HOME!

Yay, I'm at home in California!  And it's nice to be here.  I cannot believe I haven't been home since last Christmas-time.  It has been WAY too long.  I was fortunate enough to find a cheap $200 ticket flying into SLO.  My parents picked me up Sunday night from the airport with a hot thermos of hot chocolate.  Monday was spent shopping and cutting out fabric.  Yesterday I took Nathan to do his Christmas shopping and to see The Princess and the Frog.  It was cute.  And then after dinner my mom and I decorated chocolate covered Candy Cane Joe Joe's.  And now it's Wednesday morning and all I've done is sleep in, watch Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and goof around online.  Vacations really do agree with me.

Some days are just STUPID

Monday was just one of those days for me.  How can any day that starts at 4:30 a.m., much less a Monday, be expected to be anything but stupid?  I started the day off by being betrayed by my favorite shoes.  They're purple, how could they possibly do this to me?  So apparently, no matter what the color of your favorite shoes is, once they've been worn so long that they come apart at the seems, they're no longer snow-proof.  An hour into my shift and my feet were wet.

It snowed here all weekend and the roads hadn't been cleared yet when I started driving.  It was even snowing for the first hour or so I was driving.  I slid all the way through an intersection (twice) and had to make a detour.  Thankfully there was no accident. Sometimes I'm really convinced God cares about me and my safety and my job.  About 5 minutes later, I was getting nudged off the road by a huge semi-truck and hit a block of ice.  And sometimes I'm convinced that God thinks it's funny when I freak out.  So I pulled over to check everything out and lo and behold, I couldn't open the front door.  I didn't notice any other damage though, thankfully.  My supervisor just said to take it to the lot and get another bus.

Yeah, so this bus didn't like me either.  The lights wouldn't work.  And it's illegal to drive a bus without the headlights or clearance lights on.   So they had to get another bus.

Bus #3 isn't a bus they wanted used for the day, so then a supervisor came and switched it out of that one.

Bus #4 broke down while I was on my lunch break.  Yeah, that's right, 4 buses before lunch.  The turbo somethingorother broke off while my lunch relief was driving.  He continued to drive and then hand the bus off to me all without telling me that #4 wouldn't go over 12 mph.  Yeah... so I had to get out of the bus again and check out the engine and see what the *&$@^% the problem was this time.  BTW, I changed my socks while on my lunch break.  Now they're wet, again.

So bus #5 was brought out to me.  My supervisor said I set a record for driving the most buses in one day.  I asked if I would get an award or a raise.  He said I get a pay decrease.

By bus #4 it was just a joke and I was laughing.  But I'm not going to lie, it wasn't all roses.  Words such as "I hate this bus" and "I hate my job" and "why's the snow so stupid!" and "Why does anyone choose to live in UTAH!" and "Why did my shoes betray me in my hour of need?" and of course "I just want to go home".  I think it was at that point that I wanted to call my mom.  Bad days and sopping wet feet are days for phone calls home.  But she didn't answer.  So I did the next best thing.  I went shoe shopping.

But seriously, I think a pair of waterproof boots were totally in order.  

These are the shoes. 

They were the same color as this wall.

BTW: I didn't actually hit a block of ice.  It was some stupid cement block completely covered in snow and ice.  Either way, my front door wouldn't open.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!
       I am eternally grateful for those who have fought for the rights and liberties I enjoy today.  Both of my grandfathers and my dad are war-time veterans.  I also have a cousin currently in the Army.  I am so grateful and proud of them.  And more then that, I am thankful and proud to be an American.   
       I came across this quote today.  I appreciate it and hope to be a better example of it too.  

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."                                      ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

My mom was bugging me the other day asking me when I was going to update my blog.  I told her I'd do it when something worthy of talking about happens.  Still, nothing has happened.  Whatever.  I guess there are a few things I can talk about.

#1: My BABY sister has gotten herself engaged.  WTF?!?! you may say, so do I.

#2: My burn is no longer a scab or painful.  It is now a scar.  Sarcastic yay.  (however, as ugly and noticeable as it is, I kind of like scars.  Every scar tells a story about you.  Something completely and uniquely you.  Scars are even better when they have a good story behind them.  I should make something up for mine because, let's be honest, cooking dinner is so cliche'.)

#3: I just finished reading Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen.  It was so fantastic.  I laughed out loud quite a few times.  And it was interesting and I feel slightly smarter for having read it.  I'm always looking for ways to make myself feel smarter.  It's good for the self-esteem.  ALSO, double plus bonus: The main character has a thing for being a hobo too! 

