Well sorry I haven't posted for a while. Things have been a little crazy the last few days. I'll let you know why later, like maybe next week? so stay tuned!
Anyways, on Saturday all of my mom's side of the family went and saw Forever Strong because my uncle is in it for a few seconds. If you've seen it, he's the one that takes the tooth out of the rugby player's forehead at one of the nationals games and says "anyone missing a tooth?". We're pretty proud of our movie star. It was a really good movie and had a great story. My uncle, who played himself as the team's athletic trainer, said that pretty much everything in the movie actually happened (like the tooth in the forehead), but over a period of many years. The player that came from Arizona and was in the correctional facility actually came from Washington or something in real life.
After the movie my mom and I went to my stake center for the Relief Society broadcast. My stake fed us dinner (Olive Garden) and then we watched the broadcast. It was so good. I especially liked Elder Uchtdorf's talk about not getting down on ourselves for not being perfect. He basically said a lot of women have a "problem" with expecting too much out of themselves. We're not perfect of course, and it's hard sometimes to deal with that fact. I'm so excited for General Conference this week. I love conference weekend.
After the broadcast Derek and I went to Cold Stone because I had a gift card. Mmm mmm good. I love it when he comes home on the weekends!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
"Can I please put you back on hold?"
You know, life would be pretty boring if we didn't have challenges and stressful things come up every once in a while.
At work one of my things is to book travel for people in the Marketing department and for Sales guys that go to our tradeshows. We have a tradeshow starting next weekend and at the last minute one of our Sales guys was added to the group of people going. Not a problem really - there just weren't a lot of choices for flights. But I found one for him, booked it, and that was that. That was on Monday I think.
So the next day he calls and says that 2 days after the tradeshow ends he might have to be in Boston for a demo and doesn't think it makes sense to fly home and then fly back out to Boston. So he said he'd let me know asap.
I get a call from him today saying that he does need to be in Boston 2 days after the show, and can I please change his flight. Well, I usually book flights through Delta, but this time I used Orbitz because the only flight available on Delta was an overnighter - that wouldn't have worked out. So I go to Orbitz.com and cancel the flight, which happened to be non-refundable. In order to get the cost of the old ticket applied to the new ticket, I had to call Orbitz directly.
So I called, and tried booking it that way. It was extremely difficult to hear the lady I was talking to, and she couldn't hear me very well either. Maybe they should consider a new phone system. We finally got all the flights needed for this guy, and then......errors, errors, errors. Apparently their system wouldn't let her book a multi-city flight or something like that.
So after being put on hold more times than I can remember, she came back and told me that all she could do was book a flight from Long Beach (where he lives) to Montreal (where the show is) and from Boston (where the demo was) to Long Beach. All we were missing was Montreal to Boston. So I told her to go ahead and do that, and then I booked the missing flight myself online. So an hour later (I was seriously on the phone for an hour), I had all the tickets I needed for this guy.
All I can say is, I'm glad this is coming out of the Sales budget instead of ours, because this is one expensive flight.
At work one of my things is to book travel for people in the Marketing department and for Sales guys that go to our tradeshows. We have a tradeshow starting next weekend and at the last minute one of our Sales guys was added to the group of people going. Not a problem really - there just weren't a lot of choices for flights. But I found one for him, booked it, and that was that. That was on Monday I think.
So the next day he calls and says that 2 days after the tradeshow ends he might have to be in Boston for a demo and doesn't think it makes sense to fly home and then fly back out to Boston. So he said he'd let me know asap.
I get a call from him today saying that he does need to be in Boston 2 days after the show, and can I please change his flight. Well, I usually book flights through Delta, but this time I used Orbitz because the only flight available on Delta was an overnighter - that wouldn't have worked out. So I go to Orbitz.com and cancel the flight, which happened to be non-refundable. In order to get the cost of the old ticket applied to the new ticket, I had to call Orbitz directly.
