed to go around here. For instance, tonight, I learned that if I am not going to get home until 9:30, my grandpa is going to stay up until I get home. (His bedtime is usually 9 o'clock. I didn't think he'd be up when I got home, but he was.) I also learned that he likes brownies any time of day. (Rachelle gave me a brownie for him tonight, and he ate it tonight.) I am learning that he likes to talk a lot. He is just lonely and needs someone to talk to. I know. But, I never knew an old man had so many words.

I am learning how to balance life. I feel like I'm sort of living two lives. My "normal" life with work, and hanging out at Rachelle's to have dinner (which was yummy by the way) and watching The Biggest Loser finale. And then my "other" life, here, in West Jordan. It is still weird and new and different. My "normal" life hasn't changed a whole lot. But, it has, because now I have a new, "other" life. Sometimes when I am in my normal life I feel guilty, and want to be here at home. But, then, when I am home, it is hard to shift gears back to this life. Old people just run on a different time schedule, and do things differently. It is just interesting to switch back and forth. I am sure as I get settled in, that part of things will settle down in my brain, too.

Another thing I am learning, that is hard for me, is learning how to live with someone again. I've been living alone for a good long while. So, I could walk in the door, drop everything right there, and plop down on the couch, grab my laptop, turn on the tv, and just veg, and no one cared. Now, when I come home, I have to talk to someone. Not saying this is a bad thing, at all, it's just something I'm getting used to. I feel like my sense of normalcy is gone. Change will do that to you. But, living alone was normal to me. Not talking to anyone else at home was normal to me. Being able to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted was normal to me. Being able to have the TV on in the living room, and the radio on in the bedroom, right next door, and not caring about the noise, or worrying about waking anyone up, that was normal to me.

My normal has changed.

On another note, I finished cleaning and checked out of my apartment tonight. It was a little bit sad to walk out of there. I took a few more pics. I looked around as I closed the door, thinking that it was a good apartment for me. I had some happy times there. Those two years were good two years. Good apartment. good neighbors. good friends. good ward. good callings. good jobs. good times.

Now I am on to bigger and better things. Who knows what the next two years will bring? Hopefully some more good times. more good friends. more good callings in a good ward.

Moving is emotional

2008-12-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

So, it was an emotional weekend for me, since I moved. (Am I the only one, besides my sister and my mom, who think that moving is emotional?) I didn't work on Friday, and spent that whole day finishing packing my apartment, thanks to my amazing sister Kaylynn, who is a whiz at doing anything one-handed (with a 8-month old on her hip). Then Saturday, luckily, we got most of my stuff out of my apartment into the trailer and all six cars that drove to my new house before the snow hit. Unluckily, we had to drive in it to West Jordan. Luckily, my grandpa's house has a garage, so we backed up each car to the garage and unloaded that way, so we weren't traipsing around in the snow too much. We made it with 90% of my stuff in one trip. We had to go back for my washer & dryer, a few bookshelves, and my bike that has two flat tires and a old ripped up seat. (Ask me when the last time I rode it?... no idea. At least 2 years, probably longer.)

I have to go back tomorrow after work to finish cleaning and to get the rest of the garbage that we left. Oh, and the food in the fridge. I am really afraid I'm going to forgot that part, and that would not be a good welcome to the new tenants. :)

My new house: that has been part of the emotionalness of the weekend. I moved in with my grandpa. He is lonely and needed some companionship. He is in fairly good health right now for an 86-year-old man, so I am not his nurse or caregiver. I am just here as a warm body in his house, for the most part. I will be helping out with certain things, as needed. It is going to be interesting and challenging, for both of us, I'm sure, as we settle in and get used to each other's schedules. It is hard for me because I've been living alone - footloose and fancy-free, and hard for him because he is 86, and I just invaded his house. He thinks I have a lot of stuff. He watched it all get brought in and was a little overwhelmed. Lucky for me he has a nice big house with a nice big basement which I took over, pretty much.

I had a good cry about it this morning, with my mom and dad. I think it helps just to cry once in a while. I guess I have been crying way more than normal for me lately. Maybe that will stop, who knows. But, I am feeling good about it. We will be ok. My biggest stumbling block right now is food and the kitchen. I don't have any space in the kitchen, for anything. Ok, not totally true. I have two random cupboards. But, I knew that was going to be the case. I packed up most of my dishes, and I'm just going to use his stuff, for the most part. But, the eating thing is a challenge. He feels like he needs to feed me. I don't want to be fed, because I'm on Weight watchers, and therefore trying to be picky about what I eat. But, I've been eating with him, which is ok, but I can't do it all the time. So, I tried to tell him about WW, and that was why I wasn't eating everything he offered me. But, he still offered cookies and ice cream after that. So, the food is going to be a challenge for a little while, until he figures out that he can just let me do my own thing and he can do his thing, and we can eat dinner together once or twice a week, and be ok with that. For now, I am just doing the best I can, trying not to offend him, because he gets offended when you don't want to eat his food. I figured I earned lots of activity points this weekend moving, packing, hauling, unpacking, sorting, etc. that I am sort of ok to eat whatever.

Church was also interesting today. Everyone knows grandpa, and therefore knew of me at least. Some people knew I was coming, so welcomed me when they saw me. They tried to get me to go to a singles class for Relief Society, but I refused. Was that bad? Probably. But I think that most of the girls that went were 19 or 20. Not really my idea of fun. Then, after church, I was supposed to meet grandpa outside the relief society room. I got stopped, and was talking to a nice lady in the ward. I saw grandpa peek in the room, and then leave. So, I finally was leaving, and couldn't find him anywhere. I got stopped in the hall again by 2 nice ladies, so I talked to them for a minute, then I asked if they knew where grandpa was. They told me he had walked out the door. So, I was afraid he had walked home without me. I went quickly out the door, couldn't see him anywhere, tried to go look down the street to see if I could see him walking, wasn't sure what I was going to do. And of course, I looked lost. Another nice lady, the bishop's wife, got out of her car, and asked if I needed help. She started walking back in the building with me to see if we could find him, and luckily he walked out right then. We had been going in circles looking for each other. We need to do better next week with that one. I shouldn't talk as much, or he should just stick to the original plan.

But, my mind was going, as I was looking for him, thinking, "I can't even keep track of him for an hour, how am I supposed to do this for 6 months? or a year?"

I feel a little bit responsible

2008-12-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, I spent the afternoon at my sister's house, had dinner with them, helped (mostly watched) them make a gingerbread house, made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and just hung out with them. I was playing with Lindsay's hair (she is 3), telling her how pretty it was, and long. Hailey was sitting next to me, and said she wanted to cut her hair, so I said I would. She went and found some scissors, and I jokingly pretended to cut her hair. Then, of course, Lindsay wanted me to cut her hair, so I pretended to cut her hair. Then, I realized that I was planting a bad idea in her head. So I told them that we don't cut hair, only professional hair people cut hair. I was afraid Lindsay would do something she wasn't supposed to. And, unfortunately, my suspicions were right. She came back a while later with her hair chopped. It actually could have been much worse, she didn't cut it completely off. She just gave herself a little bob. With a little mullet in the back. I was going to take a picture, but I wasn't sure that was a good idea, as her mom and dad were not amused, and trying to teach her that what she did was wrong.

I feel like I am slightly responsible for her cutting her hair, as I put the thought in her head. But, I guess that's what a good aunt does, huh? Get the kids are riled up, teach them to do bad things, and then I just get to go home and leave the mess for the parents to clean up. :) Ok, that's not how I really feel. In fact, I feel really bad about this. Not that they are blaming me, but I still feel bad. I guess everyone makes mistakes.

50 things

2008-12-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Clarice just did this on her blog, so I thought I'd do it. Sorry if you are sick of reading lists on my blog. Maybe someday I'll post some pics again... :)

50 things you didn't know about me until you read this...

