Clearly Claire

New Adventures...

2012-02-12T16:47:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! I know it's been quite a while...the last few months have been very busy, to be sure. But, hopefully I'm back for a while! Especially because I haven't been very good at keeping a journal the last few years, it's good and actually helpful for me to document stuff about my life at least somewhere.

So, I turned 37 back in November...holy cow right? It actually does kind of feel weird, especially when I think about my roommates being in their mid-twenties, but at least I don't look that old, right??

In December, Justin headed out East to Washington DC for an internship at the US Treasury Department. I miss him like crazy, but he's learning so much and having some great experiences, so I'm happy for this opportunity for him...I just need him to come home soon! He will, he'll be coming back to Utah in May. Then about a week later my little Sis moved out of my place and back home to our Mom's place to help her out for a while. (She's had some medical issues the past 6 months). I also spent Christmas there and about 10 days, so it was nice to be with the family over the holidays. But, coming home without Kellie OR Justin being here, was definitely a hard day.

So, for the last month or so I've been re-learning how to be "single" sort-of. I have to admit, it's not as fun as I imagined it might be, ha ha. I mean, I guess I have a lot more free-time per se, but then I just feel like I have SO many things to work on or to do, that I end up starting too much, and/or not finishing anything! So many books to read, closets to reorganize and de-clutter, opportunities to work-out or to cook, movies to watch, girlfriends to call or visit, and the list goes on... But, there are a few things that I started doing recently, mainly to entertain myself, but may have turned into something else entirely!

New "project" #1- I'm teaching myself how to do calligraphy! I don't really know how that could be helpful to anyone else right now, but it's been fun for me and definitely a challenge. I've never been good at drawing, painting, or other things that my parents or siblings can do, but I do think that I could be good at this! Heck, maybe one day I could even hand-write or design an announcement or invitation for you! You always hear that hand-writing is a dying art, right? So, maybe it's something unique? Anyway, I'll try to post some pictures of my stuff in the next few weeks.

New "project" #2- This one I'm really excited about and never thought about doing before- but I started making jewelry! So, it's kind of strange how this came about...it started with me losing a necklace last January that was part of a set, that I absolutely loved. So I spent the last year trying to find a bead or charm that matched to possibly have the necklace remade. Then about a month ago I finally found some that would work, and while I was trying to figure out who to as,k or where to go to get it made, somehow it just came to me- I can make it myself! So...I did! Then I thought about how it's always so hard for me to find jewelry that I like; that is simple, not too gaudy, not too colorful, or too big or just too crazy looking. Then everything just started to happen...I found a bunch of beads I loved, got some supplies, and wa-lah!

So, if you're interested, please feel free to visit my new Shop at the following link, and of course, feel free to share it too!

Simple Circle Jewelry

Have a great day friends...and talk to you again soon!

Stuff as of late

2011-11-02T11:29:00.001-06:00

Happy November everyone! It's been a while again I know, I just haven't felt inspired to write I guess.
Well, a quick update on me, I'm loving my new job! I haven't made the official announcement yet, but I'm now a National Account Manager for Prodigy Promos. It's a company that provides promotional or branded items for companies that help advertise their brand. And, I get to work with my old friends at Nu Skin, as they are one of my accounts now! So yeah, it's been pretty cool so far. I love the casual environment (read: jeans everyday!), my flexible schedule, the nice and inspiring people I work with, and the potential to earn. I really don't know how I got so lucky.

It was actually funny how it happened. I worked with Prodigy in my role at Nu Skin and somehow forgot to let them know I wasn't there anymore. So, a few days after my last post they called and asked what was up, then asked if I wanted to have lunch and talk. I said yes, thinking they were just having pity on me, and I also thought, well, if nothing else I can give these guys a few pointers on how to work with Nu Skin and hopefully have more success with them. Well, about half-way through the lunch they asked me about possibly working with them, getting all the MLM accounts, and all the support I needed. I started to get really excited and even though it's not something I ever thought I would do or even plan on, it just seemed like such a great opportunity. And so far, I'm right!

Doing pretty good on my weight loss too, and sticking to the vegetarian diet pretty well. I've lost 10 pounds so far, woo hoo! I can directly attribute this to eating better, and working out 6 days a week. I've been switching it up a lot to keep things interesting- running, biking, elliptical, aerobics, stairs, weights, and dance. It's been fun and I'm feeling good about all the effort I've put in.

On another note, here's a few fun photos of events in the last little while...

My cute niece Amanda married Colin Crane a few weeks ago, this is a shot I took.

This is their sweet "zombie" cake that my Sister in Law, Mary made for them.

This is the Princess and the Dragon

This is the coolest pumpkin I've ever carved, I just wish they lasted longer, it was already smooshed in by Halloween!

Lastly, this is cutie-pie Eli as Dra-q-lah- (how he says it).

Love to all, and this November, take some time to really think about what you're thankful for!

Moving forward

2011-09-11T23:19:00.004-06:00

You probably thought I'd fallen off the edge of the earth by now right? It's been what, two months? Maybe three? Well, I have had quite a summer...with many life changing things happening. That's the easiest way to explain it right now I guess, so I hope that's enough.

But I think I'm finally ready to start blogging again. I've come to terms with what I'm facing, what I have been facing, and I know what I need to do. I admit I have had a very hard time these last few months, and just have not had the heart or strength or maybe courage to face everyone who's contacted me. I know there are emails, texts, voice mails, Facebook posts and more that I never responded to...which, if you know me, is very out of character. So, if you are one of those that I haven't gotten back to yet, I apologize and hope you will understand.

Last week was the first week that I actually really felt like I didn't have a job anymore. It was weird that the few weeks before just kind of felt like a long vacation, but last week it started to feel real. I didn't hear from anyone from work at all, and somehow that just made me feel like I was really gone from there. That those relationships I've had, and people I've seen nearly every day for the last eleven years, were going to change and probably grow apart. I understand it, I mean, I know what's it's like to be in their shoes. I've seen others let go over the years and it is hard to see them drift out of your daily life, but you are still busy working, and then you worry about "bothering" them, and you know that they are probably busy moving on too, and somehow it gets hard to keep in touch. It's just surreal to be going through it on this side.

On the new job-front, things are going okay. I've had several interviews and one offer already with a local software company, to do marketing, but I'm just not sure it's what I want right now. I might just try to get a job at a retail store and take it easy for a few months. Less stress, less time expended. Plus, it will still give me time to work on my other goals. I'm trying to lose weight! It's been a few years since I gained back all my weight lost from 2007 and I am very determined to get there again. I know I can. It's already proven to be a challenge, especially with hypothyroidism, but I have an end goal in mind, a timeline, a great coach and lots of support from others. Plus I have tons of time to work out and eat better food!

Which brings me to my next topic--- vegetarianism! I feel like God has blessed me so much in life, and especially lately. I have been so directed and led and shown what I should do. One of those things was literally just last week when I watched a documentary that my lovely little sister Kellie told me about. A documentary called "Forks over Knives" which, more than any other information I've ever read or seen before, REALLY affected me and totally convinced me. I've always been intrigued by the idea, and I do love animals and hate knowing about how the industry processes our food, but it wasn't until seeing this film and understanding what can happen to your body when you don't take care of it, well, it all just made so much sense! And I didn't want to change to just save animals lives, I wanted to make this change because it would save my life. It seems so simple now, and inexplicably I just felt like I had to change my way of eating overnight. I can't say I won't ever eat meat or have dairy, but I strongly feel that 98% of my daily food intake will now consist of only foods from plant sources. I feel like I have a lot to learn, and will need to learn, in order to keep myself healthy and get all the nutrients I need, but I know it can be done, and I hope it helps with my weight loss goal in the meantime.

So, wish me luck, and hopefully you'll hear from me again quite soon! Please feel free to leave comments or contact me in other ways, and I promise to get back to you shortly. XOXO

Poem #2

2011-07-16T11:24:00.001-06:00

Time is so fleeting
Years have passed by
Wandering in gray mist
Nothing everlasting is left

But to struggle alone,
Is the worst pain of all
Consumed in fear
Gripping so tightly
To that which you never had

So let it go
Feel the absolution
The kind of freedom only truth gives
The kind that really lasts

Pray for strength
Become who you should be
Do what you must
See that help is there
Always within your reach

Unending love,
Abounding affection,
Are your inheritance due

Qualify,
Let Light become your goal
And only then,
can you share your true soul.

Poem #1

2011-07-08T00:41:00.000-06:00

A hurting heart
Fragile, and full of scar tissue already
Waits and wonders
What will come next?
Too afraid to mind real life
Stuck in the fear of the unknown

So close, and yet so far
Timing is everything they say
Put away childish things
And just do what is right

Broken, in pieces
Swallowed up by the darkness
Searching for some light, some hope
Some oxygen in my lungs

A deep breath finally comes
One small drop of peace, even only for a moment
Kind words, whispered to my mind
Then gentle stillness, so sweetly alights

Honesty, love, and supplication
Give way to possibility,
Hope for a better, brighter season

No sweet release though,
Only advancement makes us grow
Time to build, to cultivate, to comfort and console
The Reason to become unburdened
To really live...and to be able to feel His love.

...A hurting heart can mend.

Dye Creek Weekend

2011-06-28T19:05:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back at work today...vacation went by as fast as always, but I had such an amazing time.

My first day in Reno I got to spend with Stephanie (Peep). We even got to have lunch with my Aunt Peggy and cousin Tracy, whom I haven't seen in forever. Then I kept her up late watching funny YouTube videos!

Friday we went on an awesome 3-mile walk around a marsh area with Peep's friend Rebecca.

Then we went shopping at Whole Foods- and by the way, what do they have against Utah County huh? I totally need one here! Steph did a raw food diet for about a month and said it totally changed her, and now I have an urge to try something like it perhaps. We'll see how long I could last, maybe I'll try it a day at a time, ha ha. At least we have Sunflower Market right?

We then got ready to meet up with the other girls when we discovered Steph's Homecoming Queen crown in her garage, and just knew it had to come with us!

I have a bunch more pix from all our activities...went swimming, saw some wild animals, made some good food, laughed a lot, talked a lot, were silly, visited a monastery vineyard, went shopping, and more. I'll try to post some more and give some more details on our adventures in the next week or two.

It was a great trip, I'm so glad I went, and I love these girls more than you can possibly imagine.

"EHS" Girls Weekend, here I come!

2011-06-23T01:44:00.001-06:00

I had a little bit of a better day today...lots of stuff going on at work right now. I'm so excited about one project I'm working on, and maybe I'll be able to talk about it soon!

Do anyone else love "So You Think You Can Dance" as much as I do? I seriously love it, like LOVE it! I think dance can be so inspiring and moving, you know, literally, lol. Who's your fav on this season? I can't pick one yet, but there are a few front runners.

P.S. I love Cat Deely! Best reality show host ever!

On another note, I'm off to sunny NorCal tomorrow, and I can't wait! Five days off from work, five days spent with some of my oldest, and most loved friends, and five days for relaxation and de-stressing- I SO need it! And get so I love these girls...

Kid History

2011-06-21T23:16:00.001-06:00

This is funny...

You're welcome...and be sure to watch the other episodes on YouTube, they get funnier.

Defeated and Super 8

2011-06-21T02:33:00.000-06:00

Could it get any worse? I'm not talking about my sister's birthday, which was actually really fun...(love you Kellie!)

But, as if my life couldn't get any worse right now...someone just had to come along and tear me up some more today? I seriously wonder if people are really as crazy as they appear to be? Does everyone really think the world revolves around them? I kind of think so...and they keep proving that to me over and over. I don't even know how to deal any more...

So, now for my escapism into movies. Kellie and I saw Super 8 tonight and it was better than I expected, but not as great as I'd hoped. Someone earlier today described it as sort of like "Goonies" or "Stand By Me", and I'd have to agree! It has some great character development that I think most movies lack these days, which seemed to connect you to them more. They really started out by taking the time to "share the details" and "slow it down", but in a good way. There were some fun scares and unexpected twists, and you spend a lot of the movie trying to comprehend the underlying stories that they don't come out and tell you until later. But...I hate to say it, I think it could have been better in the end. The build-up was great, and the connections were all there, but I think JJ and Steven just didn't quite "get there" in terms of crowning point or the highlight of the movie, to create a real connective emotion inside the viewer with the climax of the film. It could have been so good!! I'm pretty sure I cried at least the first time I saw both those movies I mentioned above, but not once did even a single tear spring to my already faucet-ready eyes tonight. Not that I want to cry in movies mind you, but I guess that's the way I know I've really been "touched" by the story, the characters, the acting, or the meaning of it all. But, overall I would say this was a good film, a lot better than all of the trash that's out there these days. And, I really loved Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney, great actors! I still give it 3 1/2 stars, and it's a "go-see" during first run.

One Day at a Time

2011-06-19T23:20:00.001-06:00

Lots of changes going on in my life lately...that's about all I want to say about it right now. Thus, the title of this post, I'm just trying to get through one day at a time. I'm just going to try and trust God now, and do the best I can.

I've been keeping busy traveling the last two weekends and will be again next weekend also. Last weekend I went to Rapid City, SD for work. I'd never been there before and was surprised at how beautiful it really was there, much greener than I'd ever imagined...

We also got to go to this cool drive-through wildlife "reserve" called Bear Country. Here are a few of my favs.

This weekend I went to Elko with Kellie for our cousin Samantha's baby shower, and we also celebrated Kellie graduating from UVU and her birthday which is tomorrow.

We were only missing Tracy and Heather here, and we did miss them.

I'll post some more pics in the next few days of the baby shower and the Elko Motorcycle Rally...you know my obsession with cars right? I think I might be starting a new interest!

Just in case...

2011-05-27T03:02:00.000-06:00

....you are in the mood to cry, read the last few posts on this blog here.

I found this through my friend Amber, and I must say it was deeply inspiring and touching. How short life is, and how precious each moment. You never know what little thing you can do that can so profoundly affect another in times of need.

My heart and prayers go out to this sweet family.

Savvy and Smart!

2011-05-23T22:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, I did...I decided to start coupon-ing! I blame reality TV for tempting me with the exposure to women buying $1,200 worth of groceries and only paying $5-$40 out of pocket. Yeah, I'm probably NOT going to be that extreme, but I definitely always look for ways to save money, and I HATE paying full price for clothes, shoes, or personal care products, so I thought, why should I pay full price for food??

I know I'm totally a rookie here, and I'm sure there are MANY more savvy and smart coupon shoppers than myself, but I'm going to try it for a while and see what happens. My friend Celina had a great idea about reviewing all the Ads and coupons and just going to Walmart because they price match, which I thought was brilliant. AND I just found out that all the Utah County Walmart's do Double Coupon Tuesdays! So that means I'm headed there in about an hour and a half. I won't have time tomorrow so I have to go tonight!

I actually had some crazy occurrences in the last two days, really quite a start to this week I must say, so I'm actually happy to have something going on tomorrow night to look forward to. (Long story short, but my roommate could have blown up our house last night, and today I got a ticket for not wearing my freaking seat belt on the two-mile commute home!) But about tomorrow...oh yeah, Justin and I are going to see U2 in SLC! I can't wait! The last time I saw them was when I was a Senior in High School, we road tripped to Vegas. Wow, that was a long time ago!

