I know its a day early but....

Today I realized that a friend of mine is dead. Not in-the-ground dead...they are still walking, talking, breathing...but they are dead inside. They've given up. Life dumped a little too much on them and they just gave up. I am sure that it wasn't all at once, but they are just going through the motions now and there's really nothing left of the person they once were.

I am not saying that is going to happen to me....but it has been a bit of a wake-up call. So much of my life has been spent fiddle-farting around and not taking advantage of so many of the opportunities that have come my way. I don't want to wake up one morning and find that I no longer feel that life is worth living. I'll probably not get anywhere near as far as I'd like to with these goals (I have a long track record of good intentions falling by the wayside) but I am still detirmined to make this work.

Goal #1 is probably the same as most of America...lose some weight. Most of you do not know that I started another blog last year...it wasn't private, but I didn't broadcast it either. In fact, my name and all identifying information are not listed anywhere in the blog. This blog consisted of my daily weigh-ins, my current body measurements, my food diary and my current state-of-being (my back being out, water retention, sugar addiction, etc). I let that blog fall by the wayside and now I have started it up again. It will, however, now be private. If anyone is interested just let me know and I will invite you to the site, but I will warn you that it won't be pretty. It'll have some very scary numbers listed and, as of tomorrow evening, it will have pictures showing just how bad I let it all get (no there won't be nudies but I doubt everyone I know will want to see a picture of me in my undies with my gut hanging over and a close-up of my cottage cheese thighs and varicose veins!) This goal includes spending January weaning myself off of sugar and then February getting off of the soda pop.

Goal #2 get my Etsy shop really humming by finally developing a lot of those ideas I've had for crafts. I'm happy that I finally opened the shop, but I need to put some real merchandise on there.

Goal #3 learn more about the programs that I use for school--Adobe's Photoshop, In Design and Illustrator...there is so much that these programs are able to do that I don't know about. I'm actually pretty excited to see what I can do once I know my "way around the block" so to speak.

Goal #4 get serious about photography. Its not enough to want to snap photos...I need to start learning about the ins and outs of good photography. I really don't intend to sell my stuff, but I want to learn all I can and start looking for better photo opportunities.

I guess the point to this blog is to say more that I want to live my life a lot fuller than I have up until this point. Not that this means I will be having much of a social life...between work and school I already didn't have one and adding some goals in there will cramp that even more but I do want to be a little more....alive.

Hmmmmmm

Got this candy bar from Target the other day and, while its really good, the spices keep you from eating more than one square at a time...great diet incentive I suppose for the gal who (like me) tends to inhale entire chocolate bars in about 30 seconds. Its the Target "Choxie" brand, which is actually fairly expensive....on average about $1 per oz. This "Dark Chocolate Ceylon Spice Bar" comes in a 3 oz box (yes, it cost $3) and is dark chocolate spiced with cinnamon, pepper and toasted cacao bean nibs.

Sound gross?

Well I decided to take a shot at it. To be honest I didn't even notice the pepper and bean nib content until I was in the car and opening the package.

On first nibble you get a nice dark chocolate taste (which is somewhat bitter and not sweet like your everyday milk chocolate) and you hardly taste the cinnamon at all...just a hint. Upon swallowing you finally taste the pepper...at the back of your throat. While not an unpleasant sensation it certainly causes you to hesitate for a moment as chocolate and pepper are not a common combination. Tasty...but not common. Maybe its just my taste buds but while I know the bean nibs were there (that would be the crunchy bits scattered throughout the bar) you really don't taste them against the bitterness of the dark chocolate like I thought I would.

All-in-all it is an interesting experience...out of the 6 squares that come in this bar I still have 4 left and I purchased this 3 days ago. So from a "gotta lose weight and eat less chocolate" standpoint this would probably be a safe bet to have stashed in your emergency drawer, but at $3 per "bar" I am not sure I would want to invest in these for any long-term purposes unless it went on a massive sale.

Aftermath....

Well the big move is FINALLY over....Annie and I hauled the last of our junk out of the duplex on Saturday, cleaned the place up, left the keys on the counter and are gone for good. Its such a relief knowing that we have nothing still over there that we need to pick up and that the only mess we still need to deal with is figuring out just where we want everything to be in the new house. Of course the final load (pictures, pictures and more pictures) are still in my car...I didn't have the energy Saturday to do any more unloading. Those will start coming out of the car tonight as I am essentially at a point where I can hang pictures on the wall.

Unpacking is progressing pretty well...we've had our storage cupboards for the kitchen assembled and mine is already full (having my "food storage" crammed onto two shelves at the duplex I couldn't always see if I'd already purchased something. I have a lot of duplicate items and I have enough sugar free pudding mix to last me for at least a year)! I'll be getting another one in a week or so, along with another tall bookshelf for the dvds in the living room (it turns out I own a lot more movies than I thought!) My bedroom has the major elements all in place....the bed, dresser, bookshelves and my desk are where I want them. My closet is full of my hanging clothes and the bookshelves are packed with books, but I still need to unpack the boxes filled with my desk items (which I am certain includes my cell phone charger....luckily Annie and I have the same phone and I've been using her charger).

The basement is full of boxes, but they are nicely stacked so we aren't in a huge hurry to sort them at the moment. Since I am off of school this week I will be unpacking a few more boxes every evening and hope to be fairly close to done by New Years...that way I can hopefully relax this weekend and maybe even get a few crafts done (I have to admit I didn't get a lot of relaxing in over the Christmas holiday though I was a complete lazy bum for Sunday...by then I needed it!) The next few weekends after that will be organizing my boxes downstairs and setting up the craft area so I can get to work....ideas have been firing off in my brain all weekend about cute Christmas ornaments to sell on Etsy next year and it never hurts to get a jump start on it. I still haven't found the photographs that I was going to work up into cards but if I don't find them in the few boxes I have left upstairs I will just have them printed up again....luckily I took the cardstock to work and its sitting safely in my office, waiting to be assembled.

Christmas was fun...I got to Jase's Wednesday afternoon and made cookies and fudge (surprisingly the time flew by making them) and we watched a few episodes of Smallville on the big screen. Jase had made some tortellini soup (yum!) for dinner and then one of his friends came over....we watched a Twilight Zone episode of a wino who wishes for the ability to give people the things they really wanted and he ends up becoming Santa Claus...then it was off for bed.

Christmas morning dawned lovely and gray, with Jase making german pancakes for breakfast. We opened presents and I was thrilled with the things Yancy and Leah got for me....I had a sweet set of magnets featuring cats taken from various masterpieces (I'd seen that collection before and loved them but had never gotten around to purchasing them), I also got a box set I wanted...the "Firefly" series (I watched a favorite episode on the big screen at Jason's and I can't wait to watch more at his place!) I also had a book on the life of Joseph Smith that I'd heard of but never really looked at. I sat down with it, thinking I would just peep through it while the turkey was cooking and before I had to start on the potatoes....I became so engrossed that an hour passed by before I was able to pry myself away and get back to making Christmas dinner! Its a fascinating book and I am really enjoying it (its called "Rough Stone Rolling" by Richard Lyman Bushman if anyone else is interested).

Dinner was at 5 and Jase had several friends over and it was a very nice party. There was plenty of food between what I had made and what everyone brought, we laughed and talked and Jase had Christmas music playing in the background. The tree was lit and everything was warm and cosy and it was (to me at least)the perfect way to end such a wonderful day. The snow started falling softly not too long before everyone left and it made for a beautiful (if a little slick) drive home.

I was home by 10:30 and while I had fun at Jason's it was wonderful to be able to come home to my own bed in my still box-filled room. Nothing quite beats falling asleep with little Samson snuggled up next to me, purring happily in my ear.

Holiday Weekend Here I Come.....

I ended up getting all day tomorrow off!!!!!

Originally I was going to work a half day tomorrow and then zip over to Jason's to begin baking for the holidays but the powers that be (a.k.a. Bill and Dan) decided to let me have the whole day off!

Including my vacation day on friday that means this girl is looking at a 5 DAY WEEKEND (oh yeah....oh yeah.....)

Of course tomorrow and thursday will be at Jason's and then friday and saturday will be moving the last of my crap over to the house and cleaning up the duplex but that'll give me sunday to play with my crafts!

And since I have all of next week off of school I will have the evenings to finish unpacking before I get a 4-day weekend (using another vacation day next friday) in which to REALLY play with my crafts....WHEE!!!!!!

For Lucie

Nothing special about this posting....Lucie was asking me what Sammy looked like and if I post it here that means she'll have to come to my blog.

Well I survived the weekend....

Sort-of.

While there are still a few carloads of stuff at the duplex, we are mostly moved in to the new home.

Thank goodness.

Friday afternoon I went to get the U-Haul and boy was that white-knuckle time! Annie drove us down to the U-Haul center and the snow was just starting to fall. By the time we left with our 17-foot truck the roads were an ice sheet and traffic was crawling between 5-10 mph and everyone was still sliding all over the road. The fastest we were able to go the entire drive home was 18! The drive that took us 10 minutes to get to U-Haul took us nearly 40 to get back!