#4: My mom dropped a frozen roast on her toe and smashed it (the toe not the roast).  Apparently there was a lot of blood and an E.R. visit.  While at the hospital my parents ran into our neighbor (who was there because of some reason that has nothing to do with the story, the point is he was there and that was very random) who is a retired butcher.  He told my dad that when he was in the Navy, he once dropped a whole frozen side of beef on himself.  He was out for 2 months.  I think that story makes my mom thankful that she just gets a week on crutches.

I just found out from my mom this past week that when I was about one year old she dropped an entire frozen chicken on my head.  Being vegetarian is looking good about now.   Also mainly, I was never dropped on my head as a child, something was dropped ON my head.  Ergo, no "that explains so much" statements are still not acceptable.

#5: Starting on Monday I will no longer have the annoying work shift time of Noon-7pm.  I will be getting off at 2pm.  YAY!  (that does mean I have to be in the office at 5:30am though.  I'm just choosing to look a the positive).  I really don't like working in the afternoon like I have been.  It just kills your whole day.  I always end up sleeping in and not getting anything done before work and then by the time I'm home from work , it's almost 8pm.  However, there is a really big down side to this new schedule (minus waking up at 4:30): I won't be on the Gold Route, I will be driving the regular campus routes, which I really don't like at all.  The Gold Route (G.R. for short) is the dream route of all bus drivers everywhere.  I show up at noon and don't do anything until about 3 or 3:30.  Then I drive until 7 and then I'm done.  It is because of the GR that I upgraded my phone plan to unlimited minutes; I got through so many books this summer; I took naps while on the clock; I was able to read The Book of Mormon (almost) daily; I returned all those phone calls you always say you will but don't; spent hours writing; spent hours day-dreaming; and most importantly, because of the GR, I learned that just because you may work for Goldman-Sachs, doesn't mean you're smart.  I mean seriously, the bus driver knew that 30'C was roughly 90'F (86 to be exact.  I calculating it in my head and not with a calculator) and the Goldman Sachs employees didn't.  Someone thought it was 75'F.  I felt so vindicated in that moment.

So, you might say "why are you giving up working in the lap of luxury?"  The answer is simple: I'm sabotaging myself.  I really truly am.  I need a new job and working the GR is just so simple and easy and comfortable.  So I'm putting myself in a position I will despise in order to make my find a new job.  Sometime people just need a little fire under them to get moving.  I have long known that I am one of those people.

#6: I signed up for a gym membership today.  I've been debating it for a few months now, but now that my work schedule is changing it will be a lot easier to go.  So here's to hoping I will!  I was also putting it off because of the cost.  But when I went in there today and they found out that I was a U employee, the guy told me we get a discount!  I think it was meant to be.

#7: I think I'm going to be a Zombie Cowgirl for Halloween.  I was just going to be a Cowgirl, but that's kind of boring.  You can liven up any halloween costume by just being dead.  It's a fact.

#8: I think I'm out of anything to say.  Kind of a crazy thing for me to say considering I am my father's daughter, but it's late.  I think I'll go floss.

And before I leave, here's a couple of picture from Egypt 2006.  The first one is from Luxor and the second one is with my summer roommate Kara on the Mediterranean at my favorite beach ever.

  

Burn Update: Maybe Too Gross For You

And to really gross some of you out, here's a picture of my burn from last night.

It's healing.  And going to leave quite the battle scar.  Also mainly, it does still hurt.  Mostly just when I move my wrist.

Happy 09/09/09!

My life just keeps moving along.  I got a new phone, and have yet to 'misplace' it.  Big accomplishment for me.  I've seen a few movies, gone to work, church, hung out with friends, etc, etc...

My cousin Cristina was in town this last weekend from Phoenix, so I spent a bit of time with her and her sisters this last week.  And I of course didn't get any pictures of us, just the kids.  They're cuter anyway.  

Cooper was having fun getting his hair buzzed off.  Duncan on the other hand, was near tears as you can tell from the pictures.  But the next day he saw that his church best friend cut his hair short too and then he was fine with it.  It's kind of hard to tell in these pictures, but the reason they had to get their hair cut was because Duncan and Cooper decided to cut their own hair.  And Afton's too.

Afton needed her picture taken too.  The only way to get her to smile though, is to ask her to show you her teeth.

