The "Read" Life

100 More Things You Probably Didn't Need To Know About Me, But I Was Bored So Here They Are Anyway...

2012-01-23T16:37:00.010-07:00

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed. Tightly.
Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Depends on how they smell.
Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? In.
Have you ever stolen a street sign before? Not in my recorded memory.
Do you like to use post-it notes? Yes.
Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? Unfortunately...
Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? What's the bear's name? Define "attacked"... Either way, I'm pretty sure I'd pick the bear. Bees are a bit more unpredictable, I think.
Do you have freckles? Most definitely. Wouldn't have it any other way!
Do you always smile for pictures? Nope. Making crazy faces is *WAY* more fun.
What is your biggest pet peeve? Intentional stupidity.
Do you ever count your steps when you walk? That depends on if you think it's weird or not...
Have you ever peed in the woods? In the dirt, actually. Have you ever tried climbing a tree when you have to pee? Weird.
What about pooped in the woods? (Note: See answer to question 12. Substitute "pee" for "poop".)
Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? (Note: See answer to question 11.)
Do you chew your pens and pencils? Pens: Yes. Pencils: NO!! Gross!
Were you named after anyone? Yes; my Dad's mom and his oldest sister (who only lived a few days).
What size is your bed? Twin.
What is your song of the week? Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead
Is it okay for guys to wear pink? I have very mixed emotions about this... I think some guys can pull it off, but definitely not *all* guys. I feel the same way about facial hair.
Do you still watch cartoons? Most definitely!!
Whats your least favorite movie? That I've seen? A movie that shall remain nameless... because I've blocked it from my memory. So bad... I think it was one of the Monty Python movies. (Don't get me wrong; LOVE Holy Grail! But some of the others are... well... *disturbing* just doesn't quite cut it...)
Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Under all the clothes in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Oh wait, why do you need to know?
What do you drink with dinner? Di-hydrogen monoxide.
What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ranch. Or honey mustard.
What is your favorite food? Pretty much all things carbohydrate. Sucks for me.
What movie could you watch over and over and still love? You've Got Mail & Just Like Heaven
Last person you kissed/kissed you? The boy.
Last person you talked to on the phone? My graphic designer at work.
Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Nope.
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? Prolly over a year ago. Is that bad? I totally can't remember. I've written cards!
Can you change the oil on a car? Yes, however, I do not choose to.
Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Uh, yes. Two. One in Arizona (whilst on vacation) and once in Nevada (whilst driving my sister back to school in Utah).
Ran out of gas? No. *SERIOUSLY knocking on wood*
Favorite kind of sandwich? Reuben. Corned beef... none of this pastrami stuff. Blech.
Best thing to eat for breakfast? Breakfasty foods, duh!
What is your usual bedtime? Sometime between when the sun goes down and when it comes back up again...
Are you lazy? Only sometimes...
When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? Cat, witch, honeybee, pirate, Pebbles Flinstone (oh wait, that was high school... uhhh...).
What is your Chinese astrological sign? Dog.
How many languages can you speak? 2: 1 verbally, 1 visually.
Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Yes, the Friend LDS Church magazine.
Which are better legos or lincoln logs? Lincoln Logs!!
Are you stubborn? Silly question. Is the sky blue?
Who is better...Leno or Letterman? I wouldn't choose to watch either.
Ever watch soap operas? Nope.
Afraid of heights? Depends... mostly no, but sometimes yes, very.
Sing in the car? Every day!
Dance in the shower? Occasionally... just have to be careful to not slip. :0/
Dance in the car? Definitely!
Ever used a gun? Yup, the poor soda can was defenseless!
Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Prolly in 2004...
Do you think musicals are cheesy? Yup, that's why they're so awesome!!
Is Christmas stressful? It can be, but I don't think it *should* be.
Ever eat a pierogi? Yes. And the equivalent from other countries besides Poland too!
Favorite type of fruit pie? Marion berry... unless pumpkin counts.
Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Veterinarian, zoo keeper & mommy.
Do you believe in ghosts? Sure do.
Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? I've had a few legit ones... Kinda surreal.
Take a vitamin daily? I'm still a Flinstone kid! Woot!
Wear slippers? Sometimes, but probably not enough. My feet are always cold!
Wear a bath robe? Yes, but rarely after I shower or bathe... Usually in the middle of the night if I need to go to the bathroom or get a drink...
What do you wear to bed? Safe Answer: a whole lot of blankets... :0D
First concert? Probably the Area Band Festival at Concord High School when I was 10. I played the flute with a bunch of other 4th - 6th graders.
Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target.
Nike or Adidas? Sketchers.
Cheetos Or Fritos? Fritos.
Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds.
Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? Yes. Just now.
Ever take dance lessons? Not officially.
Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? Whatever he wants that will support our family and make him happy.
Can you curl your tongue? Yuppers.
Ever won a spelling bee? HA!! (That would be a no. Resoundingly so.)
Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Many times.
Own any record albums? No, but Mom & Dad do...
Own a record player? Dad has a Victrola.
Regularly burn incense? Smelly candles, essential oils, Vick's VapoSteam...
Ever been in love? Yup. :0)
Who would you like to see in concert? Some rock concerts are okay, but the level of enjoyment is equivalent to the level of hearing I still have after it's over. I *love* classical concerts, piano soloists, folk, easy listening, new age...
What was the last concert you saw? Either TSO or Jon Schmidt...
Hot tea or cold tea? No tea.
Tea or coffee? Okay, well... herbal tea.
Sugar or snickerdoodles? Straight sugar? Or snickerdoodles? Pretty sure those are both on a restricted-use basis nowadays.
Can you swim well? Define well. I can swim well enough for some things, but don't plan on me going into the Coast Guard anytime in the next 1,000 years.
Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes. It's a little more challenging under water, but yes.
Are you patient? I'm a whole lot better than I used to be, which may or may not scare some people, because I'm still pretty bad... :0(
DJ or band, at a wedding? Homemade CDs on shuffle. :0D
Ever won a contest? I won a tooth whitening from my dentist that they never gave me...
Ever have plastic surgery? Nope. Prolly never will either.
Which are better black or green olives? GREEN!! Loves the green olives!!
Can you knit or crochet? Uh, no. But I can sew, glue and pin!
Best room for a fireplace? Family room.
Do you want to get married? Yup.
Any tattoos? The not-so-permanent "just add water" types...
Who was your HS crush? A boy that didn't deserve me.
Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No. Pretty sure that wouldn't turn out the way I want it to anyway.
Do you have kids? Not yet.
Do you want kids? For surely!
What's your favorite smell? I love the smell of a new sunrise in the mountains, a cold sunset on the beach, fresh rain on eucalyptus trees, O'Malley laying in the sun, clean babies and a certain boy.
What's your favorite color? Blue takes first. Black is a close second. Followed by pretty much every neutral tone that looks good.
Do you miss anyone right now? Yup. Fortunately that won't last very much longer...

2011 Reads

2012-01-23T15:57:00.003-07:00

So I totally fell off the book-wagon the last 2 months, but still... not too shabby!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (John Boyne)*
The Icarus Agenda (Robert Ludlum)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)*
Deliver Us From Evil (David Baldacci)
A Company of Swans (Eva Ibbotson)
One Last Chance (Jerry Borrowman) - CD
Warriors 6: The Darkets Hour (Erin Hunter)
Warriors 5: A Dangerous Path (Erin Hunter)
Warriors 4: Rising Storm (Erin Hunter)
Murder by the Book (Betsy Brannon Green) - CD
Warriors 3: Forest of Secrets (Erin Hunter)
If I Should Die (Jennie Hansen) - CD
Warriors 2: Fire and Ice (Erin Hunter)
Warriors 1: Into the Wild (Erin Hunter)
True Blue (David Baldacci)
The Shadow of Your Smile (Mary Higgins Clark)
Crispin (Avi)
The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke)
Poppy & Ereth (Avi)
Poppy Returns (Avi)
Ereth's Birthday (Avi)
Poppy & Rye (Avi)
Poppy (Avi)
Ragweed (Avi)
Code Red (Jennie Hansen)
The Morning Gift (Eva Ibbotson)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black)
Two Little Girls in Blue (Mary Higgins Clark)
The Diary of Mattie Spencer (Sandra Dallas)*
The Hiding Place (Corrie ten Boom)*
Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
Ben-Hur (Lew. Wallace)
All Around the Town (Mary Higgins Clark)
Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand)*
I'll Be Seeing You (Mary Higgins Clark)
Daddy's Little Girl (Mary Higgins Clark)
Elantris (Brandon Sanderson)*
An American Childhood (Annie Dillard)*
Stillwatch (Mary Higgins Clark)
The Second Time Around (Mary Higgins Clark)
Science Fair (Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson)*
First Family (David Baldacci)
When Tomorrow Comes (Jennie Hansen)
Pirate Latitudes (Michael Crichton)
Silent Night (Mary Higgins Clark)
Until the Dawn (Gale Sears)
Some Sweet Day (Jennie Hansen)
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy) cont.

* CV I R.S. Book Club books...

My November Valentine

2011-11-30T10:45:00.001-07:00

Mt. Tamalpais - November 25, 2011

The Blessings of a World Turned Upside Down

2011-11-28T17:41:00.005-07:00

I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and constantly in awe of the ways He blesses our lives with what we most need to help us through whatever trials come our way. He sends us love, joy, comfort, smiles, laughter and tears... But most importantly, He sends us others to share it all with. (Facebook post, 11/20/2011)

I have been reading (or trying to read) the same novel for over 9 weeks now. Anyone that knows me at all can probably imagine that this minor detail – while comparatively insignificant in the lives of many others out there – is a huge indication that things haven’t exactly been normal in Jessi-land.

For months now I’ve been fighting an array of medical challenges that have led me to see a number of different medical experts. From recurring sinus infections, to chronic fatigue, to thrush and significant unexplained weight loss, each of these specialists have been looking at their own piece of the puzzle in an attempt to figure out what’s going on. I have been frustrated to the point of tears, exasperated to the point of laughing and hoping upon hope that they would find something - anything - so that I could start improving at least my mental well-being (I'm sure the fact that my job has been really rocky and that my social life has been non-existent have not helped). After weeks of blood work (I don't even want to count how many tubes), testing for anything from celiac to cystic fibrosis, my hematologist (running a routine test on my iron levels) called to let me know that my blood glucose levels were high. Crazy high. News to me: I am now diabetic.

During Testimony Meeting at church two days after my diagnosis, I was prompted to get up and share my testimony about the temple. I’d had the opportunity to be on the temple grounds in Oakland five of the eight days prior to my diagnosis, and on four of those days I was inside as either an ordinance worker or a patron. I can’t think of anywhere I could have been that would have better prepared me for the transition into my new life. I felt quite literally as if I was floating through the whole thing… and I’m not sure that the reality that usually rears an ugly head at some point ever will (although the oral meds they have me on for insulin regulation does really mean things to my already-messed-up digestive system). I know that much of this security and strength is coming through the faith and prayers of others, but I think in some ways even more significant is that a loving Heavenly Father provided me exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.

I found Frost again… and fell in love.

I love Robert Frost. I can’t think of many poets I could read over and over and still see things differently, but Frost is definitely at the top of that extremely short list. That first night after I was diagnosed, I pulled out his collected works and read… devoured. I discovered again through his words that it is only through our trials and pain that we have the ability to comprehend all that is good and beautiful. Several poems of his are still floating through my soul, kicking up memories and thoughts and impressions… helping me remember that it is only through knowing the emptiness that comes with solitude that we are able to eventually feel when that void is overflowing with joy.

One week before my life was turned upside down, the Oakland Temple was open late to accommodate several hundred young single adults (YSAs) in the region that were participating in a mini conference. The temple presidency contacted several YSAs that also serve as temple workers to come and assist during the extended hours. So I went. I was assigned to follow an endowment session with an old friend from high school and one of the YSA brothers on my regular Saturday temple shift. When my mom asked me the next day how the night had been, I told her that I had heard the sweetest prayer I’d ever heard offered during the session by this YSA brother.

That one simple prayer touched me in a way not many things ever have.

A few days later I received a “friend” request (still – and always will be – an awkward statement…) from someone whose name – Jason – I didn’t recognize immediately, but when I clicked on the profile I knew that it was that same brother from the temple. Although we’d worked on the same temple shift for over a year, smiling and waving when we passed each other in the halls of the temple, the first time we’d ever talked was briefly right after that session a few nights before. And he wanted to meet for lunch the following Saturday before our shift… which turned out to be the day after I found out about my diabetes.

That lunch with Jason was my first foray into the land of diabetic eating; a member of the temple presidency who was ordering lunch right behind me jokingly made comment about my ridiculously healthy selection of lentil soup with a side of steamed veggies. (I wanted to tell him what I’d eaten for lunch the day before… which would not have had anything to do with the lentils or veggies! I refrained.) Jason, however, was apparently not fazed by my new-found unintentionally health-nut ways… (which is probably more than I could have said for myself had I been in his shoes... “You seriously picked lentil soup over shepherd’s pie?!?!?”) And in that half an hour I was more comfortable talking to him than I’d ever been with many others I’d spent a whole lot more time around... even years.

Long story short (because, let’s be honest, if I give away all the details it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or suspenseful, right? Plus he’ll probably read this… so, uh… ;0)… we saw each other both Monday and Friday of the following week, and then last week we were together Tuesday, "Black" Friday (for an all-day adventure over on the coast), Saturday and Sunday… and I, for one, can’t seem to get enough. I told him on Friday that one of my favorite things about him is that he is totally fine just “being”… spending that time together, walking along the water front, in the mountains, on the beach, talking about whatever we have on our minds (another favorite part, since I’m not exactly known for my reserved nature). It’s just been an amazing two weeks! I’m excited to see where the road in front of me leads…

Since rediscovering Robert Frost, his poem On Being Idolized has been stuck in my head for days now. The speaker is standing on the beach, firm sand beneath his feet, watching as the surf drifts in wrapping seaweed around his legs. But as the water rushes out, the false-firm foundation is swept from under him, leaving him to fall if he did not take the steps necessary to prevent it. I’ve spent the last 10 months working with the Primary kids at church, so it’s not a far stretch for this to make me think of The Wise Man & the Foolish Man song the kids learned this year… and the parable that it’s based on.

I’ve thought long and hard about how that foundation we build ourselves on truly determines whether or not we dance through the storms that come, but sometimes I wonder whether it’s sand or stone I feel beneath my feet. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but I know that the miracle of the gospel is that sometimes what feels like having the sand undermined by the storm is really a way of getting us to the rock foundation. Sometimes those steps we are forced to take to keep from falling are the ones that ensure our feet end up where they need to be to receive the blessings meant for us. But even better is that when we feel that sand washing away to expose the stone beneath it, during that second of stumbling, of wondering if you’re really going to pull through or not, that’s when the Lord sends someone to catch you.

And Jason caught me.

Runaway Weekend

2011-07-18T13:15:00.004-06:00

One of my best buddies from college got married a few weeks ago and he had an Open House up in Oregon this last weekend. I decided it had been way too long since I'd had my own weekend getaway, so I serviced my car, loaded her up and took off first thing Saturday morning.

Here are some of my weekend's highlights:

Listening to Jennie Hansen's book "If I Should Die" on CD
Spending over 10 hours driving through coniferous forests
Not losing any more hubcaps (I lost one two days before I left...)
Counting the number of hitchhikers between Redding, CA and Eugene, OR (i.e. a lot!)
King-sized bed, all to my self
Not getting completely lost in downtown Eugene
Losing 1 pound while sitting idly in my car constantly munching for 18 hours (did not know this was humanly possible...)
Visiting Kohls, Target and Cabelas without buying anything (again... didn't know this was possible...)
Tots and Sippies
Listening to Betsy Brannon Green's book "Murder by the Book" on CD
Acknowledging that it really does rain constantly in Oregon...
Seeing Mount Shasta crowned with clouds and dressed in snow... twice
Watching two golden eagles romp and play in some trees on the side of the interstate
Being startled by a large goat/sheep/thing (easily 3.5-4 feet tall with 18-24 inch horns) riding in the back of a pick-up truck like a dog

And of course the best parts were:

Seeing my happily married friend and getting to meet his adorable new wife and some of his family
Returning home with a deeper appreciation of my own cozy bed and quiet evenings with my amazing parents

Don't Forget to Look Up

2011-03-28T12:09:00.002-06:00

Quite possibly one of the most interesting paradoxes in my life is that I love to drive, but I hate commuting. There is something about the humdrum 20.3 miles - taking anywhere between 25 minutes and an hour and a half - that has me arriving at work each morning slightly comatose, fuzz-brained and desperate to remember exactly how I got there.

However, on a free day, I love nothing more than to get in my car and "go crazy" (as we call it in my family) - driving wherever the road and my heart take me... which is often to the coast where I can devour the atmosphere of the beach, the mountain top and the dense redwood forest, all within less than 5 lateral miles. And it is not always getting out of my car to enjoy the sights that I relish the most, but simply the drive - windows down, deep breaths, winding roads and amazing vistas.

From the time my sisters and I were very small, we were taught by our parents - in part, I think to keep car-sickness from developing - to look out the windows, watch our surroundings and point out the notable things we see. Now significantly older, we still enjoy a good game of "car bingo" and pointing out the wild flora and fauna that we pass along the road (much to the consternation of some of our friends).

Just two days ago, on my way in to the Oakland Temple, I was watching the hills as I drove through a valley and spotted several small groups of deer and a flock of close to 20 wild turkey. It made me wonder how many of my fellow drivers notice the prolific wildlife that surrounds us, the green of the hills that all this rain has allowed to linger a bit longer than years past or how breath-taking this little valley was, shrouded in mist with the occasional shaft of brilliant light finding its way to earth. It was a moment of peace for me, in the middle of thrumming suburbia. And a few days before that, I arrived at home and asked my parents if they wanted to go and see if we could find the two turkey toms I passed not long before I got home. We found them, both over three feet tall, grazing in the grass outside an office building a few miles away. A few brief moments, a few extra minutes in the car, all for a new exciting memory.

I've realized that in my monotonous weekday morning drives, instead of falling back to the wide-eyed wonder of that once-small child within, I gaze in ambivalence at the gently rounded rear of the vehicle in front of me, apparently trapped in a world of the unexceptional...

I forget to look up. What moments am I missing?

The times when I am reminded to raise my eyes, usually on my way home, I have noticed a world that was quite unlike the world I thought I drove through roughly 10 hours earlier. I once came around a bend in the freeway and was briefly blinded by a hill covered from foot to crown in millions of sunlit mustard blooms - a meadow I have driven past hundreds of times and never seen. On another stretch, I noticed a seemingly unlandscaped hill covered in yellow narcissus flowers - a sight my mom (having driven down to visit me for lunch) noticed instantly. When I lived in Utah, I would see the mountains, snow covered and reflecting every color of the sunset. I would see breaches in the inversion, streaming rays through to light up one small community in the valley. And once I saw a bald eagle lift off the edge of a small pond, right off the freeway in American Fork, sprinkled by flitting rays of sunlight.