1.What color is your tooth brush? yellow and white
2. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? eating Cafe Rio pork salad
3. What is your favorite candy bar? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope
5. What is the last thing you said aloud? To go
6. What is the best ice cream flavor? mint cookie
7. What is the last thing you had to drink? Diet Dr Pepper
8. What are you wearing right now? comfy gray pants and my long sleeve Life Is Good shirt
9. What was the last thing you ate? Cafe Rio YUMMY pork salad
10. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Only if a new purse counts
11. When was the last time you ran? I did for a few minutes at the gym on Monday morning
12. Who was the last person to send you a message/comment on your blog? Clarice, my old Archivers friend, I think
13. Do you take vitamins daily? no, but I should
14. Do you go to church every Sunday? yes
15. Do you have a tan? no, I just sunburn, but that hasn't happened for a long time
16. Do you like Chinese food over pizza? Definitely.
17. Do you drink soda with a straw? that's my preferred choice, a fountain drink with a straw
18. What does your last text message say? let me confer with my husband really quick & then I'll get rite back 2 u (my sister, Rachelle)
19. Are you someones best friend? perhaps, mostly I have lots of good friends
20. What are you doing tomorrow? cleaning and packing and moving, then going to Art Market
21. Where is your dad? in Idaho Falls, don't really know what he's doing right now
22. Look to your left, what do you see? the pile of books, mail, pens, watches, and the remote on the back on my couch
23. What color is your favorite pair of shoes? brown, kinda boring, I know
24. Do you use chap stick? yes, and I tend to lose them constantly, so I just keep buying more
25. Whats your favorite thing to do in your free time? Read a book or be creative
26. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru!
27. Do you have a dog? no thanks
28. Last guy you talked on the phone with? my brother-in-law Matt
29. Last girl you talked on the phone with? my sister Rachelle
30. Any fun vacation plans soon? going to Phoenix in February to see my sister Sharon
31. Do you dye your hair? I do get highlights sometimes, but it is an expensive habit
32. Can you say the alphabet backwards? zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
33. Do you have a maid service clean your house? it's a dream, but no, I do the cleaning
34. Are you jealous of anyone? jealous... I don't think so
35. Do you love anyone? Yes, lots of people
36. Do any of your friends have children? yes, most are married with kids
37. Do you use the word Hello daily? I think so, it's one of those words that you don't think about
38. Do you like cats? no, not really a pet person
39. Have you ever been to six flags? no
40. How did you get your worse scar? Falling off a plastic slide in my unfinished basement and hitting my head on the pipe for the toilet, had to have stitches
41. What is your favorite smell? i love the smell of fresh cut grass
42. What is the last DVD you watched? Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
43. Have you ever been to Disney world? No
44. What is your favorite number? 5
45. Do you toast your pop tarts? Haven't had one for ages, but when I did eat them, I think I just ate them cold. yum
46. Have you ever waited tables? No
47. Where did you have your first kiss? i don't kiss and tell...
48. What should you be doing? packing
49. Do you enjoy wasting time blogging? love it, but i don't count it as wasted time, because I keep up with friends and family this way
50. Who do you want to tag? Anyone who wants to do this too!

Bad Service

2008-12-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

I don't want to complain, but I have to tell you about two experiences I've had in the last 24 hours. Last night I stopped at Sonic for dinner, and ordered the grilled chicken wrap combo. On the menu it was $4.89, so I was expecting $5 something to be the total, but the guy told me it was $6.22. What? I couldn't figure out why. So, when the girl brought out my food, I asked her why it was that much. She didn't really understand what my problem was, didn't think there was a problem, and after trying to make her understand for a minute, just decided to give in, and gave her the $6.22. But, I shouldn't have, because I was mad about it all night last night. I'm not always good at fighting for myself in those situations. It is only $1, but still, it's the principle of the thing. I've had issues with that Sonic before. So, I will try not to go there anymore.

My other fun experience happened at Walmart just now. I know I know, I should expect it at walmart, but I actually like Walmart, they have good prices, and I've had pretty good service at this one. I didn't have a lot of stuff, maybe 12 items. I put some of my stuff on the belt thing, and then it moved, so when i put the rest of my items down, they weren't right next to the first pile. There was a space, but no little wooden bar separating orders. So, I must be tired or something. He rang up my items, I ran my debit card, I thought he did it fast, and that the total wasn't very much, but once again, must be tired, because I didn't think too much of it. I paid him, took my bags and left. And then I got home. And was missing 1/2 my items. milk, eggs, yogurt... grrr. I was, still am, pretty annoyed. How hard is that? I know, I should be paying more attention, but he, the dumb 16 year old cashier boy, should have been more aware of what he was doing. So, I'm guessing he tried to make the lady behind me pay for my milk and eggs. Oops. My only consolation is that he didn't charge me for them and then not give them to me. But, still, I needed those things. And, I don't want to go back to get them.

I'm just wondering where good service went to?

playing with Wordle

2008-11-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this site, you need to go check it out. Wordle.net. It is so fun to play with. I was having a hard time playing on my PC, but my mac laptop (Firefox browser) works pretty good. I made a couple Wordles. You could waste hours playing on this site, as every time you click a button, it changes the layout of it, so it is fun to see what it will look like next.

The first is most of the words from my Grateful post on Thanksgiving.
It is small, but I think if you click on it, it will open bigger. Also, the colors were different. I don't know why they are weird on blogger.

This is another version of some of my "thankful" words. It is just fun to play with. It can do so much. You can post your Wordle's to their gallery, for everyone to see. And, you can look through other people's creations. It's fun.

Here is one I did of all the names of my family members (and last names of my married sisters). One thing I did learn, in case you go play: If you want a word to be big, type it in several times. Wordle thinks the more a word is in the text, the bigger it should be. So, in my text, I had "Waite" written 4 times, and "Carol" and "Randy" written twice. Just a little FYI. I just learned that by trial and error.

I had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend at home with my parents and several of my sisters. My brother was sick, so they stayed in Logan and had their own Thanksgiving. I saw "Twilight" Wednesday night with one of my sisters. It was ok. I'm not in love with Edward like most people are (the movie Edward...). We did not get up at 4 am to go shopping on Friday. In fact, I didn't go out until about 8 pm that night. We went to Target, because you just have to go to Target when you go to Idaho Falls. My dad doesn't understand this principle, but it's true. And Deseret Book, where I bought a new book called "A Single Voice". It is really good so far.

I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. If only my parents would be easier to shop for. What do you do for your parents? We always have a hard time deciding what to do for them. I do want to make a few more things for a few people, but who knows if that will get done.

I have decided to move on the 13th. So, the next two weeks will be spent packing up my house and getting ready to move, and the 2 weeks after that will be spend unpacking and organizing. So, homemade gifts might be out the window this year. Christmas cards are definitely on hold. I'll be lucky to get out some New Year's Cards.

My other goal for the next few weeks: to get back on the Weight Watchers wagon. I got sick at the beginning of November, so I quit going to the gym, and haven't been back. I have still been losing weight (17.8 lbs so far!) but I haven't been as committed as I was at first. So, my goal for this week is to be more committed. To write down everything I eat. To exercise every day. On Thursday (weigh day) I want to be down 2.2 lbs, which would get me to my 10% goal. It is very doable. I will keep you posted about what happens this week.

I am grateful for...

2008-11-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling the blues a little tonight, so I thought I'd attempt a gratitude list to help me see the good in my life.

I am thankful for:

1. My family
2. That I was able to travel home this Thanksgiving to spend it with my family.
3. My car that got me here
4. my laptop, so I can sit in bed and write this post
5. my parents treadmill, so I could exercise this morning before I stuffed myself today
6. my job
7. my friends at my job
8. my apartment
9. friends in my ward
10. a church calling that keeps me busy
11. being able to hang out in the nursery with all those cute kids
12. living in the USA
13. Carson, my nephew, who is so adorable
14. Lindsey, my niece, who is also very adorable, and a cute princess
15. family that lives close to me, and lets me be a part of their lives
16. my grandpa
17. glasses & contacts, so I can see
18. photos, to help you remember the good times
19. my health
20. Diet Dr. Pepper
21. cute socks
22. teddy bears
23. the gospel
24. good books
25. good movies
26. friends to go to good movies with
27. friends who will help out in times of need
28. Facebook, for helping me reconnect with all kinds of old friends
29. email
30. my cell phone
31. mountains
32. sunshine
33. homemade cinnamon rolls
34. Archivers, for being a happy place for me to work for two years
35. all my great Archivers friends
36. my dad, who is willing to come help me move
37. my ability to go help my grandpa
38. brother-in-laws
39. sisters
40. warm blankets
41. money
42. cheap plane tickets to go see my lil sis in Phoenix
43. flowers
44. yummy smells that make me happy
45. my ability to be healthy and lose weight
46. my dreams, and that some of them are being fulfilled
47. tv
48. the internet
49. roads that take me places I want to go
50. temples
51. my mom's house, it makes me happy to come here
52. Heavenly Father
53. my hands
54. my creativity
55. my love of learning
56. paper
57. cute clothes
58. good sales
59. electricity
60. happiness
61. water
62. stores - practical stores like Walmart where I go often, and fun, eclectic stores where I go for inspiration and fun
63. my camera (which I haven't gotten out yet this Thanksgiving)
64. people willing to help me move
65. mail
66. family histories, so I know where I came from
67. my own memory, of grandparents, and stories I've been told
68. toothpaste
69. cute shoes
70. snow
71. cute coat, to keep me warm in the snow
72. music
73. the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson
74. homemade rolls
75. running water
76. people who love me
77. pens
78. teddy bears
79. medicine, for headaches, heartburn, etc
80. being able to go to girls camp with my ward for two years
81. camping & hiking opportunities so close to where I live
82. fun creeks in the mountains to play in
83. artists who make beautiful things for the rest of us to enjoy
84. a shower
85. blogs, so i can keep up with people I know, and get to know new people
86. my hobbies
87. chocolate milk
88. 94% fat free popcorn
89. vegetables
90. fruit
91. gum
92. ipod
93. google
94. The Book of Mormon
95. the Holy Ghost
96. having a good laugh with my sisters
97. a clean house
98. leaves, especially in the fall when they are all over the ground and make a crunching noise when you walk through them
99. washing machine
100. my life

