Tagged

My coworker tagged me a little while ago - sorry it took so long for me to get to it Mel.

8 Shows I like to watch:

1. Chuck
2. Eli Stone
3. Pushing Daisies (and yes #2 and #3 were both just canceled - not too happy about it)
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Amazing Race
6. Anything on HGTV
7. Most things on TLC
8. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (I was quite obsessed with this show in Middle School)

8 Restaurants I like to eat at:
1. Wingers
2. Macaroni Grill
3. Olive Garden
4. Fongs (in Rexburg - best Chinese ever!)
5. Mings (next to my house - second best Chinese ever!)
6. Bombay House
7. Paradise Bakery or Kneaders
8. Red Lobster

8 Things that happened today:

1. Overslept (that happens everyday)
2. Got my picture taken
3. Got rid the office Christmas decoration out of my office (it gets passed around from person to person every day)
4. Ate a greek salad
5. Went to Enrichment and had yummy tomato soup
6. Went to tithing settlement
7. Updated my blog
8. Watched the end of a bad cheesy Christmas movie on Lifetime

8 Things I look forward to:

1. Christmas
2. Getting the rest of my house painted
3. Getting my attic turned into a loft
4. Going to Russia
5. Going on a date (the drought has to end sometime right?)
6. Getting married
7. Seeing my siblings get married
8. Playing in the snow

8 Things on my wish list:

1. A new washer and dryer
2. A completed loft
3. A new bed
4. New couches
5. A boyfriend
6. A healthy family
7. My car and house paid off
8. World Peace :)

8 People I am tagging:
I think most everyone has already done this - so if you haven't - tag you're it!

I ♥ The Men in My Life

So, I started this post over a month ago - and just never got around to finishing/posting it! I am a slacker, I know.

I have THE BEST Dad and Brother in the world. You see, there is a little known fact about me, I hate - HATE - textured walls. I just don't like them. Unfortunately, my entire house is textured. Except where the previous owners hung their pictures - in those places they covered the holes up with Spackle - but didn't texture it. So - randomly throughout the walls there are splotches of smoothness. It just looks really cheap and tacky. So the first home improvement item on my list was of course, getting rid of the textured walls. Has anyone tried this before? I hadn't, but my Dad has. Let me tell you, it is not the easiest or neatest process. Despite knowing this, my sweet Dad agreed to help me and my brother smooth out my walls. I figured we would start with a small, easy room. So the first weekend in October we had a mudding party. Now to smooth textured walls requires a lot of mud. You have to mud all the walls, let it dry, sand, and repeat - until they are smooth - for us it took 3 layers of mud - that is three times scraping mud onto the walls and three times sanding it smooth - with dust flying into every imaginable corner of my house. Of course then you have to prime the walls, and then paint the walls. For two weeks my roommate and I survived with our dining room set up in the living room while my kind brother and dad spent all their free time helping me mud, sand, prime, install a chair rail, and paint (and help me decide what colors to paint - I am a TERRIBLE decision maker). I am really happy with the result - except that it makes the rest of my house look even worse than it did before.

After it was all done, I was considering hiring someone to do the other rooms. But now, six weeks later, the memory is fading and I am thinking I can tackle the other rooms after Christmas. Anyone want to join in a mudding party?

Proposition 8

I have read a lot of articles and blog posts about Proposition 8 in California and the support given to this proposition by my church. Most articles seem to bring out a lot of negative comments about intolerance and a lack of Christlike love. I have wanted to voice my support not only for the proposition, but also for my Church leaders who are asking for our help. But writing a persuasive argument hasn't ever been my forte so I have been putting it off. I read an article today by Orson Scott Card that expressed my thoughts and feelings better than I ever could, so in lieu of my own words, here is the link to his article "Disagree But Don't Be Unkind".

No - We're Not Crazy (Despite What Some People May Think)

My roommate and I have a tradition of going to Lagoon for Frightmares every year. It just may have something to do with the fact that we are slightly addicted to their hot chocolate. Seriously, I think this is the only reason my roommate - who HATES being cold - even goes. So, we picked a date and invited all our friends to join us on our annual trip. Of course - we both forgot that it is impossible for us to go to Lagoon together without rain. As in, we had season passes last year and every single time we went together, it rained - even in the middle of July. A fact we both remembered the closer it got to our scheduled date and the weather forecasts started showing rain and snow with highs of 40.

The big day came and one by one we started receiving phone calls and texts from friends, in the end there were only 4 of us brave enough to face the elements. Surprisingly, my roommate was one of them (I swear there is something in that hot chocolate!). So, with double layers of clothing, my winter coat, and my mom's ear warmers, we headed off to Lagoon. The sun was shining and it looked like a beautiful day - in Salt Lake. As we approached Bountiful though, the storm clouds rolled in and we were suddenly in a downpour! After pulling off the freeway in Centerville to fix the windshield wiper - which for some reason decided to detached itself - we arrived at Lagoon - and it was lightly snowing.