These moments have become precious to me, moments when I choose to open my eyes and truly see, instead of sitting glassy-eyed waiting for the car in front of me to inch forward. I need to remember more often how quickly one small glimpse at this beautiful world we've been given can change the entire course of my day... To remember that good things, even great things, can be seen, heard and felt when I choose to raise my eyes and take in everything I see before me.

Just a Smidgen of Spring...

2011-03-08T18:05:00.004-07:00

This picture doesn't even begin to do them justice, but those glowing green hills just make me all warm and fuzzy inside.

2010 Reads

2011-01-03T16:57:00.002-07:00

The Heretic Queen (Michelle Moran)*
Voice in the Night (C. Paul Andersen)
Deception (Sian Ann Bessey)
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan) - Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book 1
The Anatomy of Peace (The Arbinger Institute)*
She Said Yes (Misty Bernall)
The Heart Only Knows (Kerry Blair)
Hearts in Hiding (Betsy Brannon Green)
Perfect Shot (Sonia O'Brien)
Winter's Promise (Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard)
All I Hold Dear (Jennie Hansen)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Muriel Barbery)*
A Train to Potevka (Mike Ramsdell)
The Ruins of Gorlan (John Flanagan)*
Perfect Timing (Michele Ashman Bell)
Dangerous Games (Keith Morris)
Danger Trail (Boyd Richardson)
Divine Justice (David Baldacci)
Stone Cold (David Baldacci)
Edge of Night (Carol Warburton)
Eyes of a Stranger (Carol Warburton)
The Operative (Willard Boyd Gardner)
My Gal Sunday (Mary Higgins Clark)
First Love, Second Chances (Anita Stansfield)
First Love & Forever (Anita Stansfield)
Sam (Jack Weyland)
Charly (Jack Weyland)
Just Take My Heart (Mary Higgins Clark)
The Reluctant Heiress (Eva Ibbotson)
It Only Takes a Moment (Mary Jane Clark)
Mattimeo (Brian Jacques)
Mossflower (Brian Jacques)
The Christmas List (Richard Paul Evans)
The Message (Lance Richardson)
Journey to the River Sea (Eva Ibbotson)
Island of the Aunts (Eva Ibbotson)
Dial-a-Ghost (Eva Ibbotson)
A Bend in the Road (Nicholas Sparks)
Aurelia (Anne Osterlund)
The Secret of Platform 13 (Eva Ibbotson)
Not Just a Witch (Eva Ibbotson)
Which Witch? (Eva Ibbotson)
The Great Ghost Rescue (Eva Ibbotson)
A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy) ... yup, still plugging away...

* CV I R.S. Book Club books...

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-23T16:15:00.003-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

My favorite part of this beautiful holiday season is the time I spend reflecting on the last twelve months… on the changes, the personal growth and – most importantly – the blessings I’ve experienced. At the close of 2010, I know that I have much to be grateful for.

At the end of January, I was laid off from my job in Utah. In the face of confusion, frustration and a little fear and doubt, I felt an overwhelming peace in the belief that this was truly for the best and would simply be a shortcut to the road my life really need to journey down. So, on February 15^th, my little car packed to the gills, I left my home in Utah and headed west, back to the home I thought I’d never permanently return to – California. While nothing could have adequately prepared me for the six months that followed, I was optimistic that my life was being guided and that everything would turn out for the best.

I know now more than ever that everything happens for a reason. My return to California has been marked by some of the most profound experiences of my life… profound on many levels. I have experienced more fear and doubt through some of my trials, but I have also been filled with more faith, more hope and more love. And I know that without one small "setback" in January, I would not have been where I needed to be when I was needed most.

I am so grateful and humbled for my Savior Jesus Christ and the many miracles He blessed me with this year. My experiences have led me to a deeper appreciation for the things that matter most… my family, my friends and my faith.

As we celebrate His birth and life this year, I hope we each can find ways to recognize more of the many blessings that constantly come our way and to express our gratitude to those in our lives that mean the most.

Thank you for being one of mine.

Happy Christmas!

Thanksgiving Daily

2010-12-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving Daily
Mormon Messages, LDS.org

Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual. However, the opposite is true as well. The more often we see the things around us, even the beautiful and wonderful things, the more they become invisible to us. That’s why we often take for granted the beauty of this world – the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds, even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less. Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, have a way of opening their eyes and seeing the wonders and beauties of this world as though seeing them for the fist time. Look around you. Notice the people you care about. Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the bird. Notice and give thanks for the blue of the sky, the red of the leaves and the white of the clouds, every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound. When we open our eyes and give thanks for the bountiful beauty of this life, we live in thanksgiving daily.

President Thomas S. Monson:

A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort – at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude.

Day 28: What's In My Purse

2010-10-28T11:02:00.005-06:00

Question of the Year: What isn't in my purse?
Answer: Not the kitchen sink. But that's about all that's not in there...

This is an exhaustive list of items in my purse when I left for work this morning:

Clutch/Wallet
Checkbook
A Quart-sized Ziploc Bag with Coupons and Gift Cards (Whoa! and a Sees 1-Pound Gift Certificate… Totally forgot that was in there!)
House & Car Keys
Work Keys & Badge
Temple Locker Key
Peppermint Oil
Orbit Bubblemint
5 Cobalt Gum
Mirror
Cell Phone
Camera
iTouch in its Pouch
iTouch Headphones
2 MicroSD Adapters
Sunglasses
Eye Glass Carrying Case
2 Eye Glass Cleaning Cloths
Hair Clip
Mini Advil Bottle (with Tylenol, Ibuprofen and – ironically – only 1 Advil)
2 fl. oz. Bottle of Bath & Body Works Velvet Tuberose Body Lotion
PetSmart Pet Perks Card (not in my wallet, so listed separately)
4 Pens
1 Highlighter
First Aid Kit (Bandaids, gauze, sterilized cotton swabs, cough drops, alcohol wipes)
Personal Necessities Pouch

Neosporin
Face Cream
Comb
Lipstick (What? I never wear lipstick! Weird.)
Mascara
Pocket Knife
BrushPicks
Tampons
Hair Elastic
Hand Wipes
Nail Clippers
Arbonne Skin Conditioning Oil
Salt (??)

Perfect Shot (Sonia O’Brien)
The Book of Mormon (one of the mini ones…)
Chocolate (2 Mini Almond Joy, 1 Mini PayDay, 1 Mini Reeces)
A Printed Map Locating the Bridal Shower I’m Attending Tonight

Day 27: My Worst Habit

2010-10-27T16:31:00.005-06:00

Running late. A lot of people think they start running late as soon as they wake up in the morning, but I’m pretty sure my “running late” starts before I go to sleep the night before. I just can’t catch up.

Day 26: My Week In Great Detail

2010-10-27T16:31:00.004-06:00

Ok, I think that yesterday’s post more than covered the “Great Detail” of my life. This is the good parts version of this last week (which means mostly evenings and weekends)… and since many weeks are fairly similar, this is a fair pattern for what I do with most of my time. For purposes of serving my memory a little easier, I’m going backwards starting with today:

Tuesday:
Read (Perfect Shot – Sonia O’Brien)
Movie (Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End)
Ice Cream at Baskin Robbins with Mom and Dad (probably half the Tuesdays out there…)
Dinner (Oh, wait… Not this time.)
Lunch (Arby’s with Mom)
Breakfast (Oatmeal)

Monday:
Read (Perfect Shot – Sonia O’Brien)
Chuck (Regular date night = me + Mom + Chuck)
Dinner (Hash browns, pancake, pears)
Lunch (Carl’s Jr.)
Breakfast (Oatmeal)

Sunday:
Read (Winter’s Promise – Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard)
Movie (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest)
Dinner (Turkey, cranberry orange glaze, mashed potatoes, green beans)
Flute Practice for Stake Conference
Church
Breakfast (Hash browns, pancakes, eggs)

Saturday:
Read (Winter’s Promise – Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard)
Talked with Mom for 2 Hours
Dinner (In’N’Out Burger & fries)
Midsingles Halloween Activity (This was awesome!)
Oakland Temple Shift (2:00pm-6:00pm)
Cleaned House
Breakfast (Oatmeal and soft boiled eggs)

Friday:
Read (Winter’s Promise – Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard)
Movie (How to Train Your Dragon)
Dinner (Leftover, I think…)
Lunch (Chipotle with Mom)
Breakfast (Oatmeal)

Thursday:
Read (All I Hold Dear – Jennie Hansen)
Book Club (The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbury)
Dinner (Baked potato bar & chicken enchiladas)
Lunch (Los Panchos – mini happy super wet chunky beef burrito… at least that’s what it said on my receipt)
Breakfast (Forgot… to eat it, that is.)

Wednesday:
Read (All I Hold Dear – Jennie Hansen)
Dinner (Chicken enchiladas)
Worked 10.5 Hours (Yay!)
Lunch (Madras lentils with Fritos)
Breakfast (Oatmeal)

Day 25: My Day In Great Detail

2010-10-25T18:51:00.003-06:00

This officially has the potential to be an excessively boring post. My days tend to be the same in a lot of ways, especially a work day like today. So, in general, this is a normal work day for me:

6:05am My alarm goes off.
6:10am My alarm goes off. I change it to go off at 6:30am.
6:30am My alarm goes off.
6:35am My alarm goes off. I get out of bed.
6:40 – 7:30am Shower, hair, makeup, dressed.
7:35-755am (Depending on the day…) I grab my purse and load up my phone, iTouch and the book I’m reading. I fill up two 32oz cups with crushed ice, set the flag out front and head out the door, usually letting O’Malley (cat) in for the day as I’m leaving.
8:20-8:50am I get to work after taking approximately 55 minutes to drive 21.5 miles.
10:00am I wake up.
8:30am-5:30pm (or 6:00pm or 8:00pm or 9:30pm…) I work. Proofing campaigns, writing copy, approving, reviewing, uploading… My computer and I get a lot of face time.
Sometime after 12:00pm and before 3:0pm Lunch.
6:00pm-Sometime after that… I get home.
When I Get Home-Later Dinner. Usually watch a movie with Mom and Dad. Sometimes we just read. There’s a variety of evening activities… Just depends on the night.
10:30pm I head to bed. Usually read for a while. Battle for bed space with the cats.
11:30pm-12:00am Sleep happens.

That’s probably more detail than anyone ever needed to have written down…

As a side note, I would like to express how obnoxious I think "working" is. Not "work". I love to work. I like being productive and the sense of accomplishing things. I just think it’s really weird, that we spend 80% of our waking hours essentially with strangers, and very little time with friends and family. Does this seem weird to anyone else? Just asking…

Day 24: Where I Live

2010-10-24T00:59:00.001-06:00

I live in the suburbs of San Francisco. Since moving back from Utah 8 months ago, I’ve really come to remember what it is that I loved so much about growing up here. Aside from the people (we have amazing friends), the things I love most about Northern California have to do simply with the geography of the area. I can visit the mountains, the redwoods, the beach, the city and the country… all in one day. That’s the long and short of it. I’m also a fan of the weather: not super hot very often, and it rains off and on all winter long. I miss the snow and the thunder storms in Utah (amongst other things, like my friends and family that live out there)… but as much as I miss “home” in Utah, it feels so good to be back “home” here in California. It’s always good to know that you are where you are supposed to be… when you are supposed to be there.

Day 23: A YouTube Video

2010-10-24T00:58:00.002-06:00

This video and I have a very long history. The long and short of it is that this video is the end-all-be-all of making me laugh no matter where I am, what I'm doing... and no matter how miserable I happen to feel at the time.

I hope you enjoy.

Oh yah, I forgot to mention... It will totally be stuck in your head for days now. :0)

Day 22: A Website

2010-10-23T00:17:00.002-06:00

The Oatmeal

Everything you ever wondered about (and some you didn't) explained in simple, easy-to-assimilate instructions.

Oh yah, and they're absolutely hilarious.

Day 21: A Recipe

2010-10-21T23:30:00.003-06:00

Æbleskivers
(Pancake Balls)

2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons water (if too thick)

Top Secret Cooking Tools:

Æbleskiver Pan
Knitting Needle

Separate eggs & beat whites stiff. Mix all other ingredients together until smooth; fold in egg whites last. Put about 1/4 tsp. oil in each æbleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Pour about 2-3 Tbsp. of batter into each cup. Turn with a knitting needle until cooked. Serve hot with raspberry jam and powdered sugar, syrup, or lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Day 20: A Hobby of Mine

2010-10-20T18:03:00.003-06:00

Hobby, obsession, passion... they are all synonymous in many ways. My first response to all three would be simply: BOOKS. But I'm not entirely sure that truly encompasses the crux of the passion. I think I am obsessed with knowledge, with learning new things, with hearing stories and experiencing life vicariously through the lives of others. That I think is where the real passion lies. My most favorite time is when I am curled up in a chair reading something that allows me to escape to another world (the cup of hot chocolate and a crackling fire while it's raining or snowing outside, potentially in a small cabin in the middle of a coniferous forest... yah, those are all just bonuses). But beyond the books, I keep my iTouch handy whenever I watch a movie... If I don't know a word or am not familiar with an historical event or I just want to know who that cute guy playing that one character is, then out pops the iTouch and I look it up. When I'm sitting at my computer at work , my most frequent visits are to dictionary.com and wikipedia.org - if I come across something I don't know, I look it up. And if I'm sitting in the backyard and a bird I don't recognize lands on the fence, I pull out my "bird book" and quickly try to identify it.

So yes - passion, obsession, hobby. It definitely qualifies as all three.

And the best part about this excitement I have for learning new things is that it can be contagious. It just makes my day when I come home and Mom or Dad is sitting on the couch trying to identify the wing-ed beast perched on the back fence.

Day 19: A Talent of Mine

2010-10-19T22:24:00.001-06:00

Music. I've described my passion for music before, but I think that a great part of my passion for music and my natural abilities to hear music, feel music, and play music are God-given gifts. I know that I am supposed to use my musical abilities to touch the lives of others. And for me there isn't a more powerful way I know of how to communicate my testimony than when I am playing a special musical number in church on my flute. I know the Spirit teaches and flows through the words and melodies of good music. And I know that it is often through music that my Heavenly Father speaks to me. It is the least I can do to share my passion with others. There is a freedom that comes with all forms of creation, a way of expressing things we cannot otherwise express. That is what music is to me.

Day 18: My Future Wedding

2010-10-18T19:23:00.003-06:00

It's kinda funny that you could have a list of 30 things to write about and this is the one I've been dreading all month. At first I had lots that I thought I wanted to say... and then I decided that I had no clue how to write this post. I have come ultimately to the conclusion of I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA!!! Pretty sure that's why they call it the future. It's the abstract thing that hasn't happened yet that you can't really predict... that's just the nature of the future.

But I think that's okay. I don't think I need to know. I've participated in a lot of weddings, helped plan a few, and taken pictures at some others. I've learned a lot, but when it comes to my own wedding... those are decisions that will be made with the long-lost man wandering aimlessly looking for me (emphasis apparently on the wandering and the aimlessly parts).

However, for the sakes of this post I will share with you some of my ideas, a small list of things that you could expect to see on that great Someday in the future:

I will have a wedding dress, but I'm pretty sure I will wear a regular temple dress in the temple instead of my *reception* dress.
I don't think there will be a wedding luncheon. I think we will have a BBQ with family and close friends the night before the wedding.
I always wanted a winter wedding... just felt right. Knowing irony, I will likely get married in the middle of August, in 110-degree weather, and it will be ridiculously humid.
My bridesmaids (of which there will be few) will not have uncomfortable gowns that they will never wear again. They will probably don denim skirts, matching blouses, and either go barefoot or wear matching flip-flops.
There will likely be dancing and the music will be awesome. Times change as do the songs I "absolutely must" play at my wedding, but I'm pretty sure this one will be on the list. It's almost unavoidable in its perfection. (And the "music video" (?) is laugh-out-loud funny... or is that just that they even made a music video...?)
I will not go to a hot beach for my honeymoon. That is perfect for other people, but I think I'd much prefer to spend the time in the mountains somewhere... away in the redwoods.

The most specific part of my plans - and the only part that I know for sure - is that I will be married in the temple. Period. The end. Don't know which one, and I'm not really sure that part matters a whole lot. This will be the most important 30-or-so minutes of my life, and the part that matters is who I'm with and where we are. Everything above and beyond that is just extra.

Day 17: An Art Piece (or Four)

2010-10-17T23:35:00.007-06:00

In 2006 I had the amazing opportunity to visit the east coast with several of my friends. While visiting Washington, D.C., we spent a day on the mall each going our separate ways to explore what we most wanted to see in the museum-packed capital park.

While I spent much of my time in the museums I am always drawn to (Natural History, Botanical Gardens, etc.), I visited the National Gallery of Art on what I can only describe as a whim. I have been in a grand total of two art museums that I can think of, and while I appreciate art and have many favorites, I've not really spent a great deal of time exploring my tastes in this particular avenue of passions (tho to my credit, I have been to several art *displays* and always observe the artwork in curated buildings... particularly temples).

Again, I'm not sure what propelled me to the National Gallery of Art, and most of what I saw left me completely and utterly un-transfixed. But I came across a section with early American artwork (1800s-ish), where I found that I generally liked the less abstract Realist and Romantic artwork. Particularly paintings... (I love Monet and Van Gough, amongst others).

I remember walking through and then coming almost to a complete halt when confronted by Thomas Cole's The Voyage of Life allegoric set. I cannot fully explain why, but these four oil paintings held my undivided attention for the better part of two hours.

Childhood

Youth

Manhood

Old Age

I think one of the things that most resonated with me - besides the pure beauty of the paintings - is the presence of the angel, and more specifically the location of the angel in each piece. I love that the are always there, walking beside us or watching over us. It is my belief that we determine which position they take in our lives, but regardless of what else is around, they are there if we look for them.

Day 16: A Song that Makes Me Cry (or Almost)

2010-10-16T23:48:00.003-06:00

I picked two... the first one is an almost, and the second one is a definitely. They ironically (or, not?) kind of have similar messages... maybe it's just what I needed to hear the last few months.

I've also linked the titles to YouTube videos, in case you wanted to listen to them too. Enjoy!

The Climb - Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin',
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee - Rob Gardner

For a little while
Have I forsaken thee;
But with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee
For a moment.
But with everlasting kindness will I gather thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings,
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Though thine afflictions seem
At times too great to bear,
I know thine every thought and every care.
And though the very jaws
Of hell gape after thee I am with thee.
And with everlasting mercy will I succor thee,
And with healing will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
Though the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
Know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

How long can rolling waters
Remain impure?
What pow’r shall stay the hand of God?
The Son of Man hath descended below all things.
Art thou greater than He?