Well, if you have any advice, suggestions, hints, tips, or whatever on coupon-ing, feel free to let me know!

Number 4

2011-05-19T17:21:00.002-06:00

Well after my last post, my fans have told me that I am good at movie reviews! So what's a girl to do except continue satisfying her fans right? Okay...you can stop laughing now, but here's my review on the latest:

I AM NUMBER 4- So, I really didn't have high hopes going into this movie, only knowing that it was "kind of sci-fi", which I admit wasn't a super compelling reason to get me to watch it. But, you know how sometimes you let the other person pick the movie because sometimes they let you pick it? This was one of those times Justin got to pick.

But I thought it was pretty creative; kind of a cross between the original Superman story and maybe some Star Trek, with some Harry Potter magic mixed in. It's compelling right from the start because you have to figure out what's going on, who is who, and what's going to happen next. It's action packed, dramatic, intense, funny, jumpy, mysterious and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The actors were pretty good too, I mean, it wasn't like the best acting I've ever seen, but it was decent enough. So if you can deal with the acting in something like Transformers, you'll probably like this too.

Lastly, I hope this doesn't spoil anything for you, but I love when I leave a movie and think, "I hope they make a sequel!" If I hated it, I definitely wouldn't want to see another one right? So, I give this movie 3 stars!

Lead Actor- Alex Pettyfer (from Beastly, which I have not seen)

Lead Actress- Dianna Agron (from Glee)

Fast, Jane, Thor

2011-05-18T01:01:00.001-06:00

So...in case you weren't aware, Justin and I are movie fiends. I mean, I would have to say we watch at least 5-10 movies a week...

Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, it's probably more like 1-3. And, I guess my sister Kellie is part of our club too, because I think she actually watches more movies in a week than Justin and I put together- thanks to Netflix streaming movies and an awesome work environment!

Anyway...thought I'd review the last few movies we've seen, you know, just so YOU know!

Fast Five- Ok, give me a break here friends, but I just LOVE the Fast & Furious franchise! I'm not sure if it's because I'm a fanatic of awesomely hot cars (I'm a weird girl I know), or that it features some of the most beautiful men in Hollywood- Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Either way, it's an "eye candy" movie for women and men. Oh, and even though they are sort of the "bad guys" you like them cause they're still sort of "good" too. And, maybe it's partly because when I was a kid I really wished that I could be a race car driver, (like in the Indy 500, not Nascar) and the driving stunts are seriously wicked and I wish I could drive like them in real life! Oh, but I think it all started from a little video game called Pole Position. Atari anyone?

Needless to say, I give Fast Five 4 stars and its highly recommend if you're in the mood for something fun, action packed, not very deep, but extremely entertaining!

Jane Eyre- Humm, I'm not even sure where to start with this one. The actors were strangely unattractive to me at first, but as the movie progressed they became strangely, interesting and lovely. HOWEVER, the latest version of this classic story was also SO depressing that I could hardly wait till it was over! I'm a total sucker for nearly all romanticized, sentimental, or otherwise mushy love stories, which this movie is...but it was also so overly drawn out, that at times the pace of the movie seemed slower than maple syrup during Winter in Canada! It was so emotionally draining on me! I admit I have not seen any other versions, and I hear that there's an older adaptation that is much better, more Pride & Prejudice-like, so I might be willing to give it one more chance. But, my rating for this version right now is 2 stars unfortunately, and unless you are already depressed, or you feel like crying, or you want to see other people suffering and experiencing deep pain and heartache, I would pass on this one.

Thor- I guess I'm a little bit of a geek, in that I do enjoy me some DC and Marvel comic movies every now and then! (Oh and sci-fi, and fantasy- i.e. Star Trek and Lord of the Rings) But, I was still pleasantly surprised when this movie turned out to be as good as it was! It was creative, clever, fun and amusing. Plus, the lead, Chris Hemsworth, kind of looks like Brad Pitt! And I just figured out why he looked so familiar to me, because he was James T. Kirk in the latest Star Trek! You know, Captain Kirk the 1st. Oh, and lastly I rate Thor as 3 stars- definitely worth your time.

Let me know what movies you've seen lately or what you recommend. Thanks!

Sooooo longggg....

2011-05-11T17:12:00.000-06:00

I guess it really hasn't been that long (who's counting besides me?), but I had a funny dream the other night that my little sis got a "Statistics" email about people who read her blog. I don't know who it was that sent it to her, but nevertheless my blog was ranked last in the category "Blogs that have Gone Cold."

Hummm...I'm not sure what it means that I'm dreaming about this, except to say that I must feel like I should be blogging!

I guess a few interesting things have happened lately. Justin got his internship at an investment firm in Salt Lake for the Summer, that he's really excited about. That is, except for the 2 hour commute in his barely-running car, and the only other option is a 4 hour commute with UTA.

I went to my Mom's in Elko for Mother's Day and had a pretty nice weekend. I helped Mom do some yard work until it started raining. Hung out with Jeremy and let him play my iphone games (Angry Birds of course!), went to Church, had some yummy food, and watched some movies. Never to be outdone, my little brother bought my Mom a new couch for Mother's Day!

Also got to visit my aunts and cousins for a short time too. This is my Aunt Jaci's dog, one of MANY, but I think he's my favorite, Charlie.

It has been raining a lot the last few weeks, which I honestly don't mind much, and it was still threatening my entire drive home. I admit I probably shouldn't have been taking photos while I was driving, but my iphone makes it so easy, I didn't even let my eyes leave the road! I just thought this was beautiful, the clouds don't seem to get that low in Utah because of our tall mountains. Enjoy!

Lastly, Nu Skin finally demolished the old Kress building across the street from the highrise. We're making room for a new $60 million Innovation Center to be completed sometime in late 2012. I'll post some pics and video soon!

Looking forward to any comments and updates from you!

Cool Girl

2011-04-28T01:24:00.000-06:00

Did you know that my little sister Kellie is famous?? Well, she is and it's awesome! In case you haven't been to her blog yet, check it now- Also Known As... She is quickly becoming quite well known in the blogosphere as the go-to "nail polish" blogger, so well known that if you start to type her name or blog name into Google it pops up as an Instant Search find! How rad is that? Recently she also reached over 2200 followers just on Blogger alone! Not to mention an average of 35,000 page views per month, AND nearly 510,000 page views in the last year! So, if you have any love of fingernail polish at all, I highly recommend you read, follow, share and like her blog today!

Sorry, but I'm just feeling such a sense of pride right now, and so proud of Kell and her accomplishments! Hey, what's a sister for if not to brag about you?

Hope you're all doing well, I'll post some new pics soon!

New Favorite Restaurant!

2011-03-24T13:31:00.001-06:00

Since being with Justin, I found my tastes about food have become a lot more varied and particular. Or that I just find the idea of trying new food, good food, to be so appealing. And when I do find a place, it's like I've discovered this awesome secret that I just have to share!

Today I went with a few co-workers to Provo Center Street's newest delight- Station 22. Not only is it right across the street from where I work (convenient), bears my favorite number (besides 32), and was reasonably priced (cha-ching!), the food was freaking amazing!

Kathy and I had this unbelievable French Dip sandwich with carmelized onions on a ciabatta roll, and served with piping hot au jus, along with a side of their fresh battered fries. YUM! Anganel had the Beef with Broccoli soup and said it was tasty as well. I can't wait to go back and try some more menu items, including their fresh, full salad bar!

May I also say it was quaint and modern, but also sort of Western retro (if you know what I mean) and it was just the perfect atmosphere for lunch with friends. I highly recommend you get down there as soon as your stomach starts growling! (P.S. There were many more people eating there than advertised in my photos below, I just tried to photograph areas without people to avoid intruding upon their privacy)

Good Ideas, I Think

2011-03-14T23:02:00.000-06:00

Today was kind of hard for me...first, I woke up not feeling well at all, sore throat, sinus congestion, super tired, and headache- not too fun. But, besides not feeling physically well, I am just feeling down emotionally about all the craziness going on in the world. I can't seem to stop reading and watching the news about Japan, but at the same time I feel so helpless about it that I really don't want to see it. I am grieving for them, agonizing over what I can only imagine is the worst thing to ever experience in some people's lives, and for all that's been lost. And, not only in Japan, but in Africa, the middle-east, and all the other travesties happening that are too much for my heart to bear. And in the process of thinking about all of this, I was reminded yet again how short life is, how fragile we are, and that there is no time to waste. And so I started thinking about my life...

You might have noticed that I don't blog for long periods of time. This is usually because of one of two reasons: one, I am too busy and just don't feel like it, or two, I do feel like it but, I have no ideas about what to blog about. The second is funny because it's not like I don't have anything interesting going on in my life, but just that I can't seem to stop and compartmentalize everything into ideas, or thoughts, or specific topics to blog about! Anyone that knows me well knows that I like to know A LOT of information! I can brief you on the latest news about Japan or Libya, the Oscar winners, what Temples are being built around the world, who is getting married, who is having a baby, when BYU's next game is, or how anyone that we've ever know is doing, what the latest fashions are at J.Crew or the Gap, and what books, magazines, beauty products, TV shows, or movies are the best right now. In a word...random!

But, that's me, and I obviously like me! At least most of the time :), so I am sorry if I ever infringe on anyone else's creative ideas for blog posts, but please forgive me, it's only because I admire you a lot of think you are brilliant or funny or both! So, I have a goal to blog at least twice a week for the rest of this month, and we'll see how it goes. I honestly like doing it, it helps me keep track of what I've been doing in life, when I look back, because I'm even less faithful to my journal.

So, besides the blogging, here are a few goals I'm going to work on this month, because if you "Fail to Plan, you Plan to Fail" right?

1. Gym- Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (at least!)
2. Stop eating by 9 PM (any ideas for avoiding the late night munchies? Seriously, chocolate covered pretzels are my nemesis)
3. Bring my lunch to work at least twice per week
4. Read 30 min to an hour, most days, replacing too much TV time
5. Drink at least 3 bottles of water per day
6. Research information (I always seem to want to learn something new, cook something, find out about something and forget, so maybe this will help me actually do some of those things too!)

Maybe in the grand scheme of things these goals are not remarkable or life changing, and they may seem miniscule compared to someone's overall life goals, but they are a part of getting me to where I ultimately want to be, so I think they're a good little start. I hope your week goes well too and can't wait to hear any of your ideas, suggestions, and goals also!

I LOVE BASKETBALL!

2011-03-06T02:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was the last home game today and it was awesome! The whole team played well, especially in the 2nd half, and really pulled together. I can't wait to see what they do in the upcoming tournaments!

One fun thing about this season is I got to spend quite a lot of time with my Dad and Justin. Because we have student passes through Justin, we ended up in the student section, which means we often had to go wait in line hours before the games just to be able to get in and get a decent seat! We ended up with really good seats, in rows 11-15 for most of the games. I have to thank Dad especially for the hours he came and held our place in line, today at 7 AM. What a great guy huh?

I am not usually a crazy sports fan, but the team this year has just endeared my heart to them. Each and every one of them has been a standout at some point, but especially my favs- Jackson and Jimmer! I could go on, but I'm sure most of you won't even know or care what I'm talking about!

Here's a few of my favorite memories from this season:
1. Hanging out with Dad and Justin
2. Taking my nephew Jeremy to his first college game ever!
3. Eating "aggressive" hotdogs and delicious buttery popcorn, just like when I was a kid :)
4. Spilling my drink down 4 sets of stairs, whoops!
5. 9 AM in the "tent line"
6. All those freaking amazing 3-pointers!!
7. Justin getting the whole team to sign his Jimmer jersey
8. Making lots of new friends in line and at the games, including an awesome WWII veteran!
9. Making a bee-line to Portal Y!
10. The awesome Jimmer signs, t-shirts, posters, etc.- I'll have to post some favorite signs in another post because there's too many!
11. Seeing Jimmer, Jackson, Charles, Brandon, and Noah tear it up!!!

I'll stop at 11 since it's 2011 and 2:11 am and I need to go to bed. Oh, but one last thing, I was in a flash mob today too! It was amazing, and even Dad did it! We had so much fun!

Lots lately

2011-02-20T03:12:00.001-07:00

Hummm, how I love making headlines, blogpost titles, and etc. with just an adjective and a noun or adverb. Ok, enough with the grammar lesson. You might have noticed that I am only creative enough, or not, to blog at 3:00 AM.
          Lately, it seems to be my witching hour...no, not the time when magical creatures come out, but when my mind becomes tried and lucid enough to stop thinking about everything that stresses me out and try to spawn some form of interesting and amusing form of writ to all my 12 fans out there!

                Ok, you caught me and I caught myself, I'll go back and read this in about 12 hours and definitely realize that I should leave the writing to my sister Megan.

But for reals, the last few weeks have been so busy with so much going on. My Mom came for the weekend from Nevada at the beginning of the month to go to the Salt Lake temple with me. Several people from her ward and some very good friends and family in Utah went with us as well. Mom hadn't been to the temple in over 10 years, so it was an amazing and special thing for us to do. It was also Justin and my first time going through the Salt Lake temple, it was so beautiful I can't believe I waited this long to see it!

It was such a nice weekend! Kellie took Mr. Jeremy to hang out while we were there, they went to the Discovery Gateway attraction and had some yummy treats. (Jeremy told Kellie while eating his treat..."I have to say, this is frickin' good!")

We also had Dad's 60th birthday party, celebrated Susan's 63rd birthday, and I saw BYU play two more times at home, and went to 3 Jazz games. I'm not sure how it happened but somehow in the last two months I've become a basketball fanatic!

Lastly for now, I've also started running again. Not necessarily because I just love it so much, but my company is doing this awesome Challenge with Nike+ right now and you can sign up to log your miles and for every 1,000 miles people run during the challenge period, they're providing a scholarship to a deserving kid in Malawi, Africa. Pretty awesome huh? Anyone can join, so if you happen to use this App already, let me know and make your runs really count!

Well, that didn't turn out as creative as I had planned, and I'm too tired now to download the other photos I wanted to post, so you'll just have to hold your horses and wait a little longer. Good-night kiddos.

Love this guy...

2011-02-12T02:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not in the same way that I love Justin, but hey, he's pretty awesome huh?

I don't exactly know how it happened, but suddenly I'm obsessed with basketball! I'm loving the Jazz lately too, and if anyone wanted to challenge me on knowing who's in the starting line-up for either BYU or the Jazz, I'm pretty sure I have it down now!

Can't wait for the game!

A little behind...

2011-02-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

Um...yeah, it's been a little while since I've blogged...

So much for New Year's resolutions right? Just kidding, I've been busy traveling, maybe I'll feel more like it next week?

P.S. I'm so excited to go to the temple with my Mom this weekend!

Provo Tabernacle Fire

2010-12-17T12:34:00.003-07:00

What a Friday! My sis locked her keys in her car this morning...with it running! Luckily University Towing maintains our street, and while I usually despise the tow truck companies I appreciate they helped us this morning and helped her get in. He took quite a bit of time getting to our house and he told us why once he arrived...
our local historical Provo Tabernacle caught on fire last night and is currently burning down. Such a sad thing! We're also having a Conference this weekend at work, with a few hundred out of town visitors here, and I'm also involved in two photo shoots today, so needless to say it's been kind of chaotic around here.