We made a short stop at Target for some heavy free-standing storage cabinets that are now leaning against the kitchen wall waiting for assembly (and I need to pick up a tall bookshelf for my dvds since one of my small bookcases didn't survive the move) If anyone in the area is interested and able to work with tools...I'm serious...If they are willing to help me haul the bookshelf box here from Wal-Mart, and then will assemble said bookshelf and both cabinets, I'll gladly pay them $75 for the job (that's $25 per item to assemble, which is what WalMart would have charged me for assembly anyway). The sooner the better...I would love to be using those things by the end of this weekend. When you're tired of moving and all it entails, you'll gladly shell out cash to make your life a bit easier!

Well our friday help bailed out on us (not worth going into)...which is why there is still stuff at the house right now; after 2 completely full loads in the U-Haul and one small trip in the van our movers brought we'd run out of time to do that last load. Basically the kitchen is only partially packed and there's still everything that was under my bed (its not as bad as it sounds...its wrapping paper, my telescope, my art easel and a bunch of picture frames)and a few random boxes worth of stuff. Oh, and I still have all of the art on the walls because I didn't want any of the glass to be broken in the move (as it was I lost several jars of canned fruit that was dropped but it could be worse).

I am not sure what all Annie has left in the duplex but today and tomorrow I will grab a load after work (today I tackle the kitchen and remaining foodstuffs!) One load won't be too hard to haul over and I'll still have time afterwards to keep unpacking my other stuff. I'll be at Jase's wednesday night and then I don't think I will move a thing on thursday. I have all day friday off and then the weekend so I plan to be done by Saturday night.

As of this moment my room is mostly together...I slept on my own bed Saturday night, however it was without sheets. I was smart enough to toss a garbage bag with my fleecy/fake fur throw blanket and a pillow into my car so I was able to find that in time for bed. Yesterday's unpacking found the rest of my bedding so it was with warm sheets, wool blanket and a cozy quilt that I drifted to sleep last night.

As for the cats...Jasper really freaked out. It probably didn't help that I shut them up in the bathroom while everything was moved so they could hear a lot of noise and didn't really know what was happening. I'd go in the bathroom to check on them and Jasper was curled up hiding between the toilet and the shower...Sammy was snoozing in the sink and wasn't worried at all! By the time I came to get the cats I literally stuffed Jasper in the cat carrier (he wasn't about to get in there willingly) and then I carried Sam since he's still pretty small (I need to get a second carrier now that I have 2 cats).

At the new place I put them in Annie's room along with Fluffy while we took the U-Haul back. I figured it would help calm Jasper down since he loves that dog but we came back to a very upset cat....I have no idea where he's found to hide but he has some good spots since we've had problems finding him from time-to-time. He started exploring yesterday and he's eating again so he's calming down. He loves all of the windows in the house (as do I....its wonderful having light in every room again!) but its also a slight problem: as I was leaving this morning Jasper was sitting at the window and looking decidedly peeved at me! What about Sammy, you ask? Try happy-happy-happy, pouncy-pouncy-pouncy and apparently having no problems with his new home in the least.

And today? This morning dawned a lovely misty gray with the icicles on the house dripping so I was in such a great mood on my way to work. An hour later the skies opened up and a ton of snow has dumped on my car. People are sliding all over the place because they are driving too fast and me? Thankfully I'm just grabbing the one load tonight but its definitly going to include my teapot and a couple of cans of hot cocoa!

Tomorrow and Saturday

sigh....its like out of a Don Bluth film I loved so well....the frost may not be off of the ground but moving day is at hand....as Auntie Shrew would have put it "prepare to move your very very odd family".

So tomorrow begins my foray into moving (once again) in the snowy time of the year. When I say snow I mean snow....there are several inches on the ground today and it is still coming down. Weather warnings state that its supposed to snow a lot more tomorrow and Saturday...this is going to be interesting. Luckily Annie's boss and his sons said they would help us run a load over in the U-Haul tomorrow evening and then we're paying a couple of guys to move the rest of it over Saturday morning.

So tomorrow. I took the day off of work so I can get up early and start chucking everything into boxes. It shouldn't be too bad since a lot of my stuff was never unpacked in the first place and is still sitting in the storage shed outside. I'll probably grab all of my clothes from the closet and pull the drawers out of the dresser and drive those over in my car, just so I can put them away immediately. I'll also pull all non-essentials from the bathroom, clear out the hall closet (where I keep my extra bottles of shampoo, the towels, etc) and haul those over as well. The worst of the packing will probably be in boxing up all of my dvds and books....goodness knows I have a lot of both. Of course I'll leave moving the books for the boys because even though I have some medium sized boxes for the job, those boxes won't be light.

It sucks we're in such a small space that there really isn't anywhere to stack up boxes...but then we'll only be dealing with it for a short time, its not as if I will have boxes stacked across the living room for days and days.

The bad part is that I have to drive down tomorrow and get the U-Haul (its in Provo). While I don't mind driving those things I only hope the weather cooperates enough for me to pick it up and bring it back without too much difficulty...the last thing I need is to be in someone else's truck and sliding into other people.

This Summer....

This looks promising.

Nutcracker

WOW.

Seriously....about all I can manage is WOW.

I have wanted to see The Nutcracker for so many years and it finally happened!!!!

I was a bit worried because the news was claiming we'd have 6" of snow that day here in the valley (yikes!) with at least a foot more in the mountains. Well, I am not sure how much the mountains ended up receiving but I think we had about an inch and it melted off the roads in no time flat.

I was so excited that I was all but jumping up and down by the time I arrived at the Covey Center and luckily found Cynthia and the girls just pulling into a spot so I was able to park next to them. Once inside it was a bit of a madhouse with little girls all dressed up and a long table of bling that had quite the crowd around it. There were nutcrackers for sale, mini tiaras, dolls, costume jewelry, roses and poinsettias....trust me, they were making money over there. I ended up getting a tiny ballerina doll (I have a thing for ballerinas) but before anyone has a cow she was under $10. Its a lovely little souvenier that doesn't take up much space and through it I was supporting the arts!

Anyway....we found our seats and I held my breath as the prelude music began. Cynthia's daughter Kat was not so impressed as the prelude went on and on and the curtain failed to rise! However rise it eventually did and the performance flew by all too soon. My friend's son Cortney had several dances in the program and the girls had me whisper to them each time he came on the stage so they could be sure to watch him. I'd never seen him dance before, though his mom had assured me that he was a fantastic dancer...and she wasn't wrong. For the Arabian dance he kept lifting his partner up onto his shoulders and around the stage and managed to make it look effortless (he afterwards admitted to me that he was exhausted but he definitly did not look it on stage!)

Cynthia had purchased my ticket along with hers so we could all sit together and when I asked her what I owed her she asked if I would be disappointed if that was my Christmas present. Disappointed?!?!? But then she had no idea just what it meant for me to be able to see that ballet...I know she knew I was excited and really wanted to go but, in a really weird way, it was the best present she could have possibly given me. Seriously, how do you put a price on fulfilling childhood wishes?

We all attended a "tea party" afterwards where girls could get their pictures taken with Clara and the Sugar Plum fairy. Other cast members were on hand as well but were pretty much off to one side and being ignored. I handed Cynthia my camera and had her snap a shot of Cortney, his partner and I. Honestly, as good as the entire performance was his really was my favorite (and no its not because I know the guy!) the Arabian dance is my favorite piece from the ballet and I was just thrilled that an excellent performance was attached to it. Of course after this shot was taken the girls had to tease me because Cortney had glitter all over himself and when I hugged him I guess I got a little sparkly myself!



I pretty much had the music from Nutcracker in my head for the rest of the weekend. In fact I am kind of kicking myself that I didn't grab the CD and bring it to work with me since I'm pretty much spending today and tomorrow in the warehouse doing inventory.

All-in-all I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to seeing it again next year. All of the fun Saturday made up for the fact that I spent all of Sunday feeling like crap with a bad headache....no matter how poopy I felt I was still on a cloud with snippets of Tchaikovsky running through my head....

Something from my aunt Joan.....

Okay, I normally hate those little "cute-sy" messages that people love forwarding to me, but this one actually made me chuckle.....

A Dream Come True....

I am such a dweeb but I am getting excited to see "The Nutcracker" performed live at the Covey Center this Saturday!!!!

Seriously.

No, I mean it. I am nearing a "peeing my pants" excitement here.

I have wanted to see "The Nutcracker" live ever since I was a teenager, it just never panned out. I can't recall how the conversation started but my friend Cynthia and I mentioned how neither of us had ever seen it performed and how we both wanted to. We said something about it'd be nice to see it together and then the conversation moved on.....until I noticed my friend Cortney's post on Facebook that he was performing in the Covey Center's performance.

A lot has tried to keep me from going....Cynthia and my different schedules, the fact that I am moving, packing, painting, etc....but we are scheduled to catch the matinee this weekend.