So I called, and tried booking it that way. It was extremely difficult to hear the lady I was talking to, and she couldn't hear me very well either. Maybe they should consider a new phone system. We finally got all the flights needed for this guy, and then......errors, errors, errors. Apparently their system wouldn't let her book a multi-city flight or something like that.
So after being put on hold more times than I can remember, she came back and told me that all she could do was book a flight from Long Beach (where he lives) to Montreal (where the show is) and from Boston (where the demo was) to Long Beach. All we were missing was Montreal to Boston. So I told her to go ahead and do that, and then I booked the missing flight myself online. So an hour later (I was seriously on the phone for an hour), I had all the tickets I needed for this guy.
All I can say is, I'm glad this is coming out of the Sales budget instead of ours, because this is one expensive flight.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The second best part of my day
is now the drive home from work, thanks to the new Legacy Parkway! I know it has been open for a week and a half, but I only got to take advantage of it one day last week because of the conference at Snowbird. But this week, for the last two days, driving home from work has been a dream. I used to dread the drive home, knowing that I would be stuck in traffic from N. Salt Lake to Farmington. Now it's a smooth drive, never going under freeway speeds, and getting home in less than an hour. Can't beat that! Note: I still take I-15. That's how great it is!
Oh, and the first best part of my day is at 9:00 every night when Derek calls. ;)
Oh, and the first best part of my day is at 9:00 every night when Derek calls. ;)
Free day at Disneyland
So apparently in the year 2009 you can get into Disneyland for free on your birthday. Click here to read more. It seems pretty legit, but if you're really interested, I'd probably do a little more research just to make sure.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The letter K
Remember Sesame Street? That show always had the letter of the day or something like that. Well, today's letter is K and I've been tagged and have to come up with 10 things that I love that start with that letter. This is going to be a tough one.
The Rules: Comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list ten things you love that begin with that letter.
1. Kiwi - Mmmmmmm, I love fruit, especially the sweet stuff like strawberries, raspberries, nectarines, and KIWI!
2. Kissing - now please don't think I'm a tramp for putting this. I don't go around kissing every guy I can - I'm not like that. But....I have to admit, kissing is really fun. :0)
3. Kraft cheese - I love any kind of cheese, and Kraft sure makes good stuff!
4. Knuckles - like I said in my "Quirks" post, I love to crack my knuckles - on people, on furniture, etc.
5. Kered (that's Derek spelled backwards :)) - He's pretty much the greatest thing in my life.
6. Kittens - I really don't like cats much, but really, who doesn't love kittens? They're just so LITTLE and CUTE.
7. Koalas - I used to have a stuffed koala bear, and ever since then I have loved them.
8. Knowledge - I love learning things. It would be sweet to be a professional student, without all the tests of course.
9. Kelly Clarkson - I still think she's the best American Idol.
10. Kids - I love kids because a) they're cute, b) they say and do funny things, c) they're good cuddlers, d) they have some amazing perspectives on life.
So there you have it. Leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter! I'll try not to do something hard like Q or Z.
The Rules: Comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list ten things you love that begin with that letter.
1. Kiwi - Mmmmmmm, I love fruit, especially the sweet stuff like strawberries, raspberries, nectarines, and KIWI!
2. Kissing - now please don't think I'm a tramp for putting this. I don't go around kissing every guy I can - I'm not like that. But....I have to admit, kissing is really fun. :0)
3. Kraft cheese - I love any kind of cheese, and Kraft sure makes good stuff!
4. Knuckles - like I said in my "Quirks" post, I love to crack my knuckles - on people, on furniture, etc.
5. Kered (that's Derek spelled backwards :)) - He's pretty much the greatest thing in my life.
6. Kittens - I really don't like cats much, but really, who doesn't love kittens? They're just so LITTLE and CUTE.
7. Koalas - I used to have a stuffed koala bear, and ever since then I have loved them.
8. Knowledge - I love learning things. It would be sweet to be a professional student, without all the tests of course.
9. Kelly Clarkson - I still think she's the best American Idol.
10. Kids - I love kids because a) they're cute, b) they say and do funny things, c) they're good cuddlers, d) they have some amazing perspectives on life.