I hope your day is going better and you have some peace and quiet as you prepare for the Holidays!

P.S. A few of my photos were featured on one of my favorite blogs ever, C Jane! Check it out here. **Update! CJane's blog was later featured on KSL, see here. Maybe I can be an investigative photographer now? Ha ha

Thankful Monday

2010-12-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've noticed a few of my friends doing some "Thankful" posts lately and tonight I just felt like I have a lot to be thankful for! It's kind of weird too because I haven't had the best day. I was mostly sick this weekend and I even have a headache tonight, but here's a few things I am feeling thankful for right now:
1. Not having a drug/alcohol addiction or an eating disorder like people on "Intervention"

2. Being a "handy woman" who has in the last two months fixed these things in my house: clogged toilets, garage door, garage pin pad, garage light, garage door opener, clogged drains, caught a mouse, and replaced nearly every light bulb, battery and filter in the place!

3. My OCD cleanliness tendencies. Ok, this might seem a weird thing to be thankful for, but I really am! I love that I like to be clean, that I know how to clean, and that I will take the time and effort to clean something that no one wants to or thinks of. I love being able to serve other people by cleaning something for them and even though they think I'm crazy, it brings me so much joy to do it.

3. My job, even though it's stressful and my boss, who I really cared about and loved working with, recently left. Nu Skin has been so good to me over the years, and I so appreciate the great Christmas bonus they've given us each year! And I really like the people I still work with. I know what it's like to not like what you're doing and to work with those who are difficult or unkind, so it's just refreshing to feel like you can really count on your team.

4. My health, even after being sick fairly regularly, and dealing with the fact that I have permanent hearing damage, I feel so lucky that I am as healthy as I am. I know it could be much worse and I pray everyday for those who have health problems that are debilitating or severely limit their lifestyle or abilities. I can walk, run, jump, bike, hike, row, pump iron, and do nearly everything else I want to do and for that I'm grateful.

5. My family and friends. I'm so glad I have such a great family, some close by, some far away that I love to visit as often as I can. I was watching Oprah the other day, about female US Veterans who are now homeless. It made me so sad and affected me so much. It just got me thinking that no matter what happened to me, I know I have so many people who love me that I doubt I'd ever have to be homeless. And I hope I've been able to provide them as much love and support as they've needed from me over the years.

6. The Christmas season. I hope that I try to remember Christ throughout the entire year, and make Him a part of my life daily. But I just love that Christmas seems to allow for everyone to just try to be better people, to serve others, to love others, and to try to make the world a better place.

So there you have it! I don't know why I chose 6 things, but that's where I felt it ended today. I hope you're all enjoying the Season and bringing joy to those around you!

Getting ready for Christmas

2010-12-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

I had a great Thanksgiving! Spent the morning getting food ready and all afternoon with Justin, my Dad, step-mom Susan, and brothers and sisters and family. Dinner was great as usual and we got to play with babies Aidan and Owen which I love! We also watched this great movie with my parents later, called Facing the Giants. It's kind of a low budget movie made by a Christian Church group in 2006. But, I'm telling you, if you liked The Blind Side, you'll love this movie! It's all about overcoming obstacles and becoming a better person, but they just add a spiritual element to it. It's a little cheesy, I won't lie, but the touching and emotional parts make up for it!

The Sunday after, my teaching partner at Church made the cutest little treats for the kids! Too bad they weren't all there to get one! Isn't this the cutest thing ever?

I also did quite a bit of "Black Friday" shopping and got some great deals! One of which was a new TV! I've been waiting for a great deal and Costco had it! I got a 32" LED for $260! I'm so happy! The last TV I bought was a 26" Sony like 7 years ago. A HUGE box TV that weighs like 60 lbs.! Check out my new toy!

Lastly, I put up all the Christmas decorations! I just love making the house all cheery! I've slowly collected quite a few things and always have fun getting everything out each year.

I'm feeling like I might do some baking and Christmas cards soon too. Well, at least the baking! Have a great day!

Introducing Aidan Riley Christmas!

2010-11-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

Here he is! I'm so in love with him already!

Christmas has come early!!

2010-11-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

My cutie cute Sister-In-Law Mary Christmas had her new baby today! Yes, her name is really Mary Christmas, it's her married name, and so our little baby Christmas is about a month early than his due date! Unfortunately the little guy doesn't have a name yet, but I'll post again soon once I get to meet him and I'll share all his info!

Woo hoo! Welcome to life baby!

Halloween & Birthday

2010-11-06T01:07:00.000-06:00

I've had a great past few weeks! First, my little sis Kellie moved in with me! Woo hoo! I can't say how happy I am to have her as a roommate, it's great! We're still looking for one more, but for now I can say it's not bad just the two of us!

Nu Skin at Halloween is always fun, I just forgot to take pictures this year! I had a friend take this one of me though...

Justin and I also went to one of the first BYU Basketball games, they're good! I hope they have a better year than the Football team! Here's Justin with my fav kitty Cosmo. :)

Then it was my birthday on the 3rd. Can you believe I'm 36??? I seriously can't! I don't feel that old at least! So...next are my beautiful flowers that I got for my birthday! These white daisies and the red rose are from Justin...LOVE HIM!

I love my flowers! The Gerber daisies were from my Mom and Kellie. Justin is also spoiling me! He gave me some money for a goal I'm working on, and we're going to the BYU football game tomorrow, out to dinner, and then to the Ballet! I'm so excited!

Well, thanks for stopping by, please ALWAYS feel free to leave me a quick comment, and I'm certainly open to getting new followers if you please! Thanks, ciao!

Love in a Drink

2010-10-20T00:04:00.000-06:00

I've been missing spending time with Justin...not because either one of us doesn't want to spend time together, it's just all the dang homework!

It's on days like these that I like to think of little things like this...

He made me some hot chocolate a little while back, and NO KIDDING, when he brought the cup in to me, the marshmallows had floated into a heart shape!!

Oh how I love that boy!

Convention Re-Cap!

2010-10-13T00:43:00.001-06:00

Well, Convention has come and gone already! I can't believe all the months, weeks, hours of preparation and it went by so fast! It was spectacular! It was awesome! I've heard nothing but good words from everyone...I am so proud!! Here's some fun pix for your enjoyment!

Convention is only a day away!

2010-10-06T00:58:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm sitting up in my hotel room (by myself tonight) and thinking of trying to go to sleep...the only problem is I'm totally not tired! And, what's even crazier about that, you might ask? I only slept for 3 hours last night! How can I not be tired after barely sleeping last night, and working all day today (standing on cement floor)?? I think it's because of my ageLOC Vitality!

That's the new, amazing, awesome, beneficial product supplement we're launching this week at the Nu Skin Americas Regional Convention in Salt Lake. See a pic of it below!

So, I don't blog for my Company, but seriously, I can't believe how much I love this product already! I feel great, and even if I stop working for Nu Skin someday, this is one product I'm totally going to have to shell out the cash to keep buying! I've never seen so many testimonials coming in every single day from more and more people who've already tried it.

What can I say? I love it!!!

The Lower Lights and a great weekend!

2010-10-04T01:07:00.001-06:00

I had such a great weekend! Starting out with a hot date with my Justin on Friday. We went to a really fun concert, part of the new Provo "Downtown Rooftop Concert Series" which is being sponsored by one of my FAVORITE bloggers ever: Courtney Kendrick of C Jane Run.

This concert on Friday featured a group of local bands and singers who went in together on this new project calling themselves collectively "The Lower Lights." The group included Mindy Gledhill, Scott Wiley, Sarah Sample, and many others that I'm just becoming acquainted with. Check out C Jane's blog for a quick sample of one of the songs they performed, or check out their website: http://www.thelowerlights.com.

We also ran into several old friends that night; the Snow's and the Gray's just to name a few. And...I got to talk to C Jane again, after just meeting her the night before at Stephanie's talk at BYU, and I got a photo! Not the best of me, but she looks darling as usual!

Saturday I got to sleep in, watch LDS General Conference, went to a little Halloween party with the fam. I wasn't originally planning on going, but decided to at the last moment even though I didn't even have a costume. A quick Google search for "easy Halloween costumes" gave me an idea with stuff I already had in my closet. I ended up going as a gypsy and only had to get a shirt, which I found at the DI for $4! Woo hoo! I didn't take any good photos, but will post some when I dress up again for the big day. Then I saw The Social Network with my little sis Kellie. It was pretty interesting, but I've heard a lot of it is fiction, so I didn't really know what to believe!

Today I got to watch the rest of Conference with my Justin all day! It seems like it's been so long since we just had hours of time to spend together, just being with each other, and with nothing else we have to do to distract us. I made us some waffles, eggs, and bacon for brunch, and everything was just so perfect! This coming week he's got mid-terms and I'll be busy with Convention so I am just grateful that we had this time. :)

Tonight we celebrated the birthday of my lovely sister-in-law Mary Christmas! Yes, that's her real, married name. Awesome huh? We ate delicious lasagna that my sweet step-mom made for us and played our family traditional game, Pounce! I highly recommend it! And just for fun, I couldn't resist posting a pic of my cutie pie nephew Owen! Isn't he the cutest?

More in the mood...

2010-10-01T01:10:00.000-06:00

...to post that is! I think I'm feeling a little more optimistic about life now that Convention is almost here and through! I'm looking forward to the days were working a nearly mandatory 10 hours a day are over. It won't be long lived though, January Kick-Off Meeting's will be right around the corner!

Tonight I was able to leave by 6:30 in order to go see my favorite blogger speak at BYU- Stephanie Nielson of the NieNieDialogues. She was amazing! I laughed, I cried, I mourned with her, I celebrated...what an experience, and oh how graceful and amazingingly she has come through! If you weren't able to make it, it was recorded and will hopefully be online to watch within the next month or so.

And it's when I start to feel down about myself-- my shortcomings, how I wish my life was better, or different, or when I'm focusing on the negative, it SO helps to remember that others have been through A LOT of trials in their lives too.

And I remember to thank God for mine, because I can't imagine going through anyone else's!

Just a little note

2010-09-28T02:09:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Okay, not that long really, but I feel a little boring nonetheless!

I pretty much haven't done a lot in the last few weeks except for WORK!! Our big Regional Convention is coming up in a week and things have been craaaa-zzzzzzzzy! I'm talking like the new normal is being at work anywhere from 10-12 hours. Blah! Glad it's almost here, because all work and no play makes Claire a SAD, TIRED, SICK girl! I've barely been able to see Justin either, he's been stolen by the likes of the Marriott School and trapped by books and homework. Boo!

In the meantime my sister has created a new addiction in me by painting my nails with the polish in my last post, and now I must have more Deborah Lippmann nail polish!! I got a few more already, but am totally dying to get these lovelies! I'm not even sure I'm that big a fan of the Company, I've read and heard a few things about Deb herself that make me wonder...but her polishes are sure gorgeous!

Across the Universe

Daytripper

Don't Tell Mama

No More Drama (created with Mary J. Blige)

P.S. Staying up late and leaving the TV on when you're not really watching it is dangerous. Now I totally want to buy the Ronco Showtime Knife! Look it up, it's seriously amazing! :)

Bad Romance

2010-09-15T01:21:00.000-06:00

I bet you were wondering what this post would be about, am I rigggghhhhtttt?

So yeah, haven't blogged in forever...working like a maniac, not sleeping very much, wishing I could see Justin more, and generally falling behind in everything! I did get to go with my little Sis last weekend and visit my Mom and other sibs, so that was fun at least!

While we were there, sweetie-pie Kellie painted my nails with this FABULOUS polish inspired by Lady Gaga! Isn't this color to die for? Love it!!!!

Fun, fun Giveaway!

2010-09-03T02:36:00.000-06:00

So, if you don't know by now, my little sis Kellie is a famous blogger! Well, more famous than anyone else I know! She's currently hosting a fun Giveaway, so check it out today and you might just win!!

Here's a few photos sampling's of her amazing nail work:

10 Year Partay!

2010-09-02T00:33:00.001-06:00

So, I've been a bad, bad blogger the past few months. I'm going to try hard to be much more interesting! I've totally been reading this blog too much tonight and I'm totally in a TAMN mood for writing! I mean, she's totally aus right? Ok, not that I can EVEN compete with her aus-ness, but at least I have some half-naked man pix to post! Check it out below!

I got to attend my first "10 Year Party" at Nu Skin! This is a party that you only get invited to if you've worked for the Company 10 years or more (duh, see the name). Steve Lake was the MC and pretty funny if you ask me, we had "stirring speeches" from the Owners, then we were entertained by the UVU Polynesian dancers. I totally want to be Tahitian now! Okay, at least dance like the hot chix that they are! I hope my video link works...

P.S. I won a prize at the party too! Last week at the "Summer Party" I won an i-pod Touch, and since I already have like 3 ipods I decided to turn it into Costco. Well, turns out they didn't give me cash for it, but I have a gift card now for quite a bit, and guess what? Yep, I won another Costco card today! Woo hoo! It's the year of winning!

History Repeats Itself!

2010-08-30T00:16:00.000-06:00

So, I find it very humorous that the first sentence in my last blog post was "Wow, I can't believe July is almost over!" Since it's been another month since that post, I think it supports my general attitude toward this entire year, which is, it's going by too fast!!! (By the way, I have a few friends that will probably tell me that my 2nd and 3rd exclamation marks in the last sentence cancel each other out so why even put any at all, but how else am I to exclaim my protest and dismay in the powerful context that I write them in???)

Anyways...so last night I went on a cleaning binge! My Company is launching a new product in about a month (October that is) called ageLOC Vitality. I don't usually review my products in my blog, but I probably should talk about them more because they really are great! So, back to it, I took some Vitality last night at about 7 pm because I was going to go running with Justin and I was already tired from helping roommates move out and in to my place on Friday and Saturday morning, and I really wanted to get a good workout in still. And what you have to know about Vitality is that it's main purpose is to give you more! Energy that is. And while it did give me a great non-caffeine type of stimulant boost, it also kept me from dreamland. NOTE TO SELF: Do not take this amazing product after about 2:00 PM. And while I was in this highly functional state of mind and body last night I decided I needed to really do some de-junking of my bedroom. I'm already a little OCD about cleaning, in case you didn't know, and one of my darling new roommates inspired me with her simple, but chic, and entirely uncluttered bedroom decor. I immediately felt a pang of jealousy at seeing her freshly cleaned and organized room, and decided it was time for a round of "throw the crap away" in mine.

And, one of the glorious things about cleaning is that you find stuff!

I found this adorable notebook/journal that I wrote a lot in during my 4th-5th grade school years. It was hilarious! My handwriting goes from neat, straight print to sloppy cursive, but what I write about is what was so funny and very foreshadowing! Too many of my posts talked about getting new school clothes and shoes, finding ways to earn some money from my parents to get even more new clothes or shoes, and not to mention several terrible sketches of the later obtained said clothes and shoes. Ha ha ha ha! What can I say? The next obvious trend was how I jumped from one topic to the next, and wrote in a very blunt and informative matter of what boy I had a crush on that day, what friends I was getting along with or not, and how I was always trying to help my little brother or sister be good or clean something! Lastly, Justin thought that me being clumsy all the time, while minutely cute, is just because I'm not careful or that I'm going "too fast", but I have to point to the several scenarios in the Journal where I also detail the days' accidents like bumping my head on something, falling down, scraping something or just general klutziness! I guess what I'm saying is that we learn at that young age really sticks with you!