Of course this is bound to shock a few people....namely my parents who shelled out hard-earned money for ballet lessons in the hopes of turning their overweight, tomboy daughter into something a little more graceful (we all know how THAT turned out...I am about the biggest klutz you're likely to run into). Lets face it, I have no aptitude for the graceful arts.... however, while I have no talent for ballet I sincerely love to watch it.

Did I mention I was excited?

Oh, and on a happy note...Jasper's infection is fading fast!

What a Weekend....

First of all an appology to everyone checking my Etsy site this weekend...there are now 3 bracelets in my shop for anyone who wants to see. I do have one more button bracelet not listed just yet (and its my favorite of the bunch), but it will be on later today....I somehow forgot to grab that one to get pictures of. I plan to have at least 2 with charms and beads instead of buttons posted by the close of next weekend. I haven't had a chance to work the cards yet...I had the pictures reprinted in a larger size on Saturday but haven't gotten to them....more on that in a minute (they probably won't be online until after the 20th because I'd have to dig the cards out of whatever box they were moved into). I am also thinking of crocheted necklace/chokers but that probably won't be online until closer to Christmas what with the packing and the moving.

Okay, this weekend...."where the heck were you" you ask? Well, Saturday morning I spent some time pulling pictures together for a present I am working on, before running out and getting my Christmas shopping done. I am happy to say I got it all done in one day! Of course, some assembly required on 2 things, but otherwise all I have to do is wrap and ship...

Shopping took hours longer than I had thought....I didn't get home until around 7 pm (counting the fact that Annie and I ran out to Panda Express for takeout). We got home, I fed the cats and then we started eating. The plan was I would snarf down my rice, bbq beef and potstickers and then start taking photos to upload to my Etsy shop. Well, a few bites into dinner I noticed Jasper hadn't eaten and yet he really was hungry....he was begging for food but not eating any of it. I picked him up and took a closer look at him and then I noticed one side of his face was freaking huge. Dinner went promptly in the fridge, Jasper was put in his cat carrier and out we went in search of an after-hours animal hospital.

We found one (charging a freaking $75 just to be looked at...not treated, just LOOKED AT!) It took nearly 2 hours from start to finish but Jasper ended up getting anesthesia so the vet could take a look inside his mouth without being chewed to shreds. It apparently looks like an infection (kind of like a sore throat) all over his mouth, but the vet has no idea what could have caused it. He was sent home with a vial of antibiotics and some pain medication and word that if the inflammation doesn't start going down by sometime during this week that another visit will be necessary to my regular vet. All I can say is that after the final bill was presented, I seriously hope the antibiotics do their job....that was EXPENSIVE! If anything I know the pain pills are working because he came home and practically dove into his food dish. So twice a day until the meds are gone Jasper gets rolled up into a towel and force-fed. The one thing I want to know is who comes up with feline medication flavors? Seriously, the antibiotics smell like bananas, which is probably nice for the vet tech who has to mix it up but he's a cat...make it salmon or tuna flavor at least!

Enough on that subject. Sunday's "spare time" was spent first addressing Christmas cards to everyone in my Trixie Belden fan club (yes we're all dweebs who send one another cards every year!) Afterwards I went to snap pics of my bracelets to post but the battery died after one shot. Since I currently have no idea where my spare battery is in all of the chaos that currently calls itself "Shawna's room", I plugged it into the charger and changed the lock on the front door (we're having landlord issues)before trying to organize my room. I found several things, organized my Christmas shopping (which may end up coming here to the office to stay safe while I move) and then it was off to Jason's for dinner and some Smallville. Home again by 8:30, more cleaning, laundry and then off to bed to start another week. Sad to say but I ended up eating MSG last night so it wasn't the best of sleep and I have a headache this morning (why people still insist on using it without warning still peeves me off...big shout out to McDonalds to freaking DROP MSG FROM THE MENU IF YOU EVER WANT ME TO EAT THERE AGAIN!)

And now Monday morning. I look out myu window here at work and its a lovely gray day outside...its trying to snow (which I hope will wait for 2 more weeks until after my move!) but its more of a rain with flakes interspersed. Given how much of the country is currently slammed with snow, I know its unfair for me to hope the weather will cooperate a bit longer, but I am seriously hoping, fingers and toes crossed, starlight starbright and the whole nine yards!

So where does that leave me? With a lot of packing to do, homework not touched (though in all honesty its not due until next week), and a sick cat. I feel up to my eyeballs in stress right now and, while I am happy that my shopping is done, I still have that assembly to work on....but that will wait until Friday (no school!)

Honestly, I am doing good....I just need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Its beginning to look a lot like....Christmas?

Well, on the inside maybe.

Christmas lights are going up....Christmas tree lots are bustling....the work Christmas party is tomorrow....and still no snow.

I must say as lovely as I think the white stuff is, it has been heaven to drive around in relative safety...and often without the aid of a winter jacket!

The Christmas spirit is certainly alive and was kicking pretty darn hard last night at the Scera theater. My friend's youngest daughter was performing in the Youth Theatre's Annual Christmas Revue (the 7th annual to be exact). It was over 300 kids ranging from preschoolers through 12th grade performing Christmas tunes with a lot of dance thrown in as well.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived to pick up my Will-Call ticket...certainly not the huge line of parents and friends hoping to get tickets to the performance (which ended up selling out for both shows). I finally found my seat with plenty of time to spare, settled in and made small talk with the grandmother next to me who was digging out her camera and hoping her batteries would last. Finally the lights dimmed, the curtains opened and the show began.

Admittedly I enjoyed the first number's ballet dancing but was wincing at some of the wildly-off notes the singer was trying to hit...but you got to give him an A for effort because that kid was singing his little heart out. Then a few medley numbers, one tear-jerker, an absolutely adorable bunch of preschoolers who not only knew their song but were belting it out and nailing the little dance choreographed for them....in fact I was even more impressed with the pint-sized bunch when they were followed by a group of gals who had no clue what move to make and were vainly trying to follow the person dancing next to them.

There were some amazing numbers....the teen swing dancing drew some gasps, and the "Baby its cold outside" number had people laughing and whooping at the antics of the two teens singing the tune. The show closed with an incredible finale that managed to pack all of the kids back on the stage by the end....I was surprised at the end of the show to see that an hour-and-a-half had gone by!

I walked out of the theater with my friend's daughter in tow (I was taking her home since her mom couldn't be there for both performances) but it was with a different mood than when I came in. Before I wasn't really thinking about Christmas at all (in fact, being the typical Shawna that I am, I really hadn't wanted to attend the concert in the first place but a promise is a promise).

I'd been so busy with all of the little things that I hadn't really given Christmas much of a thought. I left uplifted and happy that I had gone, and feeling a little more charitable in my heart. Nothing major, but the mood has stayed with me today as well....there may be no snow on the ground, but there is certainly a feeling of Christmas in my heart.

Its official

The roommate closes on the house on the 9th so that weekend I'll be painting my new bedroom and packing up in preparation for the official move on the 20th.

Annie and I discussed the pros and cons and decided to move over a lot of the smaller items before the big day and then we're splitting the cost of having big burly movers haul over the heavy stuff....so you're all off of the hook for helping me move. Actually its a relief now that we've secured the movers because I would feel horrible having friends hauling my crap around so soon after the last time...especially since there isn't a lot of heavy lifting that I feel comfortable doing right now with my back still bothering me. Sure its a lot better, but not good enough that I want to spend two hours lifting couches and entertainment centers.

Of course that means I will be moving in about 2 weeks time--yikes! I feel a little anxious, but mostly I feel pretty good....after all, a lot of my stuff is still in boxes from my previous move (I never fully got around to unpacking at this place) and most of those boxes can go straight down to the basement to be dealt with at a later time. A lot of the stuff that is unpacked in my room is in storage bins that will be easy enough to move on my own so my room won't really be too much of an issue....

I just wish the timing were a little better. The week before Christmas isn't exactly the best time for this....then again I DO have two 4-day weekends right after I move. While I plan to spend part of Christmas over at Jason's I will still have a couple of days that weekend, and then all of the New Years weekend to really get stuff unpacked and organized.

Wherefore art thou camera?

That was about the way of it this morning; channeling my inner Shakespeare as I wandered the house in search of my camera. Spouting quotes as I dodged playing cats and an overly helpful dog.

Didn't find it....maybe its not a Shakespeare fan....

Of course this means that I need to clean my room so that I can find it because I have bracelets that I made over the weekend for Etsy that I still need to photograph.

I should clean my room anyway, since its really an unorganized mess right now.


Later note:

On a whim I decided to look in my car and, wouldn't you know it, there it was...sitting on the backseat, tucked up against a 12-pack of Pomegranate Diet 7-Up (I'm stockpiling the stuff for the "off season"). Darn it....that means I COULD have snapped a shot of that sunset last night! Given today's weather I don't think there will be much of a sunset tonight either...