Do it, Done it

2008-11-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

I found this on someone else's blog, thought I'd copy it. The bold ones are what I've done. Italics is what I want to do.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (in my front yard when I was young. it was so fun!)
3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables (does doing it as a child count?)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon (one of my life goals, though)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (would LOVE to do this one)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (in the crater at The Homestead in Midway...)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (this one's on my bucket list)
57. Started a business (Daisy Dreamer)0
58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I've bought and eaten lots of them)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (twice, nearly passed out both times, scared to do it again)
65. Gone sky diving (LOVED IT! would love to go again. such a rush!)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (not a whole quilt, yet)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (how about made my own book, from scratch... I know, not the same)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (thinking about buying one soon)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (in elementary school)
85. Read the entire Bible (I think most of it, for Seminary)
86. Visited the White House (saw it from the street, didn't go inside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (walked past John Denver, does that count?)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Hmmm, what does this say about me? I haven't traveled nearly enough in my life. I've been all over the western US, and some parts of the rest of the country, but never overseas. One of these days I'm just going to quit my job and go travel the world for a year. Who wants to come with me? Ok, a year might be too long. 6 months? 3 months? Ok, I'd settle for a 2 or 3 week trip.

Archivers

2008-11-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

So, tonight was my last night at Archivers. It was a good night. I got to make one more sample and put out some new product. It was just kind of anti-climactic. Nothing happened. No one really said anything about it. I shouldn't be surprised, since I've been only working once every other week or so for about 6 months. So, I sort of was already gone. But, it seemed like there should have been more of a deal made about me leaving. I mean, come on, I've been there for 2 years. I was a good employee. ;) I guess not everyone makes a big deal when people quit. I'm just used to my office job where we have a party/lunch/treats when someone leaves.

I do want to say how much I loved working at Archivers. It wasn't always easy, working two jobs. But, I loved the girls I worked with. I loved working in a scrapbook store. I loved seeing all the new products that came in, and bought way too many of them. My wallet might actually be happy that I'm not working anymore. The last little while, I spent more than I was making there. Silly, I know. Especially because now I'm trying to downsize my craft supplies. But, I can't help it. Some of that stuff just had to come home with me.

In other news, we are almost through our two weeks (and a couple days) of crazy, stressful, so-busy-you-can't-think days at PDC. I've been building a book every day for the last two weeks. Now, I am down to three more before Thanksgiving. I'm seeing the light. We are going to make it. I'm hoping I don't have to work on Saturday... I would love to sleep in. And start packing.

I'm too tired to find a picture to add to this post. So sorry. I might someday become a better blogger. maybe. someday.

Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence

2008-11-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

So, I have a story. It is a bit of a crazy story. Mostly because I am crazy. My mind plays tricks on me. I can't make a decision to save myself. I get easily influenced by the opinions and ideas of those people around me. Even to the detriment of myself and what is best for me. I try not to really do that, but it is hard. I don't always like being an adult and making adult decisions. Especially since I am not married and can't rely on a husband to help make such decisions.
So, with this in mind, here is the current situation. My grandpa lives in Salt Lake. I live in Pleasant Grove. he lives alone, since his second wife, my step-grandma, died in August. Right after she died, I offered the option that I could go live with Grandpa so he wouldn't be alone. My mom suggested it, and he turned it down, at that point. Now, fast forward to 3 weeks ago. He has decided it is time. He is lonely and he wants me to come live with him. So, he springs this on me. I try to wrap my brain around this new development in my life. I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but I wasn't thinking it would happen right now, or ever, really. Grandpa was figuring out what he wanted, and what was best for him. He doesn't want to leave his house, so he thinks this option will buy him more time in that house. He is old, 86 years old, but in relatively good health. He still takes care of himself, drives, etc. He is just lonely.

Anyway, I'm rambling... I've been contemplating this change, this move, trying to make sure it is the right thing to do, for him, and for me. That has been the hardest part of the decision. Is it the right thing for me? Or am I just doing this because I know it will help him, and it is what he wants? That has been the question most on my brain. Making sure this is right for me. Because this is a big change. New ward, new house, not living alone anymore, farther away from work - long commute. I've gone back and forth on this decision. One day I'm feeling positive and good about it. And then, I talk to someone, and they are worried about me doing this, so then I question myself again, and wonder if this is really the right thing to do. so, I've been going back and forth like this for a couple of weeks.
On Sunday, I had KBYU on before church. There was an old devotional talk, about dating, to be honest, but I was finding other meaning in what he was saying. He was quoting the scripture that says, "Cast not away therefore your confidence..." He said that we need to "remember what we know and move forward confidently in the path you know is right." I felt like this was an answer to my constant questioning. I needed to move forward CONFIDENTLY in the path I know is right. I felt like I had gotten an answer to this prayer, and it was the right thing to do, even though it was going to be hard. But, I kept questioning myself, my confidence in my decision. Every time I talked to someone about it, and they were a little negative about it, I started questioning myself again. The lesson I am learning from this: I need to be more confident in my decision making skills, and in the answers I feel I get from the prayers I am offering up. I need to quit questioning myself, when I have already gotten an answer to my prayer, and feel confident in that answer. I can't let that feeling go away. I need to hold onto that feeling, that answer, that confidence.

So, I went to see Grandpa tonight, to talk to him, and to help me feel, one more time, confident in my decision. And, yes, I am confident. This is right. It is going to be good, for both of us. And, I need to remember this, and not let anyone influence me to the point where I am in a tizzy again about this decision.

I need to remember what I know and move forward confidently on that path.

Now the real work begins. I am going to clean out my house, and get rid of all my excess stuff. And I have a lot of that. DI is going to be happy to see me.

I wish...

2008-11-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

I don't really have anything to say tonight, just wanting to post, so, I will post some of my current wishes:

I wish I had a new dresser.

I wish that I had bought the cute moose statue in Jackson. Clark needs to come live with me! (I tried to find a picture of him online for my last post, but I couldn't find one. Sorry!)

I wish I could write as well as c jane. I love reading her posts. I am enthralled with the story of her and her awesome family.

I wish my cold would go away for real. I'm sick of this annoying cough.

I wish I had the energy to do some cleaning when I get home from work.

I wish that I was all moved already and I didn't have to do all the work. Moving is too much work! Or, maybe, I have too much stuff!

I wish my little sis Sharon already lived in Sandy, so I could go see her and her cute baby whenever I wanted to!

I wish I saw the sun more often. I've been working late this week, and so have been leaving in the dark. I feel like I haven't seen the sun for 3 days! That's my one problem with the winter. Not enough sunshine!

I wish that I lose at least a pound tomorrow morning at my weigh in.

I wish that I could still go to girls camp next summer with my ward, even though I won't be living here. I'm sad I'm going to miss out on going with them to Heber Valley Camp. But they are going to have a fabulous time!

I wish for a happy and calm holiday season for everyone!

I wish that I could be more brave about selling my books. I need to put them up on etsy and see how that goes. My cute cousin Erin just sold her first thing on etsy. So exciting! It is giving me motivation to actually do it.

I wish that I could have an unlimited budget at Barnes & Noble (or Amazon, Borders, etc) to buy books. Books are one of my weaknesses. I spend way too much money on them. In fact, I need a new bookshelf to hold all the books that are currently scattered around my house.