My theory now is that we are all really the exact same as we were in 4th grade...we just handle it a little better, say it in a little more mature tone of voice, have more money to deal with it, or we just pretend something doesn't exist or isn't a problem! So, if you want to know what your kid is going to be like when they're 35, read their childhood journals now and save yourself a lot of pain in the guessing! :) What do you think?

P.S. If you haven't yet read the Hunger Games series, I seriously suggest you immediately head to the store and pick up the three books right now! I'm just about finished with the last book, Mockingjay, and I've only stopped reading long enough to hurry and write this post!!!

Ciao!

Eat, Pray, and Love

2010-07-26T01:25:00.000-06:00

I seriously can't believe that July is almost over! Really? Seriously?

So, I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love right now--which I really do love-- and I'm in the part where she's in India. And, I was just reading about when she was turning 10 years old and suddenly and without cause, she had a nervous breakdown. She suddenly became aware of her own mortality, and was so freaked out realizing that she was already "in the double digits", and that soon she'd graduate from high school, have kids, be middle aged, then elderly, and then dead! And during her remembering this memory, she realizes she has control issues...

Ahem...

Yep, I think I have the same problem!

I know time is going to keep marching on, and I'm going to keep on getting older, and so is everyone else. Nonetheless, I still hate the end of every Holiday, of every passing month, and every New Year. At the same time, I think I wish time away sometimes. For instance, "I can't wait till next Summer, I can't wait till my next trip, I can't wait till I've lost 25 lbs., and well, you get the picture. A contradiction for sure...what to do?

Well, I've been thinking a lot this past week. I went to the funeral of a friend's young wife who was killed in a horrible accident the week before. She was so lovely, so loved, and so young...just 29 years old. Every story that was shared about her was one of inspiration. They said "she lived outside her comfort zone, and pushed everyone else to also." She seemed to be a beacon of hope for so many...I can't even explain the love I felt for her through the words of her loved ones and I know I'll forever be changed by what they said.

So, what I'm saying is that I guess I just want to live as much as I can, each and every day! Not take any time with friends and family for granted. Love more, do things that make me or others happy. Work hard when I'm at work, but remember to maintain a good balance with play. Read good books, watch good movies. Exercise, eat well, and take my vitamins. Stay in touch with loved ones far away. Keep things organized and neat (if you know me, this is a must!). Get more sleep. Pray and meditate more. Write more blogs and journal entries. Strive for peace and simplicity, and do this all with a focus on God.

May you live each day to the fullest too...

Girls Weekend Part 2!

2010-07-15T02:00:00.001-06:00

Part 2 of the Girls Weekend!

Taking some lessons about the proper way to navigate a kayak, and boy we needed it!

Ladies, Ladies, get in the boats!

From left: Steph, Jen, Missy, me, Carly, Sarah and Mela

This was the scary cave that we each had to kayak into! We thought it would be easy, but for Carly and I, nothing was easy! We screamed the entire time and hit every wall, and I even punctured my hand a little after tearing off some skin on my thumb earlier! I was a little worried about sharks with all my bleeding!

Had to warm up at the local Starbucks after being in the ocean for 3 hours! And P.S. Carly and I were the only ones who didn't capsize! Yeah, we rock!!

Celebrated Mela and Missy's birthdays since they were both within the week.
Yep, Mela cried a little right after she read the card!

The lovely Carly and Missy

Missy's little man Holden. Isn't he the cutest little dude?

Steph and I had to get in on the action with Holden, he loved it!

After about 20 shots that we were trying to take by ourselves, ONE turned out great!

Oh, how I love these amazing women!

There were plenty more photos taken, but these are some of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy!

Until next year (hopefully)! May everyone have friends as wonderful as I do!

Girlfriend Weekend!!

2010-07-11T04:03:00.001-06:00

Here's the weekend in photos, Part 1 of 2!

So, I got to spend 7 lovely days in Southern California! It was great, even if the sun didn't come out that much! The first two days I had Mela mostly to myself. She had to work a little each day, so I also had time to explore a little on my own. I wandered around Oceanside and Carlsbad quite a bit; hung out down at the Beach every chance I got, rode her bike around, ate some fresh fruit at one of the MANY natural food shops, checked out bookstores, and generally relaxed!

You may be interested to know how this all got started, right? Well, we had our first "reunion" about three years ago. It was during a hard time during my life, and I called Missy out of the blue and asked if I could visit because I needed to get away. She graciously said yes, and then had the idea that we should invite the others girls to come hang with us too. It was great!

Then, about a year ago, Missy told us about this great book, "The Girls From Ames", about these 11 friends that have remained friends for 40 years and the story about them. Since we have all joined Facebook over the last few years, the first "Reply All" emails began. Missy suggested we get together and try to stay in touch more, and the Reunion was on! We ended up staying with Mela because she had a little more space, and no husband for the weekend. (Jackson did come home Saturday, but we had fun with him too!) It was so great to see my friends: Mela, Missy, Sarah, Jen and Steph, and this year, we were lucky to get in touch with Carly again and she was able to come too!

I hope you enjoy the photos! Come back again soon to see Part 2!

From snow-capped Mountains in Utah (well, barely!)...

to the shining Pacific Sea in California!

My feet in the sand...the best feeling ever

Mela and I had breakfast at the Oceanside Harbor

The beautiful Mela! I cropped myself out because she was just too cute by herself!

Thursday night we went to the "Sunset Festival" down at the Pier

And the girls arrived Friday! The lovely Jen and Missy...

Mela and Steph starting the weekend with lots of photos!

Steph and I went on a bike ride down to the beach and had our own little photo shoot!

This is us trying to be "sexy" or something....funny, but I love it!!

This is us laughing after we looked at the "sexy" photo!

Dinner Friday night Missy was busy making us Fondue, Jen is ready to eat!

Notice the wine bottles everywhere, and then notice the white cap in the bottom left of this photo, yep, that's my Water!

Coming soon...Sea Kayaking and more!

Best Friends Weekend!

2010-06-27T01:03:00.000-06:00

As we speak, I am in the midst of some of the most beautiful, brilliant, lovely girls on earth.

The Girls from Elko!

Mela, Missy, Sarah, Jen, Carly and Stephanie

I've been friends with these girls since 7th grade, and this is our 2nd Annual "Girls Weekend!" We have had a lot of laughs, some cries, and tons of fun.

Today we went Sea Kayaking in La Jolla to some Caves! Had some birthday cake and yummy, yummy Mexican food compliments of miss Sarah.

Stay tuned for a long post of pictures soon!

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays and Owen!

2010-06-22T00:40:00.001-06:00

Does anyone else notice that there are like a gazillion birthday's in June?

I seriously don't understand it, are women more fertile in September or what?

Anyway....it was 3 of my lovely co-workers birthday's last week, two best friends, my boyfriend's and my little sister's!! Not to mention like 40 friends on Facebook!

We did quite a few fun things this past week to celebrate, going out to lunch for Anganel, decorating cubicles, and was supposed to get pedicures with my friend Ashley, but will have to wait on that one.

I made Justin Zucchini Boats for his birthday on Wednesday while he was studying for finals, then we went bowling with my family on Thursday, ate at Tucano's on Friday (during a 6 hour fiasco when I lost my cell phone, thought I might die, and then miraculously got it back thanks to a kind stranger!), and then we went golfing, had Thai food, and watched two movies on Saturday! Then, we had a family dinner on Sunday for Kellie's Birthday and Father's Day. And today I shopped with Kellie all day to celebrate a little more with her! WHEW!!!

After all that I just need a vacation! Well...good thing I'm going on one tomorrow! I'm spending 6 glorious days in Southern California with some of my most favorite girls on earth, and I can't wait! I'll post lots of pics, so stay tuned!

And just for fun, I had to post these cute pics of my darling little nephew Owen. Isn't he a doll??

I Love Shoes!

2010-06-17T01:14:00.001-06:00

Lots going on lately!

Only two more days of work until my 10 day vacation! Yippee!

Going to hang with my girls in California and soak up some sun.

So, I had to share some photos of these GORGEOUS shoes I own.
I LOVE THEM!

I truly think beautiful things like these make me happy.

Do your shoes make you happy too?

These are Paolo Linea shoes from Nordstrom. I got them earlier this year when they were on super sale! And I must say, if there's one thing I really like about my body, it's my tiny, little, cute feet!
Ha ha, ok enough verbal bragging, check these babies out!

Oh, and then my co-worker Jared got jealous of my friend Kathy photographing me and my shoes, so he just had to get in on the action. Pretty funny!

Oh, and it's my Justin's birthday today! Happy Birthday baby, I love you!

New Summer polish!

2010-06-08T01:46:00.002-06:00

In salute to my lil' Sis and her amazing blog Also Known As,

I thought I would post some cute pics of my new fav Essie polishes!

Gonna rock these all Summer long!

In case you can't see the names, Pansy, Cast Away, Cute as a Button and Honey Bun.

Lastly, this is me sporting Eternal Optimist. I love the classic nudes, and it goes with everything! Please forgive me for my ragged cuticles though! :)

May I say too, there are SO MANY BIRTHDAYS in June!!! Wow, I literally, personally know at least 4 people who have had birthdays each day for the last 4 days, and I have 9 VERY close family members or friends whose b-days are in the next week! Not to mention MANY other acquaintances, like literally, 20 or so other friends like on Facebook, with June birthdays. What in the world was going on 9 months previous, every single year in history?? Craziness!

Please feel free to leave me comments anytime!

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T01:30:00.000-06:00

I had a great Memorial Day!

Through the Scouts in my area, we have the privilege of being able to have flags in our yards during the appropriate holidays. I LOVE it! I am so patriotic, in case you didn't know!

It was actually warm enough today to lay out in my backyard and work on my tan. I haven't done a lot of tanning in the past few years, but since I'm going to the beach in about 22 days I need to work on it so I don't fry!

I slept in till 10:30 today! Woo hoo! I just love sleeping in and not having to wake up to an alarm clock. It's one of my most favorite things.

I went for a 5 mile run! Yeah, I overdid that a little bit since I haven't been running on a regular basis. I'm kind of disappointed in myself since I was going to do a marathon in June originally. I'm still aiming to do one at the beginning of September, so wish me luck to keep up my motivation!

I also stopped by the Provo Cemetary just because it was so beautiful with all the people there and the flowers everywhere. My loved ones are buried mostly in Southern Utah and Nevada, a few around here, but it would be hard to visit them all. So, since this one was close by I thought I'd visit and look at the beautiful resting places of others loved ones, hoping that someone was doing the same for me elsewhere. Here's a few of the shots I took.

This last grave I thought was just amazing. It's lovely how different people choose to honor those who have passed on. It looks like the man here belongs to a Pacific Islander family and they really did it all up. I can imagine how sacred it would have been for them to spend the time to do this. Even though it may be a little over the top, I think if it helps people grieve and continue to show their love, then more power to them.

Lastly, I got Justin to take a little break from doing homework to make him some dinner. We are pretty adventurous when it comes to food and tonight was no different! What was simply going to be "spaghetti night" turned into gourmet "shrimp and scallop white sauce over linguine" night! We also made some garlic bread and a simple salad with field greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Here's the finished product!

Here's what we did for the sauce:

4 table spoons olive oil

2 table spoons real butter

1/2 pound frozen cooked shrimp (tail off) and scallops

I then browned the shrimp and scallops in the butter, olive oil mixture till they had given off plenty of juices and were slightly browned. Set seafood aside.

I then added about 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes and onions into the same pan, and added a bit more olive oil and butter. Also added some Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Sauted for 5 minutes or so. Added in about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and 1 can clam sauce. Continued cooking on medium heat and condencing liquid down. I then started adding in some half and half, about 1/4 cup, mixed, condenced and added another 1/4 cup. Continued cooking for another 3-4 minutes till sauce started beginning to thicken. Added the shrimp and scallops back in and cooked an additional 4 minutes while adding 1 tablespoon of flour and mixing in to finish the thickening process. Voila!

We added a little bit more salt and pepper at the end and just scooped the sauce over our plates of pasta. I tasted AMAZING!! Just a little something different than the traditional red sauce. Try it!

A Bunch of Randomness

2010-05-23T02:05:00.001-06:00

I don't know why I always feel like posting in the middle of the night. Maybe because I can't sleep and I start reading everyone else's blogs? So, just a little of what I've been up to lately...

We had a fun "offsite" meeting up at the Sundance Resort, up our beautiful Provo Canyon for work. And even though these meetings tend to be all-day-long, they really are very productive, and now that my team is combined Nu Skin-Pharmanex-Big Planet, with everyone it makes it that much more fun! I really like everyone I work with and we're going to have a great year!

This is one of the delicious treats I got to order at the meeting too, yum!

And here's my team! Good lookin' bunch!

We had Senator Orrin Hatch come visit at Nu Skin also and have a "town hall" meeting with our employees, it was pretty interesting. He only managed to avoid answering two questions, which was kind of funny. We weren't sure if he didn't want to answer, or if he just forgot what the question was after he went on some short digressions. Ha ha!

Oh, and there was a shooting at the Smith's grocery store in Provo!!! It was the craziest thing! Some guy was stealing some booze, tried to fight the undercover officer, and ended up pulling out a gun when the other police showed up to help. He ended up getting shot and killed...it's was all a very sad situation. I luckily wasn't in the store when it happened, I showed up about 10 minutes after I think. And, I admit I was scared to go shopping for a few days.

One of my favorite things to do right now is go visit the duck pond at the south end of the BYU campus. (smile) And the biggest reason is that there are so many cute baby ducks right now! I don't know why, but I really like to watch birds. When I see, like, geese flying in the V shape, or a flock of exotic birds migrating like cranes, or an owl, or an eagle, or the hawks that circle over Center Street every night, I just have to watch. Justin suggested I take a "bird watching" class, ha ha, which doesn't actually sound that fun, so maybe my interest kind of limited? Anyway, my sister Kellie teases me about it, and now Justin thinks I'm obsessed with the baby ducks, but oh well! They are so darn cute, I just can't resist! Oh, and I'm very protective of them, Kellie and I "saved" four babies the other day when the mom just left them in the pond and they couldn't find where she went, we took them to her. And I even told-off some jerk guy the other day who was chasing them all around the park at night trying to scare them. So beware! Be nice to animals or you might hear from me! :)

This is one of my favs! There are some turtles in the pond too, and this one was warming himself on the log and found out that the chicks wanted to play "King of the Mountain" on top of him

One other thing for tonight...I don't know why, but I have such a hard time with my calling sometimes. I teach the "Sunbeams" or the 3 year olds at Church, and some days, I just DREAD getting a lesson together and ready for them. I don't know why, they are probably easier than most of the other classes, and I know they love me, but I HATE getting the lesson ready. I always find myself putting it off until the last minute because I am just avoiding it. Any ideas for me? I appreciate any comments or suggestions. I don't like feeling this way, but I'm not sure how to make it better.