So there you have it. Leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter! I'll try not to do something hard like Q or Z.
My quirky self
I was tagged by Julie a few days ago, and I'm finally getting around to it. Here are the rules:
- Link the Person who Tagged you.
- Mention rules on your blog.
- Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
- Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
- Leave a comment to let them know. (Just so you know, I don't usually leave comments to let people know that I tagged them. I figure if they want to do it, they will. If they don't, that's fine.)
1. I roll my tongue a lot. I didn't used to be able to roll my tongue
at all. Then I was called on a Spanish-speaking mission, and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to roll my r's. By the time I came home I could kind of roll them a little, but not too well. Then I took a few Spanish classes at school and got a little more practice in. A few months ago, maybe more towards the beginning of the year, I would just randomly practice. I still wasn't very good at it, but one day out of the blue my tongue just started rolling! And rolling and rolling and rolling and I could do it perfectly! So now....I just roll my tongue a lot. And it's always random. I can roll it longer than anyone I know, so that's pretty cool.
2. I hum and sing to every song, even if it's the first time I've heard them. And sometimes I randomly start singing a song. Actually, I do it a lot, just ask Derek. He'll say something, even just one word, and it'll trigger a song in my head. For instance, if I hear the word "forever" I automatically think of a song from Saturday's Warrior and I will usually start singing it.
3. I'm kind of OCD when it comes to putting the silverware in the dishwasher. I like the little holes to have even numbers of forkes/knives/spoons in them. Actually I'm OCD about a lot of things that deal with even numbers.
4. I pop my knuckles a lot, and Derek said that I even pop them his back (like when I'm scratching it I guess), which I didn't realize.
5. This one is kinda embarrassing. Well, not really embarrassing, but it kind of drives me nuts that I even do it. Ok, so when I was 10 and lived in Cali, we had an earthquake and it was pretty strong, a 6.something. Ever since then my head gets these little tremor things going on, and they're actually kind of hard to control. I really have to concentrate if I want to make it stop. There have been periods of my life where they have lessened or stopped all together, but they always come back. The last few months have actually been worse than usual. So if you ever see my head doing something weird, it's probably that. Just ignore it or tell me to stop and maybe I will.
6. When I sleep I like to have a blanket next to my face. It's just more comfortable that way. I've heard of other people that sleep like that, so I know I'm not the only one!
Well that was kind of difficult. I tag Brea, Amy, Kaley, Tiffany M., Melody, and Sheryl. Have fun!
- Link the Person who Tagged you.
- Mention rules on your blog.
- Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
- Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
- Leave a comment to let them know. (Just so you know, I don't usually leave comments to let people know that I tagged them. I figure if they want to do it, they will. If they don't, that's fine.)
1. I roll my tongue a lot. I didn't used to be able to roll my tongue
at all. Then I was called on a Spanish-speaking mission, and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to roll my r's. By the time I came home I could kind of roll them a little, but not too well. Then I took a few Spanish classes at school and got a little more practice in. A few months ago, maybe more towards the beginning of the year, I would just randomly practice. I still wasn't very good at it, but one day out of the blue my tongue just started rolling! And rolling and rolling and rolling and I could do it perfectly! So now....I just roll my tongue a lot. And it's always random. I can roll it longer than anyone I know, so that's pretty cool.
2. I hum and sing to every song, even if it's the first time I've heard them. And sometimes I randomly start singing a song. Actually, I do it a lot, just ask Derek. He'll say something, even just one word, and it'll trigger a song in my head. For instance, if I hear the word "forever" I automatically think of a song from Saturday's Warrior and I will usually start singing it.
3. I'm kind of OCD when it comes to putting the silverware in the dishwasher. I like the little holes to have even numbers of forkes/knives/spoons in them. Actually I'm OCD about a lot of things that deal with even numbers.