I wish that I could buy a new car tomorrow - my car of choice: Subaru Outback. My dad is currently looking for one for me on eBay motors. But, that scares me just a little bit, and I don't think I want to fly to Washington to get it. I feel confident I can find one around here, when I really get serious about it.

I wish my mom will make homemade rolls for Thanksgiving. mmmmm... my favorite!

I wish that I can get a good night's sleep tonight. I have to get up early tomorrow to go weigh in.

Good night!

Update on my life

2008-11-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

My sister Rachelle got married last Saturday in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. It was a great day. She looked beautiful, the weather was perfect, her reception went well, the grandkids (& brother-in-laws) decorated their car. What more could you ask for?

This is a cute picture of the happy couple with 11 of the 12 grandkids in our family. You try to get all 11 kids to be smiling and looking at the camera... an impossible feat. We took what we could get.

Her colors were pink and brown. All the men were wearing pink ties (which they all loved...) and the girls were wearing a pink & brown outfit of their choosing. It was quite amusing to hear about everyone's "options" of clothing for the wedding. All of us, including my mom, had at least 2 options. Some of us went shopping Friday night, after the Trick-or-treating party, to try one last time to find an outfit. I thought everyone looked great. The kids were pretty cute in their matching pink and brown. Lindsey even had cute brown and pink shoes.

This weekend, I went to Idaho to see my parents, and to go to Jackson. We went up Friday, which wasn't the best weather day. It was cloudy/misty/foggy most of the day. We didn't get to see the beautiful mountains. I just had to imagine that they were there. We shopped around the square, I bought a cute sweater from Eddie Bauer. I went to my favorite trinket store, Jackson Hole Mercantile (ok, I don't exactly know what it's called... something like that). Anyway, they have the cutest moose figurines in there. There is one that I've been dreaming about for a year. His name is "Clark". He is over a foot tall, so cute, dressed like a hiker. So, we went in to see if he was still there. It took some looking, but I found him. I thought he was on sale, because there were signs that said so. But, after asking the clerk how much it was, he informed us that it was just the little ones that were on sale. (I still believe that he didn't know what he was talking about.) But, unfortunately, Clark didn't come home with me, once again. Maybe someday he will come to live with me, but for now, he wanted to stay in Jackson.

And now, I'm back in Pleasant Grove. Thinking about my crazy few weeks ahead of me. I will be happy for Thanksgiving break, because that will mean we are done with our two weeks of crazy madness at work. We have something like 22 books that are going to press in the next two weeks.

Here's a random cute picture of my newest niece, Lily. Isn't she adorable?

Picture Tag

2008-10-21T19:34:00.000-06:00

I got tagged a while back. I'm supposed to post the 4th picture from the 4th folder of pics. Let's see what I can find. Most of my pics are on my other computer, so this could be exciting.
Ok, this is a good picture. This is from last summer, at my Grandpa's 85th birthday party. It was at a park up Provo Canyon, and unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating and it rained on us most of the time. This is me and 4 of my sisters and my sister-in-law. Little Lucy is the kid in the bottom of the picture. I don't really like me in this picture, but I like it for everyone else. This was after we had all gotten rained on and were looking lovely.

Lazy Sunday

2008-09-25T20:08:00.000-06:00

More random thoughts: (started this post Thursday night)
• I'm the new owner of a food chopper. :) I'm becoming domestic again.
• In case you didn't know, I'm doing weight watchers (have been for 2 weeks now). They are doing an "at work" program at PDC, which is extremely convenient for me. We weighed this morning. I was down 1.6 lbs. Yea!
• I LOVE Pleasant Grove! It is so nice and small town-y. I just went on a walk around my neighborhood. It just makes me happy. I like that there isn't curb and sidewalks everywhere. I know, that seems wierd, but it makes me feel more at home. I don't really know why. I like that the grass just comes and stops right at the street, with a little gravel on the side of the road. Probably because that is how the street I grew up on was. No sidewalk, just a very "lived on" yard and street. We lived on a dead end street with 16 houses on it, so it was very quiet. And, we were almost to the end, so even more quiet. We could have bike rallies on the street, baseball games on the street, fireworks on the street (without bothering anyone else). We even laid down on the street sometimes, just because we could. I miss those carefree days, so I guess Pleasant Grove reminds me of that just a little bit.
• Being more in control of my eating habits has made me feel more in control of more areas of my life. I am in the mood to set goals and accomplish something. So, my new goal is to do one creative project every week (at least one). And, I want to post it on the blog. We'll see how that goes.
(It's now Sunday night.)
We had something of a miracle happening in nursery today. We have one little girl who will not let her dad leave. When he does, she just cries and cries, inconsolable. She has been in nursery for almost a year. Today, something magical happened. She was ok! The dad wasn't. He kept checking on her, and actually came in and hung out for a few minutes a couple of times, but the little girl just ignored him. Also, we have a little boy with about the same problem. His dad could leave sometimes, after snack time, when Josh was distracted enough. Not today. His dad had to run home to get our snack bucket, and he left Josh there. And guess what!? He was ok! We were quite amazed. Maybe the nursery room was receiving extra special blessings today. Maybe because I wasn't up for dealing with crying kids today. I was a little emotional this morning. My little sister, Sharon, is having a very tough go of life these days. She had a baby almost 4 weeks ago, who is adorable by the way. But, my little sis had gall bladder surgery a week ago, and just got mastitis last night. When is it going to end? The hardest part is that she is in Arizona, too far away for us to jump in the car and go see her all the time. It is killing me. I want to go help her out. I think she will survive, and hopefully there is some lesson being learned by all involved. She is going to have some good stories to tell little Lily about her entrance into the world.
I have been working on finishing my projects from CE 08. I have lots of them almost done. I am having a bit of a hard time deciding what pictures to use on some of them. I have a super cute acrylic album basically done except for pics, but what pics to use? I'm debating- WFFD 08 or just some random pics of my cute neices & nephews. Neither of those are perfect in my head, so maybe I should wait and see if anything else jumps in my head. It is making me realize that I am much better at making the books than really scrapbooking. I LOVE putting mini books together, and bookbinding and such, but my struggle comes in actually putting photos and words together on the pages. Not my forte. But, I will keep trying. Hopefully this week I will take some pics of the finished projects to post here.
My other goal for the week: get a membership to the PG Rec Center, so I can go exercise there and be more consistent about it. They have an awesome indoor track, and a big exercise equipment area with lots of treadmills, bikes, etc, and a big weight room area. they also have classes, but I think I just want to use the equipment for now. I really wish they had a swimming pool so I could continue to go to water aerobics. Oh, well, can't have everything you want...

Random Thoughts in my Head

2008-09-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

• I am a BAD blogger... sorry!
• I am VERY glad that my sister Sharon is seeing the sun again. I've been very worried about her this week. (She has a 3 week old baby and just had gall bladder surgery.)
• I love working at Archivers, but I don't really love sweeping and mopping after we close.
• I have too many ideas in my head, and not enough actual creating of these crazy ideas.
• I need a new car - what kind? I'm thinking about a VW Bug, or a Subaru something. I was wanting a little SUV, like a Ford Escape, but the gas thing scares me a little bit. Don't really need an SUV, just think it would be fun.
• Weight Watchers is going good. Not sure I'm losing anything this week, but so far I have stuck to the plan. I am actually cooking things, using my kitchen. I know, it doesn't seem like a big thing, but it really is, for me. I bought spices the other day. :) I'm also saving money, because I'm not going out to eat as much. And, amazingly, I haven't been too hungry, or been craving anything I'm not supposed to eat.
• Creative Escape in Chandler Arizona was AWESOME! I would recommend it to anyone who loves scrapbooking and loves being pampered and just having a great time. The classes were great, the resort was awesome. It was the little things that made the difference - fun gifts in your room at night, dessert first at the final dinner, fun Random Acts of Kindness (free products) for everyone. And I met a few new friends. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
• It was also very fun to see my old friend Brooke while I was in AZ. She's one of those friends you don't see for two years, but as soon as you get in her car, it's like it was only yesterday. Almost makes me think I should move down to AZ.
• Quick recap of my summer: Ward Trek at the end of June, Girls Camp end of July, AZ end of August.
• Rachelle, my oldest sister, is getting married Nov 1.
• We are having a big cousin party the night before, for Halloween. Does this mean I have to dress up?
Random Picture: Me and my sister Rachelle at the UVU celebration concert on June 30 with Collin Raye and other country guys that I can't think of right now. Very fun concert. One of my most favorite things in the world: sitting outside, with good friends (or sisters), listening to great music, under the stars, with perfect summer night weather. (Some good treats are always good too.)