So hold on thy way,
For I shall be with thee.
And mine angels shall encircle thee.
Doubt not what thou knowest,
Fear not man, for he
Cannot hurt thee.
And with everlasting kindness will I succor thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Day 15: My Dream House

2010-10-15T20:43:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time (high school), I was really bored in class one day and I actually drew up make-shift blueprints for said dream house. The following were amongst the many amenities:

Play Loft
Huge Kitchen
Office
Craft / Sewing Room
Indoor Theater
Music Room
2-Floor Indoor Aviary (with floor to ceiling windows - north facing)
1,000 Gallon Fish Tank
Master Suite (2 Balconies - 1 to the backyard and 1 to the aviary)
6 Regular Bedrooms
3 Gas Fireplaces

And that was all inside the house. The exterior included nicely landscaped front and back yards (huge lawns, lots of flowering bulbs, a small pond with a stream, lots of pine trees...), a jungle gym, a play house, stables, riding trails through the surrounding forest, a fire pit, a work shop, a "grandparents" house, and - not 100% positive, surprisingly enough - I think there may have been a pool.

Needless to say, the house rested on several acres of remarkably beautiful land in a small residential area at the edge of a redwood forest. The main house itself was at minimum 5,000 square feet, and - at 16 - I'm pretty sure I never bothered to calculate the utility bills. And I definitely didn't factor in the maids to clean it!

Rumor has it that years change perspective, and I have to say I'd put a large amount of stock in this rumor. While a few of the listed luxuries would be nice, my dream house some 12 years later now really only mandates the following:

I want to feel comfortable in my house.
I want my family to feel comfortable in my house.
I want other people to feel comfortable in my house with they visit.

And to expound slightly on the two mandates:

I would prefer to have enough room so that if a family member or friend decided to surprise me, they wouldn't have to rent a hotel room.
I would like people to feel comfortable sitting on my couches and chairs, to not feel like they just sat on a rock with a pillow on top but also not to feel as if my couch just ate their entire bottom half. And I need to have guests sleep on the couch, I don't want to search for them between the cushions come morning. Nor find them on the floor because it was softer down there. Comfort denotes a happy medium - best of both worlds.
I don't want people to walk into my house, look at the pattern on my couch, and run away blinded.
Even if I had the money, I would NOT want for people to walk in and feel as if they had just entered a museum.

All jokes aside, the most important thing is comfort... and comfort extends beyond the physical and the aesthetic. My dream house is a refuge, a place that people would feel happy and at peace. I want it to be a place I can raise my family, where my children would feel comfortable enough to bring their friends, but also a place where we all would want to come home to each night.

And all that comes naturally by living up to one main focus: I want my home to be a place where there is a good feeling, or more specifically, where you can feel the Spirit of Christ in every corner.

A home that would be my own little temple on earth.

Day 14: A Non-Fictional Book

2010-10-14T23:40:00.001-06:00

Okay, so if you read my last post, you already know that my "expertise" on non-fiction novels is very limited. I just don't really get into them very much and can't say I've finished a very high percentage of the non-fiction books I've started. So, you would think that picking a single book to highlight for purposes of this blog post would be easy... but not so. I am, of course, still me... and therefore one of the single most indecisive individuals on the planet.

So call it a the "default" answer... or blame it on the time... or the fact that I've actually finished this particular non-fiction book cover-to-cover... or - more likely- just call it the selection of the non-fiction book that has had the most profound impact on me in my life, and there. I have my answer.

I'm not sure I have any readers (or friends that read my blog ;0) that are not of my same faith and beliefs, so to most of you this probably isn't a shock. But the one non-fiction book that continues to pop into my head right now is The Book of Mormon. I'm not sure what to write about it... this whole free-association thing sometimes hits bigger road blocks that you'd expect...

...

I have been reading and studying The Book of Mormon for as long as I can remember, and likely as long as I have been alive. It remains one of the only books that I am always reading at some stage or another. And it's effect is always the same. Whether I have read a few lines or a few chapters... and whether I consciously gleaned anything at all... I know that when I'm done reading whatever bit I've read, I am better in many ways. It lifts me when I am going through the deepest valleys of life, but it also washes away the small, mundane frustrations that occur on any other normal day. It does not grab me like many of the other books I choose to read, and yet the insights it provides are much more profound than those I receive while reading just about anything else. I know that when reading I learn not just through the words of the book, but through the Spirit that emanates through the words. And what I learn is not the full benefit of reading. It's as if the book, its words and Spirit make me whole and leave me healed from whatever it is I am facing. It gives me encouragement, strength and a desire to endure that I have yet to experience while reading any other book - fiction or non-fiction. It is the best way to start my morning and an even better way to fall to sleep at night. And the more I read it, the more I feel it becomes a part of me.

Which is the ultimate accomplishment of reading - to become something new at the end, different than when you started, to be changed through the experience.

Day 13: A Fictional Book

2010-10-13T23:16:00.002-06:00

99% of everything I read falls into this category. I'm not really a big magazine reader; I don't read the newspaper (though I do read a bit on news websites, just to get updates...). And I don't read much non-fiction. I love my fantasies, suspense-thrillers, certain pop-fiction authors and most of the classics I've read. I really only have two main criteria for a book I enjoy and a third that applies to books I would definitely read again:

It's not trashy.
I can get "into" the book... generally without reading half of it first.
(For really good books) It made me think.

I don't really have specific genres that I limit myself to... In fact I will really read almost anything. I am particularly fond of adolescent literature; I think books in this age bracket are written better than most books written for adults. I have some favorite authors, but I love to branch out and discover new authors as well. I always read the flyleaf or back cover before purchasing a book, but I've never read the last page except after I've read the rest of the book. In fact, in many instances I will place my hand over the next few paragraphs so that my eyes don't inadvertently skip down and read ahead. It's just not as fun when you know the ending.

So I kept putting off writing this post for a few days because I was worried about how much I would write. I can talk (or write) about books for a lot longer than I can probably talk about much else - and I can talk a lot about almost anything. And I'm pretty sure that if I were to continue this train of thought, I'll be sitting at my computer for days... So, to the point.

A Fictional Book.

I've also been stuck about which single book to pick. It might be the easy road, but why not pick the one I'm reading right now? Novel idea. (Bad joke, and remarkably, unintentional).

I am in a book club with several other women in my ward at church. Right now we are reading:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

And I completely admit that this book has fought ever facet of rule number two. I have been struggling. I read Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows in less than 24 hours. I was definitely "in" (of course I have a Harry Potter addiction... there was a period in my life that Harry Potter - the books, not the boy - was known as my boyfriend. We were, simply, inseparable. And when I'm reading Harry Potter, everything in my life is subsequently related to something that I read for several months following.). But with Hedgehog I could not really have been much further from "in". I started this book over 3 weeks ago (tells you something). It drove me crazy, was slow and abstract... and yet I couldn't stop reading it either.

Well, just yesterday something clicked. I have read the last 100 pages in about 2 hours... and I am now 35 pages from the end (another reason I've been avoiding my blog). I'm not entirely sure that I would recommend this book to just anyone, because it does require so much effort and... desire, maybe, to like it - at least toward the beginning.

Hedgehog is told from two perspectives. 1) Renee: 50 years old, homely, overweight, and the concierge for a very uppity residence in Paris. Oh, and she's completely and utterly addicted to all forms of art and expanding knowledge (books, movies, cultures, foods, art-art, etc.)... a huge part of her that she has spent most of her life hiding from basically everyone she's ever known. 2) Paloma: a 12-year-old resident of Renee's building, daughter to a prominent politician and pure genius. So much genius, in fact, that she has determined at her ripe old age that life doesn't get much better than living in a fish bowl, and thus plans to swallow a ton of sleeping pills on her thirteenth birthday right before incinerating the the apartment building.

Interesting premise, yes. Potential to go one of two ways - fantastic or flop.

As I mentioned before, it takes a while for you to get into it. Both Paloma and Renee are word aficionados, which can get a bit heavy at times, but the translator (it was originally written in French) does an amazing job... you completely forget it's a translation!

I knew I was hooked in the bathroom. There's a chapter that takes place in the bathroom in the fourth floor suite of Renee's building... and I loved it SO much I read the who scene out loud to Mom. So dang funny. From there it gets better... I feel that at that moment I began to see both heroines for who they *really* are instead of who they wanted me to see them as (which, in essence, is the point of the novel... at least I'm convinced it is).

The fact that the author can create these same feelings in me as she did in the characters speaks volumes, I think. At the same moment that the characters begin to "see" each other as they really are, there is another level of understanding that you as the reader begin to gain about the characters... even though you've known their secrets all along. It's as if the characters become more of their true selves the more they share those "selves" with each other... and with you.

I don't really want to give away any more, and I can't really spoil the end since I won't finish it until tomorrow. But The Elegance of the Hedgehog passed all of my "rules" for a good book... even if it took a while.

Day 12: Something I Am OCD About

2010-10-12T23:31:00.004-06:00

Conversation I just had with Mom:

Me: What's something I'm OCD about?
Mom: Is this your question for your blog?
Me: Maybe...
Mom: Seriously?
Me: Yes.
Mom: Shall we make a list?
...a few "list" items later...
Mom: Maybe you should just pick one. Do you really want to broadcast how OCD you are to everyone?

Yup, that about sums it up. But if you need a list of some specifics, I am prepared to oblige:

Folding my clothes.
Hanging clothes in my closet: I not only organize my blouses, pants and dresses by color, but I have a separate color of hangar for blouses, pants and dresses.
Putting utensils in the dishwasher: The "mouth" part goes up on everything except sharp knives - they go point down so you don't poke yourself. Naturally.
Putting everything else in the dishwasher.
Putting dishes and utensils away (Mom & I disagree on where some things *should* live).
Shampoo & conditioner: Same brand, same smell. Period. None of this "mixey-matchey" with whatever happens to be left over in the shower, unless I happen to have some Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo. Then it's whatever conditioner.
The way I drive to work: I've noticed recently that I definitely have a pattern, not just what roads I take, but what lanes I drive in too.
Everything has it's place (this may actually surprise those of you that have seen my room): Everything. Even if that "place" is in a stack of papers on my bedroom floor. I know where everything is. I do not lose things. If I misplace something, it will drive me absolutely crazy until I find it (if you don't believe me, ask someone who was around when I accidentally left my phone and iTouch at a friend's house this last February... it wasn't pretty).
I alphabetize my books by the author's last name and when I have finished reading a book I write the month and year in the back flyleaf.
Jewelry box: I use two of those tackle/craft boxes with tons of slots to keep things separate - one for goldish jewelry and the other for monochromes and other colors).
Music: All of my iTunes have complete file information, right down to the cover art... I'm currently working on genres. Each song also has specific playlists it belongs to.
Pictures on my computer: Organized by year, then by month and date or date range, followed last by a brief description of what I was doing or where the pictures were taken. And that's just the folders. :0)
Email at work: My first day on a new job is very critical. I have to set up all my folders and basic filter rules. I was never more grateful for this particular "anality" than with my current job where I literally get hundreds of emails a day.
Folders at work: Basically the same system as my pictures... Most companies have naming conventions for files and locations of corporate date. I have my own naming conventions for files.

So, I'm sure if I spent more than 15 minutes typing this up it would just get scarier. Mom and I laugh all the time about how we are both particularly OCD about one thing or another (alas, poor Dad). For me, I try to look on the bright side... I wouldn't be nearly as good at my job (proof reader, copy writer and copy editor for hundreds of marketing pieces each month) if I didn't have a little OCD in me. Plus, because I know what my tendencies are, I can laugh at them... and at myself.

And I find that wonderfully healthy. :0D

Day 11: A Photo Taken of Me Recently

2010-10-11T10:05:00.002-06:00

Me and my two best friends in front of the Reno Temple in May. Definitely a "best" day!

Day 10: A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of Me

2010-10-10T23:22:00.002-06:00

1998 - I'm not really sure why... because I have this ridiculously stupid, "Uh, excuse me but what are you doing?" look on my face... but I have always really liked this pictures. Weird, I know, but there it is.

Day 9: A Photo I Took

2010-10-09T21:37:00.003-06:00

I was the one who actually photographed this amazing moment in Cougar history...

But Kimmy was the one that made sense of it all...

Which is why I love this picture.

Day 8: A Photo that Makes Me Angry/Sad

2010-10-08T23:41:00.004-06:00

This one makes me sad:

And this one makes me angry:

I had to drive the PT for 37 hours while the Pearl was in the auto body shop. No one should ever have to drive the vehicle they absolutely detest... especially when my baby was in the shop because I hit a different (red) PT.

I think my aversion to PTs is taking over my life. I just can't help but be plagued by them! ;0)

Day 7: A Photo that Makes Me Happy

2010-10-07T21:53:00.001-06:00

'Nuff said.

Day 6: 20 of My Favorite Things

2010-10-06T12:56:00.004-06:00

In no particular order (well, maybe some... more like a free-association order):

My Family
My Friends
Books
Ice Flakes
Campfires
My New Sherpa Blanket
Kitties
Birds
Basically Every Dairy Product
Naps
Sundays
Music
Temples
Long Drives in the Black Pearl (Translation: My Car)
Ultimate Frisbee
The Beach, the Forest & the Mountains (All in On Day!)
Holidays
Rain
Fresh Snow
Hot Cocoa

Okay, I know I forgot things... but it's not " An Exhaustive My Most Favorite 2o Things Ever In the Whole Wide World". Because then I could go on for days... literally...

These just happen to be the first 20 I thought of. :0)

Day 5: My Favorite Quote

2010-10-05T12:51:00.003-06:00

I started assembling a quote box when I was twelve. I still collect thoughts, stories, poems and quotes... I'm not sure I will ever stop. I put them in folders, boxes, notebooks - even on my Facebook profile and the sidebar of this blog. For this post, I chose the quote that has been one of my favorites for a long time... a good reminder, even if I sometimes forget to read it. ;0)

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.

Martha Washington

Day 4: My Favorite Book

2010-10-04T23:43:00.003-06:00

I am a bibliophile; thus, determining the answer to "My Favorite Book" is like trying to find the universal answer to everything. I have, however, previously attempted to answer this question before... here (question 23)... and I'm relatively sure the answer has not changed.

Day 3: My Favorite Television Program

2010-10-03T22:58:00.008-06:00

The following provides proof that I am capable of making some concrete decisions in my life:

I am incredibly - and unequivocally - in love with Chuck.

There is something so perfect about the Stanford IT drop-out, who is employed at the fictional equivalent of the BestBuy Geek Squad (i.e. BuyMore Nerd Herd), that - through a series of "right-place right-time" circumstances - becomes first a National Security asset and then later the spy no one ever thought it possible for him to become. It's the perfect balance of the geek-next-door meets clandestine-spy-world... and I LOVE IT!! (I'm sure the Zachary Levi influence is only a minor arm-twister, but it helps. Let's face it... he's just adorable! And apparently not photogenic... at least not here... ;0)

So, officially, I have a date every Monday night, promptly at 8/7 central, with Chuck. His imagination for dating options is fairly unoriginal... Mostly we just sit in my living room. Sometimes we eat. He gets a little melodramatic sometimes, and he always finds a way to get himself in trouble, inciting some form of subterfuge. Sometimes Mom chaperons, but then he usually brings his friends.

But all else aside, what gets me every time, and has me completely hooked, is his unprecedented ability to make me laugh. And there really is nothing better than a good laugh.

Day 2: My Favorite Movie

2010-10-02T23:34:00.008-06:00

Hmmm... favorite movie. Probably will make for a shorter* post. We watch a lot of movies in my family, but I have never really been able to decide on a "favorite".

I like movies of all types - from high-action (lots of blowing things up) to your classic "chick-flick" - Disney cartoons to historical epic films... and pretty much everything in between. As with music, I like specific movies rather than genres or themes. If I were to narrow it down, I like movies that do one of two things: 1) they make me happy and/or 2) they make me think. (And all the better if they make me do both.)

Here's a list of some movies I've seen that I really enjoyed, for any one of an array of reasons, and would recommend:

Antwone Fisher
The Secret Life of Bees
Invictus
Blind Side (really almost all "based-on-actual-events" sports films...)
Just Like Heaven (yah, watched this one at least 5 times at the dollar theater...)
Avatar
Robin Hood (historical epics are a plus)
Sherlock Holmes
Stranger Than Fiction
You've Got Mail (I never get sick of this one!)
How to Train Your Dragon
Harry Potter VII (Let's face it... they'll end up on here eventually, even if they're NOT released yet!)

I really could go on and on... (part of that whole "not picking a favorite" thing).

For being so sure if I like something or not, I really have a problem narrowing things down and picking just one! (Anyone who has ever gone to a restaurant with me can attest to the fact that it's not just with music and movies that I have this problem.) However, for purposes of this post, I have gone to extreme lengths and much internal debate to answer this question (maybe a small, pathetic attempt at being somewhat decisive ;0).

So here it is (drumroll might be fitting here)...

Most recently, the one movie that has really been at the top of my list is Disney Pixar's UP!
LOVED that movie. Aside from doing an amazing job with story line and animation, it is probably one of the few movies I've ever seen that caused such a wide range of emotional response. I laughed and cried - was grieved, angered and frustrated but also hopeful, uplifted and inspired. It was a great fairytale that rung true on a lot of levels and in general reminds me that there is always something more to live for, to enjoy about life and to make you laugh out loud. I remember thinking after it was over that we really do need more movies like it. If you have seen it, you know what I mean. If you haven't... your life really would be much better if you did. GREAT movie.

*Disclaimer: "Shorter" for me... Still probably means at least 5 paragraphs or so. ;0)

Day 1: My Favorite Song

2010-10-01T10:32:00.008-06:00

I can't think of a better way to begin my new personal revival than by writing about my favorite song... or at least my current favorite song.

As most of you know, music has played an integral part of my life... probably since my preschool days. Many of the primary songs I learned at that young age are among my favorites when I just need a song to lift my spirits. I remember the first time I looked at the first instrument I ever played (the Song Flute) and being so excited that it was so much like Mom's recorder. In the fifth grade, I began my real musical adventure - I started the flute. From 5th grade until I graduated from high school, I was always in a band class... and in high school it was anywhere from 2 to 5 bands (between classes and after school bands) and 1 to 3 instruments (while the flute has always been my primary instrument, I also played the piccolo and tenor saxophone).

While I still play the flute, normally arranging my own flute solos, descants and even flute choir pieces (SOOO much fun!!) for church meetings, instrumental music has plays a much smaller role in my life than it once did (now primarily limited to occasional tinkering on the piano and even rarer flute numbers). My passion for music, however, has not dwindled in the slightest. I appreciate my quiet time, especially reading, but my life is otherwise filled with the sounds of whatever my heart needs to hear most.