4. I pop my knuckles a lot, and Derek said that I even pop them his back (like when I'm scratching it I guess), which I didn't realize.
5. This one is kinda embarrassing. Well, not really embarrassing, but it kind of drives me nuts that I even do it. Ok, so when I was 10 and lived in Cali, we had an earthquake and it was pretty strong, a 6.something. Ever since then my head gets these little tremor things going on, and they're actually kind of hard to control. I really have to concentrate if I want to make it stop. There have been periods of my life where they have lessened or stopped all together, but they always come back. The last few months have actually been worse than usual. So if you ever see my head doing something weird, it's probably that. Just ignore it or tell me to stop and maybe I will.
6. When I sleep I like to have a blanket next to my face. It's just more comfortable that way. I've heard of other people that sleep like that, so I know I'm not the only one!
Well that was kind of difficult. I tag Brea, Amy, Kaley, Tiffany M., Melody, and Sheryl. Have fun!
Goodbye Snowbird
It's over!!!! After months of planning and three days of conference meetings, the Masters Summit at Snowbird is finally over. I can't really even describe how good this feels to be done with something that has taken over my whole existence (at least while I'm at work). Oh, and I forgot to bring my hairspray, so I was hairspray-less the whole time. It was a really good conference though, and everyone, customers and employees, had good things to say and thought we did a great job - especially for this being our first one. I think it went pretty well too, especially thanks to the Snowbird staff. They really did a great job.
Last night dinner was "on your own" so my coworker Marci and I decided to be antisocial and just stick to ourselves. We ate at the Mexican restaurant here called El Chanate and then walked around outside a little. It is sooooo beautiful here. Even for the few days we have been here, the leaves have changed more and more. We took a few pictures on our jaunt:
I was hoping to get more of the fall colors in this pic, but oh well. It still looks pretty good.
Marci and I sitting on the Alpine Slide
Whoa!
When we got back we watched The Office in my room. It was the season 4 finale to get ready for next week's season premiere! Yes! Then I talked to Derek and went to bed, where I slept for 8 hours. It even took a full minute or two for me to hear my alarm this morning.
I got up this morning hoping that things would go smoothly for the last day and that it would be stress-free. I should have known it wouldn't really be stress-free. A couple of hours before lunch our CEO decided he wanted to take some customers on the tram ride during lunch. So we had to figure out how to get them box lunches to take with, order the tram tickets, and set up a sign-up sheet because the place making the lunches could only make a max of 15 in the amount of time we had given them. I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but we also had some set-up problems this morning, so this just added to it. So they got to the tram right before it left, and the food wasn't there....apparently it really was and they just hadn't unloaded it. So they missed the 12:00 tram and ended up eating their lunch on tables at the loading dock, and then went up on the 12:30 tram, which made them a few minutes late for the next sessions, which started at 1. But it's ok because they had a good time, although I heard it was actually snowing a little at the top. It's a lot colder today than it has been the last couple of days.
The rest of the afternoon was very calm though, and now I'm just sitting here in the lodge waiting to leave. I'm heading to Pleasant Grove to have a sleepover with one of my mission companions, but she doesn't get off until 8:30, and there's no way I'm driving back home to Ogden and turning around to drive down there. So I'm catching up on my blogging while I wait. Yay, it's Friday!
Last night dinner was "on your own" so my coworker Marci and I decided to be antisocial and just stick to ourselves. We ate at the Mexican restaurant here called El Chanate and then walked around outside a little. It is sooooo beautiful here. Even for the few days we have been here, the leaves have changed more and more. We took a few pictures on our jaunt:
I was hoping to get more of the fall colors in this pic, but oh well. It still looks pretty good.
Marci and I sitting on the Alpine Slide
Whoa!
When we got back we watched The Office in my room. It was the season 4 finale to get ready for next week's season premiere! Yes! Then I talked to Derek and went to bed, where I slept for 8 hours. It even took a full minute or two for me to hear my alarm this morning.