Ok, I guess I'm all out of random thoughts. I will try to be a better blogger, but no guarantees. :)

return with awesome tour

2008-06-07T14:53:00.000-06:00

So, Keera wants to be my friend, so she is tagged from the last post. (She thought she was chopped liver...)

Rachelle and I went to the Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand cd release concert last night. I love Ryan Shupe! and his band. Not only can they play some awesome music, but they are all hotties... (yes, I know most of them are married, but I can still think they are hot, right?) We were afraid we were going to freeze to death last night, but it actually was pretty nice. I did get a little chilly, and i had a hoodie and a blanket. We don't feel like it is summer yet. When you still have to wear a jacket, it is weird. But, we aren't complaining, because I would rather have this weather than 110 degrees. Anyway, the concert was pretty awesome! I've been listening to the new cd ever since I got it. Sadly, I couldn't listen to it in my car this afternoon cause my car adapter for my iPod was being stupid.

Today has been a bit lazy for me. I needed a day to just be a bum. I've been getting up super early to go exercise this week, so I was pretty tired (and the concert didn't get over until almost 11 pm last night). But, now I've been out running errands, spending lots of money. I found a very cute gift for my cute niece Lindsey, who will turn three tomorrow.

Now I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do with the rest of the afternoon. Do I work on girls camp books, make a skirt for trek, or read the new book I bought last night? Such decisions... Really I should clean my house, too. Or maybe I'll just go take a nap. :)

Tagged...again

2008-06-05T22:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, I got tagged forever ago by Clarice. And everyone keeps telling me I need to update this thing. So, here goes.

List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!)

3 joys
1. My 11 (almost 12) so adorable nieces and nephews. They are the loves of my life. They make me laugh. They make me proud to be their aunt. They are the coolest kids on the planet!

2. Making books. I love the act of creating something beautiful. Finding the stuff to go together, and putting it together, and making paper and book board and glue and thread turn into a beautiful book. and then giving them away to people who appreciate them.

3. walking/running. I'm just getting back into this, but I walked tonight. It was such a beautiful night! I have just recently started walking along the canal in PG, which is pretty fun, you can see the whole valley up there. Pretty cool.

3 fears
1. Spiders. hate spiders. Really hate most kinds of bugs, especially when they are in my house. And I don't have a man around to kill them for me!

2. That my car will die on me and I will get stranded somewhere. It's getting old and a little tired, but it's still a good car.

3. I sometimes fear that I am missing my purpose in life. I just found out one of my old friends from high school is living in Kenya (doing what, I'm not sure). But, when I find out people are doing exotic things like that, I question my boring life. Is there something better out there for me?

3 goals
1. My family has just started a biggest loser contest this summer. My goal is to be the winner! I think the pot is up to about $160. Wouldn't that be fun to spend? :)

2. I want to post and sell stuff (books) on Etsy. If you haven't been on Etsy yet, you should go check it out. It's pretty darn cool. My store name is Daisy Dreamer, but don't go look at it now. There's nothing there yet. Give me a little time. :)

3. I want to get up tomorrow morning and make it to water aerobics at 6.

3 current obsessions/collections
1. Stephenie Meyer's books. The latest on "The Host" was pretty good. Can't wait for New Dawn (is that what it's called? not totally sure...)

2. all things camoflauge. Our theme for girls camp is "Boot Camp" so I've been on the lookout for camo things to decorate camp, etc. I have found camo streamers, and cute camo tins. I have some camo fabric and ribbon, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with those yet. If anyone has any great ideas, I'm totally open to suggestions.

3. a not super current one... I have a spoon collection. It started when I was pretty little, probably 5 or 6 I would guess. I collect them from places I visit, and my family has gotten me spoons from their travels, too (I have a couple from Italy, thanks to my bro, and some from Japan thanks to my sis) My first one came from either Yellowstone or Jackson Hole. There was a cool one on a ferry we were on on Lake Michigan (or one of the Great Lakes, probably not Lake Michigan... the one that would take you from Canada to New York, by Niagara Falls). I REALLY really wanted this spoon, but my mom tried to tell me we would find a cheaper one when we got off the boat somewhere. Of course we didn't even look for one. I was pretty mad (still a sore spot with me apparently, since that was when I was about 13 years old and I still remember the incident).

3 random surprising facts about yourself
1. I sleep on a bunk bed. Weird, I know. It's a bunk bed on top, futon on the bottom, and I've had it for about 3 or 4 years. I sleep on top, and the bottom bunk is usually full of my clothes. I hate folding clothes, but I don't like them on the floor, so it's a great place for them.

2. I'm going to Creative Escape in Phoenix in September and I'm pretty darn excited about it! I've been dreaming about going for the past two years, and decided this year was the year to go. I get to see my sister & bro-in-law and new niece while I'm there, too.

3. My favorite food is Mexican. (sorry, kind of boring, but it's all i can think of)

Ok, I tag my little sister Sharon. Sorry, I don't have five friends!

random blatherings

2008-04-02T22:44:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm back. For some reason the pictures just seem too hard for me lately. I might catch up someday. March was actually a bad month for the picture taking for me. I missed several days. But, I decided not to beat myself up over it. I'm just moving on. I think I felt like the pictures were all starting to look the same.

So, I got an email this morning from Peter Breinholt. He was recording some songs for his new cd tonight, and they decided to invite some people to come to the studio. The first 35 people to email back would get to go. So, I emailed this morning, pretty sure I was too late, and then went to work. I checked my hotmail during the day, and didn't see a response from them, so I assumed it was a no go. I went to work at Archivers for a few hours tonight after they called and begged me to come. So, I got home about 9:45. Opened my email, and um, hello! I had written them from my msn account, and I was one of the first, so I totally could have gone! But, of course, I missed the opportunity! I'm a little sad tonight. I hate missing good opportunities for fun free things!

I've decided I'm not a "purist" when it comes to bookmaking. I don't have to use expensive book cloth, expensive paper, etc. to make books. I'm not opposed to using scrapbook paper! Is this bad? I think some "purist" people would think so. I was talking to the girls at Archivers tonight about bookmaking, and one of the new girls has taken bookbinding, and we were talking to Anjulee (ok, I don't know how to spell her name!) about what it takes to make books. I said you could use scrapbook paper, and Corinne started talking about how you can't use scrapbook paper, you have to use expensive paper and book cloth. I think its fun to use the expensive stuff, but it also is really ok to use regular paper and regular cloth. ... random blathering ...

I'm taking tomorrow off! Yea! I'm spending it at the dentist. Not yea. And it's going to cost me lots of money. Not yea. But I do get to sleep in! Yea!

The goal for April: to take a picture every day.

The other goal for April: to not freeze to death in my cold cold apartment. Hopefully the weather will decide to warm up sometime.

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T00:42:00.001-06:00

I'm back! I don't know if I will have any photos tonight. We'll see how it goes. But, I thought I'd blog, since I haven't blogged for a while. It's been a good week, good weekend. Nothing super exciting. I talked to my manager at Archivers about cutting back my hours there. I am drowning with all the stuff I'm trying to do right now. Luckily, they love me there, so hopefully it will work out that I can work once a week or so, at least for a while.
An interesting thing happened the night I talked to Elaine (my manager). I was working with Desi that night, and we were talking about me quitting. A customer who was standing by the counter overheard us, and told me to pray about it. Then, he proceeded to tell me all about his life, how he had just quit his job, and found a much better job three days later. He was telling me how to put up a website, and promote myself in the world of freelance design. He was a little bit crazy, but it was very interesting coincidence (if you call it that) that he was standing there when we were talking about my dilemma. It made me think about my life and what I really want to be doing. I am still thinking about that. Haven't come up with any answers yet.

I've also been working on girls camp. We are starting to plan and prepare for this year. I'm so excited! My mind is going crazy with fun ideas for the girls. We had our first camp activity this last Wednesday night. It went really well, I thought. We were doing first aid, which can be really boring, but we had a great time with it. And we made mini first aid kits that each girl can have with her and girls camp. I love my camp director I am working with this year. We are on the same page with most things, so working together has been easy so far. Our theme is Boot Camp, so we are coming up with fun ideas along those lines. If you have any ideas for me, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

I am on a new exercise campaign. I love it when it is warm enough outside that I can go walking outside and not freeze to death. I went out yesterday morning. I walked for an hour, went about 3 miles. I was just walking the streets of Pleasant Grove. I ended up going straight up a huge hill, toward the "G" on the mountain. I didn't really know where I was going, I was just walking. So, I'm a little sore today, but it is a good sore. I need new shoes.