My alarm each morning consists of songs from my iTouch and get ready for work listening to anything from classical to Disney songs to Rammstein. Eclectic is really the best word... and generally I listen to "songs" or "pieces" rather than "groups" or "genres". I usually stream music from one of various places while at work, and my commute is (between news and traffic updates) anything I have available in my car (iTouch, CDs and radio).

I also almost always have something musical stuck in my head. A dear friend of mine and I - while in college - developed a theory that when you get a song stuck in your head, there's a good chance there's a more profound reason than it just being "stuck" there. I've since come to realize that my Heavenly Father often communicates to me through music and much of that is placing a song in my head until I've listened to it and learned or felt what I needed to.

So from being the biggest band nerd in high school to waking up with a song stuck in my head... music has always been a huge part of my life. And I hope that never changes.

The "favorite" song I wanted to share is one that came in many ways as an answer to prayer. I was driving home from work a few weeks ago and heard this song on the radio. I'd been struggling with a lot of things (see yesterday's post) and this song just touched me. It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. It made me laugh and made me cry... but mostly it gave me hope, and I can't think of a better thing to get out of a song on the radio. I now wake up to the song most mornings and dance to it in the bathroom when I'm doing my hair. And - more often than not - this song is been running through my head. This song has become my own personal theme song, one that will consistantly bring a smile to my face whenever - and wherever - I hear it.

I looked up the music video on YouTube for your viewing pleasure this morning (hyperlinked below). I'd not seen it before and was laughing at my desk before it ended and even more when it actually ended. This is my new favorite song:

Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé

For those of you that remember the college days when I would get "Someday My Prince Will Come" stuck in my head for weeks on end, this probably smacks of a little familiarity. I laugh at the music video because that is TOTALLY me! I can't tell you how many times I've had that party in my head - dancing and everything! And the poetic awkwardness that comes at the end when he realizes that he's not really there... yet. Yah, that's totally been me too.

But as I mentioned before, aside from being funny to the point of tears, this song gives me more hope for the future than perhaps many of my experiences have recently. It is an entertaining answer to the hole in my heart, if only temporary, and is just one simple example of how music has empowered my life completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not surprised, not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times, I stopped keeping track
Talk myself in, I talk myself out
I get all worked up, then I let myself down

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought, I thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, that I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

I might have to wait, I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck
Wherever you are, whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And, baby, your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

And somehow I know that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

They say all's fair
In love and war
But I won't need to fight it
We'll get it right and we'll be united

And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility

And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work to work it out
Promise you, kid, I'll give more than I get
Than I get, than I get, than I get

Oh, you know it'll all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get
Yeah, I just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet
Oh, promise you, kid
To give so much more than I get

I said love, love, love, love
Love, love, love, love
(I just haven't met you yet)
Love, love, love, love
Love, love
I just haven't met you yet

Lighting a Fire...

2010-09-30T13:16:00.005-06:00

It's amazing to me how one small change in my life seems to have uprooted an entire laundry-list of positive habits I had formed over the last few years. Once upon a time, I lost my job and made myself think I was uprooting a lot about myself to move back to California. Ok, so not really a *small* change, but I think I let that change a lot about who I was, what I was doing and what I was aiming at becoming. I let losing my job become my excuse for becoming completely apathetic about a lot of things. I was on this train to apathy, just kind of drifting along, when other things happened (Mom getting sick, a funeral or two, missing my old home and all the friends I don't get to see as much...) that acted like jet propulsion, sending my train toward apathy so fast that I'm not really even sure what happened to the last four months...

An example of this apathy... blogging. I'd been so good! Since my blog is - more or less - my journal, this is probably not the *best* thing but not really significantly life altering either. Other similar habits - not life altering in themselves - all combined together and created this apathetic Jessi who was tired, grouchy and enjoying too much her own personal hermitage.

But, I'm back. I've decided that I've had enough of the apathy train and I'm really starting over this time.

I have two callings which together combine two of my greatest loves in life: music and the temple. I serve once each week in the Oakland Temple, which is a huge blessing... and one of the things I think helped turn my train around. I am also the Music Director for the ward Relief Society; this calling provides a constant reminder to me of how amazing life can be as long as there's great music around.

Some other things have helped light this fire in me and have me finally surfacing from this funk I've been in for 6 months. I have (finally) been called as a Visiting Teacher in my ward (for some unknown reason, this took a while) and the opportunity to go visit and befriend sisters in the ward is very exciting to me. I've also been invited to join a book club in my ward with other sisters - at varying points in life, but mostly close to my age. I also had the opportunity to arrange a special musical number that just might have affected me more than it did anyone else... even though others were touched, I think playing my flute again was the spark that my little flame needed. (On a somewhat funnier note, I recommend reading the wrappers on Dove chocolates. I think that they have also played their own part in changing my perspective on things... And yes, I mean the wrappers helped more than the chocolate. Crazy, I know.)

So I feel like me again, like I'm moving forward and finally embracing this new life that Heavenly Father needs me to live right now. I'm still single, with not even the remotest prospect of that changing any time soon... but I'm okay with that... again. Still hopeful, but realizing how much I can still be doing, even if it's not the "progression" I would choose first at this point in my life. I've started up that old Gratitude journal again, perhaps now with more vested interest. I'm reading my scriptures more regularly and trying to wipe off the depressed and tired scowl that had been temporarily affixed to my face. And smiling just makes everything that much better.

In short, I'm me again... at least the better version of me.

And the final straw - of sorts - that really fueled this fire, is having something to write about. I have been telling myself that I have nothing to post that isn't boring, that would interesting, funny or uplifting to everyone else. Just yesterday, in reading my friend's blog, I realized a few things: 1.) Life doesn't have to be interesting in order for me to be writing about interesting things. 2.) My blog really isn't as much for everyone else as it can be for me.

So I'm stealing an idea (thanks Erika!) and I'm hoping that this will help feed this little spark that's finally growing again... or at least get me back in the habit of blogging. I'm starting tomorrow and I'll be posting daily (hopefully) and progressing through the list below. Feel free to read as often or as rarely as you choose... But I hope that something that you read causes you to smile, makes you laugh out loud, raises your spirits or even helps light your own fire within.

Love you all!

Jessi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October's "Write About This" Checklist:

Day 1: My Favorite Song
Day 2: My Favorite Movie
Day 3: My Favorite Television Program
Day 4: My Favorite Book
Day 5: My Favorite Quote
Day 6: 20 of My Favorite Things
Day 7: A Photo that Makes Me Happy
Day 8: A Photo that Makes Me Angry/Sad
Day 9: A Photo I Took
Day 10: A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of Me
Day 11: A Photo Taken of Me Recently
Day 12: Something I Am OCD About
Day 13: A Fictional Book
Day 14: A Non-Fictional Book
Day 15: My Dream House
Day 16: A Song that Makes Me Cry
Day 17: An Art Piece
Day 18: My Future Wedding
Day 19: A Talent of Mine
Day 20: A Hobby of Mine
Day 21: A Recipe
Day 22: A Website
Day 23: A YouTube Video
Day 24: Where I Live
Day 25: My Day In Great Detail
Day 26: My Week In Great Detail
Day 27: My Worst Habit
Day 28: What's In My Purse
Day 29: Hopes, Dreams & Plans for the Next 365 Days
Day 30: A Dream for the Future
Day 31:

Update on Mom

2010-07-14T13:21:00.001-06:00

So it's been a while, which to me is a sign things are becoming
infinitely more stable than they were a month ago. :0)

Mom and Dad went to meet with her new surgeon this last Thursday
(7/8). They really liked him. He took a look at her healing incision
and just raved about what good home care she's had (Go Dad!). She's
just healing really well. While they visited with him, the doctor read
through all of her surgery reports and told Mom flat out that she was
very lucky to be here. That part really touched me when they told me
later that night. It really emphasizes again all the miracles we've
witnessed. The doctor also told Mom that she could start a gradual
clear-liquid diet. Mom started with ice chips that night and has
worked her way up to broth and Jell-O. She has another visit with the
doctor tomorrow, and we're hoping to hear more good things.

Mom has been doing really well in other ways too. She is really
mobile, but still gets tired easily. This last weekend she went
shopping a bit with Dad, went to a movie with our family and some
great friends, and went to Sacrament Meeting on Sunday for the first
time in almost two months! I'd say we're doing good. :0)

To the Hardy Clan - We missed being at the reunion and are anxious to
see pictures! We heard it was a blast and can't wait for the next two
years to fly by!

And to everyone - Thanks, always, for the love and support you've
shown us. We really feel so blessed to have our Mom still here and
know that it is through faith and prayer that we have that privilege.

We hope that this finds each of you happy and well!

Love,

Jessi

The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything = 42

2010-07-13T12:36:00.001-06:00

Got this from Gretchen – Haven’t done one in quite a while!! Have fun! I sure did. :0D

Welcome to the new 2010 edition of getting to know your family and friends. Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil the fun. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. Some of you may get this several times; that means you have lots of friends. You can change the answers or copy and paste. Have fun and be truthful!

1. What is your occupation right now? Marketing Assistant

2. What color are your socks right now? Black (a fairly normal occurrence…)

3. What are you listening to right now? 95.7 The WOLF & the humdrum sounds of my office

4. What was the last thing you ate? Yogurt, Do-si-dos and my morning infusion of crushed ice (shocker, I know)

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yuppers

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Bailey

7. Do you like the person who sent this? Uh… SCHYESS!! (Love ya, Gertch!!)

8. How old are you today? 28 years, 4 months, 3 days, 10 hours, 42 minutes… uh…

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Football – American Style (and let’s be honest… only BYU)

10. What is your favorite drink? Ice (Does this qualify?)

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Anoop. But I’ve permed it 2 times too many. (I was 8…)

12. Favorite food? La comida Mexicana: enchiladas de queso, frijoles y arroz

13. What is the last movie you watched? Despicable Me (Funny as heck!!)

14. Favorite day of the year? The fourth Thursday in November, tied with the Sunday following the full moon which falls on or after vernal equinox.

15. How do you vent anger? I always vent, but sometimes it leads to me washing my “windows”… or playing a good game of ultimate.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? The wind-up puppy I got from Dad when July was born that played, “How Much is That Doggie in the Window.”

17. What is your favorite season? Cold

18. Cherries or Blueberries? HOLY CRAP!!! THIS IS A QUESTION?? Seriously, wow… (BWAHAHA! I just noticed something and would like to explain my thought process that elicited this reaction. I’m not wearing my glasses, so I thought it said Cherrios... and let’s be honest, what kind of comparison is “Cherrios or Blueberries”? I also might be a little tired… but still… I’m gonna say cherries if they’re fresh, otherwise, neither. :0)

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Fo’ sho’! I always liked these things. :0)

20. Who is the most likely to respond? Not Gretchen. She already did.

21. Who is least likely to respond? Uh… I’m gonna go with Gretchen on this…

22. Living situation? Quick, as opposed to dead. Generally the better way to be, I’ve found.

23. When was the last time you cried? Sunday. Always Sunday.

24. What is on the floor of your closet right now? Shoes

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Funny, but I’ve not decided who I’m sending it to yet… So… No comment.

26. What did you do last night? Read. Fill up one of my bookshelves *finally*! (My room is not “settled” until my books are.)

27. What are you most afraid of? Being left alone

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? In-n-Out: Double meat, grilled onions, no tomatoes, extra lettuce. Absolutely NONE of that American processed yellow crap you *think* is cheese.

29. Favorite dog breed? Labrador retriever

30. Favorite day of the week? Again with the Sunday… followed closely by Saturday

31. How many states have you lived in? Two

32. Diamonds or pearls? Sapphire and Moonstone

33. What is your favorite flower? Daisies and carnations

34. If you could have only one CD forever which would it be? Right now, probably Daughtry.

35. If you could live anywhere for a year where would it be? The UK or Australia

36. If you could have one super power which would it be? The ability to help people feel better (Probably the coolest thing about the Twilight series is Jasper’s power, and I have to admit that it would be awesome to have that ability!)

37. If you could have two super powers what would the other one be? Flight

38. What would be your dream job? I’m going with Gretchen and saying FBI Profiler. (I’m not addicted to Criminal Minds or anything…)

39. What is your favorite non-fiction book(s)? The BoM

40. What is your favorite fictional book(s)? This would be like asking a grandparent to pick their favorite grandchild… Too many, too varied, each special to me.

41. What is the last book you read? Believe it or not, I’m still chewing on War & Peace, but I’m starting David Baldacci’s Divine Justice tonight!

42. If you were running for president of the world what would your platform be? The Tools to Find Happiness – no matter who you are, where you are, or what you’re dealing with.

Beginning Again...

2010-06-19T19:31:00.003-06:00

So... I discovered that blogging is a lot like keeping a journal. At least when it comes to excuses as to why I keep putting it off. For the first few weeks after I moved back to California, I kept telling myself that nothing new was going on, so why post. And then a few weeks later I realized I could post about stuff, but wanted to make sure that I posted about the few things I forgot to post about back in January and February. And since I needed to post those first, I couldn't post new stuff... Then the last month has been a crazy blur. I began wondering where I would even begin... And I'm sure it was even more convoluted in my head.

So I'm starting over, in a way. Here's the last five months in a nutshell... (And apologies in advance if it's a little saga-ish...)

After finding out I didn't have a job anymore, and was moving back to California earlier than anticipated, I determined to move home February 15th, Presidents' Day. That left me about three weeks to see everyone I wanted to see, pack everything I was taking, store everything I wasn't... Oh, and find a new job. Three weeks became very short very quickly, but I felt like I was being sustained the entire time. Like things were happening the way they were supposed to. Mom flew out to Utah the Thursday before I moved, and we spent the weekend with Kimmy before cramming (literally) everything I was taking with me in my car (Toyota Corolla) and making the 13 hour drive west.

It took me a few days to get settled, but then I developed a routine of searching for jobs for about an hour or so a day, helping around the house, reading, and *relaxing*. I think. While part of my brain was trying to tell me to relax and enjoy the time I had to take it easy, the other part of my brain was trying keep a third part of my brain from freaking out. In short, I was going a little stir crazy...

I'm not one that enjoys doing nothing, at least not for months on end. But I still had that nudging feeling that things would be okay, that they would work out how they were supposed to. So I spent one day a week in the temple, and gradually began adding other more positive, less sitting-on-my-hands type things to my routine. The few job interviews I had really helped, too. I began to grasp onto that feeling of "things tend to work out" and tried harder everyday to push away the fear and doubts. It worked, most of the time.

Mom and Dad were great! They have always been so supportive of my sisters and me, so having them around during this time was not only nice, but essential. They helped me really grab on to the positive thoughts, helped me remember that this really was part of Heavenly Father's plan for me, and things really would turn out alright when it was time.

When April came, things got tons better for me... at least for my positive mental health. ;0) Kimmy came out from Utah twice to visit, and Julie, Caylee, and Cambree came up from Arizona for two weeks while my brother-in-law was in England on a business trip. I can't even begin to express how amazing this time was for me... To spend that time with my sisters and nieces. It really pulled me out of the funk that I was rapidly descending into. Most days we just stayed around the house, played in the backyard, talked, watched movies, played games. Just good family time. Other days we went on excursions to the mall, to San Francisco, to the zoo. It was so good to be able to spend that time together... I think for all of us!

May was a month of preparation... Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary is coming up in December, so Mom and Dad were taking an Alaskan cruise and tour for two weeks at the end of May to celebrate. That combined with my Mom's family reunion in July, we were pretty busy preparing for the next few weeks and months. I also got a call from a company regarding a job I'd applied for back in March... and went in for two interviews, both very positive. I was still waiting to hear back from them when Mom and Dad left on their cruise in mid-May.

The last four weeks, as mentioned earlier, have been crazy... to put it mildly. Mom and Dad left on their cruise, and the following Monday I was called by the company I'd interviewed for and offered to start my new job at the beginning of June. Long waits, slight insanity spells, and many prayers finally all paid off and my preparations for starting a new job - two days before Mom and Dad came home for their cruise - began.

Part of this preparation involved a short trip to Utah and one heck of an amazing weekend! I flew to Salt Lake on the Wednesday before Memorial Day and spent most of Thursday visiting Kimmy and several friends down in Provo. I picked up a 16-foot Budget Rental truck (it was only supposed to be 10...) and drove up to the mountains above Park City where one of my best friends was storing most of my belongings. Two of my friends and I loaded up the truck and piled in for the road trip we'd been planning for over two years (although I don't remember it involving the three of us in a 16-foot moving truck with only two seats... ;0)! Friday night we stayed at the Silver Legacy in Reno, and Saturday we paid a short visit to the Reno Temple before climbing the Sierras (at about 2 miles/hour). We stopped at the Sacramento Temple for a bit before ending the "road" part of our trip at my house in the Bay Area.

Sunday, by far my favorite day of any week (this week not excepted), we went to church before heading over to the Marin County, the generally under-appreciated northern peninsula (where the Golden Gate ends). We visited Muir Woods, Mt. Tamalpais, and Stinson Beach. And wow, that trip was amazing. I ended the day feeling rejuvenated, ready to take on anything! I was spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically fed that day. Nothing really does that quite as well as the mountains, the ocean, and great friends! I didn't really know then how much I would need that rejuvenation... Monday - Memorial Day - my friends and I spent the day along the San Francisco Embarcadero... Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, and Pier 39! After getting dinner at Boudin's, I drove back across the Bay, dropped my friends off at the airport, and got myself ready to start my new job the next morning.

At about 2:30am, I received a call from Dad. Mom had been admitted to the hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska and was being life-flighted to Seattle the next morning for emergency surgery at Harborview Medical Center. The next few days are still a bit of a blur. Mom had developed some holes in her stomach wall and was leaking stomach acid and bile into her abdominal cavity. Mom was in surgery four out of the five days that followed her arrival in Seattle, where they removed her spleen, part of her pancreas, most of her stomach, and part of her intestines. She was essentially in a drug-induced coma for about five days, and it's scary to realize now how close we'd come to losing her. She was in ICU for about a week and then moved into the trauma/surgery ward, where she is still. Julie, Kimmy, and I flew into Seattle this last weekend where we had an unexpected family reunion... that again was so necessary. Mom has stabilized significantly, and though she will be months on the mend, we're hoping she'll be flying home to California next week sometime.

I started my new job as scheduled on June 1st - and I love it! They've been amazing, and nothing but supportive as I've been dealing with so much personal life from the start of my employment there. I just finished my third week, and yet feel like I've been there forever. I feel so strongly that that's how it was all supposed to turn out... that this is part of the reason I was supposed to lose my job and come home when I did.