And no load of laundry is complete without a ride in the basket.  Pulled by me.

And we will end this post with a picture of my most recent piece of handy work, a burn.  On Monday night I was cooking dinner and picked up a pan off the stove in each hand and I guess I wasn't paying attention and then I hit the inside of my right arm with the pan in my left hand.  It hurt.  To say the least.  I screamed.  It wasn't a yell or a howl or even swearing, but an all out scream.  Twin came over about 30 minutes after it happened and walked with me to the store to get aloe and an ice pack.  On the short walk home the frozen medical corn I had taken with me was no longer frozen and Twin asked me a question and I just couldn't concentrate on anything long enough to answer a question, much less a somewhat elaborate one.  The next day I talked to a pharmicist and asked what they recommended.  And then today I went to the doctor.  I got a prescription and they dressed my wound.     

Funny note: after asking me how I burned myself, the doctor then asked "do you feel safe at home?"  I was a bit shocked that anyone would assume that I was being abused at home.  He said it was just a precaution they were required to take.  I kind of laughed and assured him that I did this to myself.  I really, truly am just that klutzy of a person. 

It's My Life

I haven't been too good at updating, I've been more focused on my other blog. But I do still need to (and try to) keep this one up too. My life really hasn't been too exciting lately. Just the daily grind. Twin and I have successfully finished watching the entire first, second and third seasons of Psych in about a two week frame. We are slightly obsessed. Everywhere I go and every conversation I have, Psych quotes go through my head. It might be a contagious disease. 

     Twin pictures and Roommate Pictures.

 Twin's birthday was on Thursday. Since we've been friends, this is the first summer I've been in Utah for his day. A group of us went out to dinner Thursday night. It was pretty low key. But Friday night he had a party at The Tavernacle. It was so much fun! I've heard of it and been wanting to go pretty much since I moved to Utah but just never have. It's this bar that has dueling pianos and sing-alongs. So much fun! Most people drank. Jewel, Bang and I threw back a few Shirley Temples.  We like to keep it real.  I also realized that when you request a song and you dedicate it "to Twin from Twin on your 26th Birthday"  then everyone assumes it's your birthday too and sing to you as well.  That sort of back-fired on me.  

It's fun to make Bang Sandwiches when you dance.  It's also fun to make her dance when she doesn't really want to dance.  Sometimes it's a lot more fun to pretend to be drunk because then people don't actually realize how crazy you really can be.  Bang and Jewel know what I mean.

The group minus Julie

Today was a laid back day. I was awaken by yet another Twin text. However, I learned my lesson from last time and my text alert is so much less annoying now. I also learned my lesson by simply not responding to him until I felt like waking up. Which is exactly what I did. I ran some errands in Sugarhouse and then came home and watched TV and uploaded pictures from my camera to my computer. I went through a bunch of Photo Booth pictures I have and found an obscene amount of pictures of just Twin, Jewel and I. It's slightly ridiculous how many there are. Then later on in the evening Jewel and I walked out to Sugarhouse and met up with Julie at this new burger place. Then we walked around Sugarhouse a bit, walked Julie home, and then walked ourselves home. There was a lot of walking.

WAKE UP

I was woken up this morning by an incoming text message an hour before my alarm was set to go off. I had slept for almost 6 hours at this point and my incoming texts sound like a car racing down the street and is on vibrate (both of which I promptly decided to change). 99% sure Twin (a.k.a. Zack) sent it solely to wake me up and annoy me. This is how the conversation went:

Twin: How did you sleep?
Me: OMG! Thanks for the crap wake up text
Twin: LOL! Well, now you can get a move on things. :D (big smile with teeth)
Me: Up yours
Twin: Then my work here is done. 0:) (angel smile face)
Me: (swear word)
Twin: Are you just going to fling insults at me now?!?
Me: Going back to sleep now. and dreaming of imported high thread count sheets
Twin: Haha! don't dream about bugs or dirty sheets!
Me: UGH! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING! NOW I'M AWAKE.
Twin: OMG! Twin, you needn't be so dramatic about everything.
Me: Did you know my family is afraid to wake me up in the morning? it's a family joke that you take your life in your hands. reason #1 for Daddy Daughter Donut Day.
Twin: What was reason #2?
Me: My dad liked alliteration.
Twin: Yay! Now I am part of the joke too!

Yeah, so that's how I woke up this morning.