But at least I can snap shots of my bracelets and finally get them onto Etsy! I have classes through Thursday so I will put them online on Friday, along with a set of cards. With my PC acting up (freezing and crashing non-stop) it'll be hard for me to get a lot of other shots off of it but at least I managed to get my winter trees pics on a disk! sigh.....I need to save up and get an external hard drive after the holidays so I can save everything on my compy before taking it in to the doctor.

Sunset

Figures.

I leave work tonight to come to class and I stop dead at this absolutely gorgeous sunset....

The sky was a pale peach where it kissed the earth and then ran skyward in streaks of a storm-kissed berry blue, streaks of grape sorbet, tropical punch pink/red and a pale lavender surrounding the crescent moon, which shone valiantly through thickening clouds.

I stood there in awe of this glorious sight for several minutes before reaching into my purse for my camera so I could capture the beauty before me when I realized the horrible truth....

My camera wasn't in my bag...it was sitting at home where it wasn't doing me a darn bit of good.

So I went the less-satisfactory route and snapped a few pics on my camera phone. Needless to say they look terrible.

The moral of the story? Always take time to watch the sunsets and sunrises presented to you in life, for each one is unique and will not be repeated.

And don't forget to pack your camera.

Last Night

Well I stopped at Wal-Mart after work for a few "last minute" items (I can't believe I forgot the marshmallows for the candied yams!) I knew I would be too tired if I waited until after school and if I went Wednesday the stores would be a real busy mess. I ended up loading my car up with 8- 12 packs of diet Pomegranate 7-Up to add to the 4 cases I already have stashed at work (what can I say but I really love that stuff and it stinks its a Christmas season only product!)

Even though I took my time I still arrived at school 45 minutes early, so I went to my classroom and started reading chapter 1 in my advertising design textbook. Actually it was a very interesting read, and I was really getting into it when my instructor walked in and started taking attendance. He looked around at us for a moment, got a dry eraser and then wrote on the board "Read Chapter 1 over the weekend. Go Home."

Well the other guys quickly grabbed their stuff but, being Shawna, I just had to ask what the reasoning was behind the super-early release (seriously, we'd only been in class 5 minutes). Turns out there were 14 people scheduled for class but only 4 of us turned up! I stuck around for a few minutes talking with the instructor about our syllabus before leaving, but I think I am really going to love the material in this class.

Well since I had a lot of time on my hands now I decided to buy some jeans, and just grabbed my size off of the rack since the place was just about to close when I got there. Driving home I suddenly decided to pull into the Scera and see if I could catch a showing of "Twilight". Sure enough, the previews were just starting so I had time to get popcorn and a bottled water before the movie started. I found a seat pretty much dead center (where I love to sit), sat back and lost myself in the movie. I love this theater...amazingly popular movie, 7 pm showing, and yet the theater wasn't even a third of the way full!

You know, not having a lovesick teenager gabbing and giggling throughout the movie really does make a difference. I completely enjoyed the movie...even more than I had the first time around. I will definitly be buying this one on DVD.

Headed home, read for awhile, and then it was off to bed.

The only downer? This morning I went to wear my new jeans only to find out these things ride seriously low! sigh. So I am wearing my khaki Dockers today....I'll take the jeans back after work (before class) tonight and exchange them for a pair that will actually cover my tush and tummy, because trust me, no one wants to see that stuff hanging out! What is it about lowriders anyway? They don't look good even on skinny girls and yet some marketing "genius" decided fat chicks wanted in on the new hip style?!? Some genius.....

Thoughts in the aftermath....

Well I survived the Twilight experience. Actually the show we went to was expanded to a second screen (which not many people realized). While they were crunched into every seat in the first section, our theater still had about half of the seats available. There was no line...in fact we were through the concession stand, bathroom and into our seats in about 5 minutes. I wish I could say the same for the next batch of customers--we left the theater to see huge lines of teens and parents and you could hardly exit the building with as many bodies as were packed into that lobby!

As for the sighs and screams..I am sad to say they only came from the teenager I accompanied to the theater. Seriously, everytime Edward was on-screen she was all sighs, giggles, squeals and commentary about if it was just like in the book or if they had changed something.

Frankly, the giggles, etc I didn't mind so much...in fact it was cute in a teenybopper kind-of-way, but then I am biased because I really adore the teen I was with. Now the commentary I most certainly could have lived without because it was incredibly distracting!

Enough prologue you say? Get to the review? Okay.

Guys...don't go unless you are dragged by a chick because I can guarantee you will not like it. Yes, the special effects are hokey and Edward gives Bella some of the cheesiest come-on lines ever spoken ("you are my own personal kind of heroin" amongst them). The cuts are pretty lame and there are some additional characters thrown in that are incredibly pathetic ("butt crack Santa"...need I say more?) I think several of the townspeople are actual Forks residents being extras, rather than actual actors, but then what do you expect from a movie with a very tiny budget. Anyone who has seen the previews all over Youtube is going to know that this isn't a first-rate, high-budget production.

Gals. You're probably going to like this one...goodness knows I did. Some scenes are rushed and a few of the actors seem tossed in just because they were in the book, but you can't have it all. Edward may have some lousy lines to toss at Bella, but you kind of melt anyway....especially when he throws her THAT LOOK. Goodness knows the teen beside me was a melted puddle by the time the film ended. And Dr. Cullen is pretty hot too...I just wish they could have left him a brunette rather than that bleach job. And the actor playing Charlie was dead on....he was hysterically clueless about what to do with a teen in the house....the bit with Edward and the shotgun was priceless. Oh, and there is a nice blink-and-you'll-miss-it homage to the book's cover (see above) that was a nice touch.

So...teen flick or chick flick? A little of both.

Would I see it again in the theater? Maybe....it would be nice to see it without running commentary sitting alongside me.

Will I get the DVD? I have to say yes.

But then don't take my word for it...as Miya likes to point out, I think "30 Days of Night" was a scary and amazing piece of work; and I am probably one of a very limited few who not only enjoyed "Blood and Donuts", but actually ran out and bought a copy when it was finally released on DVD.

So bone-deep tired....

And its pretty much all my own darn fault.

Let's face it, I am in school full time and I work full time. That doesn't leave much in the way of "free time" and yet, every night when I come home from school at 10 I sit on the couch, turn on the boob tube and lose myself in two episodes of "House M.D." (its pretty much a nightly occurance on cable). So its midnight before I slog off to bed, where I inevitable pick up a book and read a few chapters before drifting off to sleep somewhere around 1 in the morning. 7 am comes all too soon and then I am up, getting ready for work and the cycle starts all over again.

#1 No matter how much I love that show I really need to not turn the tv on so late at night.

#2 I need to stop reading in bed, unless I choose to read a few chapters rather than rot my brain out in front of the tv.

#3 I need to get some sleep, and start getting up earlier in the morning.

I admit I am looking forward to a 4-day weekend next week, safe in the knowledge that I will not be getting up at the crack of dawn to slave over a turkey and all the fixings.

Lets hope I can recharge somewhat, get some crafting done (I WILL have something on Etsy for sale by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend! Be it notecards only, or perhaps a few bracelets as well) and just enjoy the holiday weekend. No black friday early morning crowds (its going to rain anyway with a chance of snow)... just me, my crafts and cats, and maybe a warm mug of cherry chocolate cocoa.

Mmmmmmmmm Good!

Nothing says fall like a bowl of homemade chili!

By the time I got off of work and home from the store last night, sliced up chunks of beef, sauteed them and simmered up a large saucepan of that fragrant goodness it was 9 p.m.

Much too late for eating a bowl of chili.

I ate it anyway with cornbread and followed it with a cherry coke...and(miraculously) did NOT have heartburn all night long.

You know you've made a great batch when you end up eating a bowl of chili for breakfast the next morning because you just can't wait for lunch!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I can't wait for this.....oh who am I kidding, of course I will have to wait for this, its not as if I have other options.

Teenyboppers all over the world are getting frantic for Twilight.....

Here's what I am slavering over.

Spring seems so far away......

But hey, there is always the new Underworld movie in January to help tide me over!

They've killed a classic....

I just found out that the original series of Star Trek has now been corrupted!

Okay, lets pause long enough to acknowledge the fact that I am a dweeb for being a Star Trek fan and an even bigger dweeb for thinking the original series is the best of the bunch....accept it and lets move on.

The show has been digitally remastered...which I am okay with....a little cleanup of old film stock is not necessarily a bad thing.

The films opening song was re-done...which doesn't thrill or upset me since it sounds close enough to the original, which seems a bit stupid then to re-record it, but whatever.

No, the part I have a problem with is that some idiot thought "hey, look at this cool effect I can do so the phasers look awesome", changed a few things and then showed it to his computer geek buddies. Well they got so excited that they started looking around some more to see what else they could "improve".

The result?