I also had a feeling that - besides work - there was some other reason that I needed to be here, now. With Mom coming home soon, in the condition she's in, I know that feeling was accurate. It will definitely be needed for me to be here to help out around the house and to be a support to both my parents as Mom continues to recover.

~~~~~~~

So, my little novella here has a purpose, but I couldn't accurately describe what I'm feeling right now without the background I've just given... Whether it's for my own peace of mind, or some greater purpose, I don't know. But just as with many things over the last month, I know I was supposed to start my blog again today... and with this being my general message.

I know now, after the last five months, more than I ever have in my life that God watches over us. That He loves us. That he cares more for us than we could possibly imagine. I know that we live our lives of our own free will, but that He guides us and is ever-mindful of who we are, where we're going, what we need to become, and - most importantly - what we need to experience in order to become. He is there, whether we turn to Him or not. I have learned through my experiences in the last five months what He expects of me and how He means for me to accomplish that. I know that prayers are answered. Period. No ifs ands or buts! We just need to listen and to keep listening. I've learned that true friends are the gifts He gives each of us to help us on our individual paths... and that they can come and they go, but we always have what we need. I know that angels watch over us, both the ones we can see and the ones we can't. I've learned that the greatest blessing I have right now is the knowledge that I can be with my family forever. That FAMILY is what everything - this life, our experiences - everything is all about.

Things do indeed happen for a reason. There are no coincidences, no eternal accidents. I know that things are far from over, and I feel as if I really am beginning again. But that "beginning" comes with a greater understanding of what's been, a deeper appreciation of what is, and a sincere hope for what comes next.

Moving On...

2010-01-28T21:04:00.002-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry for the "impersonal" blast going to basically everyone in my address book. I wish I had the time to contact each of you individually. First, I hope that this message finds each of you well, in good health, and generally awesome. That's all that really is to be desired. ;0)

Many of you know that I was planning to relocate to California at the end of this summer. But life takes its course and the company I've been working for over the last year has been hit pretty hard due to the fluctuations in the economy; as a result, myself and several of my coworkers were laid off last Thursday. Things being what they are, the time-distance between me and my move home has been shortened from six months to approximately three weeks. I will be moving home around the 15th of February, and for those of you who may not have that address, please email me.

My phone number is still the same; my email address will remain the same as well.

While the circumstances surrounding my departure from Utah are not the ones I would have chosen, I am feeling remarkably positive about... well, everything really. I'm not excited to leave behind my friends and family still here in Utah, but I also know that things happen for a reason and have felt my Heavenly Father's guidance and support this last week. I can't help but feel that this is kinda what He had in mind all along. I am grateful that we will have things like email, phone calls, and (addict that I am) Facebook to help us keep in contact. I also know that Utah and everything about it has found a niche for itself in the part of my heart called "home". I know that I'll be back - if only for visits... and California really isn't that far away!

I'm a little tired, so I'm sorry if I'm waxing a little sentimental here... ;0) Some days have definitely been better than others. Thanks to each of you for your love, prayers, and support. And if you hear of any stellar job leads in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas, please don't hesitate to forward them on!

Love you all!

Jessi

2009 Reads

2010-01-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Forgotten Carols (Michael McLean)
Time Cat (Lloyd Alexander)
Riding Freedom (Pam Munoz Ryan)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Roald Dahl)
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
When Day Breaks (Mary Jane Clark)
The Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
The Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Where Are You Now? (Mary Higgins Clark)
In His Steps (Charles Sheldon)
The Promethius Deception (Robert Ludlum)
Redwall (Brian Jacques)
Wicked (Gregory Maguire)
The Whole Truth (David Baldacci)
The Sight (David Clement Davies)
Blind Side (Clair M. Poulson)
The Believer (Stephanie Black)
Chickens in the Headlights (Matthew Buckley)
Baptists at Our Barbecue (Robert Farrell Smith)
The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo)
The Witches of Eileanan Series (Kate Forsyth)
The Appeal (John Grisham)
A Countess Below Stairs (Eva Ibbotson)
A Song for Summer (Eva Ibbotson)
Stranger with My Face (Lois Duncan)
Locked in Time (Lois Duncan)
The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
The Gift of Magic (Lois Duncan)
The Cry of the Halidon (Robert Ludlum)
The Third Eye (Lois Duncan)
The Matlock Paper (Robert Ludlum)
The Amber Spyglass (Philip Pullman)
The Subtle Knife (Philip Pullman)
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman)
Our Search for Happiness (M. Russell Ballard)

Thanksgiving & Other Stories

2009-12-08T13:31:00.012-07:00

Whew! It surprises me how much can happen in just a relatively small amount of time!! The last few weeks have been loaded with fun things, time with family and friends, and not much sleep... It's been AWESOME!!

My friend Mindy and I decided that we needed to really set up a work-out/get-up-early routine, so we started on the 22nd. She lives about an hour away, so we would wake up at 5:30am (yes, I did) and text each other to make sure we're both awake. Then we would do our own exercising routines. Mine lasts about half an hour. After that I go eat breakfast and do my morning scripture study. It's awesome! I'm on week three now!!

My Thanksgiving week really started when Mom and Dad arrived on the night of the 24th (Tuesday) after I got off work. We ran some errands really quick, and then checked into the Residence Inn where we were staying for the week (only a 10 minute drive from my apartment, but hey... not gonna pass up the opportunity to sleep in a hotel, in a king size bed, on a real mattress!

I woke up at 5:30am on Wednesday (still had to work), did my morning routine. Dad dropped me off at work, since they were borrowing my car, and then Mom and Dad went down to Provo to get Kimmy. I was picked up from work at 7pm, and we headed up to the Delta Center (Energy Solutions??) and watched honestly one of the best concerts someone could ever go and see!

I LOVE the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO)!! It's the perfect combination of hard rock and classical and Christmas music! This was my second time seeing them (Mom, Dad, and Kimmy's third time) and it's just amazing! We had great seats this time too! Here's some pictures of the lasers (a must for any rock concert)... and I've got some of their music in my playlist at the bottom of my blog:

Thursday - the day of Thanksgiving... Another perfect combination. This time, it's family and food! We spent most of the day making dinner and then eating dinner and then playing May-I (our family's favorite card game). It was such a good day! To top it all, Kimmy blessed us with her mad pie-making skills... complete with latticed top! (Needless to say, Kimmy was very pleased with her pie...)

Black Friday... words are just not enough. I did not even think about a single retail establishment the entire day! We got up in the morning and started our day at the Hogle Zoo. It was cold, but SO much fun! We are all generally fans of going to the zoo, but the number of new babies at Hogle Zoo made the trip that much better! (And Julie, my blog is dumb - or maybe my computer at work. The videos were NOT loading, so I posted them on FB. Everyone should check them out... I admit they're pretty darn fun!)

After the zoo, we went back to the hotel to eat leftovers, then headed to Jordan Commons MegaPlex to see New Moon! It was a lot better than I'd expected, and I think that in the movies I am definitely Team Jacob! HOLY COW!! We visited some of Kimmy's friends that live at the MegaPlex after the movie...

After everyone decided that we weren't hungry enough for dinner, we headed up to Salt Lake to meet up with some friends of mine, the Hale family (and no "S" means not related ;0). I used to work with Kevin a few years ago and his wife Annie and I hit it off so well that we've become great friends! I often watch their son Keenan, who has been known to refer to me as one of his "girlfriends". :0D The lights were amazing! But it was really cold, so we met up at Barnes & Noble for some Starbucks hot cocoa... and chatted until they closed. Such a great evening!!

There is nothing better than being with family for the holidays! The only thing that would have made it "best" is if the rest of our family had been there with us!! We definitely missed them! Mom and Dad flew home on Saturday afternoon, Kimmy went back to Provo, and I got to sleep in my own bed that night! :0D

Some highlights from the last week or so since then...

I went to see Sleeping Beauty at the Children's Theatre in Salt Lake City! Nothing is quite so fun as watching a play with all the little kids in the audience to add their two-cents!
I spent basically this whole last weekend with my friend Mindy:
We went to the Provo Temple to do sealings and had a wonderful time!
We visited Kimmy at the BYU Paleontology Museum where she works and got the grand tour. This is a picture from when Mom and Dad visited her, but those are toe bones from a new dinosaur she's been working on - SO COOL!!
We volunteered at the Festival of Trees in Sandy, a night full of all kinds of adventure... and adorable little playhouses.
We did a sleep over at Mindy's, complete with She's the Man and KFC Snackers.
We went shopping with Mindy's Mom all day on Saturday - I'm now basically done with my Christmas shopping.
Church was AMAZING on Sunday!
I went with Mindy and her family to see the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional at the Conference Center downtown - also amazing!

So the end of November was full of food and family - and the beginning of December was full of fun with friends! Makes for an awesome two weeks!!

Now... I really need to spend more time with my sewing machine! :0D

So Much to Be Thankful For!

2009-11-25T14:09:00.002-07:00

Some days we forget To look around us
Some days we can't see The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

I really wanted to start this post off with this simple thought from my favorite Josh Groban song, Thankful. It really kind of epitomizes my thoughts and feelings as I've gone through "life as it is" the last few days. I have several close friends and family members that are going through personal trials right now that have allowed me a certain perspective in my own life and how blessed I truly am... I just seem to forget it a little too often.

Almost exactly a year ago, the bishop of my singles ward challenged each of us to keep a gratitude journal for a few weeks' time. I am usually running late on everything, so my gratitude diary didn't officially take effect until January 1st, 2009 when I reread President Henry B. Eyring's October 2007 General Conference talk, O Remember, Remember. I was really struck by the words he received through personal revelation, "I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down." I looked up thanksgiving in the Topical Guide of my scriptures and also read, "...that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you" in Alma 34:38. It became an unofficial New Years' resolution at that time to write down each day something I was grateful for, and while I will occassionally miss a day, I have gone back the next day. I have recorded something I was grateful for each day so far in 2009, and I have found this process so rewarding that I plan to continue it into the next year. I am not very good at keeping a regular journal, so my gratitude diary has become just that... at least for now.

Some days I forget to look around myself, and so when I go to bed those nights and make my daily gratitude diary entry it's challenging - but I'm getting better at noticing... and remembering. Some days the things I find cause me to laugh a few days later, and some days they make me cry. Some days I'm grateful for the people I was with, and some days I'm grateful for an experience. Some days it is something simple, and some days I am grateful for things it is hard to be grateful for. But every day, I am grateful. And it has changed my life.

I've listed below a few of the things I was grateful for this year:

I am grateful for the peace of the outdoors when they're covered in a quiet blanket of snow.
I am grateful for calculators!
I am grateful for the fact that rice will hold heat for a long time and keep my feet warm.
I am grateful for dentists - that some crazy people out there actually like looking at other peoples teeth.
I am grateful for sushi!
I am grateful for the company of great books, for the escape, adventure, and understanding they provide. I am grateful when books cause me to laugh out loud.
I am grateful for my "new" purple bath rug and that Rachael and I had such a good laugh about that today. How does green change to purple?!
I am grateful for crimping irons, blue eye shadow, and 80's music! I am grateful for the great influence music has had on my life and that there really is something for every mood!
I am grateful for tissues and Vic's Vapor Rub! I am grateful for my humidifier.
I am grateful for tampons. Not gonna lie - could NOT live with out them. Saved me today.
I am grateful for smiles and laughing so hard it hurts.
I am grateful for socks!
I am so grateful for the time I had to spend getting to know each of my grandparents. I really missed them today.
I am grateful for the temple.
I am grateful that I have a job and the ability to provide for my needs.
I am grateful for the blessings of tithing.
I am grateful for whoever put pineapple and coconut together - such a great combo!
I am grateful for honest people. My car was backed into last night and it was awesome to find a note on my car letting me know what happened and who to contact.
I am grateful for humility, especially that which makes us teachable and willing to accept and admit a mistake.
I am grateful for the blessings of the priesthood.
I am grateful for the gift of forgiveness.
I am grateful for my trials, for the things they teach me and the ways they inspire me to become more than I am.
I am grateful for the amazing friends I have and all that I learn from their great examples.
I am grateful for my family! I am grateful for Caylee's silly-silly dance. I am grateful for Cambree and the sweet little blessing she is in our family. I am grateful for how perfectly Spencer fits into our family, and that Julie was so blessed to find him. I am grateful for Mom's intuition and that she's knows just what to say. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with Dad this weekend. I am grateful for the time Julie and I got to spend talking today - I miss her a lot. I am grateful that Kimmy can make me laugh, even if I don't want to.
I am grateful that no matter what happens, I will always have a home to go home to.
I am grateful for the gospel's guiding influence in my life. I think that without it I would lose hope in the world that I now live in. With the gospel, I see so much for joy, happiness, faith, and hope.
I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ - that He knows me, my happiness, sorrow, pain, and laughter. I am grateful that because of Him, I never have to be alone.

I could - and have - gone on for days, months, and almost a year. I am so grateful for this wonderful season and the opportunity we each have to focus a little more on being thankful. It is my hope that each of us can find something, just one thing, each day that we can be truly be grateful for. There really is so much to be thankful for!

Lastly, please take a minute - you won't regret it - to watch this video, In the Spirit of Thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you are!

And in case you were wondering, I am thankful for YOU!

BYU vs. Airforce = WIN! | Kimmy vs. Po = Uh...

2009-11-24T09:14:00.006-07:00

No fall would ever be complete without a good football game, especially a BYU football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium! Some friends and I got tickets for the BYU vs. Airforce game and I went down early to meet up with Kimmy. Then we went and spent the game sitting with my friends. It was the first time Kimmy and I were able to go to a BYU game together! So fun! It was SUCH a perfect day - albeit a little cold.

Our football buddies (left to right): Adrienne, me, Kimmy, Rachael, Gretchen, Karen! We look so cold!

I just love this picture!

I think the Airforce band was playing some patriotic tribute... Made for a cool picture of the football teams, anyway.

After the game, Kimmy and I were walking back to her apartment and passed the Victory Bell with perfect timing! Cosmo had just arrived and they were begining the Victory Bell "ceremony".

BYU 38 vs. Airforce 21 = WIN!

Whilst continuing our walk back to Kimmy's apartment, we took a detour through the Talmage Building on campus... and were met but the last individual we would have ever expected - especially in the math building! The One, the ONLY, Po AKA Kung Fu Panda (I officially feel very sorry for anyone who has NOT seen this movie!) We, of course, could not pass up the perfect photo opportunity. The following pictures are Kimmy and I trying to practice our Kung Fu-ness:

SKADOOSH!!

HI FIVE!!

Kimmy vs. Po = Well, I'll let you decide...

Needless to say, it was an amazingly fun and highly memorable day!

All for the Love of Burger

2009-11-23T14:50:00.005-07:00

So, I'm officially more than just a little bit excited that they finally managed to get In-n-Out in Utah. I would probably rate up on the "obsessed" scale... The first two locations north of St. George (Orem and Draper) opened at 9:30am Thursday, November 19th, 2009. So, I of course spent my lunch to see what the line was like... These are all pictures I took with my camera phone and uploaded to Facebook. I've included my original comments:

Yah, buddy!

So, the drive thru line was at least 30 cars long... and the walk in line probably as many people... So... maybe for dinner! At like 11 or 12 tonight...

How long will YOU wait for the best hamburger? Yes. I'm doing it. Listening to "Simply Irresistable" on Jack FM. Seems fitting. :o)

This from the In-n-Out worker that told me the estimated wait is 90-105 minutes. Done. I didn't even wait that long for Harry Potter VII...

These are the cones and cops directing traffic... The car in front of me has California plates and a border that says "Simply Satisfied". The car in front of them... yah, they're watching a movie - looks like An American Tale. I just got handed a slip of paper that has my order on it... :o)

Almost 2 hours later... and I'm finally entering the *real* drive thru. And yes, I brought a book.

:o)

Yes. Yes I did.

Just a little over 2 hours... and worth every minute!

So, yes. I am irrevocably and *almost* uncontrollably addicted to a hamburger and fries... of a certain variety.

A Little Sommin' Sommin' About Me...

2009-11-17T14:29:00.002-07:00

I will run to the grocery store, in the middle of a blizzard...
in a t-shirt and jeans.
(I did forgo the flip-flops.)

Bells on Temple Square

2009-11-17T14:01:00.004-07:00

Contrary to the dedication of my last three posts, I do actually DO things aside from browse Facebook. One of the many things I will miss about Utah when I eventually move away is the number of free concerts I can attend, especially those offered downtown on Temple Square. This last Friday I went with my friend Mindy and her parents to see a bell concert... I think I've seen bell performers before, but only in a significantly smaller setting.

I have always been obsessed with the tabernacle back lighting for the organ pipes! I'm not sure how they always make it look so amazing... but they do.

In addition to a number of classical pieces and Christmas arrangements, my favorite bell piece was probably an arrangement of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys. All the bell "ringers" donned shades. Props! (uh... both meanings...)

It took me the whole concert to get a decent picture of these bells. Most of the bells (ranging in size from maybe an inch in diameter to six-or-so inches) were "played" by petitish women. Note the bells on the second table back, all the way to the right. Um, yes. Those are bells. And yes, they had handles and were rang (How else would you say that?!) by hand. They were played by some gentlemen that would put the BYU football team's linemen to shame. Not joking.

So, I love this picture and that harp sitting out front there by itself... Interspersed with the "bells" arrangements were various ensemble and solo numbers - the organ, some flutes, a mini wind ensemble. My very favorite piece was an arrangement of the Star Wars Cantina (I've included a link here to refresh your memory as to what piece I'm referring to.)

This piece was performed by a harpist. Just a harpist. And she rocked it! I literally was laughing into my hand throughout this whole piece!

The Disable Saga, Part "It's Over!"

2009-11-14T11:15:00.002-07:00

Hi Jessi,

Thank you for providing this information. Facebook has limits in place to prevent users from running programs that automatically scan the site for certain content. Although this was not the case in your situation, viewing or refreshing pages at a rapid rate may cause your account to be disabled. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide more information about this system.

However, after reviewing your situation, your account has been reactivated. Please significantly slow down the rate at which you browse Facebook and refrain from violating any section of Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. You should also avoid using systems or products that automatically refresh Facebook pages. Further misuse of the site may result in your account being disabled again. We appreciate your cooperation going forward.

Thanks for your understanding,

Johanna
User Operations
Facebook

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So basically, the only thing I can determine - beside the fact that I apparently use Facebook too much, is that my internet/computer at home is a little slower than at work (not complaining, just the facts) and so it gives me grief occasionally when I load some of the things I look at on Facebook... like pictures. So occasionally to speed up this process (or get it to go to the picture at all) I have to hit refresh.

Moral #1: Refreshing is a bad thing. One should never be inclined to use the refresh button while using social-networking sites like Facebook.

Moral #2 (?): Jessi will still use Facebook, regardless of all the stress and complaining from this last week. It is what it is. (Is that a moral?)

The "Disabled" Saga - Note

2009-11-10T16:06:00.002-07:00

Click here for 13 Reasons Your Facebook Account Will Be Disabled

You never knew, did you? Me either...