So, that's all for now, good-night!

"Come unto Me....and I shall Give You Rest"

2010-05-07T01:52:00.001-06:00

You may know by now that this lady inspires me so much...I hope this will help you feel inspired too.

This video reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures found in the Holy Bible in Matthew 11:28- "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Which reminds me how much God loves me, loves everyone, and is aware of each of the challenges we face in life.

Of course I don't feel I can compare the challenges I have to Stephanie's, but I know we all have our own challenges because that is how we grow, overcome, and become who we want to be, and who God knows we can be.

Favorite Quotes from Glee...

2010-04-28T00:43:00.001-06:00

Tonight was awesome as usual, and just because I feel like it, here are some of my favorite quotes from Glee this season:

1. Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks? Um hum. (Cheerios)
2. How do you two not have a show on Bravo? (Sue Sylvester to Kurt and Mercedes)
3. I'm pretty sure my cat's reading my diary. (Cheerios)

4. Ok, well, there was a lot more, but I'm just realizing that I'm about to quote, like, the entire show, so......

What are some of your favorite shows?

I know this post was random, but it's my blog, so I get to say what I want to! :)

I Met NieNie today!

2010-04-21T23:30:00.000-06:00

Yes, it was amazing! We both happened to eat lunch at Pizzeria 712 in Orem today (DELICIOUS btw!) at the same time! She let me stop her for a moment and introduce myself and act a little like a crazy fan! :) She was lovely, sweet, charming and so endearing! Oh, not to mention Christian was with her! What a great husband/father/man!

What a treat! I am still in awe....and if you don't know who I'm talking about, you NEED to read this blog http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ She is the most amazing woman!

So, thanks Nie! You gave me a little joy today, just by being you!

P.S. I just realized I ended every sentence in this post with an exclamation! Yes, I am that excited!

I Love Blogs!

2010-04-21T03:06:00.001-06:00

So, I was just reading the lovely birth story of Ever on one of my fav blogs, C Jane Enjoy It and it just dawned on me, I love reading other people's blogs!

Everyone's lives are so very interesting! And I love the different writing styles each person has; for instance, see the delicious, delightful, and sometimes super funny and satiric writings of my darling baby sister, Kellie's blog, Also Known As, which is dedicated to her musings on nail polish and music, among other fun things. And, not to mention the many others I keep tabs on, on my Blog Roll list to the right of this page.

I realized, it's just so darn fun to see the world from someone else's perspective, or from their photos, or what they choose to focus on, or what fun things they do with their families or their talents! They inspire me, they captivate me, they bring me joy. And it's like kind of like reading some good short stories, but I actually know the amazing authors!

So yeah...I think I have pretty freaking cool friends! And please feel free to leave a comment on my blog anytime, I'd love to know who is reading me!

Purple toes

2010-04-15T02:12:00.001-06:00

Tonight I made some delicious food...baked chicken breasts with lots of yummy spices, and sauteed zucchini, squash, onions and mushrooms. I added a little Olive Garden Italian dressing to the veggies and voila! Delicious and healthy!

Justin loves it when I cook, and it's nice to do something nice for him. He's been sick this past week, and I haven't seen him much, as I am attempting to not get sick from him, ha ha!

I watched the last episode of Ugly Betty. I'm really going to miss that show. Were you a watcher too? Yeah, it didn't have the best story line the entire time, but it was fun! Sad news!

I also painted my toesies this lovely shade of purple tonight! There is just something about lovely purple painted toes don't ya think? It's the color in the photo below "Ultra Violet" by Estee Lauder, and I happened to get the last one Nordstrom had! Yippee for good luck!

No time...

2010-04-07T02:36:00.001-06:00

Will blog again soon! I'm exhausted right now, need some sleep, need some time off, need some warm weather!

In the meantime, here is a fun pic of me and my daddy, court-side seats at the Utah Jazz game vs. the Knicks (who we killed btw!). Got these awesome seats from the owner's of my Company, likely to never happen again! We also got to eat yummy food like prime rib and crab. Woo hoo!
I didn't show the tickets, but the face value was $905.00 each! Pretty cool eh?

When it rains, it pours

2010-03-31T01:54:00.001-06:00

Well, I didn't really feel like posting tonight...I was going to put it off until a few days later when I was feeling "better" about everything that happened today. But now I'm feeling that maybe I should write it all out in the moment, and it might actually help me or someone else.

If you read my Facebook updates you'll see that I didn't have a great day. But the weird thing is, none of the bad things today were things that happened to me! My poor family is just having all kinds of health troubles. First, my 2 year old nephew Eli had to go the ER because he had an extreme asthma attack, and no one even knew he had asthma. He even go to ride to the hospital in Salt Lake in an ambulance.

This is a pic of poor little Eli when he was in the midst of the breathing treatments that made him feel awful. At this point he hadn't slept much in the last 24 hours nor been able to eat or drink anything. Reports from later in the evening were that he was doing much better, getting to eat solid food and his breathing has greatly improved. Hopefully he'll get to come home tomorrow.

Next, my Dad is having knee surgery tomorrow and I'm praying it goes well for him...he's so nervous that he won't be able to run, golf, hike, ski and all the other fun activities that he loves to do. I really hope the doctors do a good job and give him something great so he won't have so much pain and limitation anymore. And at the same time, my step-mom is waiting to hear back on tests from a tumor or cyst that she recently had removed during gall bladder surgery, and there is a chance that it's cancerous. She just went through a brief episode of breast cancer last year. I am also praying for her, that it's not, and that she doesn't have to go through chemo or any other crappy cancer treatments. But, if it is, at least she does have crappy cancer treatments that could help her...trying to look on the bright side here!

My sweetie is dealing with an unexpected new challenge as of today as well. He hasn't talked to his family about it yet, so I don't feel like I should share the news just now, but I think it could possibly be a blessing in disguise. Only time will tell, but I pray things will work out for him too. I'm so proud of him and all he's been doing, and I know he'll be able to use this situation and make it as beneficial as possible.

Then, I did have a bit of good news for me. I happened to be in Salt Lake at the University Hospital at my ear doctor's office having my 2nd post-op, when I heard about Eli being next door at Primary Children's Hospital. Anyway, he said my hearing in my left ear has improved a little bit! Granted it's not as much as he was hoping for, but I'll take any improvement I can get, and I'm just glad that he doesn't think I need hearing aides yet. And I don't have any infection in either so everything looks to be doing pretty good right now, and I don't even have to go back for 6 months! Yippee!

Lastly, I happen to get a great story from my lovely mission president's wife, Nance, about one of our former missionary's, Nathan Ogden. He happened to have the terrible luck of breaking his neck skiing about 8 year ago, which left him a paraplegic. Only a year later, he was in another tragic accident that broke his neck again, which left him a quadriplegic. This sounds terrible, but not only has he overcome these awful challenges, but he's far surpassed being a victim and become someone of inspiration and motivation. He's done so much, traveled many places, had 4 children and started his own company during all of this. Truly amazing! If you'd like to learn more about him and his story, about the wonderful things he's been able to accomplish with his beautiful wife, check out his blog here. It'll definitely cheer you up and help you put your own challenges into perspective.

So, just to summarize, things may seem pretty bad right now, but I'm so grateful that they aren't TOO bad! And my hope is that these trials will only help us all to become stronger, to learn and grow from the experiences. And just maybe, we can help inspire others too.

Politics, some good and bad

2010-03-24T00:54:00.000-06:00

Well, I hesitate to even begin a post about this, mainly because I think what I think and I don't really like to have confrontations with others about my views. I love listening to others' views and to always be learning so that I can make informed decisions, but the part I hate is when a polite discussion turns into an argument and becomes a source of contention and turns people into enemies and produces hate! I abhor contention! :)

Anyway...so yeah, I'm not going to discuss health care or global warming, but I will share the fact that I went to my first local Caucus meeting tonight and I thought it was so cool! I love that this close to home, we have the opportunity to choose our own representation and provide a vote for what we believe in and support! Granted a lot of us there were first timers and we didn't really know what was going on at first, but you gotta start somewhere right?

It's actually kind of interesting to me that I've never been before. Should I have known about these before? How would I have known? My parents never talked to me about the political process when I was growing up, never really discussed my obligation as a United States citizen to participate in such activities. And me, being as patriotic as I am, how did I just not understand the process? Well I'm thinking it's just needing more education! I think the only way I knew about it this time is because the leaders of my Church have been encouraging our Members to get involved in the political process. Not to promote any candidates or issues, but just to speak our voice. So, I hope that in the future, I'll be a better public servant for my own community and maybe help spread the word to others about the importance of these meetings.

And the coolest part about tonight? I got to say the Pledge of Allegiance! I know, I'm a big nerd, but I can't remember the last time I did, and it almost made me cry! We may have a lot of troubles, challenges, and problems in this Country, but it's also pretty cool, and its my home. God bless America!

One of those Days

2010-03-04T01:27:00.001-07:00

So, it started out very lovely, my alarm went off sometime...but I was seemingly so sleepy I didn't even realize this consciously, so I pressed snooze and went back to dreamland!

then SUDDENLY the alarm was going off for a different reason....
my 8:30 AM CONFERENCE CALL! Whoops!

So, I quickly sat up, grabbed the phone and dialed in, then put myself on mute and the speakerphone on. I was just in time for my team's part, so I happily laid back on my pillows, closed my eyes and prepared to listen.   Until....

         Co-worker: "Ok, Clarrisa do you have anything?"   Silence....    "Clarrisa???"
         Me: "CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" (spoken to myself as I fumbled with the phone and tried to get it off Mute!) "Oh, I'm here, sorry, I don't think I have anything today"
         Co-worker: "Ok, thanks!"

Yeah, that was great....ha ha. Our part was done so I hung up, got up and went to take my bath, which I love! Again, I sat back in the tub to just close my eyes for a minute and quickly somehow, fell asleep!!

Ha ha, so I don't know what the heck was wrong with me, but I finally made it to work about an hour late, forgot my jewelery, didn't have time to put on my makeup at home, and felt the rest of the day like I was behind!

But, weirdly enough, I got a lot done!

         Well, maybe if I go to bed now, I'll make it on time tomorrow? Crazy, funny, silly day.

I Love Makeup!

2010-02-24T00:40:00.002-07:00

So you may not know me really well unless you know that I LOVE makeup! Yeah, I have a bit of an addiction with it, and also shoes for some reason. It used to be perfume (of which I also have a nice collection) but as of the last few years, I just can't get enough of the beautiful alluring colors of makeup! MAC's darling little black cases with their gorgeous colors all shimmery and dreamy and just waiting for me to put them on! I'm also obsessed with Nars which is only carried at the Nordstrom at Fashion Place Mall in the great state of Utah. Yeah, you know the color...of which I have the blush, lip gloss and the Multiple. I also have a great love for Bobbi Brown, so classy, but find that only her lipstick, gel eyeliner, and beach perfume really give me my desired results. Lastly, I'm a sucker for a great palate of nudes, purples, and peachy colors.

So, if anyone ever wants some color advice or suggestions let me know! I'm thinking I might post some of my favorites every now and then, but since I blog SO much, we'll see, ha ha!

Here is some evidence of the madness, hee hee...

My collection! And yeah, it's pretty much sic... :)

My latest favs from MAC- Patina and Mulch!

Life is hard, so look good while you do it!

I Love Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

It is mine and Justin's 10th Valentine's together...wow huh?

We celebrated today since the blessed day falls on Sunday this year and had a lovely evening together.

First, he already gave me a little present about a month ago, an awesome BYU hoodie because in all the years I've lived in Provo and been a fan, I didn't have one!

Oh, and yesterday he gave me the most beautiful bouquet of white daisy's (my fav) so that I could enjoy them for the entire weekend.

We also went to see the new movie Valentine's Day and....hummmm, well it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I don't pretend to be a great movie critic, but lately, the rom-com's are not that good. They are just not "touching" enough, there isn't enough REAL emotional connection that I get from them and this was one (my thoughts also on Dear John and Leap Year). I think I'm an expert watcher of cheesy love story type movies, some of my favorites being Pride & Prejudice, Sleepless in Seattle, and French Kiss to name a few. I can cry at the drop of a hat, or the singing of the National Anthem, or even because of a sentimental commercial....so COME ON! Really? Why does every movie have to have cheating as the theme? I'm just saying...I could do without! So, even though it did end okay, I think Justin and I would have rather passed on this flick.

Lastly we went to this amazing, hip, cool restaurant in Provo called "Communal", if you want to read about them click here. They are a little more expensive than your typical Provo restaurant, but the unique menu and preparation of the delicious and nearly all locally grown ingredients seems to offset that nicely. I felt like I was eating at a really cool restaurant in a big city or someone niche like Jackson Hole. The ambiance of the whole place was cozy but still chic and I loved the beautiful wood flooring and comfortable chaise's.

We had the appetizing pork chop and steak dish, along with a creamy, cheesy potato gratin and roasted squash with apples and thyme. Dinner was followed by a delightful coffee-cake topped with vanilla ice cream. So, what I'm trying to say is that I highly recommend this place!

I hope everyone else has a wonderful Valentine's Day too!

Random Kindness?

2010-02-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

So, I have no idea why, but last night I got a wild hair and decided that I should bake a nice treat for my friends at work. So, I make a yummy yellow cake with chocolate frosting...

I did feel a little bad though...it was a teensy bit too small and there wasn't quite enough! Whoops! Ha ha. It was the thought that counts right?

I'm looking forward to Valentine's Day!

Nice weekend

2010-02-08T02:21:00.001-07:00

It was my first weekend this year that I didn't HAVE to do anything! It was great!
    1. I slept in on Saturday and Sunday
               2. I saw two chick flicks, yippee! (Well, they weren't that good, but still kinda fun)
                       3. I got to spend time with my boyfriend and my sister! Awesome!

P.S. If you haven't eaten at Coney's Frozen Custard in Orem, I highly recommend it! And, not just because I know the owner, but because custard is freaking delicious!

Oh, and did you notice I changed my background again? I think I like this one better...at least for this week anyway. Can't wait till Valentine's! And my lovely sister Megan and cutie nephew Jeremy are coming to visit!

Oh, and P.P.S. I LOVE, love, lovvvve the TV show Modern Family!! It's so funny, so if you feel like watching a new show and love to laugh, this one is for you!

Sundance 2010

2010-02-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

Welp...it's already come and gone! It's amazing the time we spend planning for it, pouring over the film guide, making preparations to get our tickets with friends, and then in a few short days, it's gone! Ok, I do have the Best of the Fest to look forward to tomorrow night too, but oh how I will miss it until next January!

We did get to see 3 films and they were all pretty good this time. Usually I am disappointed by at least one, so I was pleasantly surprised! The first was a Doc about nuclear weapons called "Countdown to Zero" and honestly, it was terrifying, but also very informative. Really, probably something everyone should see and know about...perhaps then we could all work to lobby our governments to take steps to make us all safer.