A completely CG ship exterior...which looks hideous. I admit, the planets they orbit look great, but additional smoke and explosions and adding a CG layer to nearly everything not nailed down is just plain wrong. The actors (cleaned and brightened up as they are) look hideously outdated and out of place in this new environment. The fact that every ship you see has been replaced with a digital replacement sucks and looks like a kid did them, and these jerks think they have done the world a great service in "fixing" everything that made the show cheesy in the first place! Doesn't anyone understand that the cheese is what made that show so much fun to watch in the first place?

I can guarantee you that this kid will not be dumping her hard earned money into such garbage....even Lucas had the sense not to touch everything about Star Wars...he just cleaned it up and tweaked it a bit...he didn't reinvent the freaking wheel!

Is it Friday yet?

Okay, not to go all girly giggly and Beatles/Ed Sullivan screaming hysterics, but I really am looking forward to the premier of "Twilight" this Friday. My wonderful friends, the Smiths, bought me a ticket when they were getting some for themselves. Hopefully, since we are seeing this in Spanish Fork rather than the uber-packed mall the crush won't be quite as bad.

I admit that I have not re-read the book lately so that while I remember all the major plotlines, the small stuff isn't clear (goodness knows its probably been a year since I read the thing!) Heaven forbid I should be one of the gals in the audience who gets nitpicky because the movie does not follow the book word-for-freaking-word. I still remember a guy at the premier of the first star wars movie (yes I can remember that far back). Rather than just enjoy the movie for what it was he was standing in the back of the theater, holding his novel up as the movie played; following the story as it unfolded on the screen.....weird!

Judging from the previews, I have a sneaky suspicion that the movie is going to be nowhere as good as the book (frankly, I have yet to find a movie that surpasses the book though I have been informed that the musical for "Wicked" is far superior to the ick-filled mess the author churned out). With all the publicity this thing has gotten about mobs of girls out of control, trampling eachother to get a glimpse of the movies' stars it would be a shame if they are met with a dud of a film...especially since the sequel is pretty much ready to film with the 3rd book's script already underway!

Here's hoping the movie was worth all the hype.

Oh to be in Las Vegas....

Bet you never thought you'd hear THAT from me! I suppose I should explain.

I saw a picture.

What? you think....a picture makes her want to go to Vegas?

Yup.

It was a promo picture for the latest Cirque du Soleil show, Chriss Angel's believe....a dark trip through this magician's brain. Now I find magic absolutely fascinating (yes I've seen David Copperfield and loved the movies "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige"). This show looks to be some sort of cure music video inspired trip through a very dark Wonderland...which puts it fairly well right up my alley. I don't know what appeals about this style but appeal it does.

Of course it wasn't a strong appeal.....until I saw the costumes of a trio of characters....



Have I mentioned before just how much I love crows?

Of course since the show just opened it'll probably be sold out for awhile but I would love to go see this for my birthday next year if I can't manage to go sooner.

I've a little fantasy running through my brain of incredibly freaking kewl Halloween costumes......

I should probably squash that one right now....

Another tag game...with music

Actually Dani did one of these awhile ago....Miya and Lucie both finished it so I thought I would give it a shot.

RULES:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. NO CHEATING!
4. Tag 5 people.
5. With the answers, give your own comments on how it relates to the questions.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?
Great Southern Land (Icehouse)- honestly, is my butt really that big?

WILL YOU GET FAR IN LIFE?
Where the River Meets the Sea (Icehouse--yes its on shuffle!) -well I hope to live on the coast someday so maybe there is some hope for me!

HOW DO YOUR FRIENDS SEE YOU?
Apologize (One Republic)- whatever it was I am sorry, unless you think I apologize too much...in that case then I ain't sorry at all!

WILL YOU GET MARRIED?
Dance Dance (Fall Out Boy) -apparently there will be a party afterwards!

WHAT IS YOUR BEST FRIEND'S THEME SONG?
Pure Energy (Information Society) - well she doesn't share it with me...between work and school I am bushed!

WHAT IS THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE?
Kodachrome (Paul Simon)- well it IS a song about life and actually it does fit me....

WHAT WAS HIGH SCHOOL LIKE?
Satellite (Dave Matthews)-if only high school really could have included Dave Matthews!

HOW CAN YOU GET AHEAD IN LIFE?
The Authority Song (Jimmy Eat World)-RESPECT MY AUTHORITY!

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS?
So much to say(Dave Matthews again) - Hmmmmm, never noticed they were the gossiping type

WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THIS WEEKEND?
I don't want your love (Duran Duran)- guess I am not meeting Mr. Right this weekend.....

THE BEST THING TO DESCRIBE YOUR GRANDPARENTS?
(What's the Story) Morning Glory (Oasis)-not sure if that is good or not

HOW IS YOUR LIFE GOING?
Big Machine (Goo Goo Dolls)-goodness knows I am feeling the grind right now...sing it Johnny!

WHAT SONG WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Simon (Lifehouse)-not sure the lines really fit for a funeral....

HOW DOES THE WORLD SEE YOU?
Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)-honestly people, as if I don't have better things to do!

WILL YOU HAVE A HAPPY LIFE?
Stand (Eli)-so that's where those varicose veins are coming from!

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS REALLY THINK ABOUT YOU?
My Sundown (Jimmy Eat World-yes I know my random sucks)- guess they think its the end of the trail for me! Maybe its on to greener pastures?

DO PEOPLE SECRETLY LUST AFTER YOU?
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)-hmmmmmmmm, guess just when I used to rule the world

HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF HAPPY?
Liberties of Love (Breathe)- NO COMMENT!

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
All I Want (Toad the Wet Sprocket)- I can do anything I want and I want it all!

WILL YOU EVER HAVE CHILDREN?
Far Away (Nickelback)- Not anytime soon I guess....

WHAT SONG WOULD YOU STRIP TO?
Monday Morning Blues (Breathe)- nothing starts the week off right like a good strip! At least its got a good beat...

IF A MAN IN A VAN OFFERED YOU CANDY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Mint Car (the cure) - that's right kids, toss that candy right back at him!

WHAT DOES YOUR MOM THINK OF YOU?
The Perfect Girl (the cure) -HONESTLY ITS ON SHUFFLE!

WHAT IS YOUR DEEP DARK SECRET?
Something So Strong (Crowded House)- oh yeah, I can benchpress a buick folks!

WHAT IS YOUR MORTAL ENEMY'S THEME SONG?
Good Vibrations (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch)- well at least this assures they have rhythm

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONALITY LIKE?
Yeah, Whatever (Splendor)- uh, yeah....whatever......

I am not tagging anyone...do it if you want or not.....

Talk about being aSupermom....

check out this amazing costume a gal made for her son....she is not only super-talented but she must have a lot of time on her hands to work this one up!

No one is being tagged...but this one is fun.

Dear Kris,

I don't really know how to tell you this but your nostrils are insulting. I think I realized it when we skinny dipped outside of Chicago and I saw you drive out my father. I'm sure you're scarred enough to understand that Extreme Home Makeover sucks. I'm returning your memories from the military service to you, but I'll keep your collection of butterflies as a memory. You should also know that I never liked the incarnation as an Eskimo.

Greetings to your freaky fam,

Shawna



RULES:
Do the Letter Meme. Tag no less than 5 other people, and leave them a comment, informing them that they have been tagged. Then copy the "How-to" Letter Meme, and finish your Blog.

-> How you do the Letter Meme:

Dear (the last person who left a comment on your blog):

I don't really know how to tell you this, but ___1___. I think I realized it ___2___ ___3___ and I saw you ___4___ ___5___. I'm sure you're ___6___ enough to understand ___7___. I'm returning ___8___ to you, but I'll keep ___9___ as a memory. You should also know that I ___10___ ___11___ .

___12___,
-Your name-

1. What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - Our romance is over
Red - Our affair is over
White - I'll join the monastery
Black - I dislike you
Green - Our horoscope doesn't match
Grey - You're a pervert
Yellow - I'm selling myself
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - You're a loser
Other - I'm in love with your sister


2. Which is your birth month?
January - That night
February - Last year
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on sesame seeds
May - First of May
June - When you put cuffs on me
July - When I threw up
August - When I saw the shrunken head
September - When we skinny dipped
October - When I quoted Santa
November - When your dog ran amok
December - When I changed tennis shoes


3. Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Pizza - In your camping car
Pasta - Outside of Chicago
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad - As you ate enchilada
Chicken - In your closet
Kabob - With Paris Hilton
Fish - In women's clothing
Sandwiches - At the Hare Krishna graduation
Lasagna - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a state of trance
None of the above - With George Bush and his wife


4. What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Hit on
Red - Insult
Black - Ignore
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - Put leeches on
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the toupee off
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive out


5. What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My best friend
White - My father
Grey - Bill Clinton
Brown - My fart balloon
Purple - My mustard soufflé
Red - Donald Duck
Blue - My avocado plant
Yellow - My penpal in Ghana
Orange - My Kid Rock-collection
Pink - Manchester United's goalkeeper
None - My John F. Kennedy-statue
Other - The crazy monk