The "Disabled" Saga, Part One

2009-11-10T10:30:00.012-07:00

Warning: This post is rather long and slightly venting. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't read it all... I am, however, trying to find ways of laughing through this...

After posting a few comments about how much I love Stephen's hot chocolate around 2pm on Saturday, November 7th, I laid down for a nap hoping that when I woke up I would feel less exhausted than I had all week. At around 4:30pm I received the following text from my friend Mindy:

You disappeared off facebook :(

At first I thought that she was referring to the fact that I'd been logged out of Facebook chat, so I ignored it until right around 5pm, when I woke up and went to my computer. Sure enough, my Facebook had been logged out, so I tried to log in and see if Mindy was still available to chat. When I tried to log in, I was sent to the following screen:

I figured I must have typed in my password in the wrong way a few too many times... So I clicked the little red "here" to view this FAQ page:

Right about now the panic started setting in. I started asking myself questions like, "Oh crap, who did I piss off... and how?" or "I wonder if this is some kind of glitch..." and then "Did someone hack into my account??" I read through the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and could think of no way that I could - or would - have breached this agreement. I wondered why this is happened, but their FAQ "Can I see the content that got me disabled?" states "Unfortunately, for technical and security reasons, Facebook cannot provide you with a description or copy of the removed content." Really? So my account's disabled, but I can't know why... Okay, this must be a mistake. Perfect, there's instructions for "I think my account was disabled by mistake."

I sent the following appeal to disabled@facebook.com:

My name is... My birthdate is... My login email address is... To my knowledge I have not done anything that was not in compliance with Facebook's Statement
of Rights and Responsibilities. I am very concerned as to why this happened, especially being as the only way I was notified is that one of my best friends was not able to find me on Facebook. Can you please explain to my why my account has been disabled? I have never had any complaints with Facebook, but now am quite concerned.

Sincerely,

To which I received the following autoresponder:

Hi,

The Facebook Team has received your inquiry. We should get back to you soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to review our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.facebook.com/terms.php) for more information.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

The Facebook Team

Done and done. So, my appeal sent, I thought for sure that after a few hours, maybe even a day, my Facebook account would be up and running again. I went to a party with a few friends that night, made jokes about my being "diabled" and therefore unwanted/unloved, but was not particularly surprised when I didn't hear anything on Saturday night or Sunday. I came in to work yesterday morning and - amidst texts from other friends and family wondering where my Facebook had gone - I had still not received any futher information from Facebook.

I would like to take a minute to hear a message from our sponsor, Facebook, and why I use it. First, Facebook is an amazing way to stay in contact with people I would not for other reasons be in contact with. People move, change contact information, but Facebook is still there... In fact, I keep in contact with most of my friends of years past through Facebook. I don't really have any other contact info for them! Second, due to the economic down turn, how it has effected the company I work for, and all that jazz, I've been working in a call center since September... and Facebook has in many ways been my sourse of sanity. I can play games, catch up with old friends, and lots of other things while I sit staring at my computer waiting for my phone to ring. On the weekend and on vacation I can go for days without looking at it... but at work, I go stir-crazy!

So, yesterday I took over 80 phone calls in a 10.5 hour period. That's almost 8 phone calls an hour - average - but in reality that last hour or two I probably only had a handful of calls. So in this call center, that's REALLY busy! But even on a crazy-busy day like yesterday, as with all call centers, that also means I had a lot of dead time. By late morning, I was starting to stress that Facebook wasn't working on my appeal, so I followed up with a second email:

Facebook,

My account has been disabled for almost 2 days now. It is becoming increasingly concerning to me that the only notification I have received is an automated response stating you received my appeal. I would like to have confirmation that someone is looking into this. I've been an active Facebook member for several years now and I have never, to my knowledge, breached compliance with the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, especially not to the degree that would have terminated my membership without warning. I have read and reread the Statement and can find no clause that I have ever broken. The only thing I can now think of is the possibility that my account was compromised in some way and some other entity or individual was able to hack into it. As you can imagine, this is even more concerning to me. Please contact me as soon as possible to let me know what is being done to resolve this matter. I find it particularly distressing that other people I know can use vulgarities and post offensive and occassionally even nude pictures, or obtain accounts that are clearly not personal accounts, which are all violations of the Statement, when I have never done anything in breach of this Statement and yet it is my account that is disabled. It is also particularly frustrating that you can not inform me as to why or how I am not in compliance with or have violated this Statement.

Please contact me as soon as possible to inform me what measures are being taken to resolve this issue and ensure it will not happen again in the future.

This email did not even elicit the same autoresponce email I received on Saturday after I sent in my original appeal. Nothing but digital-crickets. I satisfied my sanity by watching episodes of The Office seasons 1 and 2 during my downtime.

Last night Kimmy created a Facebook page - oh, the irony! - called Jessi Hales wants her Facebook account back, including a brief explanation as to what's been happening:

I don't know how many of you noticed, but Jessi's Facebook profile was disabled sometime last week for an unknown reason. The Facebook team is being difficult and will not respond to her emails answering her question of "Why?". Please join this group if you miss having Jessi on Facebook and let's show the Facebook team that she didn't deserve to be disabled. I know this is a little on the cliche side but it's worth a try....and invite all your friends/people that know Jessi. THANKS!!

Feel free to join this group if you haven't been disabled!

I called my mom and filled her in on what I'd been going through on my way home last night as well... She suggested that I try to find a phone number to call in and expedite the process. First this this morning, I tracked down Facebook's contact information (gotta love whitepages.com).

Facebook Inc.
1601 S. California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94304
P: 650.853.1300 | F: 650.543.4801

I attempted to contact them via phone this morning:

"Thank you for calling Facebook... If you are a user looking for Customer Care, please press one. Otherwise press zero for an Operator or wait for the beep to leave a message." If you press one, "We're sorry, but Customer Care is not available by phone at this time. Please email us at..." If you press zero, the operator will send you to 'Customer Care' the first time, but recognize your phone number the second time you call, and let you roll over to voicemail.

We'll see how my fax turns out:

Appeals Department Manager,

On Saturday, November 7^th, 2009, at 4:32 pm MT, I received a message from a friend of mine wondering why I had “disappeared off Facebook”. You can imagine my surprise when I attempted to log in to my Facebook account and found that my account was disabled. I followed the link to find out more information, read through the FAQs posted and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, and then proceeded to send an email to disabled@facebook.com according to the posted appeal process – since “I think my account was disabled by mistake.” That email was sent on the same date at 5:10pm MT, to which I received the following automated response from the Facebook Team: “The Facebook Team has received your inquiry. We should get back to you soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to review our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.facebook.com/terms.php) for more information.”

It has been almost three days since I submitted the initial email requesting more information, and I have not received any further information or response. I have tried the phone number, including the step that leads to “customer care” which apparently doesn’t exist.

As mentioned in my phone message as well as both emails I’ve submitted, I do not believe I have breached the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. You can look through past posts and any information I have posted to my account and you will find that I am conservative and will refrain from posting anything that might offend any of my friends and associates. I am simply requesting the reinstatement of my account as it existed at the time it was disabled on Saturday.

Please contact me to validate any information, or – even better – to let me know this issue has been resolved and will not happen again. I also expect a detailed explanation of why this even happened.

I'll update my blog as the saga continues.

The best part is, if they ever reactivate my account... I'll probably still love Facbook and use it every day. Ergo, they win. As the saying goes: The person [or entity] with the least emotional involvement in any relationship has the most control.

Why Are Classics Classics?

2009-11-05T10:22:00.003-07:00

Because they have something to share with generation after generation! I'm reading Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" - a remarkable read that I'm finding more enjoyable and easier to read than I originally expected. It's always fun for me to come across little gems in whatever I'm reading... especially when they have such a profound affect on my current state of mind and spirit. This is something I came across yesterday:

"Desire nothing for thyself, be not covetous, anxious, envious. The future of men and thy destiny too must be unknown for thee; but live that thou mayest be ready for all. If it shall be God's will to prove thee... be ready to obey His will."

I found that this little nugget of wisdom - as well as many others - was surprisingly applicable not only to me but to the general state of the world right now... surprising I guess because they are words that came from a novel published over 140 years ago.

And it kinda sounds like a scripture...

Octoberween

2009-10-28T10:36:00.012-06:00

So, granted I really like holidays of all sorts, but Halloween is really near the top! I love the fall, which adds to my love for all holidays during that time of year... but why not take advantage of every opportunity to dress up, eat great food, and party your heart out??

This last weekend I had the chance to go to two Halloween parties - and loved every second of it. Maybe we're getting a little too personal, but I think that while I love the holidays there is also a kind of drag that I go through this time of year. Admittedly watching everyone else celebrate their traditions as families and pass those traditions on to their own children puts a slight damper on the way I look at my own holidays... I still have an amazing time, but that little damper rears its ugly head each year (uninvited) and needs to be squashed as I enter this wonderful season. I am genuinely grateful to my amazing family and friends that let me celebrate with them each year. It makes squishing that damper SO much easier!

This last Friday, my cousins were having a Halloween party for their kids and invited me to come. I was planning to watch my good friends' son, Keenan, while they attended a temple session, so Keenan got all dressed up in his pirate costume and went to the party with me! We had seriously so much fun! We wandered through a tangled spiderweb of yarn to find a gift my cousin had hidden for Keenan, while each of the other kids found their own - bubbles, socks, and a Halloween pencil! After we all got ourselves all untangled, we went to the kitchen and made spiders out of ding-dongs, shoe-string-licorice, frosting, and Skittles! I helped Keenan make sure he got the right number of legs on his spider while he made sure we got WAY too much frosting - both on the spider and in his little tummy!

Everyone else had gotten dressed up, so Emmalynn (my cousin's daughter) brought me this amazing hat so I wouldn't feel left out (I came straight from work). I'm not really a hat person, but this one just fit so well... I had to remember to take it off before I went home that night! Thanks Misty and family for inviting me to come and thanks to Kevin and Annie for letting me "borrow" Keenan for the evening! Many fun memories were made that night - I'm sure for Keenan as well as me!

Saturday night some friends and I headed up to Oakley, UT (up above Park City and Kamas) to attend my friend Mindy's annual Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza! Four girls and four gourds (including my 30-pound pumpkin) piled into my little car and headed up the mountain. It was such a pretty drive that I felt refreshed before we even got there! We helped Mindy finish decorating and prepping food, and then the real fun began. Mindy broke out her infamous wig collection while I donned my cat-woman costume (a personal favorite). Then the photo-ops began!

After more people arrived, we got the tarps laid out in the living room and started our pumpkin carving adventures!

Of course we also had to take our intermittent breaks to the food table, which included cheese balls, pumpkin rolls, fruit tarts, cookies, candies, and some jalapeno kielbasa/shrimp kabobs! Knowing me, this was not the only time I snuck over to the food table... just look at that guilty look on my face! (Really... no shame!)

After the pictures, eating, and carving were over (well... maybe just the carving...) we each took our finished products to the porch and set them aglow with tea lights. This is my 30-pound pumpkin that my friends informed me looked like Captain Gantu off of Lilo & Stitch:

Slanting, hollow eyes and no real nose... hmmm...

Oh there it is! Striking resemblance! ;0)

A great time was had all around - nothing brings people together quite the same was as scraping guts out of a pumpkin! Here are some of the others from that night:

Seriously made for quite the exciting weekend! I'm really looking forward to this next weekend - Kimmy and I are driving down to Arizona to spend Halloween together as a complete family for the first time in about 10 years! Combine Halloween with a 2-year-old birthday, a baby blessing, and taking my nieces trick-or-treating... Recipe for the perfect weekend!

Stitchin' It Up!

2009-10-08T08:35:00.004-06:00

My roommate and many friends would attest that - while normally you would find me stuck behind whatever book I've been reading (still usually the case) - I've been spending a significant amount of time behind my sewing machine as well. My most consistent project has been making what most of my family and friends have used as scripture bags - I think I've made about six of these since December '08:

Amongst some other small projects (i.e. mending), I recently completed my first *quilted* blanket. Normal my blanket adventures have included two flat panels, some batting, and tied-yarn-tufts. I decided that for my next quilt - a baby shower gift for one of my very best friends - I would venture into the unknown. My experiment turned out better than I ever imagined!

So, the fabric was pretty basic - all my *quilting* involved was running my regular sewing machine alone the lines around the animals on the top (admittedly much more involved than I had originally anticipated). When I delivered the gift to my friend, her grandmother was ranting at how well I'd done. She also asked me how I didn't get the "infamous puffiness" in the middle of the pattern, to which I replied, "I figured I'd start in the middle, so that any puffiness could be hid in the binding." My friend's grandmother was very impressed at my forethought - especially since I'd never even helped in *officially* quilting anything! She told her granddaughter, "That's one smart friend you've got there - don't let that one get away!"

My next adventure - a little sommin-sommin like this:
(actual pictures forthcoming... eventually)

Famous... er... Something...

2009-10-05T15:27:00.002-06:00

So, the company I work for just started featuring corporate employees in the newsletter that goes out to all of our customers as well as everyone internally. Guess who got featured in the first one - oh, yah. Me! I wasn't super thrilled about having my-magazine-self sent all over the United States... but it didn't turn out soooo bad (just omit the parts that talk about how much I love working there - typical media - I really said everything else ;0):

Jessi has a secret: her hair color is natural! Born in Camarillo, California, but raised in the San Francisco East Bay area, she is the oldest of three girls. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Brigham Young University—and STILL loves to read! “My ideal day (when not at LifeVantage) would be spending time in the mountains with friends and family, but also having plenty of time to read,” she says. Her current read? “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R.Tolkien.

Jessi plays the flute; she has studied it for approximately 18 years. She has a 2 ½ gallon fish tank that is home to betta fish, cat fish and ottocinclus fish. She looks to Shakespeare for inspiration for their names. “I have a betta fish named Othello and his predecessor was Hamlet, because Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean play.”

Other favorites include the movie “Just Like Heaven,” ballroom dance, travel, and working in the Customer Service department at LifeVantage. “I love talking to all of the distributors,” she says. “It’s fun to meet new people and get to know them. I wish everyone knew what a great place LifeVantage is to work, and how awesome the employees are. We have fun!”

My Favorite Place in Utah...

2009-09-30T09:26:00.007-06:00

Mom and Kimmy drove out to Utah at the end of August to move Kimmy back out to BYU. After church on August 29th, we got in the van and headed up Provo Canyon. Kimmy was enjoying the fresh mountain air through the van's sun roof!

On the way to Bald Mountain and Mirror Lake after you've gone through Kamas, there's a pull out on the left for the Upper Provo River Falls... and it is probably my very favorite spot in Utah.

Kimmy and I left Mom reading at the main view point, shed our shoes by some rocks, and took off to explore the upper falls.

Climbing around the rocky river banks is quite the exercise!

Kimmy tried sleeping on this "Ariel" rock... but rocks don't make good beds. So she went and found a place to sit in the middle of the river instead.

This really is one of my favorite places. It's so pretty, and with all the rain this summer, the river was running much higher than it has in years past when we've been there.

Kimmy got treed.

Pictures can't really capture the beauty of the place, and definitely won't relay the serentiy of it either... but it really is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

I'M ALIVE!!

2009-08-14T17:53:00.010-06:00

So, I'm totally a slacker for not having done ANYTHING on here in over a month. Seriously, time has just flown by! Here are some highlights from the month of July:

My parents and I went up to Aberdeen, Idaho (on the back side of American Falls Reservoir) for the 4th of July weekend. We've been up there several times in the last 12 months helping my aunt and uncle with the electrical on their new house.
On these trips I have completely fallen in love with the country up there! It's so beautiful - not to mention the peace and quiet!!
Mom and I adventured up to Blackfoot on the 4th and happened across a historical gem: the Idaho Potato Museum. It was - sadly - closed, but we wandered around outside to look at the interesting farm equipment and some other odds and ends... like this:
Later the next week, I went to a vendor's open house and showcase where - after dinner - I was privileged (?) to see Macy Gray in concert with her amazing (?) back-up singers in gorgeous (?) pink tasseled dresses. Macy was incredibly sober (?) and sounded great (?). I left after 10 minutes.
About a week later, I was on my way home from a long Friday at work and rear-ended the car in front of me. (I was going all of 3 miles an hour... and the picture below is a testament that that is WAY too fast if there is a car right in front of you. ;0) My sisters would argue that I did it on purpose, as the car I rear-ended was a PT Cruiser and they're basically my favorite (?????) car out there!! (GROSS!!) I was able to get my car in for repairs on Tuesday of the next week and my rental car for 35.7 hours was - drumroll please - yes, a banana-custard-colored PT Cruiser. Needless to say I have been sufficiently humbled and my driving skills are slightly less Californian than a few weeks ago...
I got my car back on Wednesday evening - a WONDERFUL thing, especially as I was driving to California on Friday! Thursday night I met up with some great friends - my old roommate Erika, her husband John, and sister Dana. We went through the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House (amazing!!) and followed that with dinner at Johnny Carino's. It was so good to see you guys again! We need to not make it so long before next time!!
My aforementioned journey to California with the Pearl and none else was due to my parents' celebration of 100 years of life (between the two of them). My sister Julie, her almost-two-year-old daughter Caylee, and I had not originally planned to make the journey (for various reasons, not the least of them being that Julie is due with Cambree (her next daughter) on September 9th). But our great family friends Rob and Tove wanted us to come out and surprise Mom, Dad, and Kimmy - and after a little persuasion and some Dr. approval, we agreed! It was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time! There is NOTHING better than spending an unexpected weekend together as a family, complete with a party, games, Caylee, and a trip to Digger's Diner! Here is a shot of Mom and Dad wearing the birthday hats Kimmy made for them:

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, MOM & DAD!!

In addition to everything else awesome that I did at home, I was able to sneak over to my Mom and Dad's hair stylist and got myself a new look. I'd been debating it for about 4 months, but I finally did it and I LOVE IT!!!
Officially carrying over into the beginning of August, my roommate Rachael had her birthday "party" via a girls' night out to Macaroni Grill. It was a lot of fun! I already planning something similar for my next birthday... Any suggestions as to where?