I got up this morning hoping that things would go smoothly for the last day and that it would be stress-free. I should have known it wouldn't really be stress-free. A couple of hours before lunch our CEO decided he wanted to take some customers on the tram ride during lunch. So we had to figure out how to get them box lunches to take with, order the tram tickets, and set up a sign-up sheet because the place making the lunches could only make a max of 15 in the amount of time we had given them. I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but we also had some set-up problems this morning, so this just added to it. So they got to the tram right before it left, and the food wasn't there....apparently it really was and they just hadn't unloaded it. So they missed the 12:00 tram and ended up eating their lunch on tables at the loading dock, and then went up on the 12:30 tram, which made them a few minutes late for the next sessions, which started at 1. But it's ok because they had a good time, although I heard it was actually snowing a little at the top. It's a lot colder today than it has been the last couple of days.
The rest of the afternoon was very calm though, and now I'm just sitting here in the lodge waiting to leave. I'm heading to Pleasant Grove to have a sleepover with one of my mission companions, but she doesn't get off until 8:30, and there's no way I'm driving back home to Ogden and turning around to drive down there. So I'm catching up on my blogging while I wait. Yay, it's Friday!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Masters Summit and Jason Hewlett
The rest of yesterday went amazingly well. Everything was so smooth, mostly thanks to the conference staff at Snowbird. It's a good thing they know what they're doing. Meetings ended at 4:30, then they started setting up for our dinner and entertainment that evening. From 5:30-7 we had a reception in the ballroom lobby, mostly for the benefit of our partners, so they could get to know some of our customers and forge new relationships. During this time we had amazing appetizers (the food is seriously the best part about being here) and I got to play the piano for background music. After a while though, there were so many people in there and it was so loud that the piano could only be heard by the people right next to me. So I ended at about 6:40.
Dinner started at 7 and it was really nice. NY steak, salad, applewood smoked bacon mashed potatoes, rolls and cheesecake. Dinner was served in one of the ballrooms, then at 8:30 moved to the other ballroom for our evening entertainment: Jason Hewlett. For those who haven't heard of him, he's pretty much hilarious. He's a SLC native, but travels all over the country and even the world performing his act. He does comedic impressions of singers, bands, actors, you name it. If you'd like to check out his promotional video, click here. We got to see people like Jim Carrey, Ricky Martin, Elton John and Michael Jackson.
Elton John in the 70s:
Elton John in the 90s (making friends with my boss Curt):
Michael Jackson:
So after all that I went back to my room at 10:00, called Derek and crashed. I was so exhausted. But I slept for a good 7 hours in my nice king-size bed.
So today I thought that things would have calmed down and people would have just gone to meetings and I would have just sat at the registration table all day with nothing to do. But it actually hasn't been that way at all. I've been running around just about as much as yesterday. We had a slight fiasco when I realized that I had forgotten to print the slides as handouts for one of our presenters a couple of weeks ago when he sent me his file. The printer we brought with us is extremely sloooooooow and it took me two hours to print 20 copies of his presentation. 20 minutes after his presentation started, I was ready with his handouts. But it's ok. I try to just let things roll of my shoulders. One of the projectors we brought with us decided to quit working, so we got one of our employees to bring up another one just a little while ago. And there have been other things go on, but nothing too bad. Tonight is a free night (yes!) and some of the employees are getting groups together to go to dinner, Park City, etc. but the rest of us MasterControl workers are going to dinner together, and then I plan on chilling in my room and watching a little TV, since I finally figured out how to use it (I'm not really good with TVs).
Tomorrow is the last day and I'm pretty relieved that the weekend is almost here.
Dinner started at 7 and it was really nice. NY steak, salad, applewood smoked bacon mashed potatoes, rolls and cheesecake. Dinner was served in one of the ballrooms, then at 8:30 moved to the other ballroom for our evening entertainment: Jason Hewlett. For those who haven't heard of him, he's pretty much hilarious. He's a SLC native, but travels all over the country and even the world performing his act. He does comedic impressions of singers, bands, actors, you name it. If you'd like to check out his promotional video, click here. We got to see people like Jim Carrey, Ricky Martin, Elton John and Michael Jackson.