6. What do you prefer to watch on TV?
Scrubs - Man
O.C. - Emotional
One Tree Hill - Open
Heroes - Frostbitten
Lost - High
House - Scarred
Simpsons - Cowardly
The news - Mongolic
Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Senile
Top Model - Middle-class
None of the above - Ashamed


7. Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful I've felt
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That Santa doesn't exist
Angry - That your pimples are at the last stage
Depressed - That we're cousins
Excited - That there is no solution to this.
Nervous - The middle-east
Worried - That your Honda sucks
Apathetic - That I did a sex-change
Ashamed - That I'm allergic to your hamster
Cuddly - That I get turned on by garbage men
Overjoyous - That I'm open
Other - That Extreme Home Makeover sucks


8. What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your ring
Yellow - Your love letters
Red - Your Darth Vader-poster
Black - Your tame stone
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - The pictures from LA
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your contact book
Grey - Our matching snoopy-bibs
Purple - Your old lottery coupons
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your memories from the military service


9. The first letter of your first name?
A/B - Your photo
C/D - The oil stocks
E/F - Your neighbour Martin
G/H - My virginity
I/J - The results of your blood-sample
K/L - Your left ear
M/N - Your suicide note
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X - David's tricot outfits
Y/Z - Your grades from college


10. The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Always will remember
C/D - Never will forget
E/F - Always wanted to break
G/H - Never openly mocked
I/J - Always have felt dirty before
K/L - Will tell the authorities about
M/N - Told in my confession today about
O/P - Was interviewed by the Times about
Q/R - Told my psychiatrist about
S/T - Get sick when I think of
U/V - Always will try to forget
W/X - Am better off without
Y/Z - Never liked


11. What do you prefer to drink?
Water- Our friendship
Beer - Senility
Soft drink - A new life as a clone
Soda - The incarnation as an eskimo
Milk - The apartment building
Wine - Cocaine abuse
Cider - A passionate interest for mice
Juice - Oprah Winfrey imitations
Mineral water - Embarrassing rash
Hot chocolate - Eggplant-fetishism
Whisky - To ruin the second world war
Other - To hate the Boston Celtics


12. To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand - Warm regards
USA - Best regards
England - Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Spain - Go and drown yourself
China - Disgusting regards
Germany - With ease
Japan - Go burn
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt - Fuck off now
France - In pain
Other - Greetings to your freaky fam

Weekend

Well this last Friday I flew to Spokane for my brother, Yancy's wedding. I'd flown up in June for Lucie's graduation and was able to have a quick visit then, but it was wonderful seeing everyone again. We arrived to a lot of fog and rain (and me with no proper jacket! Ah well....)

We arrived safely, waited for the bus and rode it to the downtown bus depot. While we waited for Enterprise Rental to come "pick us up" I went into the bus coffee shop and ordered a green apple jet tea (something I haven't found down here yet and had loved when I lived in Washington). It still tasted good but was far too sweet....guess I won't be missing those anymore! I also grabbed Jase and I each a M&M sugar cookie that I used to get often, but those too just weren't the same yumminess as I remember. I guess its true what they say...you can't always go back home.

Enterprise showed up and drove us to their lot; turns out they were short on cars and boy were they really pushing for us to take a huge red pickup. The rental guy was filling out all of the paperwork when this very nice Chevy 300 rolled onto the lot. I asked them "what about that car?" but was essentially ignored. As he was typing away the pickup pusher kept insisting that gas in Sandpoint was down to $1.86 a gallon (I didn't see anything anywhere near that low....the little sneak!) and that the truck wouldn't be expensive to drive but we were insistent, so after they checked the 300 in and gave it a quick clean we had the paperwork changed and were soon rolling out of the lot in style.

Jase had his Dick's burger (I still fail to see the appeal in those greaseburgers...seriously, it must be a guy thing). We stopped by Lucie's place to pick her up and then headed over to Hula Hut so I could get my blackened Ahi fix. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....dang I love that stuff! I ended up getting 2 orders of it and had the other one for breakfast the next morning. I also found out that the brown sauce I was going nuts to figure out was their version of teriyaki sauce. So now I can make it at home! All it is really is Ahi steak, roll it in black poppy seeds and white sesame seeds and then lightly grill on all sides so it is still pink in the middle. Cut into thin slices and serve with rice, wasabi and teriyaki sauce. Yeah!!!! No more craving something I can't get down here...now I can make it for myself whenever I feel like! Now those Ahi steaks that have been in my freezer for the last 2 months can come out and see the light of day....

We stopped at Rosauers to pick up perogie supplies, a couple packs of bacon, some eggs and a huge cheesecake sampler pack before Jase dumped Lucie and I off at her place and left on his own adventures for the night.

Lucie started playing Rock Band while I ate my first order of Ahi and then I hate to say it but I passed out on the couch (I want to say it was around 6:30). While I slept Lucie made her own perogies (sorry honey!) and then read until her roommate came home from work around 10. Shortly afterward I woke up and we had a slice of cheesecake before everyone went to bed. I slept out on the couch because I didn't want to kill Lucie's air mattress, and while it was very comfortable I woke up fairly stiff in the morning. I managed to get in the shower and dressed up and, by the time Jason came to pick us up, I was walking mostly upright again. I should mention that this has been happening all too often lately (the stiff back, not sleeping on the couch). If I get moving around it eventually straightens out...I just need to stretch it more.

Back however to the weekend....Jason dropped me off at the temple and then he and Lucie went for a drive until after the ceremony when he would be needed for the photo session. I went in and didn't see anyone I knew but Leah and Yancy pulled up right after us and so I finally got to meet Leah's wonderful parents and her supercool sister. I also met a few grandparents, a sweet aunt Jan and a few other relatives that I am not sure of the connection, but I have to say that Leah's family seems like they are a lot of fun. Yancy's roommates from Provo walked in (which seemed completely weird but it was sweet to see that they were willing to drive the 10 hours to Spokane for the wedding). By this time I had finally spotted Dad and Arlene so I sat with them until we were called in for our session.

It was so beautiful there in the temple,and so touching to be able to be a part of it. I can never thank Yancy enough for encouraging me so I could be there.

Afterwards the rain miraculously stopped long enough that Jason was able to take pictures outside...most of the leaves had fallen to the ground already and I am sure the grass was too mushy to walk on, especially with Leah's dress, but I think Jason managed to take some very lovely shots anyway. Mom and Peter showed up about halfway through the photo session so they were able to get some pics with the bride and groom before we all headed our seperate ways....dad and Arlene had already left for Sandpoint to prepare for the reception, Yancy, Leah and her family went back to the hotel and then out to eat, while Jason, Lucie and I met mom and Peter at Longhorn BBQ for lunch.

Afterwards we went back to Lucie's to grab our bags and then we drove to Sandpoint. Pulling up the house was a lovely blaze of light in the growing twilight...and inside Arlene had the fireplace going and candles burning everywhere. The effect was enchanting. We stowed our gear in our bedrooms and then guests began arriving.

Arlene had asked me to cut and serve the cake but I admit I did a horrible job. It wasn't until afterwards that I thought "hey, I should have asked Dad for a spatula". Instead I cut nice slices at first and all was going well, but then the top layers started to slide off the bottom (darn buttercream!) so my slices were getting larger and larger. Roy asked for a slab of cake (and a slab is what he got!) and a few other people asked for larger slices, but Dad came along later in the evening, took one look at my thick slices, and quietly started tossing them in the garbage! Actually I didn't mind because it let me off the hook and everyone cut the size of cake they wanted after that, so I was free to mingle.

My aunt Joan, her husband Paul, and my cousins Doug and Tracey showed up, which was great because I hadn't seen them for a few years. Doug's wife Rhonda is pregnant and their daughter is so big now....it was strange to see how old she was now until I got a look at both of Tracey's boys...freaking heck, they were little kids when I last saw them and now I think the oldest is a senior in high school. Dang that makes me feel old! We sat around and visited for awhile...even after everyone else had left before they finally had to go home. I forgot how much I miss them....and it was wonderful to get to catch up on things.

Sunday we had a family breakfast...Arlene was so tired from the day before that she didn't get up before we left, but Miya and Roy came back over from his mother's place. We laughed and talked until finally Jason and I had to leave. We'd planned on leaving at 10 but I think it was after 11 before we got in the car and started the drive back to the airport and home. Jason wanted to be sure and stop by Safeway for some Longhorn BBQ sauce and a cookie....sure enough he remembered to grab the cookies but had forgotten the sauce! By that point we were so pressed for time that he couldn't run back in, so he's lucky that he still has a bottle and a half of it at home!

I'd charged up my camera batteries and packed every memory card I own...wouldn't you know it that the only pictures I ended up taking the entire trip were from the window of the plane! I'd wanted to get a shot of Bear Lake encased in fog but by the time I mentioned it to Jason we had passed the turnoff. Unfortunately the fog didn't look good the next morning and we were in too much of a rush anyway. I was thinking of getting a few shots of rain on a red berry tree in my parents front yard, but didn't get around to it in time. Bummer, but I have some lovely shots in my mind and I guess they will have to do. Besides, Jason took a ton of pics so I will just have to steal some of his.