So, that's my last 30 days in a nutshell. I never truly realized how much can happen in such a short time, but even with as rushed as everything feels from time to time, life is amazing! Hopefully the next 30 days are full of as much excitement, laughs, and great memory making moments!

Alpha Bits

2009-07-06T11:22:00.013-06:00

- Available: Single life has actually been quite enjoyable recently...- Age: Old enough...

- Annoyance: Incompetence

- Animal: Wolves. I think they are amazingly fascinating animals - intelligent, social, beautiful...

- Actor/Actress: I would be an actress. I don't think I would qualify as an actor. :oD

- Beer: I have been known to drink beer of the root and birch varieties.- Best best friend: My mom and my sisters. I would list Crystal, Mindy, Gretchen, and Rachael as close seconds.

- Birthday: March 10

- Blind or Deaf: Well, my eyes get worse every day, but I already know sign language...

- Been on stage: A few times. I once was "wheat" in The Little Red Hen, and I once lost my shoe on stage while dancing for a Christmas something in like 2nd grade... Obviously my big roles are yet to come... or... something...

- Believe in yourself: Definitely!

- Believe in miracles: Miracles happen every day! We just don't recognize them for what they are...

- Believe in God: Most definitely!

- Believe in Satan: Just as real as God is.

- Best weather: A good rainy day that keeps everything cool and smelling fresh. Having the sun peak through later in the afternoon just adds to it. But NOTHING is better than a good summer thunder shower!

- Believe in Magic: Yup... good kinds and bad.

- Believe in Santa: I hope I always will!

- Candy: Almond Joy, Haribo Gummy Bears (the best), and almost anything sour...

- Car: I currently have a Toyota Corolla, but I want a Tacoma.

- Color: Mostly blue, but black is pretty high up there...

- Chocolate/Vanilla: Really depends on the day and what medium the flavor/scent is coming in...

- Chinese/Mexican Food: I'm pretty sure I could eat Mexican food everyday.

- Cake /Pie: Depends on the type... Cheesecake is my favorite, but generally I will choose pie.

- Continent to visit: Europe, but I would go just about anywhere.

- Cheese: I am officially in love with cheese. The end.

- Day or Night: Generally night, I'm not sure why but I've always been a night owl.

- Dancing: Loves it! Ballroom or just to play. My sisters and I used to crank the music in our family room and then just dance like crazy with zero inhibitions. It was so dang much fun!!

- Dance in the rain: For sure!! I've been many times.

- Do the splits: Uh, no. I used to be able to do back bends in my spry, limber, and much younger years... but never the splits. I do, however, like banana splits. :0)

- Eyes: Hazel, but depending on what I'm wearing they occasionally look more green or blue.

- Eggs: Boiled, scrambled, fried - but not runny, in toast, omelets... I like eggs.

- Everyone has a(n): natural inclination to laugh... and aren't you glad?!?!

- Ever failed a class: Not officially. I did come close a few times in my early college years..

- First thoughts waking up: "Seriously?!?!" And then I hit snooze... at least twice. Or reset my alarm for another time.

- Food: is a good thing.

- First crush: I think his name was Tommy... in like 1st grade.

- Greatest Fear: Spiders. On my face. While I'm sleeping. Yes, it happened. Twice.

- Get along with your parents: Of course!

- Good luck charm: I used to wear lucky socks for exams in college... Then they died. I don't take tests anymore.

- Hair Color: Red. None better!

- Height: 5'6"

- Happy: 99% of the time! It's a great feeling!

- Holiday: Thanksgiving is my favorite, followed closely by Christmas, Easter, Independence Day*, Pioneer Day*, New Year's Eve*, and St. Patrick's Day. (*I have pyromaniac tendencies...)

- How do you want to die: Happy

- Ice Cream: Chocolate Almond, Chocolate w/ Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan, Rainbow Sherbet...

- Instrument: Mostly the flute, but I also play piccolo, tenor sax, and a bit of piano.

- Jewelry: CTR ring and earrings every day... usually with a necklace and bracelet.

- Job: I am currently an event planner for a company call LifeVantage. It's a blast!

- Kids: I like them. Looking forward to someday having some of my own. Gotta wait for that Mr. Right to come along first...

- Kickboxing or karate: Pilates.

- Keep a journal: Journals come in so many shapes and sizes... I keep a nightly gratitude journal. I am not so good at some of the others I have.

- Love: is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it...It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more. - Erica Jong

- Laughed so hard you cried: many, many, many times. And it's wonderful each time.

- Milk flavor: Usually just Cream of Weber 1%. However, I do like Nesquik chocolate and strawberry.

- Movies: I like lots of movies. I am always a fan of Disney classics and Pixar. I like good musicals, many classics, and most romantic comedies. I am also a fan of good action movies, including westerns. Safe to say I like good movies.

- Motion sickness: Usually takes a while, but is possible in a car. I have no problem on boats or trains.

- McDonald's or Burger King: In-N-Out

- Marriage: is something I look foward to, but I'm enjoying life now... not just waiting around for it to fall in my lap.

- Number: 8

- Number of siblings: 2

- Number of piercings: 2 - one in each ear... tho I debated getting a second in each ear a few years ago...

- One wish: To live my life with no regrets. Not no mistakes, just no regrets. I hope everyone else can do the same too!

- Pepsi or Coke: Milk

- Perfect Pizza: Pier 49's Lombard Street - BBQ Chicken

- Quail: Their little song was my person "It's spring!" indicator in college.

- Reality T.V.: I don't really watch TV. I used to watch the Amazing Race and So You Think You Can Dance? with my roommates, but not so much anymore. I prefer reading.

- Radio Station: Usually just whatever CDs are in my car. I like My 99.5 and LOVED My Country 105.7 until they changed it to mariachi music one day on my way to work. I'm still bitter.

- Roll your tongue in a circle: Yup. Since I was a kid.

- Ring size: 8 or 8.5 depending on the ring

- Song: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - Best. Song. Ever.

- Shoe size: 7.5 to 8.5 depending on the shoe

- Salad Dressing: Ranch or something with balsamic vinegar

- Sushi: YES! Loves the sushi. My favorite is the Don Juan from Tsunami or the Vegas from Happy Sumo. But I love rainbow rolls, spider rolls, tiger rolls... Yes, I love sushi!

- Shower: Yup. It's basically a must.

- Strawberries/Blueberries: Blueberries are poisonous.

- Skipped School: A few times in high school, normally with Mom's permission. A *little* more in college... Ahem... *Little*

- Swear: Usually no. Some days are definitely better than others.

- Stuffed animals: Confession. I sleep with a stuffed Rhino. His name is Rhino. And, yes is it hereditary. My parents both sleep with pillows in their arms. Mine is just cooler.

- Scientists need to invent: more holidays. Oh wait...

- Tattoos: Not gonna lie, I think some tatts are pretty sweet. I've debated getting a henna tattoo once or twice, but could never do a permanent one for myself.

- Time for bed: When I'm tired. Usually around 11:30pm-12:30am. Time for "not bed" is an entirely differnt story.

- TV show: NBC's Chuck!! Just waiting for season 3!!

- Unpredictable: I would say not usually... but sometimes very much so.

- Vacation spot(s): Anywhere with the family... I do tend to like the cooler places better than the hotter places.

- Vegetable you hate: Canned peas

- Vegetable you love: I love most vegetables... especially when they're fresh. My favorite is probably spinach.

- Weakness: Something that smells really good... This could be food, lotion, some guy that just walked past...

- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: Crystal or Mindy (if sisters don't count)

- Worst feeling: Wind and rain on the face, not necessarily together

- Worst Weather: Anything over 75 degrees... unless there's a breeze. Maybe upper 80s with a breeze.

- Who makes you laugh the most: Probably Kimmy...

- Where do we go when we die: I'm gonna copy Lis and say "Click here for more deets."

- X-Rays: Few times. On my teeth. Ankles. Spine. My doctor once asked my if I'd recently been in a car accident after looking at pictures of my spine. I said no, I've never been in one and then asked why. I was suffering for pretty severe whiplash and had no idea. I guess I was playing too much ultimate frisbee...

- Year it is now: 2009

- Yellow: The color of some of my favorite flowers....

Z
- Zoos: Love them. Great family pastime.

Sea Change in San Diego

2009-06-30T13:40:00.006-06:00

So this last weekend was our first big event at LifeVantage, the new company I now work for. It was awesome! Going into it I kept thinking of all the "what-ifs" that could come up to make the event not so wonderful, but in reality everything went great! What a good feeling!!

Our event, Sea Change, was held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront looking out over the San Diego Bay. San Diego was beautiful and in the 70s the entire time we were there. I wish we'd had some more free time... but by the time Saturday night rolled around, I just needed sleep. Here are some good pics from the hotel:

Here is a picture of what the general session stage set looked like... Not the best shot, but good.

Validation!

2009-06-02T12:01:00.004-06:00

This is probably one of the best movies ever made... ever. And it's only 16 minutes 23 seconds long. Everyone should watch it - You will laugh, cry, empathize... but mostly, you will smile for the rest of the day. I dare you not to love it!

Validation

Alive & Kickin'!

2009-05-26T17:10:00.003-06:00

I keep meaning to get on here and post an amazing update about my life and all that is new... but there really isn't much new or amazing, so I am at a loss.

Lies! I just remembered I hadn't posted since my family went camping at the end of April - and that was definitely amazing. Kimmy finished up her second year at BYU, so Mom and Dad were out here helping her move. After Kimmy's finals, Mom, Kimmy, and I crammed into the van and met Dad, Spencer, Julie, and Caylee in Flagstaff where we spent 6 days and 5 nights camping. It was a blast! There is nothing better than being in the great outdoors enjoying nature, relaxing, and playing games with the family. Plus food always tastes better outside around a campfire - or bonfire... (we were trying to get rid of all the rest of the wood that last night... so we're all pyromaniacs - no shame!)

After camping, I rode back with the California crew (Mom, Dad, and Kimmy) to spend a few days back home since I probably won't be back there until Christmas. Julie and Spencer are amazing and gave me a desktop computer, so I spent some of my California time getting it ready to ship to Utah. It was a few more days of relaxing, sleeping in, and playing with Calypso, the kitten we got Mom for Christmas. It was an amazing week and a half and, including the time Mom and Dad were in Utah helping Kimmy, probably the longest amount of time I've spent with my family since before I graduated from BYU. The only downside is that it makes me miss them even more now!

Life has just been pretty humdrum ever since I got back - I work, I hang out with friends, and I don't really sleep a ton. It's a great combo and makes for a whole lot of fun. My friends and I regular places like the Belgian Waffle and McDonalds, then spend several hours each week playing various games like Hand-and-Foot, Ticket To Ride, and Taboo. Last week we went and saw the new Star Trek movie, which I loved.

Life is good! Just plain and simple - having some good times.

Biblioholics R Us

2009-04-03T09:02:00.007-06:00

1) What author do you own the most books by? Probably either David Baldacci or Tom Clancy... I'm at work so I can't count them.
2) What book do you own the most copies of? I used to own 2 copies of Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone and 2 copies of Twilight, but I think I gave the paperbacks away...
3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? Unfortunately, yes.
4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? Currently, Dide the Jongleur from the Witches of Eileanan series... That is subject to change by whatever I read next.
5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)? Probably Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone.
6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old? I didn't really much like books when I was younger... I don't know if I was 10, but the first chapter book that I connected with was Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.
7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year? Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn (She was compared to Jane Austin on the back cover, but she actually writes historical romance novels... which I figured out later. Officially NOT recommended.)
8) What is the best book you've read in the past year? Brisingr by Christopher Paolini is very high on my list.
9) If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be? I don't think I would ever want to force anyone to read anything... but I can say that A Canticle for Leibowitz is one of the few books I've read where I was a different person when I finished. Great book! You will need this if you read it.
10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature? Paolo Cuehlo, author of The Alchemist, another book that everyone should read.
11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie? A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson would make a great movie I think, but honestly books don't really need to be movies...
12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie? A lot of books should never be movies. Just how it is...
13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. I really have too many to describe just one. If I'm really involved in a book or series, everything about my life kind of revolves around what I'm reading. Harry Potter, Eileanan, Twilight... I think I've had at least one dream about every fiction book I've ever read.
14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult? See #7.
15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read? All for different reasons, but probably a close tie between Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser which I hated, Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis which I didn't finish, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou which I liked the second time.
16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen? I can't say I've seen any that fall into the category of obscure... but I have seen a lot.
17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians? They both have amazing accents...
18) Roth or Updike? I've never read Philip Roth nor John Updike, but I know about their works and am not really jazzed about reading either of them.
19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? Not read either, but want to read some of Eggers' stuff.
20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Shakespeare a solid first, then Milton. Chauser if I'm in the mood to laugh and/or get disgusted.
21) Austen or Eliot? I've never read Jane Austen (*GASP*) but I love Jane Austen's works. I found T.S. Eliot's Wasteland really depressing, and have never read George Eliot's (Mary Anne Evans) works.
22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading? Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but they're next on my list.
23) What is your favorite novel? This is an impossible question to answer for anyone really. It depends on the genre, the day, the mood, the weather, where I'm living, what I'm eating, what I've read most recently... so many factors. Dumb question (same with #24-29). If I was, however, to pick one that will always be a favorite that I could read over and over, the Harry Potter books take the prize.
24) Play? Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing or Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
25) Poem? Wilfred Owen's war poems
26) Essay? Emerson's Nature
27) Short story? Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (technically a novella... but meh...)
28) Work of nonfiction? Elie Wiesel's Night
29) Who is your favorite writer? The bulk of #23 applies to this question as well.
30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today? Uh, frankly, almost every celebrity-turned-author and many others.
31) What is your desert island book? Singular - not gonna happen. I don't think I could survive with only one book...
32) Who is your favorite critic or scholar? Myself or close friends and family. I rarely trust the judgement of people who get paid to determine the quality of a book. Quality is greatly determined by the reader as an individual. One person cannot determine by themselves how good a book is for all people.
33) Who is your favorite philosopher? I love the classical philosophers, but I also love Emerson and C.S. Lewis.
34) Who is your favorite public intellectual? Meh... smart people are smart, celebrities or otherwise.
35) And... what are you reading right now? I just finished the Wiches of Eileanan series by Kate Forsyth and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. I'm taking a short break before I plow into Tolkien!

Music, Dancing, BBQ, & Holi

2009-03-30T10:43:00.015-06:00

The combination for a perfect weekend: listening to the Orchestra on Temple Square play Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, dancing at the MAC, eating at Tucanos, and getting into a colored chalk dust fight with 10,000 people! Yup, it was a good weekend.

Last week was honestly one of the best weekends I've had in a long time! Every day I was totally jazzed to do whatever I needed to get done... even if that was laundry. It's really great to be excited about life! And the weekend was the perfect capstone! Friday night I went to see the Orchestra on Temple Square as they performed, with other pieces, my favorite classical piece of all time! It was my first time hearing it performed live, and with the other pieces performed, made for a very emotional concert. After the concert, I met up with a few old friends at the MAC for a few hours of dancing and a trip to Leatherby's. Great night!

I slept in a little on Saturday and then drove down to Provo where Kimmy treated me to Tucanos, a Churrasco-style Brazilian Barbeque - all-you-can-eat BBQ meats and pineapple, capped with a creme brule! After successfully filling ourselves, we met up with my roommate Rachael and headed to the Krishna Temple to celebrate the Hindu Holi, or Festival of Colors. It took us about 45 minutes to drive down Main Street in Spanish Fork and find parking (which is a lot less time than it would have taken us to walk it...), but we found parking at a grocery store about 1/4 mile away from the Krishna Temple. As we came to the top of the hill, we realized that the throwing of the colors had officially begun!

We were excited to dive in and join in the festivities, so we documented our before picture and walked onto the temple grounds.

The Festival of Colors is celebrated on the full moon in the month of Phalgun Purnima, which falls usually in February or March. It is known in India as Boshonto Utsav, "Spring Festival". Krishna is a deity worshiped across many traditions in Hinduism and is believed to be an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, the supreme god. When younger, Krishna was often found in the company of Gopis, young cow-herd girls, his favorite and later his consort being Radha. The story goes that young Krishna, traditionally depicted in paintings with blue skin, complained to his mother about the difference between his skin and Radha's fair skin. To appease young Krishna, his mother applied color to Radha's face. The Hindu people carry on this tradition with colored paints, water, and chalk riddled with incense.

I didn't actually read this story until after I'd been to the festival. I wondered what the significance was of throwing the colors. I knew it was a celebration of spring, the season of love, but I wondered if there was something else significant. I thought that it was kind of neat to have everyone painted various colors, so that you could not really tell what their "natural" colors were - hair, skin, clothing - it all became coated by the colors, allowing in many ways for everyone to appear the same. For me, the festival will be remembered both as a celebration of spring as well as a celebration of us a people, with no differences and no distinctions.

Kimmy found a bag of blue powder on the ground, so we used that to join in the celebrations. As we walked through the crowd, different people would throw different colors on us. One guy made us laugh, essentially anointing us with "YELLOW ON YOUR HEAD" as we each walked by. At one point Rachael was trying to take a picture of the three of us when this guy walked past and threw a handful of purple right into our faces. Kimmy definitely took the brunt of the blow... and I was wearing my sunglasses...

After we left the dancing and multi-colored mosh pit, we wandered the temple grounds, visiting the llamas and zebus (cebus?).

After Pictures

After we visited the grocery store near where we parked and changed into some not so colorful clothing, we used my GPS on my phone to find an Arctic Circle for some sweet potato fries... My GPS led us to the Arctic Circle location in the picture below...

Kimmy said, "HAMBURGERS!!" and then we tracked down the next closest Arctic Circle... which was legit.

New Temple!!

2009-03-23T15:30:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple Dedication. It is so exciting to have another temple here close. A group of my friends, Kimmy, and I had the chance to walk through during the open house a couple months ago and I'm so excited to be able go back!

Bring Spring!

2009-03-20T12:10:00.009-06:00

I've been watching my flower boxes outside for the past few weeks and was so excited yesterday to see my bluebells had bloomed! Spring is officially here! As much as I love the winter months, the beauty that comes with the first snow and the holidays celebrating gratitude and giving, I am so excited right now for spring!

I was babysitting last weekend and took my friend's son to the farm near my house. It was awesome to see all the new little lambs wobbling around! Spring is definitely a season of new beginnings and new life... and tons of flowers... all building up to Easter! My sister painted this for my birthday last week and it really emphasizes what I've been feeling recently... (Thanks Julie!!)

HOPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!

Google Knows...

2009-03-19T16:00:00.008-06:00

I found this on a friend's blog and decided to try... pretty darn funny! All these things I never knew about myself! :0)

Q1: Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search.

Jessi needs coffee. (Hmmm...)

Q2: Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search.

Jessi looks like Mary Poppins.

Q3: Type in “[your name] says” in Google search.

Jessi says BRUSH UR TEEF!

Q4: Type in “[your name] wants” in Google search.

Jessi wants PIZZA!!!

Q5:Type in “[your name] does” in Google search.

Jessi does some baby research...

Q6: Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search.

Jessi hates BRIAN!!

(I've noticed I do a lot of things in caps...)

Q7: Type in “[your name] asks” in Google search.

Jessi asks Sarah to wait for her and runs off.

Q8: Type in “[your name] likes ” in Google search.

Jessi likes to swallow.

Q9: Type in “[your name] eats ” in Google search.

Jessi eats rainbows.

Q10: Type in “[your name] wears ” in Google search.

Jessi wears the biggest smile.

Q11: Type in “[your name] was arrested for” in Google Search.