I'm in a bit of a rambling mood. So sorry. It's late, but I took a VERY long nap this afternoon, so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to sleep well tonight. So, I decided to just stay up and get stuff done, instead of going to bed and getting frustrated because I'm not going to sleep.

I had a good Easter today, after I finally got out of bed. It was hard this morning. We had Stake Conference today. It was really good. I love Stake Conference. I missed the adult session last night, because I had to work. But, it was good today. Then, I came home and read for awhile and then fell asleep, for a long time. I think I woke up about 6. Then, I made myself a yummy Easter dinner - funeral potatoes and ham. It was delicious. And now I have leftovers for lunch. I never had leftovers anymore...probably because I don't cook in the first place. :) I tried to watch August Rush tonight, but my computer is being dumb. And, then I tried to watch Enchanted, but the dvd I bought is skipping and being dumb, so I couldn't watch that. So, I ended up watching Ella Enchanted. I love Anne Hathaway. So, that was my Easter. Nothing exciting, but that is how i wanted it. I wanted a quiet day today, a good afternoon nap, some yummy food. What else could I want?

I will try to post some photos this week.

Sunday

2008-03-09T20:38:00.000-06:00

Today's picture. It's one of the wall hangings in my house. A frame with three pictures of temples in it - three of my favorites: Salt Lake, Idaho Falls, and Logan. I was going to do a better picture today, but my camera was out of batteries and I just barely found some.

I got to do inventory at Archivers this morning. Good times, let me tell you. Counting embellishments. What else would I want to be doing on a Sunday morning? I made it home in time to run over to the church for a meeting with my camp director to talk about getting started planning camp for this summer. Our theme this year is "Boot Camp" so we get to come up with a troop name for ourselves. That's really all we know so far. But, I think it will be fun. Good decorating opportunities. Fun camouflage decorations, or hats, or t-shirts. So, if you have any good boot camp ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

My sister and her kids came over to my house tonight - surprise! Of course, my house is a mess, so I feel silly when they walk in, and there is no where to sit on the couches, and there is only a little path from my living room to my bedroom. So, my goal is to clean my house and keep it clean. At least my living room, keep the couches clean and somewhat presentable. The kids were exploring the house, and they kept saying how messy it was. A little embarrassing! So, that's my goal for today.

Friday & Saturday pictures

2008-03-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

3/7 - My pictures are getting kind of boring, I think. It's all I can come up with, though. And, usually I forget to take a picture until I'm home and its late. I want to try to take more pictures not at home. But, for today, this is all I've got. I'm continuing my tour of my house. This is a picture of my hall closet. Exciting, huh?
3/8 Another picture of my house. This is my kitchen. I got up early (8 am) this morning and cleaned for a few hours before I had to go to work. I have to play a game with myself, and only work in each room for 15 minutes. So, this is as clean as the kitchen got in 15 minutes. Still needs work, but I got a load of dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up a bit. I also worked on my living room, bedroom, and cleaned my shower. It desperately needed the cleaning. So, I feel good about what I got accomplished.

I got to work at both jobs today, even though it is Saturday. No rest for the wicked. :) I had to work 48 hours at PDC this week, and I didn't quite make it last night, so I had to go in for a couple of hours this morning. Then, I worked at Archivers this afternoon. It was busy, but nothing unusual. I ran over to Keera's bridal shower for a minute on my break. I got to see Angie and Melanie there, former Archivers coworkers. Had some yummy goodness!
Now I'm just tired. And guess what? I get to get up and go to work tomorrow! Fun, huh? We all have to go work on inventory at Archivers. I'm not really looking forward to it. I'm sad I'm going to miss nursery tomorrow. But, I guess you do what you have to, right?

Ok, I'm caught up now, so hopefully I'll stay caught up. And everyone can get off my back. :)

2008-03-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm getting crap from various people for not keeping up with my blog. So, I'm going to try to be better. Here is another collage of pics - I'm still trying to get caught up. This starts with 2/25. I got a drink that day, I think it was a Jones Soda, and this was on the lid. It says "You shall soon make a long overdue personal decision." Very interesting, as I've been struggling with a few decisions I know I need to make, but I'm having a hard time making them.
2/26 - The picture of Rice-Eccles Stadium was the only photo I really took this day. But, I don't like it, so I am using the picture of the box I made as the real picture for 2/26. I finally finished the box, after having to rip it apart and start over. But, I love how it turned out.
2/27 Ok, I guess 2/27's picture is really the box picture.
2/28 - I finally got caught up on my projects for class, I did this coptic bound book. It was pretty easy, except for the drilling holes in the wood part. I ruined one piece of wood before I got it right. I had to have my teacher help me with that part.
2/29 - I got a gift card for a free bear at Build-A-Bear for my birthday, so I ran over there this morning before heading off to Idaho for the weekend. It's pretty darn cute. I had to get a girl bear to be friends with George, the bear I got last year from my sister Sharon.
3/1 - This is a mug my mom gave me for my birthday. It says "I'll rise, but I refuse to shine." So cute! I love it. It is the start of my new mug collection. She also gave me a super cute spoon set that I'm in love with also.
3/2 - my birthday! My sister Rachelle got this cake for me. Carson was enthralled by it. He sat next to it and counted the balloons, and told us the colors, and tried to decide which balloon he wanted to eat. It was pretty cute.
3/3 - My third birthday party! The girls at work gave me a gift card to Barnes & Noble and made me a yummy cheesecake.
3/4 - These are the two books I bought with my gift card. I spent about an hour at B&N, just wandering around, trying to decide what to buy. I've been wanting to read "The Kite Runner" so I decided to get that. And "Blink" looks interesting.
3/5 - Um, yea, it's a milkshake from Iceberg. Unfortunately, they have put an iceberg in the mall food court, so it is very tempting to go get milkshakes all the time. All three of us who worked Wednesday night had to have one. I had mint cookie flavor - my favorite! Their mini size is so big, it takes me a few days to eat it. So, I had it for dinner the next night, too.
3/6 This is one of the books I got from Amazon today. It is about using creative journaling as part of the healing process. I've only read a few pages of it, but I am excited to read more, and use the ideas from it.

Ok, more to come later.

Ok, here's the last month or so of pics

2008-03-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

I finally got a collage of pics made. I know they are tiny, but it's the best I can do right now. I did write a line about each of them on the other collage I had done, but I don't have time right now to do that. I might try later tonight. There are pics of the days of my sickness in there. The Golden Grahams are all I ate one day, there is a pic of the mess of my living room after laying on my couch for 5 days straight. Thank everything I'm healthy again! My mom sent me a valentine, so there is a picture of that. And of course some pics of the books I made for my class. A few pictures of my cute nieces & nephews. I got to eat at Jason's deli the other day, for the first time. It was yummy!

I'm a slacker

2008-02-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, I know. I've been a slacker on this blog this month. Where has the month gone, anyway?

So, I've been trying to make a photo mosaic thing on Flickr, and for some reason, I'm not smart enough to figure it out. So, when I do figure it out, hopefully I will get through the last month's photos quickly, and then I will try to stay on track after that.

Can I tell a funny story about my nephew? His name is Carson, he is 4, and oh so adorable. I was at their house last night and was getting ready to leave about 7:30. Usually his dad walks me to my car (out the garage) to make sure there are no boogy men in my car. But, his dad is in Texas right now. So, he runs down and wants to walk me out. So cute! Anyway, his mom, Jeanette, was telling me a funny story. The other day, she was in the shower, and he came in, opened the shower door, and had the blow dryer in his hands, which he pointed at her and said, "Mom, I didn't want you to get cold in the shower." How cute is that?

This week is going to be fun. We are on 10 hours mandatory overtime at work. I am leaving early on Friday, so I am only required to work 5 hours overtime, which means I have to work about 41 hours in 4 1/2 days. Sounds fun, huh? That's why I'm awake at 6:15 this morning. I should be getting ready for work, but I get distracted easily. Luckily, I'm not working at Archivers this week. I wouldn't be able to do it otherwise. I will miss it, but i think I'll go visit them sometime this week.

It's my birthday on Sunday. What should I buy myself?

Where did the week go?

2008-01-27T20:35:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm back. And, I'm off to the photos of the day, since I don't really have anything else to say right now.

Jan 27

These are 5 books I made for my sister. I just finished them yesterday, and am giving them to her tomorrow. She is going to use them to write fun, cool things that happen this year in them for each of her kids (& husband) and then probably give them to them for CHristmas next year. Very cool idea, I thought. I just hope she likes them.