The flight home was fairly uneventful, a little turbulence at one spot but the landing in Salt Lake was just fine....I may end up liking to fly after all. Coming home was wonderful. My own stuff, my own bed, my cats waiting for me. Sammy all but leaped into my arms when I came in through the door, and poor Jasper somehow got sick while I was gone. Its now Tuesday and he still isn't 100% better, but he's not as lethargic as he was when I came home. I can only hope he gets to feeling better soon.

All-in-all it was a wonderful weekend....but ,as Dorothy says, "there's no place like home".

Coming Attractions

Well tomorrow will find me sailing once again into the wide blue yonder on my way to Spokane for Yancy and Leah's wedding.

Am I nervous? Not yet. Will I be? I hope not.

It still seems a bit unreal....heck, I haven't even packed my bag yet (a bag I need to clean...I am borrowing a rolling duffel bag from the office and its pretty dusty). But my laundry is mostly done, and class should be out early enough tonight that I can come home, fold that big pile and be packed before heading to bed. Jase is picking me up around 9 in the morning and I want everything ready tonight so I don't have to run around trying to find this, that and the other tomorrow.

I was IMing with Lucie this morning and was asking what she wanted for dinner tomorrow since I'd promised to cook her whatever she was in the mood for (its only fair since I am crashing at her place tomorrow night). Turns out she wants perogies. Having only eaten them once I was not favorably impressed, however I will be making them for dinner tomorrow since its what she has been craving. Since you serve them with crumbled bacon I can always toss in a few extra slices for a BLT if they taste as bland as I remember!

As for my back...it is doing so much better. I was able to roll right out of bed this morning...a little off-center but that takes care of itself after walking around for awhile. I still have some pretty colors along my left side but they are fading fast. Adding insult to injury I got a spiderbite on my left hip yesterday (I worried at first because the skin fell off around it within an hour and it was hurting like crazy)but it appears to be healing up pretty well. As a joke my gmail comment of the day was changed yesterday to "my spidy senses are tingling". If I suddenly get superstrong and start climbing walls then so be it, but I draw the line at having webs shoot out from my hands!

I received an email yesterday....thank you so much Ann for mentioning me on your Etsy account (even though you have yet to see my designs or for me to have posted them!). A gal in Highland/Lehi has a little boutique shop that she would like to sell my items through, seeing as how I come so highly recommended. I need to pull my designs together into a portfolio and see if this gal is only interested in finished pieces or if patterns will work for her (patterns had been my original plan with one or two mock-ups to send out for a trunk show display).

I have already worked out how I want to package my patterns, have the supplies to do it with, and have a couple of designs drawn up, but haven't had the space to create the model pieces. Maybe I should just plan a weekend where I bring some stuff down to the office where I can spread out. I was planning to take the Friday after Thanksgiving off of work to spend with Jason, but he's thinking of going to Hurricane for that weekend....that would be a perfect time to get some work done! I can bring my laptop down and play some movies while I get some of this stuff worked up.

For now I am happy to crochet my bracelets, since that doesn't take much room for my supplies, and then see if this boutique is interested in some of my larger pieces next year once I get the space to create them...I seriously don't think she would be interested in blank cards, but I will offer her those as well. I need to remember to pack my crochet hook, thread and some beads to work on at the airport....its either that or I spend my time reading a few chapters on the history of typography for class....nah, I would rather crochet!

Ann is going to pull me kicking and screaming if need be to start selling my designs and I love her for it! Its only fair that I get some designs together to sell.

And it just keeps getting better....

Well that was meant to be sarcastic but I guess things really are better...it may not sound like it but I am actually (all things considered) doing pretty darn good.

Halloween....no I didn't dress up this year (thought about it but I didn't). I had a chiropractic appointment in the morning and then came to work and by lunch I was unloading some heavy boxes from the back of a pickup. It went fine, my back did well, but I was teased about how slow I was in getting the job done. Oh well....at least my back wasn't hurting!

After work I ran a few errands, stopped by Jason's place for a few minutes to work out flight arrangements for this Friday (I'll be seeing family again in just a few days!!!!!) before going to my friend Cynthia's place. The plan was to stay home with her more anti-social daughter and hand out candy while Cynthia and her youngest girl trick-or-treated. Then I'd stay the night because Cynthia was escorting me to the temple the next day.

By the time I got there both girls were gone with friends and Cynthia was manning the fort alone so we hung out and waited for the girls. We spend some time making adjustments to my temple dress (it was a bit too wide in the body and the sleeves were miles too long). We were going to watch a movie but ended up spending so much time on the dress that we went to bed around midnight and still hadn't finished the sleeves, which I planned to hand-stitch the next morning before we left.

Saturday morning, 8 am. I got up, went upstairs for needle and thread, and then headed back down the stairs to the guest room where my dress was hanging. I've been to Cynthia's so many times that I didn't even bother to turn on the lights. I thought I'd reached the final step and stepped off when, in reality, I still had 2 stairs to go and fell onto the corner of the piano before hitting the floor with a loud cry of pain. Loud enough that Cynthia was out of bed in a shot and running down the stairs to see me lying on the ground, trying to roll over onto my back because I couldn't breathe.

I'd not only knocked the wind out of myself, but I'd torn up my whole left side where it scraped alongside the piano (Cynthia assures me the piano is just fine). I finally made it onto my back and lay there gasping...not only in pain but I really was having a hard time getting any air in. I think it took me nearly half an hour before I could roll back onto my stomach and begin to crawl towards the couch. Getting onto the couch in one piece took ages but once I was upright and Cynthia had tucked an icebag behind me I was asking for my dress so I could finish those sleeves, even though I was in so much pain I was having a hard time seeing myself accomplishing much of anything.

Cynthia was surprised because she was thinking I would cancel my appointment and re-schedule for later in the week. As it was we pushed my appointment time from 1 pm to 3 (I was still about 15 mins late because I was moving so slowly) but I just knew that if I got myself there that the rest would take care of itself. Not to go into details but going to the temple on Saturday was the best thing I could have done. Not only was it the most amazingly beautiful experience of my life but I was able to have the experience mostly pain-free. Of course by that evening I was hurting like crazy again and my back is swollen on that side and some very lovely shades of blue and purple....but that's beside the point. Here's a pic of me on the temple grounds just before we left for the day...I look pretty darn good for a gal who was barely moving a few hours earlier...of course, by the time that pic was taken I'd downed a lot of extra strength ibuprofen so I am sure that was helping as well!



Sunday I woke up incredibly stiff and sore...and even more colorful...but by the time the evening rolled around I was moving fairly well. I'd cancelled Sunday dinner with Jason because (at the time) I was still hurting a bit and I seriously needed to get to my homework. Cynthia called around 7 pm and asked if I wanted to come down to Springville for a few minutes and go look at a kitten that her daughters had been begging me to adopt...an orange puffball who's mom had abandoned him along with 2 other littermates. By the time they were discovered it was too late to save the littermates and he was all but dead himself, but he'd been bottleraised since then and was ready to find a new home.

Well I guess we all know how that one turned out....Sampson (he came with the name Simba but that was prompty discarded) is probably romping around my bedroom right now and having a wonderful time. He's a feisty little stinker but also a real lovebug and has slept with me these last two nights. I have to admit its nice to have a cat sleeping with me again (Jasper sleeps in Annie's room since he likes being close to the dog....my cat has some serious identity issues!) Jasper still isn't sure what he thinks about the new addition, but he's still upset with me for bringing the little furball home.

And today? Still blue and purple....with some yellows tossed in for variety. Still some swelling as well....in fact just wearing a belt hurts like the Dickens, and I am still a bit stiff. Considering the condition I was in just a few days ago I can't help but marvel at how much better I am doing. I won't be running any marathons soon (lets face it, I wasn't about to before the incident either!) but I was able to roll out of bed early this morning to vote with no real problems and for that I am thankful. I also managed to stay in a good mood through it all, and was even laughing and joking about the situation by Saturday afternoon so I think it is safe to say that, in spite of it all, that all is well.

Just one of those days......

We all have them...you know the ones I am talking about...those days where nothing goes quite right, you're frustrated at yourself and everything around you and its not even lunchtime yet. You sit there wondering how in the world are you going to make it through the rest of your day.

I tried to get up at 5....actually I have been all this week. And I do get up...long enough to use the bathroom and then crawl back into bed for another 2 hours. I am just exhausted all of the time and this freaking back first being stiff but pain free and then so out of whack that it hurts to breathe is driving me insane.