On a side note, completely unrelated to ever, ever, ever getting up early, I did a load of laundry, cleaned out my portion of the pantry and cleaned the bathroom (hand and knees kind of cleaning) all before work this morning.

My mom came to Utah just to visit me last month and I never posted any pictures from that week. It was fun and nice having her here. And I miss her. We didn't really do many exciting things while she was here but we still had fun. Here are some pictures.


On the roof of the Conference Center

My cousin's adorable kids, Afton and Cooper. My mom was sitting down at the kitchen table when Cooper came in the room and saw her for the first time in a few years and he went right up to her and hugged her and wanted to sit on her lap all afternoon.

American Flag cupcakes we spent hours making. The picture in the book looks better, but they still turned out nice and everyone loved them. Especially the kids.

My mom's last night in town. We went to the Red Iguana for dinner with Zack, Leslie and Jewel.

Here we are at the airport saying good-bye. Also, this is the only picture I got of us together from the entire week. I'm a bad picture taker.

Sometimes updating can be such a hassle. But sometimes it's not. Life is weird that way. Anyway, I guess I have had a few adventures since the last time I've posted.

I got a new bed

I saw a bunch of llamas at a gas station


I went to Moab


I hiked to Delicate Arch


I saw the Colorado River


I hiked up Mill Creek in Moab

I went to Castle Dale

I swam in the Great Salt Lake


I went to the Spiral Jetty

I developed a suspicious rash on my arms that confused the dermatologists as well

I went to a bad mexican restaurant called Guadalahonky's solely for the purpose of it's name

I went on a 10 mile bike ride

I deep cleaned the kitchen

And made black bean tacos and south western egg rolls for Zack and Leslie and I didn't get any pictures of the dinner. But here's a picture of Zack and Leslie instead.

Donut Falls

Last night I went with some friends on a hike to Donut Falls. It was so green and lush, I forgot I was in Utah at times. On our way up to the falls we past by a moose and it's calf. It was at that point I realized my camera battery needed to be charged. Whatever. On the way back down it was sort of scary because the momma moose was on one side of the trail and the baby on the other. So we had to wait about 10 minutes until they were both on the same side so we didn't have to get between the mom and her baby. But it was fun and I've never done that before. Here are the three pictures I was able to get before my battery died. Enjoy.

Also...

I lost my phone about three weeks ago. That makes it 6 times in 12 months. I didn't get it back. My dad said I finally met a dishonest person in Salt Lake.

it's been a while

So, the semester is over. I moved. Again. And I still work on campus as a bus driver. That's pretty much it.

It's the Hobo's Life for Me

So I've been INCREDIBLY stressed these past few weeks with everything that's on my plate. Four classes, working 30+ hours a week, planning on moving to DC but not knowing when or how or where I'm going to live or what job I'll have, etc... So I've decided that I'm going to be a Hobo instead. I won't need a job. I won't need a place to live. I won't need money. And I won't even need to make plans. It's the perfect solution to all my stress and anxiety. So I was looking online for some How To tips for being a Hobo and I found the best advise in 6 easy steps.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Quit your job. Hobos do not have stable employment, since it cuts into their hobo time. The steady flow of reliable income won't be necessary as you embark on your new life.

2. Abandon your home. Hobo life is not tethered to one location. Embrace the transient nature of the lifestyle. Leave with only the clothes on your back and a few possessions, which you should bundle in a square, checkered tablecloth tied to a stick.

3. Cease all contact with family and friends. Develop a new, more tenuous social network with other hobos. Cutting off people you know allows you to dive into the solitary hobo life. Sudden lack of contact keeps loved ones from questions about your decision and the inevitable intervention where people try to change your mind.

4. Heed the call of the train whistle. Hop a freight train and see where it takes you. The ideal train car for traveling is already open and not filled with cargo. Find one with a hay-strewn floor and settle in for the ride. Play your harmonica for entertainment.

5. Learn to ramble. Nonsensical conversation is a cornerstone to the career of any successful hobo. Decide if you want to rant at passersby or mutter to yourself. Educate yourself in hobo terminology.

6. Meet your fellow hobos. Hop off the train and look for the flaming garbage cans. Offer to share some of your meager belongings or a can of beans upon meeting people. They probably won't trust you immediately and you'll need to do something to get their attention. Swap stories about riding the rails. Fellow hobos will be the people to notice if anything happens to you.

Like I said, it's the Hobo's life for me.