Elton John in the 70s:
Elton John in the 90s (making friends with my boss Curt):
Michael Jackson:
So after all that I went back to my room at 10:00, called Derek and crashed. I was so exhausted. But I slept for a good 7 hours in my nice king-size bed.
So today I thought that things would have calmed down and people would have just gone to meetings and I would have just sat at the registration table all day with nothing to do. But it actually hasn't been that way at all. I've been running around just about as much as yesterday. We had a slight fiasco when I realized that I had forgotten to print the slides as handouts for one of our presenters a couple of weeks ago when he sent me his file. The printer we brought with us is extremely sloooooooow and it took me two hours to print 20 copies of his presentation. 20 minutes after his presentation started, I was ready with his handouts. But it's ok. I try to just let things roll of my shoulders. One of the projectors we brought with us decided to quit working, so we got one of our employees to bring up another one just a little while ago. And there have been other things go on, but nothing too bad. Tonight is a free night (yes!) and some of the employees are getting groups together to go to dinner, Park City, etc. but the rest of us MasterControl workers are going to dinner together, and then I plan on chilling in my room and watching a little TV, since I finally figured out how to use it (I'm not really good with TVs).
Tomorrow is the last day and I'm pretty relieved that the weekend is almost here.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Work has is benefits too
For the past few months, most of my working hours have been taken up in preparation for the Masters Summit. The 'Summit' as we affectionately call it, is a user group type conference for our customers. This is the first year we have had one - and it officially started today! It has actually been extremely stressful up until now. Seriously, you never realize how many little details there are and how much planning goes into something like this until you are the one doing it. I didn't have to do it all by myself, thank goodness. Our Strategic Partner Relations VP was in charge, and I was the assistant. So between the two of us we did it all. It's been a long time coming and we should have started planning before we did, but I think it's going to go well. So far it has gone without a problem, but it's only 9:30 on the first day, so we'll see. But, as my title said, there are benefits to this whole thing.
1. We're holding the conference at Snowbird at the Cliff Lodge, and yes, the mountains are beautiful and the leaves are starting to change.
2. Starting last night until Friday I get to stayat the lodge.
3. I was on the list as a "VIP", so my room was upgraded. Can we say king size bed? I had the best sleep of my life last night until my alarm went off at 4:45.
4. Free food. Need I say more?
5. My awesome pink vest
So, the vest. I'm heading up the "support team" for the conference. Basically it's me and two other girls that I work with and we run the registration table, help people with questions, etc. And we all got vests to wear. The catalog said they were raspberry colored, so we are known as the Raspberry Girls or Raspberry Team. Here we are!
So, even though this whole thing has been stressful, it has been kinda fun too. Yesterday my boss told me to pay attention to how I feel on Friday afternoon when everything is about over. I can imagine it's probably a combination of relief, exhaustion and accomplishment. Well, wish me luck!
1. We're holding the conference at Snowbird at the Cliff Lodge, and yes, the mountains are beautiful and the leaves are starting to change.
2. Starting last night until Friday I get to stayat the lodge.
3. I was on the list as a "VIP", so my room was upgraded. Can we say king size bed? I had the best sleep of my life last night until my alarm went off at 4:45.
4. Free food. Need I say more?
5. My awesome pink vest
So, the vest. I'm heading up the "support team" for the conference. Basically it's me and two other girls that I work with and we run the registration table, help people with questions, etc. And we all got vests to wear. The catalog said they were raspberry colored, so we are known as the Raspberry Girls or Raspberry Team. Here we are!
So, even though this whole thing has been stressful, it has been kinda fun too. Yesterday my boss told me to pay attention to how I feel on Friday afternoon when everything is about over. I can imagine it's probably a combination of relief, exhaustion and accomplishment. Well, wish me luck!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Why does the weekend always go too fast?