Jan 26:

Number 34 is my nephew, Nathan. He is a sports-a-holic. He was the star of his football team in the fall, and now he is on two different basketball teams. He is very intense, and an awesome player.

Jan 25:

This one is a little bit random. It is the hall at PDC. I work at the end of the hall (where I am standing), and I am looking down the hall at the rest of the production department. We are in an old warehouse that they have built offices into, so the layout is pretty random. But, there are two very long halls like this. I must admit we have had office chair races down these halls before. (when I worked the night crew several years ago)

Jan 24:

This is a layout I did at the Employee Crop a few weeks ago. It is currently on display in my living room. I like to do that when I LOVE a layout. I can't just stick it in the album right away. I like to keep it out so I can look at it for awhile before it goes in the book.

Jan 23:

It's me again! My friend Tiffany took this picture of me at Wingers. The two of us went to lunch on Wednesday. I had my favorite Sticky Finger Salad. Yummy! We don't go out to lunch very often, but once in a while it is fun to just leave the building and go eat some yummy food.

Jan 22:

Here's my books again. These are the two I am working on at my class right now. This week we just "lined the spine" by gluing them and lining them with this cool stuff called 'crash' that helps stabilize the spine. It was a short class - I got out at 6 pm. Then I got stuck in traffic getting out of the university. So, it's better to stay later and miss the traffic, I think.

Ok, I'm all caught up again.

I've had a lot on my mind lately. Thinking about my word of the year - balance. Very interesting coincidence this week. I got my new Ensign magazine in the mail, and what is on the cover? A story about keeping your life in balance. I thought that was a little crazy. So, I read that, and will be reading it again, to try to learn what I need to learn from it. I know my life is not in balance right now. I'm just trying to work on getting it in balance. It's a tough thing, though.

I had a meeting this morning for girls camp. We are going on "winter camp" in two weeks. It is at Mutual Dell, a church owned property in American Fork canyon. I was under the assumption that we all slept in the lodge up there. But, I found out this morning that there is the option to sleep outside, in the snow. Now, how fun does that sound? Not so fun to me! I think I will be sleeping in the lodge on my cot. :) I think the girls think it's an adventure to sleep outside. I'm too old I guess.

Where did the week go?

2008-01-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

So, I'm back, finally. The week just flew by without me taking a minute to post. So, I thought I better do it tonight, or it will be another week before I get to it. I don't really have anything to say right now, so I'll just get to the photos of the day:

Jan

I've Been Tagged by Keera

2008-01-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've been Tagged!!!
A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago:
10 years ago I was 20, almost 21, going to school at Utah State University, studying family I consumer science.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Pick up dinners at My Girlfriend's Kitchen
2. Finish reading the book I bought last night
3. Work on books that I'm making for my sister
4. Clean my house (perpetually on the list)
5. Work on lesson for Sunday

5.Snacks I enjoy:
1. Diet Dr Pepper
2. Vanilla Tootsie Rolls
3. Cheesecake
4. Oreo Milkshake
5. Tostitos Flour Tortilla Chips

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would go on a trip, probably to Europe. I would buy a new car, and a house. I would spread the wealth to my family for whatever they needed. I would quit working, buy a motor home and tour the country, stopping at my sister's (& brothers') houses as they needed me. Then I would just spend my days making books and selling them.

5 places I have lived:
1. Idaho Falls
2. Logan
3. Jackson Hole, WY
4. Orem
5.Pleasant Grove

5 jobs that I have had:
1. PDC (Phone Directories)
2. Archivers
3. Grand Teton Lodge Company (housekeeper)
4. Daisy Dreamer (my own business)
5. Utah State Housing Office

5 Things people don't know about me:
1. I went skydiving a few years ago and loved it. Would do it again in a heartbeat
2. I finished a 10k (walking & running...probably more walking than running)
3. I love to read, and am known to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning to finish a book
4. I am a huge Ryan Shupe fan (& Peter Breinholt & Jon Schmidt & Eclipse)
5. I volunteered at the Olympics in Salt Lake in 2002.

Ok, I tag...1. Sharon 2. Holly 3. Melanie

Two Days in a Row...

2008-01-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

I know, kind of crazy. I'm back. I was just here 24 hours ago. There's something crazy going on. Really, I just wanted to post my picture for today. It's really exciting! (Ok, not really, but I wanted to write the journaling tonight while I was thinking about it.)

Jan 21

Yes, this is my mailbox. Well, mine and all my neighbors. I am a crazy girl about mail. I check it every day. Even when I am getting home at 12:30 from working late, I still have to check it. I mostly know that nothing exciting will be in there, but just the possibility keeps me coming every day. Usually there is just the usual newspaper junk mail. Bills once in a while. The exciting things are ones I usually order for myself from eBay or other various online stores. So, they are not usually a surprise. But, I still get a thrill from checking my mail every day. I was talking to one of my neighbors who hates checking her mail, and only does it once or twice a week, if that. I just don't understand that mentality. I LOVE MAIL. I wish I got more exciting mail. Anyway, the significance of this for today is this: I check my mail every day, and then, on those random holidays that I don't really celebrate or get work off for (like Human Rights Day), I am let down when I realize that no mail was delivered that day. So, that is what I did tonight when I got home. Headed straight to the mail, only to be slightly disappointed that there was absolutely nothing in the box. Hopefully something good will be in there tomorrow!

One other thing I was going to write yesterday, and forgot. Through all the shopping I did with my mom on Saturday, we were discussing decorating ideas and what we wanted to do. She wants to have a "shoe" collection on a wall, perhaps in her laundry room, or in the hall next to it. Not the kind of shoes you would wear, but shoe decorations. We found a shoe tree ornament, and a set of high heeled shoe knife spreaders. Super cute! I think her collection could be really cool, and a fun thing for us to buy her for gifts, to add to her collection. She was inspiring me to decorate my house better, put more thought into it. I already have a spoon collection, with about 30 or so spoons from the various places I've traveled. I found some SUPER CUTE decorative measuring spoons, that would sort of go with that theme. Not exactly the same thing, but they are all spoons, right? Then, I said I love mugs, and my mom thought that would be fun to decorate a whole wall with mugs, on cute little shelves. Which I thought was a super cute idea. So, my new collection is mugs. I already have about 5 or 6, so the collection is well on its way. Anyway, just putting that out in the universe. I love mugs, so why not collect and decorate with them? (And throw a few cute spoons in there, too!)

Loads of Snow in Idaho

2008-01-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

I just got back a few hours ago from a quick trip to Idaho to my parent's house. It was a good trip. My sister, Rachelle, and her boyfriend went snowmobiling with my dad on Saturday. While they were gone, my mom and I had some good bonding time. We tied a quilt, then went shopping and to a bunch of craft boutique type places with my other sister who lives in Idaho. It was so fun. I love that kind of shopping. Finding cute finds. I bought some cute metal flowers at a cool place called "Real Deals".

Saturday night we all went to the Rexburg Temple Open House. Wow. It was amazing. The temple is beautiful. The tour was awesome. I'm so glad I got to go. (It is my picture for yesterday, so if you scroll down, you can see the pic of the temple.)

I've been doing some thinking this weekend. About life. About where my life is going. About what I really want to be doing. Not that I have any answers yet, but i think it is good to think about it once in a while, instead of just plugging along doing the same thing day after day and not really thinking about the big picture. I want to be more aware of the big picture this year, and not just slug along day after day. I want to really set some goals and work towards accomplishing them. I made some resolutions, but it was a half-hearted effort on my part at the time. You know, the usual lose weight, be happier this year resolutions. I was reading Oprah on our way home today. There is an article about making lists of things you want to have happen in your life. It was very interesting. You should read it, in the January issue I think. There was a story of a woman who wrote a list of 100 things she wanted in a spouse, and it came true. Then the rest of the article was the author (Martha Beck, I think) writing about how this can happen sometimes, but it doesn't always happen. But, if you make the list from what she calls "The Core of Peace" instead of "The Shallows" it is more likely to come true. It was an excellent article. It inspired me to make some lists of my own, about what I want in a spouse, what my dream job really is, what I want to do this year, etc. It will be an interesting exercise for me. I'll let you know if I have any miracles come from it.

And now, for the daily pics from the last week or so.

Today, Jan 20

This is the quilt that my mom and I tied while I was there. It is a cute little baby quilt for my sister who is having her 4th girl in May. My mom had carpel tunnel surgery in December, and she thinks she is healed enough to do stuff like tie quilts, but she's really not. So, she waited for me to come home to help her out.