The 2nd film was Directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and he is kinda gross, but the movie was interesting and somewhat heartwarming. A love story/tragedy and had a good lesson, although it was kinda over the top dramatic too! So many crazy things happening to one person....wow.

The 3rd was a Documentary Shorts feature. They were all pretty interesting but my favorite had to be "Drunk History" which was basically this totally plastered guy who was telling a narrative about Nikola Tesla, the discoverer of the alternating electrical current, and Thomas Edison. It was pretty hilarious and the two guys were played by John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover dressed like 1800 style...I highly recommend trying to see this somewhere if you can!

Just a few photos of the "fest"ivities!

The "marquee" this year

Casey, Randy and Justin...not too sure what they were doing!

My love and me!

Some Directors of the Documentary Shorts films

The Trips!

2010-01-26T00:55:00.002-07:00

Well, I finally made it back from my travels! I went to California and Florida over the last two weeks for work. I'm now hitting my 15th day straight of working...and I'm really ready for some time off! We did have fun though, and everything was very successful! See some of my adventures below...

On the plane, heading out somewhere!

My friend Ashley and I under Mickey's hat

Posing a little like Minnie!

The Nu Skin display tables

Ashley, me, ShayLee, Kerri, and Soojin- the Demo team!

Our beautiful ageLOC signs behind the check-out

Shopping at the Prime Outlets!

So fun, but so tiring! And best of all? They are over till next January!

Off to Cali!

2010-01-13T02:29:00.001-07:00

It's that time again, Nu Skin's North America Kick-Off Meetings! Tomorrow, er I mean today, I'm off to Anaheim. Hopefully I'll see these guys....

And next week we'll head out to Orlando! What luck...Disneyland and Disneyworld in a two week period!

I should be sleeping right now, well, packing actually. I hope to take lots of fun photos that I'll share when I get back. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone!

It's almost Sundance time!

2010-01-05T19:29:00.002-07:00

Well, I'm almost over my depression from last weekend, ha ha. I forgot about all the fun stuff that I'll be doing this month...and one of those is Sundance! Yippee!

It doesn't start until the 23rd (and I'll be at Disneyworld then so I can't complain about it!). I'm sad I probably won't see Brad Pitt this year...but maybe a few Twilight stars eh? Can't wait!

The January Blues

2010-01-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit, but I'm a little sad that it's January. I mean, yeah, it's the start of a shiny, fresh, brand new year, and really I should be excited and happy right? It's the time we all get to "start over", and "reset" our lives, when we make resolutions to improve, and our outlook should be hopeful and bright. Well, that may be, but it's also a whole year away from the time of year I love most! When I get to take two weeks vacation (usually) and bask in the glory of sleeping in, taking it easy, and not worrying about when 5000 tote bags will arrive from China! And I spend lots of quality time with my loved ones, eating good food, watching movies, playing games, visiting, and just generally just enjoying one another. And of course, there is the Holidays! I know there should be moderation in all things, but heck, I just love Christmas time! I love getting gifts for people, smelling pine and cinnamon in the air, having a tree up with the sparkling ornaments that seem to seep out childhood memories, seeing the twinkling lights on the outlines of houses, and just the general excitement that seems to emanate and elevate my mood.

But....don't worry, I guess it's not permanant. I do get to go to California and Florida in the next month, as well have the annual Sundance Film Fesitval experience. Then next month I'll be getting excited for Valentine's Day, then soon after that my Spring fever will set in...and before I know it Spring will be over and Summer will be well on it's way! And well, I guess I've got a lot to look forward to this year... and I'm guessing that Christmas will soon be a distant memory, and then I'll be ready to complain about how I love Spring and how it's over already! My, I am complicated!

Okay well, I'll quit my whining for now and write some 2010 Resolutions, so here they are!

1. Run the Utah Valley Marathon in June

2. Lose at least 20 lbs., this includes the gym at least 3-4 times per week as well as a better managed diet

3. Pay off more debt

4. Take my vitamins every day

5. Read my scriptures every day

6. Write in my journal or blog at least once a week

7. Look for more service opportunities and participate in them

8. Try to be more positive and less nostalgic!

So, there it is in black and white! They say if you write your goals down you're more likely to accomplish them. And, I'll check in periodically and give an update of my progress throughout the year. Hopefully that will help me write my Christmas newsletter next year...oh I can't wait!

P.S. If you have any suggestions of helping me get over the "blues" faster, please let me know!

P.P.S. Let me know what you're planning to do this year, what are your goals? And I'm thinking I'll start writing some more financial tips again soon, so keep watch!

Holiday Photos

2009-12-30T02:13:00.001-07:00

This is just a photo post of what I've been up to recently!

The lovely ladies of Nu Skin! Shalayne (and Ada), Tania and Anganel. I think this was at my birthday lunch in November. Sad note, Shalayne actually doesn't work with us anymore, we miss her!

The delicious pies we had at Thanksgiving! I made the one at the top, Cherry Pie, my fav!

The beautifully set table right before Turkey dinner

My little bro Brian and my favorite Eli

One of my very-best friends, Mela, at home in Elko for Christmas!

My little sis Megan and my favorite Jeremy

Some of Jer's loot on Christmas morning

He pretty much played with this tank all week!

Jer had a little army partner- well, Everett had on some camo at least!

You may know my sis Kellie has a nail blog, and she was given this awesome book about Pro Nail Tips by my other sister Megan. Good job Meg! (I got an amazing book about Paris, my fav!)

Meg had her hair styled by our cousin, Heather, so we had to document the cuteness!

All in all, my Christmas holiday was wonderful! Well, except for the 7 hour drive it took to get to Elko since the Utah roads were not plowed and were horrible! But, once we got to Nevada, of course everything was well taken care of! The drive home...3 1/2 hours exactly!

I'll write again soon, but I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! My next post will hopefully be my resolutions for 2010!

The Christmas Blessing

2009-12-18T03:03:00.001-07:00

So, as usual my company had our annual Christmas Party last week. They are always very generous and we can always expect a two-weeks pay as a bonus, a gift card to Costco, a day or two extra off with pay, and usually some product gifts and 1 company gift. Amazing right? Well, keep reading!

At the Christmas party they usually also give away I would estimate around $20,000 or so in gifts! They randomly choose winners from the names of every employee and call out a name and you get to go up and receive things such as a big screen TV, cameras, laptops, tickets, household appliances, Wii's, X Box's, and other equally cool things. AND, the owner's generally have several thousand dollars in $100 bills in their various pockets and you could get a chance to "pick a pocket" instead!

Well, this year, they decided to forgo the enormous amounts of presents and instead did a very classy formal dinner for all the employees. We even had to dress up and the men had to wear tie's! It was so very nice of them. But wait, it get's better!

So, we were basking the in glow of Holiday joy this past week after the party when suddenly, all over the building, these signs started appearing that said..."You thought there were only 12? Wait for the 13th day of Christmas!", which was yesterday...

You won't believe it....

Are you ready???

OK, here it is........................drum-roll please!!!!!

THEY GAVE EVERY EMPLOYEE ANOTHER $1000 CASH BONUS!!!!!! WHO DOES THAT??????

That's right...Nu Skin!! So, I just want to say, THANKS, and thank God for this blessing too!

Lazy Weekend

2009-12-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know if my post title is quite accurate? I guess it wasn't quite lazy, actually pretty productive but it was still nice.

I had something to do every single night this past week!
     Monday- FHE (scriptures and "So You Think You Can Dance", what else?)
     Tuesday- Relief Society Christmas party (Beautiful Harp duet!)
     Wednesday- Tithing Settlement & Visiting Teachers (I love my VT's, they are awesome!)
     Thursday- Nu Skin Christmas party (Very generous, as usual! We all got a new Ipod shuffle and a bonus!)
     Friday- Sue's Birthday party with the fam (fun and yummy!)

This takes me to Saturday... So, we had my Church Christmas party in the morning so I didn't even get to sleep in very much, and I spent the ENTIRE afternoon and evening shopping with Justin! We were seriously at the mall for like 6 hours! I didn't even spend that much money, it was a lot of looking, but it was just kind of fun to hang out. I was hoping to get my hair cut with Kellie and perhaps see that new flick Invictus (looks so good!), but she wasn't feeling too well, so I missed her.

Today was the last time that I'm teaching my current class of Sunbeams. They are so cute and funny sometimes. Today during the kid talk in opening exercises, Samuel, the Bishop's son, said quite loudly "Wow, her talk is SOOOO LOOOONNNGGG!" Ha ha ha! It was pretty funny and the little girl didn't even notice the comment.

And tonight, Justin and I made delicious Breakfast Casserole with hashbrowns, onions, sausage, egg and cheese, and baked it in the oven. Delicious! I'm thinking I need some Le Creuset for Christmas! See below, the 3 1/2 quart Cherry Red Dutch Oven. I am looking forward to cooking some more out of my Julia Child cookbook!

And now, we're being nerds and watching Christmas at the White House. Love the Obamas!

Surgery and my Favorites as of Late

2009-12-03T02:13:00.002-07:00

Hello! Sorry I've been MIA from my blog for a while! The last month has been busy with work, my health, family and all my other little hobbies. :)

I took the whole week before Thanksgiving off of work because I had yet another ear surgery. That makes number 37 or so. No really...I don't actually know how many I've had, but I estimate it's in the 30's if not close. This time it was the first of a two-part reconstruction of the left middle-ear. I was very hopeful that this time it was going to be so much better because I'm seeing a very experienced and highly recommended "just ears" specialist at the University of Utah Hospital. (Wow, he must be really good if I'm willing to step on the U campus to see him...jk :)) So, the surgery was basically to try and clean out any infection in my ear, place a silicone spacer behind my eardrum to help straighten it out and make sure I didn't have any more tumors growing.

My sweet step-mom Susan took the day off work on Monday the 23rd to drive me up to the LDS Hospital in SLC. Oh, and let me tell you, even though I've had 30 surgeries already, you better believe my insurance company talked to every doctor and made me plead and justify my case extensively before they would approve me to see a U of U doctor, and then, they only approved the surgery at an IHC location. Anyway...I digress...we arrived about 8 am and I was soon ushered back to prep for surgery. Usually, at Utah Valley Regional Medical they poke my finger to make me bleed, then numb me with novacaine shots then give me the IV, so at least 3-4 shots to start! But at LDS they just stick the IV right in and work from that one stab...kinda nice I'm thinkin. Then, we watched Drew Carey on the Price is Right for a while...no one was winning anyway so I was getting bored, ha ha. A very cute male nurse came and got me and took me back for surgery about 9:30. I talked to a few other nurses, then the anesthesiologist and before I even had time to enjoy it very long, the happy drugs drifted me off to the black zone. (where you don't dream or remember anything)

The next thing I knew I was awake in the nurses recovery station and was feeling terrible! My head was throbbing with pain and I was so hot I was literally dripping sweat, and there was a very weird pulsation feeling in my legs! At this point I couldn't talk or move or anything to tell anyone what was going on, but every time those big hospital doors opened from the hallway, this glorious burst of fresh cold air would wash over me and give me a slight relief for a second. I wanted so badly to tell them to leave the doors open! Finally someone noticed I was awake and I think I managed to say I was "SO HOT" but all she did was say "Oh okay" then wheel me into the room where my mom was waiting. Again I desperately tried to get out, "I think I might die right this very moment if someone doesn't put me in a freezer immediately!"...okay, it was more like "Hey...I'm hot......really hot.....I feel like......so........hoooootttttt!" I think they finally got the point when the nurse couldn't even take my temperature because my head was so freaking wet. All of a sudden the nurses were flying around me, putting ice packs everywhere; on my head, under my arm pits, behind my neck, under my knees, everywhere! Then I understood what was wrong with my legs, there were some weird contraptions that were strapped all the way around them that were helping my legs circulate blood so I didn't get clots, and when they took those off that really helped too. Lastly the throbbing headache...oh it hurt SOOO BAD!!! So the nurse came in and said I was getting a morphine shot in the rear! I was like, "What??? No way, put it in my IV!" She says, "Nope, the doctor thinks it's more effective to just stick in you!" So I did get another poke, and I think I actually cried a little. But even after that I kept telling them my head hurt so bad and finally someone noticed that I had this crazy velcro band around my whole head that was holding the bandages over my ear, and that it was on so tight it was practically squeezing my head off! Once the nurse loosened that, I finally had some relief.

Or so I thought!!! As soon as all that was over, and I was cooled down and out of extreme pain, the nausea hit me. So yeah, I got sick a few times and then I finally started to feel better. I think I slept off and on for another hour or so before I started munching on the saltines and Ginger Ale. I think I ate about 15 packs of those crackers and boy were they good!

We FINALLY left the hospital around 5 PM so we'd been there for a total of 9 hours! It usually does not take me that long to get through it but I guess it can be different every time. Anyway, the doctor seemed to be pleased with my results and said he was able to make more repairs than he thought he was going to be able to do, so I was very grateful for that.

I spent the next day at my parents and Susan helped me get some food and drove me home that night. I slept and rested a lot the next few days and Kellie and Justin also helped take care of me and visit me and keep my spirits up. I got lots of phone calls and texts and messages from Mom and Meg and other friends and family, so it was all good.

By Thursday I was feeling much better. So, Thanksgiving was fun and I even went domestic and made a delicious, and may I mention, gorgeous, cherry pie! (I took photos but have left my camera at the folks house since the big day, so I'll post later) Kellie went home to Elko and was missed dearly. But I had Justin to keep me company over the weekend and we got to spend quite a lot of time together. I even did a little Black Friday shopping and had lunch with my lovely friend Leanne who was visiting from Arizona for the weekend.

You can't tell in the photo, but Leanne is 8 months pregnant and adorable! (She's the one on the right side in the grey cardigan) She's having a little boy of course, just like the 6 other friends and family members I know who have had or are about to have babies this Fall! What is up with all the boy babies being born???

Anyway, I've had a lot of time to read, watch TV and movies, and generally relax in the last week or so and thought I'd share some of my latest interests!

1. I love the show on Fox, Glee! It's so fun and funny and amazing, and I'm so sad it's going away until April. If you haven't watched it yet, now's your chance to get caught up and watch it on Hulu!

2. Um, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED New Moon! Sooooo much better than Twilight! Not that I hated Twilight, I'm definitely a Twihard so you know I'm gonna love all of it. :) However, I do highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it.

3. I LOVED the Blind Side!!! Wow, and even if you're not a sports fan, this is such a GREAT movie! Old and young alike will treasure this great and inspiring movie of triumph.

4. I read a magazine article in Vanity Fair with excerpts from Pres. Ronald Reagan's Diaries and I think he was such an AMAZING man!!! Wow, the love he had for our Country, the self-less service he gave, and the amazing, beautiful relationship he had with his lovely wife. If you're into history at all, this would be a great read for you! It's funny, personal, informative, inspiring and touching all at once.

OK, so there you have it! Me lately. :)

Birthday

2009-11-15T01:34:00.000-07:00

Well, my b-day was a few weeks ago, but I've been meaning to post some fun pics from dinner nite with my family...

My amazing sister-in-law Mary makes the super-sweet cakes for everyone's birthdays, check this baby out!

Here's another with some of the detail on the side...