I feel like I just barely blogged about last weekend, and now here it's time to write about another one. Lately, for me at least, the weeks have been DRAGGING and the weekends have gone by in a flash.
Derek came home this weekend! Yay! On Friday my parent's ward had a picnic in the park with pizza and stuff, so we stopped by there for dinner (I never say no to free food!) and from there went to my friend's house for a bonfire - the last one of the year :( It was lots of fun, thanks Stacey!
On Saturday Derek's family had a yard sale. They're trying to sell their house so are trying to clear it out. I looooove yard sales. They're great places to do a little people-watching. And the weather was so nice that day, perfect for a yard sale. I picked up a few things, including a really sweet birthday present for my mom. Growth in Grandmothering cassettes by Barbara Smith. Nice yeah? Just kidding - I did give it to her, but it was just her joke present. I got her something else too.
Later that day I got to play the piano at McKay-Dee Hospital. A couple of days previous I found out that Maci, a sister from my mission was in the NICU there with her premature twins who were born just a couple of weeks ago. While I was playing her mom came down and said, "Hey, I'm Maci's mom! Go up and visit her!" I was so glad she came and found me so that I could visit. One of the twins had already been taken back down to the hospital in Provo (where they live), so I only got to see one of them - she was so tiny! I had never seen a preemie in real life before. Pictures really don't emphasize how small they really are. It was really good to see Maci as well - it's been a while!
Then Derek and I made chicken cordon bleu; it was the first time I had made it and it turned out pretty good. We finished off the night with a little Forrest Gump, my fav movie!
Sunday we had a relaxing day and celebrated my mom's b-day a couple days early. There's nothing better than cake, ice cream and a bunch of family all together on a Sunday afternoon!
Derek came home this weekend! Yay! On Friday my parent's ward had a picnic in the park with pizza and stuff, so we stopped by there for dinner (I never say no to free food!) and from there went to my friend's house for a bonfire - the last one of the year :( It was lots of fun, thanks Stacey!
On Saturday Derek's family had a yard sale. They're trying to sell their house so are trying to clear it out. I looooove yard sales. They're great places to do a little people-watching. And the weather was so nice that day, perfect for a yard sale. I picked up a few things, including a really sweet birthday present for my mom. Growth in Grandmothering cassettes by Barbara Smith. Nice yeah? Just kidding - I did give it to her, but it was just her joke present. I got her something else too.
Later that day I got to play the piano at McKay-Dee Hospital. A couple of days previous I found out that Maci, a sister from my mission was in the NICU there with her premature twins who were born just a couple of weeks ago. While I was playing her mom came down and said, "Hey, I'm Maci's mom! Go up and visit her!" I was so glad she came and found me so that I could visit. One of the twins had already been taken back down to the hospital in Provo (where they live), so I only got to see one of them - she was so tiny! I had never seen a preemie in real life before. Pictures really don't emphasize how small they really are. It was really good to see Maci as well - it's been a while!
Then Derek and I made chicken cordon bleu; it was the first time I had made it and it turned out pretty good. We finished off the night with a little Forrest Gump, my fav movie!
Sunday we had a relaxing day and celebrated my mom's b-day a couple days early. There's nothing better than cake, ice cream and a bunch of family all together on a Sunday afternoon!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A day to remember
I can't believe it has been 7 years since that fateful day we will all remember and never forget - September 11. I still remember (as I'm sure all of you do) where I was and what I was doing when I first heard about what was happening in the great city of New York. It was my first semester at Weber State and on Tuesdays and Thursdays my first class didn't start until 11:30 (those were the days). So, as this was a Tuesday, I was still in bed in the waking up stages when I heard some commotion on the news in the next room. I lay there in disbelief as I listened to the reports of a plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers. I got out of bed shortly after the second crash and watched the news for another hour or so, still shocked at how something like this could happen in the United States. I do remember going to class that day, but I don't remember much about what we did, other than everyone was talking about what had happened.