Jan 19

The new Rexburg Idaho Temple. It's so beautiful! This picture was taken from the back seat of my dad's truck. It was too cold to get outside for a real photo shoot. So, this was as good as I could get. The temple just glows. It is on the top of the hill, overlooking the city, really the whole valley.

Jan 18

This is my coworker Merster. She was a little bit chilled on Friday, so she bundled up. It made me laugh, so I took her picture. We constantly have temperature wars in our room. Too hot! Too cold! It's never just right.

Jan 17

Yes, this is my new "Big Bite" Crop-A-Dile. I got sucked in to the sales pitch on HSN last week and ordered the brand new Crop-A-Dile. I love my other one, and i new I wanted this one, so I just did it. :) It looks like a large piece of machinery. Maybe because it is!

Jan 16

Tiffany's Birthday. You can't really tell, but we are enjoying a yummy lunch from Cafe Rio. It's our fav, and has become more accessible since they opened up in Orem, just down the street from our office. Now it's only about 6 minutes to get there instead of 20. This is most of my teammates at PDC. We are a crazy bunch.

Jan 15

This one is a little boring. But, it is the beginnings of my first book for my class. We learned how to sew it together. I am learning a new way of sewing and attaching the end pages, so I'm excited. I'll take a pic of the book when it is finally complete, so you can see the progress.

Jan 14

I worked at Archivers Monday night, so I took a pic there. This is our ribbon. A little messy, I know. Melanie would not be happy with this ribbon wall. :) Actually, it has looked a lot worse, so I shouldn't be too worried about it.

Jan 13

We had an employee crop at Archivers last Sunday night. This is the table that Desi and I were using. Quite the mess. So much stuff! And the treats are an important part of the supplies for a crop! I got a lot done at the crop, and had a good time with my fellow employees. I love them all!

Jan 12

Saturday, I worked at the Bridal Fair at the Salt Palace in downtown SLC with Keera. Quite the fun time, let me tell you. Luckily Keera thought to bring stools so we didn't have to stand up the whole time. We were trying to let people know about our new line of stationary we are selling. I thought we had a pretty good response from the people there. It was fun to be at the fair, and see what they are all about. I've thought about doing a booth at one for Daisy Dreamer, for wedding guest books, so it was good to be at one, and see how they work.

Ok, I guess that's it for today.

Fun Friday Night!

2008-01-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yea! It's Friday! It has been a good week. I started a class at the U in bookbinding. I think it is going to be awesome! I have to figure out a good final project. I know, the class just started, but that's how my brain works. I want to make something fun and cool. I have a problem with the content of my books. I can design and bind a beautiful book, but I am only really good at blank books. I think this final book has to have content. So, that has been my brainstorms this week, trying to figure that out. It has been a good week. My supervisor has been on vacation this week, so it has been a good week at work. She just brings stress and tension to our department, so life is much calmer when she is gone. But, she'll be back on Monday.

I have kept up with my photo a day so far. So, here's the last 9 days or so.

This is Jan 3. These are some of the new books I've gotten recently. I LOVE quote books and little books in general. Also, the book holder is my fun Life is Good mug.

Jan 4th - This is in my car. It is my name badge at work. Boring picture, I know. It's all I could do for the day.

Jan 5th - My newest book I bought tonight. It is the new Scrapbookers Almanac. I have a book problem. I have to buy them. Lots of them. I'm running out of room to put them in my apartment. But, I keep buying them. This one has fun ideas for different things to scrapbook besides you typical birthday, Christmas, etc. I'm all over that. :)

Jan 6th - This is my cute niece Hailey. I went to their house Sunday night to help her older brother Nathan with a school project. We had to make a "mountain man pouch" for him. So, we did that. The whole time, Hailey was bugging me to help her sew something. So, we made this dress for her. Cute, huh? She wanted to wear it to school the next day. Her mom said no, thankfully.

Jan 7th - This is some cardstock at my store. Ok, so it's not "my" store, but that's what i like to call it. I work at Archivers, and LOVE it! It is such a fun store, and a fun place to work.

Jan 8th - The syllabus for the class I started this week. It is a college class, an upper level class, and I knew that, but I wasn't totally prepared for it. I am not taking it for college credit. They let a few community members take the class, for a fee. So, that's what I'm doing. I haven't taken a college class for about 8 years, so it was a little bit of a shock to be sitting in that class. It's going to be good, though. I'm very excited about it. I'll post some of my books I make later.

Jan 9th - This was the winter wonderland I woke up to Wednesday morning. I was mostly just glad it wasn't Tuesday night when I was driving back from my class. It was actually very pretty snow. About 5 or 6 inches. This is the tree in the 'courtyard' of my apartments. The stairs on the right are my building. I live on the bottom level and I love it!

Jan 10th - This is the book I'm readying right now. It is called "These is my Words". Christina gave it to me for Christmas. I had lots of other books to read, so I'm just getting to it this week. It is actually very good. I'm hooked. I keep staying up too late reading. It is about a pioneer woman in Arizona territory. I like historical and historical fiction books.

Jan 11th - Doesn't she look like she's full of the dickens? Well, she is! We had a fun Friday night tonight, doing a little shopping at Target and enjoying some fries and shakes at Chadders. Lindsey was a bit ornery tonight, but she is still so dang cute! She just got her hair cut today, and it makes her look older. She's growing up!

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to everyone. I still can't believe it is 2008. What significant things did I do in 2007? I worked 2 jobs the whole year. Am I crazy? A little bit. I flew to Arizona to see my little sis and her hubby for a few days. My 3rd time on a plane. Loved it just as much as the first 2 times. Girls camp. WFFD. being in charge of them this year, and surviving that.

What do I want to do this year? hopefully not work two jobs the whole year. I'm taking a bookbinding class at U of U, and pretty darn excited about it. Hoping I can balance that and working two crazy jobs and everything else I want to do. But, it is important to me, so I'm going to make it work. I want to fly again this year, maybe back to AZ to see Shar again. Maybe go skydiving again... :)

On Ali Edwards blog, she was asking people to come up with one word for the year. I chose BALANCE. I want more balance in my life. More balance between work and home. Social, mental, spiritual, physical. That is my goal.

My ponderment of the day: Why do we have traditions? Why do we do the same things every year? Why do we decorate our houses for Christmas, and go to parties, and give presents and send cards, every year? Is there something on a deeper level of needing traditions in our lives, needing the stability, and sameness of them? Sometimes it seems like a lot of work to carry out the same traditions year after year. I'm not saying I don't like traditions. I LOVE traditions. I was just thinking about this on my way home today.

One more thing: I am going to attempt to do a 365 day challenge - take a photo every day this year. I've taken my first two.

This is my first photo of the year. I finally, after living in my apartment for over a year, put up some pictures on my walls. (Don't tell... I put holes in the walls...) This is in my living room right now, but I'm not sure i'm totally happy with the grouping, so I dont' know if it will last.

And today's photo:

My first self-portrait of the new year. I know, not the cutest of me, but that's what you get today. I am starting a new journey of more exercise (to go along with my balance theme), so hopefully when I get around to another self portrait I won't have a double chin. :)

My new year's was good. Hung out with my sister and her boyfriend and his parents. Sounds like a fun party, huh? Then I went home and put together my new desk from IKEA (which I love!) Watched the ball drop at 10 on the news, and again at midnight. I know, I'm a party animal, but that really is what I wanted to do (be home doing whatever I wanted).

2007-06-18T23:15:00.001-06:00

I'm back, after a very long wait. So sorry. Life has been crazy. I just got back from my family reunion, WFFD, that I was in charge of. It went well, I thought. We went camping in the Tetons, at a BEAUTIFUL campground by a so fun creek. The theme of the weekend was The Amazing Race, so we ran a short race. I wasn't prepared for the competitiveness of my brother-in-laws. They all had scraped elbows and were soaked by the time it was over. I felt a little bad about it, but it was their own fault for being so crazy!
My little sister is leaving tomorrow to move to Phoenix, AZ. That is a long ways from me, and I am sad! I don't know when I am going to see her again. I wish them well, but am sad they are going so far away. It is only for 2 1/2 years, though, so we can handle that, right? It just gives me a place to go for vacation!

This is all new to me

2007-05-05T23:50:00.000-06:00

Hi! I'm new to the blogging world, but think it's fun, so far. I don't know if I'll ever have anything exciting to write about, but I'll try. :)