Today I did the usual (which means I officially crawled out of bed at 7) and headed for the shower...I felt stiff but good so I was looking forward to wearing sneakers today rather than the slip on shoes that I hate (blister issues). I looked into the mirror after my shower and told my spine it had better shape up or ship out since I was tired of it being such a bother. I still felt pretty stiff so I took my clothes into my bedroom to get into and then it happened...you guessed it, my back went out (I guess it got the last laugh this morning). Freaking heck that hurt getting into jeans and pulling on socks this morning but I was bound and detirmined that I was wearing tennis shoes today. Found one shoe but not the other. I even got on the floor and felt around but couldn't find anything so I reached around my chair to look in the laundry basket I toss shoes into that sits in my closet.

Still nothing.

By this point I am seriously hurting and the tiny pathway in my room isn't large enough to me to lay down on to look under the bed...besides, I don't know if I could have gotten up off the floor if I'd laid down! Up until that point I was a bit annoyed at the back, etc etc but still in a good mood. Not finding my shoe, however, brought on a burst of anger and before I knew it the F-Bomb had landed. Well poo....I have been working so hard to not cuss lately that I was disappointed in myself for letting that one slip out.

The fact remained that I couldn't find my left shoe. Well there was no way I was going to wear those slip ons today and there was no way I could reach down to take off my socks with my back being the way it was so I shoved my feet into my Berkenstock-wannabe Earth Shoes and came to work in socks and sandals. While I acknowledge the fashion gurus out there fainting in horror, I admit that my feet are warm and the sandals are far more comfortable than anything else I could have managed to get on this morning. Rest assured that here at work I have kicked the sandals off and am walking around in stocking feet so I am not a complete heathen.

Well I didn't take the time to make breakfast so I stopped at the gas station for a diet Coke and a very unhealthy breakfast. By the time I managed to maneuver my aching body into the car I realized that I hadn't been given my sausage muffin so I crawled back out, hobbled back into the gas mart for my breakfast item, and then got back into the car again (freaking ow!)

Into the office and time to get to work! Well well well....the printer is acting up again. I must've spent over an hour with it telling me first there was a jam (which I cleared). Next the carriage door was ajar (actually it wasn't but I re-opened and shut it anyway). Still nothing. I tried unplugging it....still locked up. No matter how many times I fiddled with that freaking carriage door it still insisted the door was open. Keep in mind I was in still a fairly decent mood but the printer finally got the best of me and I smashed a fist into the side of it.

I would love to say that fixed the problem (it didn't) and it took another 10 minutes of opening and shutting the carriage door before it decided that the problem was solved and now shouldn't I address the throbbing in my hand?

Its still not lunchtime. My mood is fairly okay. I used my exercise ball to try and stretch out my spine and, at the moment, my back feels a little better. My hand hurt for just a couple of minutes and then went back to normal. As a reminder that Murphy's Law is alive and kicking, Bill just came in and announced that a loan officer was coming in to look at our stock and now we have to quickly straighten the place up.....

Its still not lunch.....

I am still stuck with socks and sandals...

But funny enough.....forget how it sounds in the blog....I'm actually in a good, if somewhat rushed mood.

Later Note: QuickBooks on our computer crashed shortly after twelve and I spent the rest of the day wrestling with it.....we have an I.T. guy coming in the morning to try and fix it as nothing I did worked.

Today really was not my day.....

Like a scene from a movie.....

Well the day started off well...I had a nice shower, took the time to make a killer turkey, avacado, wasabi and sprout sandwich for lunch and when I left for work this morning the sun was just peeping out from behind the mountain, promising a lovely morning.

I got to work, grabbed my messenger bag and started getting out of the car when a bird dipped down just over my head....a seagull to be more exact. Startled I looked up and saw a flock of birds wheeling just over my head. Seriously. It was like a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds. The part where the birds are just starting to get agitated, they haven't attacked yet but are begining to swarm.

It was an amazingly cool moment. I was entranced enough by the nostalgia I could almost see Rod Taylor (hello hotie!) coming forward to my aid....unfortunately it turned out to be Phil, our UPS driver getting back into his truck after making a delivery to an office next door. Sighing I shouldered my bag and let myself into the office. When I peeped outside a few moments later the gulls had vanished and I felt a momentary twinge of disappointment.

Where is Rod Taylor when you want him anyway?

Etsy banner

YEAH!!!!!! The banner is finally working! You were right Miya, all I had to do was open it in Photoshop and save it for the web.

Onto the cards!!!!!

On a side note....I will DEFINITELY be busy-busy-busy this next month, so please do not freak if you try for a few days before you can get a hold of me. Between my classes (Design Elements and Typography which are both heavy study and memorization classes), a personal temple trip, Yancy and Leah's wedding, getting the office ready for inventory, and getting product ready and onto Etsy...I am swamped. Its a good kind of swamped, but I am certainly going to be an on-the-go-girl for November.

And I am not even thinking about Christmas right now!

Survived the Weekend

Well I may not have accomplished a ton this weekend but I am happy with the stuff I did.

For starters, I spent the night at my friend Cynthia's on Friday...her hubby is out of town for 2 weeks working with the polar bears again so it was a girl's weekend. Her daughter Kat had friends over and they watched Hercules (the Disney cartoon) while Cynthia, her daughter Sarah and I watched the new "Hulk" movie....frankly I really liked it though I was surprised to see just how small of a guy Tim Roth was. He just always seemed taller than that....

Saturday morning started slowly in that my back was out again (I knew I should have brought my icepack!) but a shower and some stretches soon had it moving a little more freely...we all piled into Cynthia's Jeep and went to see "High School Musical 3". I admit it....I would have gone even without the excuse of taking the kids! I mostly enjoyed it...there were a few slow spots I could have done without and a whole subplot with Sharpay and a new character that was completely unnecessary, but the dance/song routine for "the boys are back" was absolutely worth the price of admission.

As we took our seats Cynthia was teasing me because a guy was in line with us as we came in and started flirting with me...he was nice but not what I was interested in, given that he was outside smoking when we walked up and had hair longer than mine! (For the record my hair is past my shoulders). Anyway, she had fun teasing me about it. Cynthia's girls each had to be on a side of me so Kat and her friends sat on my left and Sarah, her friend and Cynthia ended up on my right. It was cute because Sarah was insisting that my right side was my "warm side" and ended up using me for a pillow for half of the movie. Turns out Kat used me as a pillow for part of the second half so I guess it was a good thing they brought me along.

Before the show started I noticed Jason's friend Julie sitting a few rows directly in front of me talking with someone sitting next to her. I was waiting for a chance to call out a "Hi" to her when I looked at who she was talking to. Hmmmmm......it was another one of Jason's friends and next to them was another friend and another friend and then there was Jason! The little schmuck went to the movie with his friends and didn't invite me!!!!! Which was fine really but it was funny that they picked the same showing that we did. I called out to him and joked about looking forward to his scene which got Cynthia's girls all excited that they know someone (they've met Jase before)that had actually been on-set for HSM. We watched for him in the crowd but the camera pans so quickly that I didn't spot him. Bummer. All of us girls applauded Jason after the film ended anyway.

The only downside to the movie was sharing the auditorium with a bunch of hormone-filled Zac Efron fans. The movie opens with a close-up of Zac and several girls screamed. There's a scene in the locker room where you see him from behind pull off his shirt and pull on his jersey....the girls screamed. Actually towards the end there were more than just a few girls screaming and the adult in me wanted to yell out "he can't even hear you so freaking shut up!" a few times...but I didn't. I still don't see what the appeal is....seriously, if I were a teenager I'd be checking out Corbin Bleu.

Anyway, we went back to Cynthia's, whipped up the remaining wedding favors I had left for Yancy and Leah's wedding while "Ironman" played in the background and then Cynthia and I picked a bucket of apples and then made apple juice and cut up rings for the food dehydrator. I had so much fun that I didn't end up getting home until 11:30 and that was only with the promise that I would stay the night on Halloween since Cynthia and I are going to the temple the next morning.

All in all it was a little bit too much bending over and I woke up stiff and hunched over again on Sunday. I hated to do it but I skipped church since my back was hardly letting me shuffle off to the bathroom, let alone sit through several meetings. By the afternoon I was mostly upright, but still a bit stiff. Turns out it was probably a good thing I hadn't gone to church that morning because I ended up sitting at the stake center for 2 hours waiting to see the stake president for an interview (long story not worth going into). Afterwards I knew I didn't have it in me to stand in the kitchen cooking something real so I threw a couple of corndogs and some steak fries into the oven. Not nutritious but dang I love corndogs!

I whipped together my final paper for my internet commerce class but still have to review it before submitting it today for my grade.....watched a few episodes of "House, M.D." and then climbed into bed with an icepack.

And this morning? A little stiff, but upright. A little sore, but nowhere near yesterday morning. I just checked online and found that I am back in graphic arts classes this month....after my last 2 classes being more of a general requirement type I find I am getting pretty rusty on my design software so I am thrilled to be in classes again that will make me flex those design-program muscles! Of course with 2 classes this month I will be extremely busy but I am uber-excited about it...
no one freak if you get my voicemail most evenings this month as I am sure I will be busy working on various homework exercises and, yes, I still plan to get the Etsy thing online asap....as well as figure out what in the world I want to do for my Christmas cards this year.