Did that stop us? No, we rejoiced in the lack of cars in the parking lot, parked right outside the main gates, pulled on our coats, and headed into the park.

Some might read this and think we are crazy - I promise - we are not crazy - we are just brilliant. Instead of going to Frightmares on a normal Saturday night and waiting in line for an hour to go on Wicked, and another two hours to walk through a haunted house, we spent the same three hours in a much better fashion, riding Wicked 4 times without waiting in any lines, walking on to numerous other rides - most of which are faster and slightly more terrifying when the tracks are wet, and walking through 2 haunted houses (well, my friends did, I rode the Space Scrambler by myself while I waited for them - translation - I was THE only person on the ride ☺) Seriously - NO ONE was there - it was like having the park all to ourselves.

Crazy? I don't think so. It wasn't even that cold because we weren't just standing around in lines. Yes, I came home with wind burned cheeks and nose, and our teeth did freeze a little when we were screaming and smiling on Wicked - but all in all - the hot chocolate more than made up for that slight inconvenience.

Me and my roommate on our favorite ride - The Ladybug Drop (don't judge)










After our last ride for the night - our second trip on the white roller coaster - no frostbite!

Where I've Been

Wow! So it's been over a month since my last post. So, I guess it's time to update on my most recent experiences. I had a conference in Las Vegas for work two weeks ago. I was a little worried about my boredom level on this trip - since I was going with my coworkers, all of whom are male, not exactly the crowd I normally hang out with. But it turned out to be a lot of fun. Of course I got my own room, so there was no arguing about what to watch before bed like there usually is when I am on trips with my family, and it was nice and quiet, no snoring! I have to admit, I have never really understood the whole Vegas thing, the last time I was there it was loud and dirty (in more ways than one) and, besides wandering around the strip, there didn't seem to be much to do. But, although Vegas is still not my most favorite vacation spot, I did find some fun things to do. First on that list was watching my coworkers gamble. Some of them were actually pretty good at it (one came home with an extra $500) so it was fun to see them win - I doubt it would have been as much fun if they were losing.

The next good thing about Vegas was that I got to see my sister. Since Lauren just moved to California, we decided it would be fun to meet in Vegas and play. She didn't have any classes on Wednesday, the last day of my conference, so she drove up after her afternoon class on Tuesday. Of course things don't ever work out quite the way you plan - but she tells that story MUCH better than I could - so go to her blog to read her point of view. Just remember that the entire time she was wandering around who-knows-where in Vegas in the dark, I was being the typical worrywart big sister - stressing out about rescuing her. She is such a good example to me, it didn't bother her in the least, it was just a fun adventure (note to self, stress less).

Of course, the final reason Vegas grew in my estimation would have to be this place --

I had never had a favorite store until I found this place. The first time I entered this store was after a year of living in Russia - where you buy your clothes in a street market - so the store in Finland was a wonderland to me! But, despite having a few more options now, I am still in love with this store, someone PLEASE tell me one is coming to the City Creek Center! So, yes, finding my favorite clothing store in Vegas made sin city seem a little less dirty and pointless, does that make me a bad person? :)

All in all, it ended up being a really fun trip, and I am very grateful for good coworkers who rescued my sister, and kept me from hiding out in my room every night.

At least some people got the message to pretend we were on the roller coaster again.

My Favorite Time of Year

I am SO not a heat person, there was very good reason I was sent to Russia on my mission and not Africa! So - I was SO excited for the cool, stormy weekend we had over Labor Day. I was with my family at our cabin and I LOVED being cuddled up in blankets, with the fire going, watching the rain and hail, and going to sleep hearing the rain on the tin roof. I was even more excited Monday afternoon to look outside the kitchen window and have snow topped mountains greet me! Fall and Winter are just around the corner and I couldn't be happier!!

Being Brave

I had to put a quick post in here proving that I can be brave! A couple weeks ago my ward went on a campout to the Heber Valley Camp. They have challenge courses there with team building activities and a zipline or swing (depending on which course you are on). Those who know me know I HATE heights. But, after seeing everyone else in my group do it, I figured I needed to be brave and go for it. They strap you into a harness and then the other members of your group hoist you up to the top of a tree - a good 25 feet off the ground - then you let go of the rope and go swinging. It was slightly terrifying - and not that comfortable - but it was FUN - and I am glad I did it!

Later that day we went on a hike, it was INCREDIBLY hot - I am SO not a fan of hiking at 3 in the afternoon. But, the view from the top was gorgeous! So - it was almost worth it.