OK, here are some of the fam pics, I seriously don't know how this happened, but someone was making a funny face in almost every picture!

Ashley, Scott and Sue

Scott, Sue, Brian, and Mary

Dad and Kellie

Kris and Justin

Amanda (still preggers with Owen)

Susan and Dad

Sue and Amanda

My little man Eli

My big man Justin with the little man!

Well, it was tons of fun! My roomie put up some fun birthday signs at home, at work I got my desk decorated, got taken to lunch, then Justin took me to dinner at yummy Tucano's Brazillian restaurant, and serenaded me with his guitar, and lastly I recived some nice presents and treats too! Thanks everyone!

Well, 35, here I am!

Fun times

2009-11-02T00:06:00.000-07:00

At Nu Skin, we have a big, annual Halloween party that always proves to be lots of fun. And traditionally, as part of the costume contest, there is a "Group" category competition in which the contestants plan a 2-3 minute skit as part of the judging. Everyone gathers, usually at the Marriott Ballroom across the street, and there are official judges, like the Mayor, and the winners are chosen from several categories for cash prizes. I've had a lot of fun being in some of the groups, we've been- the Harlem Globetrotters, Smurfs, Fat Albert & the Cosby kids, and the cast of Hairspray to name a few.

Well, this year, due to Convention the week before, they changed it up a bit- no groups, no skits, just the dressing up. So here's some of the fun costumes from this year:

The Roller-Derby gals

The "roller-coaster"

Rachel K. as the "Up" house!

Jen as a "dead zombie"?

Shalayne the Safari guide with Ada the giraffe

Ada is so cute!

Claire as the little lamb and Ada

And finally me as "Flashdance" and Anganel the "witch". (She's really the farthest from that ever!)

I hope everyone else's Halloween was fun too!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T03:21:00.001-06:00

Check out this video! My awesome sister Kellie posted it on her blog a few days ago, but in the spirit of Halloween I thought I'd share it too!

Fall and other Stuff

2009-10-21T00:15:00.009-06:00

This year has gone by so fast...I swear it was just July, and all of a sudden it's almost November! My birthday is just around the corner, which I always happily anticipate and dread (at the same time). But, I always love this time of year, just before the snow comes, when the trees are so brightly colored and haven't lost their leaves yet.

These are some beautiful trees by Justin's apartment. I love that there are still some green ones, but also the dark purple and of course the golden yellow beauties! Oh, and I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE to walk through piles of leaves on the ground...I just love that crunchy, swishy sound it makes. :)

So, my life has been a little out of balance over the last few weeks, too many hours at work, not enough hours with my loved ones or in my home. We've been preparing for Nu Skin's 25th Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I'm not going, ha ha. But, I did have a hand in several things that we had to prepare for. The big shin-dig begins tomorrow and I hope it all goes well!

I'm also working on preparing for a DVD video shoot that I've been assigned to manage and I can tell you now, it's one of the biggest challenges I've had at work in a while. I think things are going to start coming together in the next week though, with the help of a fabulous new Director I think we're going to hire, so I just hope to manage my stress a little better and let myself go with the flow!

One nice thing is that I work with a great lady, Anganel, and today we took a little walk down the street, saw a new cafe by the office and stopped in to get "the first hot chocolate of the season"! We sort of named our outing that, and it stuck. So, here's some photos of us enjoying our delicious hot beverage with some great books we, um, were reading or something. (wink wink)

We are already missing Shalayne since she left us to stay home with her beautiful little daughter. I don't blame her, mind you, I would want to stay home with that gorgeous girl too! It just isn't the same without her. :(

I also went to Relief Society enrichment tonight! The first time I've been in about a year or so at least! It just sounded fun, French pastry making, yummy! We did get to sample some scrumptious "milano" type cookies dipped in ganache (melty chocolate mixed with cream!) and some poached pears with drizzles of the chocolate sauce too. Viva France!!! For those who don't know me that well, Paris is my absolute end all, be all, dream vacation destination. They looked a little something like this...

Needless to say, I'm grateful for our beautiful seasons, good friends, my job, and friends who cook me good food! Love to everyone!

Two of my favorite ladies...

2009-10-09T02:33:00.005-06:00

Ms. Nie Nie (aka Stephanie Nielson), the fabulous blog writer who famously survived a horrific plane crash with her lovely husband, Mr. Nielson, was on Oprah yesterday!

I have been reading her blog, http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/, and her sister Courtney's blog, http://blog.cjanerun.com/, for almost a year. Their writing, photo posts and beautiful spirits inspire me and bring me joy. Oh, and also a lot of tears! I do suggest getting some kleenex if you start to read them too, but it's well worth it!

P.S. Check out www.oprah.com for more info on this great episode. It aired on Wednesday, October 7th.

Ciao!

100 Things...

2009-09-23T00:26:00.004-06:00

I can't think of anything interesting to blog about lately...I think I have some blog anxiety actually, I know this is really just for me, but I worry about what I will write and if it will be interesting to anyone and then I don't! Yeah, kind of the opposite of why I started blogging in the first place!

OK, so I am going to attempt to write more, even if I don't have awesome pictures to post or fun vacations to report on, or amazing food or recipes that I've cooked, etc. So I thought one way to help me get over this is to post the infamous "100 Things About Me" list. Wish me luck!

1- I love Justin
2- I love spending time with my family
3- I love shopping, even when it's just to look
4- I like the thought of cooking and wish that I wanted to do it more often.
5- I really enjoy watching lots of different TV shows
6- I love going to movies, especially with Justin and/or Kellie
7- I keep in touch with friends for years and years. I'm still friends with Brandi since 5th grade.
8- I like to go on drives up the canyon or in the mountains, my mom's fault :)
9- I wish I was as talented as my parents- Mom paints, dad photographs, Susan sews and cooks
10- I love chocolate and prefer it over any candy
11- I love my nephews- Jeremy, Kris and Elias
12- I secretly wish I had been a nurse, paramedic or firefighter (except I only want to work 9-5)
13- I wanted to be a wedding dress designer when I was a kid and used to draw designs in notebooks that are long, long gone.
14- I'm very sentimental and have a hard time parting with things that remind me of good times, ticket stubs, programs, etc.
15- I love taking pictures
16- I want to go to Paris, Rome and London so, so, so, so bad
17- I pretty much want to go everywhere in the world, I want to see everything
18- I think people are so interesting and I'm fascinated by them
19- I would love to be a wife and mother one day
20- I would love to own a home and fix it up just the way I like it
21- I want to have a garden and pick vine ripened tomatoes
22- I wish I had someone who would do all my food prep and then I'd just cook it!
23- I wish I didn't have hypothyroidism
24- I wish I didn't have problems with my ears, but I know these challenges keep me humble, and hey...it could be worse!
25- I love my Church
26- I loved going on a mission and wish that everyone could have such an experience
27- I wish I was rich and could just be a philanthropist
28- I want to go to Malawi, Africa and see the 100,000 trees we've planted there
29- I wish that no one went hungry
30- I wish that people didn't abuse each other
31- I wish that we took better care of our Earth
32- I wish that we could prevent any other animals from becoming extinct
33- I love giraffes
34- I'm 5' 0, which is why I think I love giraffes, they are so tall!
35- I love cute babies and could play with them all day
36- I love looking at other people's photography web sites
37- I love reading people's blogs, I am constantly surprised at the depth, passion, love and beauty in everyone's lives.
38- I love Summer and warm weather
39- I'm trying to love Winter more
40- I can't ever give blood again because of a stupid false testing the Red Cross gave me one time, even though they admit it was their mistake!
41- I play the flute but don't have one anymore
42- I can twirl a giant flag and march at the same time
43- I love roller coasters and hope to go to Cedar Point one day!
44- I love fun surprises
45- I envy families that take big vacations all together
46- I have never been to Hawaii yet
47- I love going to the Sundance Film Festival every year
48- I've seen Brad Pitt in the flesh twice!
49- I've also seen Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Aniston and I talked to Jack Black
50- I shook hands with Mikael Gorbechev, met the King and Queen of Sweden and the President of Finland. (The first in DC, the other at the 2002 Olympics)
51- Concerts I've been to- Tiffany, MC Hammer, Gun's N' Roses, R.E.M., Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, NickelCreek, The Fray, Damien Rice, Coldplay- I know there's more but my brain is forgetting now
52- I wish I could take a nap every day
53- I have a hard time going to sleep at night (as you can see)
54- I wish there was more time in the day for myself instead of for my job :)
55- I love reading
56- I used to be an Amway Distributor with my dad and went on super fun trips
57- I used to listen to motivational tapes a lot!
58- In high school my dad paid me to read: Man's Search for Meaning, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Richest Man in Babylon, and other good reads.
59- I love listening to CNN and The Morning Zoo on ZHT in the morning
60- I usually drink a chocolate SlimFast shake every morning and I never get sick of it!
61- I love when I'm consistent about working out
62- I ran my first half-marathon last month
63- I'm still deciding if I will ever run a full marathon
64- I love Asics running shoes
65- I admire Olympians
66- I used to want to be a US Ambassador
67- I think it would be fun to live in Washington DC, New York, or Boston for a while
68- I love almost all music
69- I love laughing so hard it hurts your belly
70- I love helping others and making their lives better
71- I think mother's and father's have a hard and amazing job
72- I miss my grandparents
73- I love going to our family's cabin in Ruby Valley, NV and fishing for bass
74- I love flowers and plants
75- I wish I could have a dog or cat
76- I love riding horses
77- I love sushi, especially the Vegas Roll from The Happy Sumo
78- I love the movie Pride & Prejudice and watch it over and over
79- I love getting massages, and would have one every day if I could
80- I love having my hair washed and blown out by a stylist
81- I love reading magazines
82- I daydream of laying on a beach by beautiful clear blue waters
83- I have a lot of perfume and usually wear a different scent every day
84- I also have a lot of makeup, but still probably need lessons in application!
85- I love snuggling with Justin and watching videos all night
86- I love cleaning and organizing things and that clean, fresh smell after cleaning!
87- I wish everyone was as clean as I am :)
88- I wish the war was over, but I am so grateful for our soldiers
89- I love America
90- I love patriotism
91- I really like cars and hope one day I can drive a Ferrari just one time!
92- I hope to inspire my primary kids- and hope that something I teach them they'll remember forever
93- I'm so grateful for Justin, Kellie, my parents, other sisters and brothers, friends and anyone else who touches my life for the good.
94- I hope to always prove my loyalty
95- I hope to be remembered by others as someone who cares...
96- I love the rain
97- I wish that I could sing the National Anthem at the opening of the World Series, but alas, I can't sing :)
98- I pray that in the next life I will be able to swim, surf, snorkel, and scuba dive- especially so I'll learn not to be afraid of the ocean any more.
99- I am so blessed.
100- I hope that everyone else's lives are as full and abundant as mine. :)

There you have it! Maybe I'll try to do this at least once and year now and see how it changes.

Oh the love...

2009-09-15T01:13:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to remember my Justin today, and the lovely things he did for me.

I started to get sick last Tuesday after my weekend trip to Elko, but somehow with all the vitamins I took I was able to supress it through the week... (Which believe me, I needed to do!) ...my boss was out of town all week, I had several looming deadlines, and a weekend event to work at!

I even managed to make it through teaching my primary class yesterday (I am Thankful for Food and Clothes- and I really am) with some fun games and a substitute teacher. We looked at all kinds of plants and animals and decided if we would eat them or not...apples-yes, spiders- no!, cows-yes, horses-um, no! We also played a little dress up with my clothes while we talked about where the different materials came from, and about how there are lots of children in the world that don't have enough clothes or food. And when little Samuel said the closing prayer he thanked Heavenly Father for chicken nuggets and our shirts...I had to dry a little tear about that one!

Okay, back to my original story, so after Church I started to feel the sickness beginning to brew again in my lungs...that's literally how it feels. I don't have a sore throat or a cough or any congestion or sinus problems, yet, but I just have this awful heavy, tingly feeling in my chest along with some swollen glands going up to my ears. Needless to say, not well!

So this morning I decided to try and suck it up, since I don't even sound or look like I'm sick, and make it though the work day. Well, I did, and it was good I did because there were some critical things I had to do. But just as the day was wrapping up, I felt the poison start to rumble inside me again. I had a sudden craving for some orange juice, herbal tea and some hot sauce. (I thought maybe if I ate some hot sauce it would burn away the infection maybe huh? It could work right?)

That's when I decided to call my sweetie, because he's always so kind to offer help when I need it, and I just felt like I did. He said he'd bring me some groceries and I asked if he could give me a blessing too. But, he not only brought me some groceries, he cooked them up into the most delicious chicken and vegetable dish with a side of steamed asparagus that I've ever had, all while I laid on the couch and vegged myself. He gave me a beautiful blessing with the help of a kind neighbor friend and then he sat with me and talked for a while. He had even picked up some cacao for an after dinner snack! Then when I felt sufficiently cuddled, he headed back into the kitchen, did ALL the dishes in the sink, packed away all the yummy leftovers for my dining pleasure tomorrow, and told me how much he loved me.

**Sigh** Sometimes being sick isn't all bad. :)

The last few weeks...

2009-09-09T00:17:00.019-06:00

Well, I have been busy! Work has been overwhelming, Justin's dealing with a new job and starting at BYU, spent some time with friends and family, etc., etc.! It's amazing how easily you can let yourself get overwhelmed with everything, even other people's problems. I need to try and take it a little more easy I guess!

So, here's some pics from my latest adventures...

This is me and my oldest cousin Tracy...we grew up together and have always been great friends. She lives in Idaho with her husband Charles, who is doing his Residency, and their gorgeous son Colton (see below).

Charles showing Colton videos of himself on his sweet iphone!

Colton- aren't his eyes beautiful?

So, Kellie and I went to Elko for my cousin Samantha's wedding, but it was also Tracy's brother, Eric's daughter, Melody's birthday. You've got that all straight right?

So her's Melody...I think she likes the toys she already has, better!

Jeremy actually looked at the camera for me for one second!

My lovely sister Megan, cousin Heather and other lovely sister Kellie at the party.

The bride right before the wedding!

Dani still preggers with Everett...he was born on Monday, Labor Day!

The happy couple, Mike and Samantha McConnell

Mom presenting her gift, a painting of an Elk for the couple...they are avid hunters!

My Aunts and Mom from the left...Lisa, Peggy, Mom and Jaci (the Bride's mother)

This was on Sunday at my Aunt and Uncle's house where Mike and Sam opened presents...we decided to wrap up Everett too! That's Dani's mom, Aunt Lisa on the floor.

My Jer with his Mommy Megan

My last morning there, Jer and I played his favorite game, Monopoly!

And, for those of you who have seen the FABULOUS movie Julie & Julia, this is the yummy bruchetta grilled bread, topped with tomatoes, yellow peppers, basil and Italian dressing that Julie makes for her and her husband as they are discussing what she could write a blog about. It was SO YUMMY! My sis Meg made it for me. I definitely am going to branch out and try some more of the recipes she does in the movie too. I really do actually enjoy cooking, I just wish I felt like doing it more often! Anyway...I highly recommend this movie!