Ice Plant

I am fully aware of how long it's been since I've posted last. It annoys me sometimes when other people who have blogs I follow, take so long to update. How hypocritical am I?! I just haven't felt like I've had anything noteworthy to say.

My birthday was on the 10th. That was fun. I still had to work and go to school, so not too much celebrating. But I received some nice presents from people I love. I gave up candy for lent but allowed myself to eat some Swedish Fish for my birthday. Sort of my present to myself.

Last week was Spring Break. I still had to work, so not too exciting either. I did go to Bikram Yoga a few times though. I enjoyed that A LOT. For those who don't know, Bikram is yoga that's performed in a REALLY hot room. 110* and 35% humidity for 90 minutes. I like it. And each time I went, my urge to throw up decreased. That's progress at it's finest.

I went snowboarding last Friday for the first (but not last) time this season. I love snowboarding, it's just so hard for me to schedule it in. I work M-F in the evenings and I have school most days. Plus, it's expensive. But I still love it.

There was a gas leak on campus yesterday. Apparently two pipes were accidently drilled into by road workers so they shut down everything and evacuated everyone until the leak was fixed. UNFORTUNATELY it happened right after my last class got out so no canceled classes for me. Also UNFORTUNATELY I still had to work. Double Plus Bonus lame. Although, I did get hazard pay and there weren't many on campus wanting rides.

Yep, so there's my exciting life. Everything that's been going on in a nutshell. OH! This isn't news but I just found it amusing. So my friend Leslie, who is from Central Eastern Utah (Emory County), went home with her roommate for Spring Break. Her roommate is from Temecula. And she saw Ice Plant for the first time. This is what she said about it: "Apparently it is the fad to have purple flowers in your lawn. It is called ice plant and it is a very popular thing to have covering half your property. But, I have to admit it was very beautiful especially when combined with the bright orange poppies." That made me laugh. I guess I just forgot how 'unusual' it is to someone from Utah. Those of us from California are just so used to it we never give it a second thought. Ice Plant just reminds me of Elementary School. I picture the embankments at Pine Grove covered in it and the Noon Duty Ladies always yelling at us to stay off of it. Once when I was in one of the lower grades (1-3, I don't remember which) a gardner snake was found in the Ice Plant on the side of the school in the area that separated the upper grade field form the lower grades field. Anyway, the custodian was to scared to catch it so one of the teachers, Mrs. Ater (sp?), had to catch it. This was headline news to us at the time. I think that possibly Allison would be the only one who reads my blog who may possibly remember this. Anyway, my point is, Ice Plant reminds me of Snakes, Pine Grove Elementary School and Noon Duty Ladies.

Raging Waters

So I haven't updated in a while. Not too abnormal for me. My life hasn't been too exciting lately. I've just been working everyday and going to school. Work is stupid. My goal is to one day have a job that I really enjoy. I can't even comprehend such a magnificent thing. I don't think I've ever had a job I've really liked and certainly never a job I've LOVED. When I think of all the jobs I've had (which have been quite a few) I haven't ever enjoyed any of them. There were some that I hated a lot less then others or days I was glad to be employed by a certain employer or even tasks I liked but nothing I could ever imagine sticking with forever. The really annoying part for me is that I can't even conjure up a dream job. When I was a kid, my amazing high school/college dream job was to be a life guard at a water park. Eight year old me couldn't imagine anything better then being paid to hang out all day at a water park. Just imagine, at the end of your shift you have to get to the bottom of the slide, so what do you do? Duh, you ride the water slide down. Seriously, Raging Waters Life Guard was the stuff dreams a made of. Or were, when you were a kid. Now working at a water park just makes me worry about sunburns, cancer and leathery skin. What's a girl to do? So I just keep going and doing and being, hoping that this dream job I don't even know about will appear.

Nothing really new in my life at this point. I'm just going to school and working. Working and going to school. And then going to school and working some more. It's really quite an exciting life. I'm all moved in to my new apartment and liking it here. Although, I've barely had time to organize all my stuff. But I have no class tomorrow, so that's going to have to be the day everything gets done. On the plus side, I did get EMPLOYEE OF THE SEMESTER. That's right people, not year, not month but SEMESTER. Anyway, I think it's funny. I get a free movie pass or something really awesome like that. Also, mainly, I got 73.5 out of 75 points on my first stats test. I'm pretty pleased with myself. Anyway, that's all I have to say.

Just for fun, here's some pictures of my friend Zack and I. Playing around with Photo Booth is fun.