Jessi was arrested for taking a picture of a cop.

Q12: Type in “[your name] loves” in Google Search.

Jessi loves the water.

Ode to Peppermint Oil

2009-03-07T23:36:00.013-07:00

Ode - [ohd] - noun

1. a lyric poem typically elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

Okay, so maybe subtract the "lyric" part and the "poem" part... but "elaborate", "irregular" and "expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion" definitely apply!

Our story begins with the fact that I don't like peppermint. I never really have and I blame it on my dad because he doesn't really like peppermint either. Some other mints are fine, but NOT peppermint (candy canes and peppermint discs are totally out - unless they're the cherry kind of candy canes... those are pretty tasty...)

I digress.

I used to work for a company where I could get bottles of essential oils at a discounted price. I am a believer in the benefits of aromatherapy (to a degree) and generally like to have my house smell good. So I tried one of everything, including two different types of peppermint oil; one was to be used primarily for aromatherapy, but the other was ingestible. Why not, I thought.

When I got my box full of essential oils, my first thought was to smell them all. (This turned out to be a mistake because I'm pretty sure I killed my nose and couldn't smell anything for a few weeks.) Due to the outcome of my "smell-them-all" adventure, I postponed tasting the few ingestible oils I got for a few days.

When I got my nerve up, again, I decided to try the flax seed oil. (This was also a mistake; flax seed oil may have its benefits, but I'm reasonably certain that people have to be very sick in order to ingest it... or else it will make them very sick, and you have to keep it down for it to do you any good.)

After I got my nerve up again - sincerely hoping that the next ingestible oil would not require a bucket and a lot of toothpaste to get over - I went straight to the peppermint oil... I figured, "I know I won't like it, I'm not a fan of peppermint-anything." Why this logic encouraging me to try something I was destined to not like worked is beyond me, but it did... otherwise you wouldn't have this incredible (ahem) story to read.

I opened the little one-ounce bottle and dabbed a little onto my pointer finger, opened my mouth, and sucked off the little dollop of oil. "Not bad," was my initial reaction. A few seconds later my eyes began to water, along with my nose, and I'm pretty sure that steam or smoke began coming out of my ears. It only took once - I was addicted. (To more fully understand my affinity to things that clean out my sinuses with flames, please site my addictions eucalyptus oil, wasabi, horseradish, hot peppers, and Chinese mustard.)

I ordered more of the little one-ounce bottles of peppermint oil and hid them everywhere. I kept one in my purse, one in my desk at work, one on my dresser, one in my car... It was the ultimate breath-freshener without the negative side effects of gum (sore jaw, necessity of locating a garbage), toothpaste (rather bulky, necessity of locating a sink), and Binaca (totally sends the wrong message).

I began using peppermint oil all the time; after work lunches, after dinner dates (?), before work meetings, before dates (?), during church, and whenever I needed clear sinuses... Due to my regular use of peppermint oil, I began to notice certain unexpected benefits. Not only would peppermint oil clear my sinuses and overpower any undesirable smells, but it also settled my upset stomach, lessened headache pain, treated external pain, quieted coughing fits, got rid of my hiccups, calmed my senses, relieved stress-related tension, relaxed my muscles, and made all the guys I work with wonder what smelled so good. Amazing! I decided that peppermint oil had become my own personal universal cure for everything.

It was, of course, after my individual empirical studies into the health benefits of peppermint oil that I decided to look up the certified health benefits of peppermint oil. All of my new discoveries have, naturally, been documented for years. It even is being studied as a help for treating tuberculosis and cancer. (So much for my break-through into the "scientific discoveries" world.) I would like to say that it's not so cool now that I know that people have known these things for years... but that would be lying.

It's still pretty freaking amazing!

2 New "Jobs"!!

2009-03-04T12:57:00.003-07:00

The last few weeks have been a nice roller-coaster ride of stress and emotions. The company that I was working for was going through some major rearrangement in the upper levels of management and - long story short - I was essentially unemployed for the most of February, along with about 35+ of my coworkers. Given the state of the economy and unemployment right now, it would be an understatement to call these last few weeks daunting. While most of us were looking for new jobs on our own, a few of our top leaders were also looking to find one company for us all to move to. I admit that a feat like that was a pretty optimistic goal, but I was reminded this last week that it's still okay to believe in miracles.

Monday was my first day at a company called LifeVantage. Myself and most of the 35+ of us who left our former company were hired by the company a little over a week ago. The company is based in San Diego, has another office just outside Colorado Springs, and just opened a new office in Sandy (a little closer than where I was commuting to before). I'll have basically the same position that I had previously, as a Marketing Events Specialist, and will still report to the same person and work with the same people on my team. I am so excited at the prospect of getting back to work, and working with the same people I was working with before only adds to that excitement. We have a ton of stuff to plan and get ready, as the company is basically a start-up, but the things we're planning have already got me excited about what I do! I'll still be traveling a fair amount, so who knows what kinds of fun opportunities will reveal themselves!

The other bit of "update" is that I was called last week to serve in the new Relief Society presidency in my ward. While I'm a little overwhelmed, I am also very excited. I have so much to learn and am anxious to get busy.

Life is amazing! There really isn't much more to it than that.

25 Random Things...

2009-02-17T18:00:00.012-07:00

So... I think I might be the last one to do this, but here are 25 Random Things about me.

I am a classic bibliophile; I love books and rarely go anywhere without whatever I am reading. This has become such a habit that my friends have taken to referring to whoever the "hero" is of whatever book I'm reading as my boyfriend. I am a serious bookstore addict, but (ironically) don't really like libraries...
I have to straighten my hair everyday. My hair is naturally so curly that I often have to run the straightener over it after I take a nap.
Music is a HUGE part of my life, and the music that I am listening to is often a great indicator of my current mood. It is not uncommon for my play list to include any combination of soundtracks, classical, and a little Rammstein.
I cannot study or read while listening to music, especially not classical music. I pay too much attention to the small parts in the music and wind up not being able to focus on whatever else I'm doing. Going to a classical concert with me is also an experience... I find it difficult to shut up after it's over.
I loved majoring in English and am so thankful for the skills that I learned while earning my degree. However, sometimes I wonder if I should have gone to hair school or majored in something like floral design or physical science.
I firmly believe that laughing can help you solve any problem you face. I occasionally find myself in moods where I am slap happy, laughing for 45 minutes - non-stop. This is most common when one or both of my sisters is around. It's a great work out. :0)
When I can't sleep at night, I can't count sheep. That equates to too much thinking and would keep me awake. Sometimes I recite different things I have memorized... but if that don't work I try to imagine a white board with nothing on it. This blank white box appears in my head and the longer I can keep it there, the faster I fade.
The contents of my purse include the book I'm reading, a notepad, my wallet, my checkbook, a first aid kit, lotion, peppermint oil, my camera, my phone, my keys, a plastic bag with all my coupons, a calendar, my bank account ledger... I've learned that I could never go back to a small purse. It just wouldn't work.
I have several weird eating habits (see #s 9-14). I will eat things cold that most people wouldn't even consider cold. I really like to pop open a can of chicken broth and pour it into a mug. It's actually pretty good. I also like cold chili with Frito's. (Everything is better with Frito's. "Everything" is subject to ratification, but the latest greatest is Frito's and cottage cheese. You should try it before you mock it!)
I eat ice cream in a glass and usually add a little milk to it. (Everything is better with milk.)
I will also warm things up that some people wouldn't think about warming up. I will warm up cookies so that they're nice and toasty with melty chocolate. I will let my yogurt warm up to room temperature before I eat it. I also love scalding milk - no additives like chocolate or sugar.
I love Mexican food. While this has not been tested, I think I could eat it every day and still enjoy it.
I firmly believe that food tastes better when eaten outdoors. That's why picnic food, bonfire food, camping food, and dutch oven food all taste so dang good.
I always wanted horses growing up. I love being around most animals, but horses exemplify so many things that I wish I had... like a unicorn... or even better - Pegasus.
I love to drive. My mom calls it "going crazy", but there are times when I will get in my car and just go wherever the road takes me.
If I could be classified as allergic to anything, the list would include mold, tomatoes, and blueberries. I really am allergic to mold; tomatoes upset my stomach to the point of serious pain; I am "mentally" allergic to blueberries (they are the only thing that I am passionate about disliking).
I love taking pictures of things... basically anything really. Pictures are memories locked into an image, and that fascinates me.
I was a die-hard PC fan until about 6 months ago when I got a Mac Book for work. I am not a die-hard Mac fan... And I think that makers of PCs are biased and should make more efforts to increase compatibility. Apple has already done this... All Macs can read anything from a PC. I've determined that PC believers are actually a bunch of elitists. So who's biased now? ;0)
My favorite color just recently migrated from blue to black. I've determined that since black is both inclusive and exclusive (meaning it can be both all color as well as the absence of color) it is really the best color there is. White is a close second, for essentially the same reasons.
I recently added "become a pilot" to my list of "things I want to accomplish in this life". I think that flying would definitely be my superpower of choice were I offered one.
There are very few things that I miss from high school: I miss sitting outside the library under the eaves listening to it rain; I miss driving my truck; I miss marching band. That's about it.
I am a cold-weather person. I love the winter and everything it brings with it. I love the snow in Utah winters. I miss the rain from California winters. That being said... I really can't wait for the flowers that come out in the spring!
I am a pyromaniac. Watching flames engulf the wood in a fire is both calming and exhilarating to me. I am, however, petrified at the thought of burning to death. It scares me more than any other mode of dying.
I think WAY more than is probably healthy. If becoming an over-analyst was an actual profession, I would probably be making a lot more money right now... I have recently been over-analyzing the prospect of getting blond highlights in my hair. This is an extravagant concept for me and comes with both up sides and down sides, and I've been spending a lot of time weighing the odds. Thoughts?
Most people get the chills or shivers every now and then, right? Where your body shivers a little from either cold exposure, because something is disturbing to you, or some other random reason that people can't ever identify. I do not get the chills or the shivers. I get the jolts, where my whole body racks, shaking everything in the near vicinity. My jolts become increasingly more frequent the more tired I get, much to the amusement people around me. (Though this may be caused as much by my jolts as by the fact that my "talk a ton about all kinds of random crap" inhibitor begins to malfunction when I get tired as well...)

How I Kill My Free Time...

2009-02-09T12:48:00.004-07:00

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do...

2009-01-26T15:04:00.003-07:00

I tried most of these and they totally work... Pretty cool! They won't always work, depending on your cell phone provider and your car...

FIRST: Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you. You can even dial 112 if your keypad is locked!

SECOND: Have you locked your keys in your car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock! Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" to your car, you can unlock the doors!

THIRD: Hidden Battery Power

If your cell battery is very low, press the keys *3370# and your phone will restart with 50% increase in the battery. The reserve recharges every time you recharge your battery.

FOURTH: Disable a Stolen Phone

To check your mobile phone's serial number, key in *#06# and a 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and in the event that your phone is stolen, call your mobile provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the sim card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.

And Finally.

FIFTH: Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging a ridiculous amount for 411 information calls. Use (800)FREE411 / (800)373-3411 or (800)GOOG411 / (800)466-4411 without incurring any 411 charges.

Christmas Cat Crazies & More

2009-01-20T16:28:00.009-07:00

Once upon a time, Kimmy came up with this amazingly brilliant idea that we would get Mom a cat for Christmas. What we didn't know is that Dad had already found one that looks so much like Mom's old cat... Perfect! we thought. The fact that she lived up at our aunt and uncles' farm in Idaho was only a minor setback. Heh... minor.

So Kimmy and I made our various preparations for giving Mom a Christmas Cat. We bought all the necessaries (food, box, litter, collar, and a really cute cloth carrier...) and made preparations for our new arrival. I called our aunt to make sure that things were set; we met in Malad, Idaho (a half-way point for both of us) to make the transfer on the Sunday before Christmas. She was about 3-4 months old and slightly crankie, as she'd been traveling in a box. She cried off and on all the way back to my apartment, but in general was a fine traveler. I kept thinking - GREAT! This is going to be SO easy flying to California with her. I took a few pictures with my phone, and after talking to Kimmy for a bit, named our new little calico bundle Calypso.

Calypso grew up on a farm, so living in my apartment bathroom for a few days was quite the new adventure. She had not previously been litter box trained, so her quick acceptance of "the box" impressed me. I gave her a bath the night after she moved into her bathroom and she did just fine with that too... No problems.

We went to the veterinarian on Tuesday morning to get her rabies shot and health certificate so that she was legal to fly to California. She did so well at the vet - she even started purring after she had the rabies vaccination shot into her butt!

She had a little minor accident in her carrier on the way home from the vet, so I took her inside (letting my car air out), put her carrier in the washer, gave Calypso her second bath in 12 hours, and headed off to work. I left work early as we were flying out that night and I had some stuff I still needed to take care of... Calypso was clean and smelling wonderfully. We were completely ready to go when my home teacher came to pick us up.

And then the crazies started...

We hadn't been gone from my apartment more than five minutes when a strange aroma (again) starting wafting from the back seat. My home teacher grew up in eastern Utah on a farm; he caught a wiff of the new smell and said, "Seriously, did it just duke in my truck?!?!" I was mortified. She'd done so well all the way from Idaho! Calypso was not pleased with the fact that she was stuck in her carrier with her own personal gift. We were dropped off at the airport (after many "Thanks" and "Sorry"s) and went to wait in line for 20 minutes to pay for Calypso's airfare. (Ironically, they didn't even look at the health certificate...) $150.00 later, we headed for security...

Calypso by this point was really mad, as she was now covered in her own stuff (you'd be mad too!). I asked the security attendant how I was supposed to take Calypso through, and he told me to, "Just carry her through like a passenger... but you'll need to send the bag through the scanner." Luckily I had the forethought (or maybe a helpful nudge from heaven) to bring a towel with me on the plane. I wrapped a very lovely smelling kitten in the towel and managed to get her through security with only one set of scratches. We then proceeded directly to the women's bathroom...

...where Calypso had her third bath in 24 hours. Many of the women in the bathroom were terribly excited to see "Such a cute little dear" meowing her head off in one of the bathroom sinks. After a lot of hand soap and some paper towels (I'd put the hand towel in the bottom of her carrier), Calypso went back into the carrier and we went out to wait for the plane.

The plane ride was a special experience. Anyone who has ever taken a cat on a car ride can only imagine the adventure of controlling a cat that looked out the window and realized it was not only moving, but no longer on the ground... We'll leave it at that.

We were both exceptionally glad to be on the ground in Oakland... and even happier when Kimmy was there waiting for us. We left the airport and Calypso spent the next 24 hours at one of Kimmy's friend's house. After we said our goodnights to Mom and Dad on Christmas Eve, Kimmy snuck out her bedroom window and ran over to her friend's house to pick up the now much happier Calypso. She kept Kimmy and I up most of the night being adventurous and playful... while we were trying to sleep.

At 6:30am I couldn't sleep anymore. So I woke up Kimmy and we took Calypso, now clad in a black bow, to Mom and Dad's room. We set her down on Mom, who woke with a, "Oh my lans, what is this?!?!"... something that I don't think I've ever hear Mom say when she's awake.

Calypso was our big Christmas present... She really kinda trumped everything else that was given and gotten, in all good ways. She was also the epitome of a Christmas Cat. This picture is our Christmas tree, and if you look closely, you can see some black and orange fur near the top...

I think everyone adapted really quickly to having a new little one around (except Dad's cat O'Malley, who is rumored to still be having issues with the little fur ball that chases him around the house). I think Calypso finally got over her "I've traveled too much" laryngitis right before we left to come back to Utah... (Mom said, "Oh she does talk!" :0) When I got back home and my home teacher asked me with a chagrin how the rest of the trip went, I simply replied, "It was worth it."

Christmas was otherwise amazing as well. I got lots of fun things, the highlights being a stove-top popcorn popper, a microwave, a marbles board, and a wind-up sushi roll (I'll update the sushi roll after I go buy something at Kohls... ;0). I also had fun making things for everyone (except Mom - but I think she was okay with what she got). Julie and Kimmy got new hand bags, Dad and Spencer got tool kits in a towel for their trucks, and Caylee got this fun new out fit! (I admit that I'm getting addicted to sewing!)

For the rest of Christmas and up until New Years', we played lots of games and just in general had some awesome family time.

Our New Years' highlight was spending some quality time with my Mac Book...

I think, as is normally the case, the best Christmas gift was simply the time I got to spend with my family... almost two weeks and I think I could have fought for more! I'm so grateful for the special times we share as a family to celebrate the birth of our Savior and for all the fun memories that we create each year. I'm so looking forward to next year when our entire family will be together for Christmas!

I've enjoyed hearing about all of your fun holiday adventures and am glad that the New Year seems to have come in with a lot of good! Here's to an amazing 2009!

Soarin' Over California

2009-01-08T21:32:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I'll admit it. I'm spoiled. All my friends keep telling me that, so I'm not going to deny it anymore.

On my last business trip (December 8-11, 2008), we chartered a private jet because there was so many of us going from place to place. We flew from Salt Lake City to Denver to Phoenix to Irvine to Sacramento and back to Salt Lake City again... all in the course of those four days. And this is the plane we flew on...

Including the captain and first officer, the plane has seats for eleven people. The main cabin, probably 5 to 6 feet wide, comfortably seats 9 people, but there's technically seats for 10. This is Taylor and a few of our corporate executives on one of the flights. My back is against the wall at the back of the main cabin. A door behind me goes into the really fancy bathroom and then into the cargo hold.

This is the cockpit, seating the captain (left) and first officer (right). Talk about a sweet retirement job! Though, I'm not really sure how these guys found all the gadgets they needed... the number of buttons, switches, controls, meters, and levers needed was mind boggling!

On one of our flights we kind of maxed out our capacity. We had 10 people in the main cabin, while Taylor rode in the very fancy bathroom, and I flew in the jump seat, right at the back of the cockpit! It was seriously cool!

The jump seat was this little chair that slid out like a drawer into the middle of the aisle in the cockpit. We flew from Irvine to Sacramento, and I was there the whole flight! Flying is a whole new experience when you're watching two little old men go through a huge-long check list both at the beginning and end of the flight... I decided that I'm going to add "Learn to fly a plane" to my list of "Want to Accomplish"s in my life.

This is a picture of Santa Catalina Island off the coast of southern California. We had to fly over the ocean in order to gain enough altitude to fly over LAX airport.

When we were landing, Sacramento was foggy and cold. Remember that part about flying being a whole new experience when... Well, it's downright freaky when the two little old men are looking out the window asking each other if they can see the runway! It kinda makes you wonder what we miss by riding coach all the time...

Okay, so I'm admitting that I'm spoiled. I'm seriously so blessed to have the kind of adventures that I've been taking these last few months. I'm not complaining about free trips to really nice restaurants, amazing big cities, and private jets... I will also admit, however, that I really missed the peanuts and privacy my commercial flights provide me. :0)