OH, and I just have to give a quick shout out to BYU for beating Oklahoma this past weekend too! Yippeee! Goooooo Cougs!

Help?

2009-08-26T01:30:00.006-06:00

Well, I have a question that I can't seem to find an answer to, so if anyone has some good advice, please let me know!

I'm going to be vague, but how do you or what do you say to people who ask too personal of questions? Or, who ask you questions that are nosy and all you want to say is "it's none of your dang business" without actually saying "it's none of your dang business"? Or, how do you answer someone without really saying, "you won't understand anyway, so don't ask me questions I can't answer!" Any ideas for me would be fabulous!

I do have some photos I can post from my friend Kody's recent graduation from BYU. We were roomies for a few years and I have to say, I love this girl, and am going to miss her so much now that she's moved to Tennessee!

A few updates...

2009-08-12T00:16:00.007-06:00

Yes, I know it's been forever! This blogging to keep a journal thing isn't working so well for me yet! I want to post, I think about posting, I even imagine what I'll write when I post, but alas...I get to tired to actually sit down and post!

So, July was a good month, lots of things going on. I took a week off to spend with my fabulous 6 year old nephew. He came and stayed with me, the first time he was away from his mom for so long, and my first time being totally responsible for a little person 24/7 for any extended period of time (and with the help of Auntie Kellie too!). We had a blast! We did a fun activity pretty much every day including: Hogle Zoo, hiking to Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance, 7 Peaks Water Park, Dinosaur Museum, movies, eating out, playing with his cousin Kris, hanging out with Grandpa Nick and Grandma Susan, and even the annual Utah Pioneer Day celebrations. Here's a few photos of our fun times...

With Grandpa at the Zoo

Our little hike up to Bridal Veil Falls

The coolest guy at the beach that day

The night before he was going home, he was a little sad so I asked him if ice cream would make it better and while crying he says, "Um, yeah probably...." So cute!

Taking our usual "cool Salt Flats photos" courtesy of Auntie Kellie

Then, just this past weekend I even ran my first half-marathon with my Dad! It was a blast and even though it took us over 3 hours (because I was hanging back with him), it was such a great experience and definitely a check mark off my life goals list!

I hope to have some more fun times in August before it's time to put jackets and boots back on! Geez, did I mention how much I love Summer? I should live in Arizona I think... hummm?

New Temple!

2009-07-01T01:45:00.005-06:00

I had the opportunity to go to the new Oquirrh Mountain temple open house this past weekend with my Justin and his Dad, Terry, and my parents. It was pouring rain just as we arrived, and I mean buckets and buckets! We waited in the car for about 10 minutes until it let up, and then we saw the most beautiful rainbow ever! Here's a few shots I was able to get...

You might not be able to see it, but right there, between the two rainbows, across the valley, is the Jordan River Temple. Kinda neato huh?

I also wanted to mention I just got a new church calling as a Primary teacher! I've never been in Primary, so I'm a little nervous! And, to top it off, I'll be teaching what we call the Sunbeam class, which is pretty much the youngest class except nursery! These are the adorable 4-5 year olds! Here are some of the great quotes from the kids last Sunday as they learned about Families...

- Um, teacher, I just wanted to tell you that my dad owns me, and not my mom. (Wow! Thanks for telling us sweetie!)

- Teacher, can I have my batman now? (the same little boy asked this question at least 20 times in the hour he was with us)

- Ooooohhh! A daddy long legs! Don't touch him cause he'll get on you and make a web!

- This is a drawing of me sitting on my brother and sister, HA HA HA HA HA!!!! (Well, I hope it doesn't hurt them! Does you mom think you should do that Joseph?)

I can tell already, this is going to get interesting!

Books, Food, and Exercise!

2009-06-19T00:52:00.006-06:00

So, it's been a few days, thought I'd write a post! Here's a few things I've been doing, thinking about, or discussing lately...

I'm nearly done with the Harry Potter series! I'm in the middle of book 5 to be exact, and I must say I LOVE it! My bf and sister had been telling me for at least the last year that I needed to read them all (Note: I was a poop and read book 7 right when it came out because I could not stand to be the last person on Earth to know how it all ended!) But, I hadn't prescribed to the whole phenomenon at that point. Well, right now, I'm pretty absorbed in Wizard-land and it's definitely something I look forward to daily!

I've also been doing a TON of talking to people about "diet" and exercise. I use the word diet carefully because I don't like it. I HATE dieting! But, alas, with my sluggish thyroid, glucose and insulin sensitivity and *ah hem* squishy belly, I just know I need to do something different or I'm never going to be in a swim suit again! So...while I know that sticking to a complete low carb diet like I've done before (Eat Right 4 Your Type, Atkins, etc.) is impossible long term, I still think that the lower GI- type diets work best and are best for me for my health issues. So, I decided that my focus should simply be on fresh, unprocessed foods! More vegetables, fruit, whole grains and good fats. I'm going to try and stay away from all things fried, processed, and definitely my biggest challenge will be SODA! I've been working on it a little this past week, dabbling in it you might say, and I lost a whole lb. even though I only went to the gym twice! But this next week, I'm going to really try and go for it a little more strictly. I do think I'll allow myself at least one "free" day a week at first, so I don't feel completely bored with life, but I'm gonna be careful too!

I have also decided I've been working out a bit the wrong way. I already knew this, I have piles of magazines and books in which I've read about it all before, but somehow I keep forgetting things I already know! I've been doing way too much cardio and not nearly enough weight training! Don't get me wrong, cardio is great for you, it improves your endurance and is good for your heart and definitely burns calories....but....if you don't lift weights to help build and tone your muscles too, you're not really going to change the shape of your body! And, even if you are able to, it will take so much longer just to burn off all the fat! Building muscle will also increase your overall calorie burn, and that will benefit any activity you do, plus it will help to build definition and help keep your skin taught as you lose the fat! So my new regimen will be at least 3 days of 20 min. cardio with 20 min weights, and since I am still training to run a half marathon with my dad in August, I'll be trying to increase my run distance on at least 2-3 separate days as well. Good luck to me!

I've just started reading another book that deals with metabolism and hormone balance and proper (read: healthy) diet from Jillian Michaels', of The Biggest Loser- called Master Your Metabolism. So, I'll let you know more as I find it out!
Anyway, I hope that was entertaining enough for tonight! I'll try to post some new financial tips soon, but I am so tired *yawn* that I simply must go to bed! Ciao!

Time off...

2009-06-15T02:24:00.002-06:00

It was so nice to have some days at home to recover from surgery. I don't know how successful it was yet, but I'm optimistic and I know I'll be able to handle whatever happens!

I made this yummy, yummy salad on Friday...cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and Kraft Zesty Italian dressing...I highly recommend it!

I also felt well enough on Friday to take a walk near my neighborhood and saw some beautiful flowers...I just love wild flowers. I didn't even take my ipod with me, I just walked around and tried to notice my surroundings, it was so nice!

And now...back to work tomorrow! Oh...how I loved the last 5 days. :)

Trials

2009-06-09T20:49:00.012-06:00

So, tomorrow I am having, yet again, another ear surgery. Humm, I wonder what number this makes? 248? Just kidding, I'm sure it's not that many, but honestly, I've lost track of the real number. I would say it has to be over 50 now, but who knows! This time it's my left ear again, but there is no longer any infection, so this surgery they are going to try an reconstruct the prosthetic piece behind my eardrum so I can hear again out of this ear. I doubt this will be the last, but I hope it works and lasts a few years at least.

I've stopped asking 'why' and started focusing on what it is I need to learn from this trial in my life. I had to give a talk in church a week ago on ADVERSITY and this was one of the realizations that I had during the preparation. There are so many worse things that could be my trial in this life, and I'm sure it won't be the last, so I'll thank God for blessing me with something I can deal with and learn to endure it through!

On a lighter note...here are some cutie, cute photos of my darling nephew Elias!

Financial Tip:
So you should know your interest payments on your credit cards are the major 'sucker' of all the money you could be using to pay off bills or to save. Generally, I'd rather spend that money on anything else EXCEPT giving it to the credit card companies. So...I ask you to please make sure you know the interest rate on any and all of your credit cards. If you are trying to stick to a budget and are working on a payoff plan, you always want to be paying off the cards with the highest interest first! Also, keep your eye out for 0% interest rate cards. It's always better (when you have a good enough credit score to qualify!) to transfer balances to lower interest rate cards, then you can pay them off faster, and pay less of your money to the credit card mafia!

Summer fun, here I come!

2009-06-02T00:42:00.000-06:00

Hello friends! I'm so excited it's June, Summer begins! I don't know why, but even though it's already been 90 degrees already, it doesn't really seem like Summer until it's June. And June is great! Justin and my sister Kellie's birthday is this month...along with about 10 other friends and family members...what was 9 months ago anyway?? :)

I'm also going on a work trip this weekend to Dallas again, then next week I'm having another ear surgery. This time, hopefully, my hearing will be restored a little! No more infection in there at least, so this reconstruction will hopefully really help me improve.

But, I look forward to the fun things that I hope to do this Summer. I definitely want to go fishing, go to a water park (a few times!), go to Lagoon once, float down the Provo river, hike the Y, and train for my half marathon in August, finish reading all the Harry Potter books, lose 20 lbs., volunteer somewhere, visit family and friends, play tennis with Kellie (hopefully at least once a week), and more! If anybody has some more fun suggestions for me, especially things that are local, let me know!

Okay- here's my latest FINANCIAL TIP-
Did you know that when you pay off a credit card you should NOT close the account? Part of your credit score is determined by how much available credit you have open, in relation to your total credit limits. It's similarly bad if you have high balances that are at or near your credit limits, that will usually lower your score too. So, kudos, when you do pay one off, but keeping it OPEN makes your Available Credit higher, and that makes it seem like you know how to manage your money better because you don't use all the credit that is available to you! It may take a few months for a reflection (increase) in your credit score when you pay something off, but it will help!! Note that you want to keep your "used" credit to less than 30-50% of your total Available Credit for maximum score potential. (If you don't have any credit cards, or don't ever use them periodically, that's bad too!) So, keeping your accounts open will also help show your credit history in length, and the longer you have a good credit record...you guessed it...you'll get a higher score! *Use it wisely!

Financial questions?

2009-05-22T00:40:00.000-06:00

Well, my friends, I was trying to think of things I know a bit about that I might offer advice about to others about. The funny thing is, things I know a lot about and seem to feel passionat about, and that I seem to be able to help others with, are things I seem to struggle with for my own self! How weird is that?

Anyway, Justin and I are both still working to be debt free and in the course of this challenge, I've learned so much! I don't know if I've mentioned, but Justin got laid off a few weeks ago and has just started school again after 9 long years! I'm so proud of him, and confident this will only improve his life. And in the meantime, we continue to work on so many goals we have- but being debt free is one of the biggiest! So, I've just been thinking, I'm sure there are so many others out there that are dealing with some of the same challenges and questions as I've had, so I just really feel like I need to share the knowledge I've gained, and maybe help someone else reach thier goals too!

So...in this crazy time we're in, as most of the world struggles with financial difficulties, let me know if I can help you! I used to work at a law firm that specializes in credit repair through the legitimate help of real lawyers, and I'm not a stranger to paying off lots of debt and improving my own credit! I've also read books and books, studied, practiced, and talked to some experts, so I think I can consider myself a novice financial adviser I guess? The trick is, you have to know the tricks! So, I'm going to try and post some tips and tricks I've learned every few days or so, along with my other ramblings and thoughts! Please let me know if there is something YOU want to know about and I'll do my best to help!

Financial Tip Today: Your FICO score is primarily the main factor a bank or other institution reviews in deciding whether or not to approve you for a new credit card. If you're in need of credit, say to transfer high interest bearing balances to lower interest rates, you should really know your score! If you don't, get it before you apply! Because, if you do apply for credit and get denied, you've done yourself a triple whammy! First, your score is going to immediately drop anywhere from 10-30 points because of the "inquiry" to your credit (it will rebound, but it may take a few months), second you didn't get any new credit or benefit from requesting it, and third, that inquiry will stay on your report for up to three years!! So, now you're stuck with the same interest rates, no new credit, and you've got yourself a lower score!
But, if you are able to review your FICO score before, you'll have a much better idea of where you stand, and if you're likely to be approved. If your score needs a little boost before you think you'll qualify (anything below 700 isn't likely to get credit at this point in time, at least with a decent interest rate), you can do several things to work to improve it, then apply!

Check back again soon for more tips!

The Sun

2009-05-05T20:32:00.001-06:00

Today was such a beautiful day! Can I say how much I love the sun? It's warm, it's bright, it gives you Vitamin D, and it makes me feel happy!

I can't wait for Summer! I do need a little more time in the gym first though! I've been doing some Biggest Loser DVD's, and let me tell you, they kick butt! For reals! My thighs are so sore after I do a 20 min. session, I can't walk for like two days!

I do need to run some more too though, maybe tonight? What is everyone else doing to get into shape? I need some new suggestions!

Lucky...

2009-04-30T00:54:00.000-06:00

Well, today for about two hours, I thought I might have the chance again to go on the Malawi, Africa trip at work next week. It was a long shot to begin with because it would be so last minute, as someone got sick and suddenly isn't going now. So I got up the courage to, um well, beg, and still no luck! But, you know what? I'm ok! And if I really want to go to Africa, which I really, really do, I know I'll make it one day.

Kind of like this whole "get out of debt- lose weight" cycle I've been on...I've done it before, I know I can, and I really want it, so I just have to keep the wheels in motion! But it's so easy in the hard moments to say, nah, I really don't want to wear all the beautiful, fun, cute and skinny clothes I have in my closet, and I don't care that I get winded just going up the stairs, I really just wanna SCARF down this candy bar!!! Or, I really don't care if I ever go on another vacation, get a new car, or buy a house, I NEED these freaking shoes! Do I really??? Um no!!!!

I also went to the temple tonight and it was marvelous as always. I do sort of get distracted at the beginning and think, wow, I don't know if I can sit here for the next hour and a half and be attentive and focused. Then somehow, the time passes by, and the peaceful and relaxed feeling comes, and then I sort of don't want to leave! But tonight especially, I was trying to appreciate the moment, the gift of time that we all have. To focus on this one event and just try to take it in and enjoy it. Cause you know, how many billions of people that have ever lived, will ever set foot in a temple? And I, I have the luxury of going every day if I wanted to! And how many people ever in the history of the world have had that opportunity? Not many...even today. And even if every person did have the opportunity, then we would all only go ONE time for ourselves! So you know, going through the temple for other people is such an amazing gift to give them, but truly, isn't it even more incredible to have the chance to go ourselves again? :)

Life if tough, things don't always go our way, but there is always a silver lining. So I guess I mean to say, I don't get to go to Africa, but today I still feel blessed.

My first blog!

2009-04-28T10:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I have resisted creating a blog for a long time. I wondered what I would say? Would anyone care? Ha ha, maybe not! But then I thought, well, it's a little history for myself then right? I never sit down and write in a journal (even though I know I should and I really want to!), and since I seem to be at a computer screen quite a lot, I may actually do this!

So, I promise to try and think of interesting things to say, to try and post fun and funny photos, and to at least to write more often than I do in my journal!