I can't even imagine what it must have been like for the people there - wondering if their loved ones had gotten out alive; feeling lost, alone and violated; thinking that maybe the end of the world had come. I'm grateful, as they were, for all the men and women who risked their lives to save a few more.
Of course I can't think about 9/11 without thinking about my mission. I had the amazing opportunity to serve where this event took place. Unfortunately Manhattan was part of another mission, so I was never able to go there, but I did spend the majority of my time across the bay in Brooklyn and Queens. From many places you could see where the towers would have been had they still been standing. When I was in Brooklyn a couple of our zones had the chance to do some service in the Twin Towers Memorial Garden. It was directly across the water from where they stood and the garden was shaped like them. Two long rectangles of grass and flowers, with paths in between and around them. It was a lot of work to fix the place up, but a lot of fun!
I actually got this picture (below) from another missionary. It was taken on 9/11/2006. The blue lights represent the towers.
I can't even imagine what it must have been like for the people there - wondering if their loved ones had gotten out alive; feeling lost, alone and violated; thinking that maybe the end of the world had come. I'm grateful, as they were, for all the men and women who risked their lives to save a few more.
Of course I can't think about 9/11 without thinking about my mission. I had the amazing opportunity to serve where this event took place. Unfortunately Manhattan was part of another mission, so I was never able to go there, but I did spend the majority of my time across the bay in Brooklyn and Queens. From many places you could see where the towers would have been had they still been standing. When I was in Brooklyn a couple of our zones had the chance to do some service in the Twin Towers Memorial Garden. It was directly across the water from where they stood and the garden was shaped like them. Two long rectangles of grass and flowers, with paths in between and around them. It was a lot of work to fix the place up, but a lot of fun!
I actually got this picture (below) from another missionary. It was taken on 9/11/2006. The blue lights represent the towers.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A sad passing
I just found out a couple of days ago that one of the kids at the orphanage in Guatemala passed away. Her name was Lydia and she was the 3-year-old who weighed 8 pounds when she came to the orphanage. She had a lot of disabilities, but still had the sweetest spirit.
The orphanage owner sent us some pictures of the funeral. I think it's so sweet that the pall bearers are other children from the orphanage.
The cemetary is above ground, so this is where the caskets are "buried".
If you'd like to read more about the details of how she died, click here or click on the link on the right for 'Casa de Sion'.
The orphanage owner sent us some pictures of the funeral. I think it's so sweet that the pall bearers are other children from the orphanage.
The cemetary is above ground, so this is where the caskets are "buried".
If you'd like to read more about the details of how she died, click here or click on the link on the right for 'Casa de Sion'.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Weekend update
On Friday some friends and I went to Firehouse for dinner to kind of celebrate my birthday. It was as good as ever. I have to make a slight correction though - the last Firehouse post I did I said the dessert was a ph'zookie, when it's actually spelled fh'zookie. Our waiter didn't even ask us if we wanted one, which I thought was kind of funny. He just brought us our checks when we were almost finished with our food. He probably could have made more money if he had asked, because I probably would have ordered one. Oh well. I probably saved myself another 500 calories.
Here's all of us at Firehouse. I just love these girls!
After we ate we swam in Kristianne's pool. While we waited for her to get the cover off Julie and I decided to jump on the tramp. We tried to take jumping pictures and were finally successful with attempt #4.
The pool was heated and it felt sooooo good because it was a little chilly outside. But after we got used to the temperature it started getting cold, so we weren't in for very long. So we got out, changed, and went to a bonfire that another friend was having. It's probably one of the last ones of the summer :( so I'm really glad we went.
On Saturday I finally got to see Derek! I drove up to Logan and got there in time for us to make lunch together and chocolate-covered strawberries. Yum. Then we decided to drive up Logan Canyon. I've been up a few canyons in my life, but this one was probably one of the prettiest. I just love being outside (or in a car driving through a canyon) and away from life. We kept driving and ended up going all the way to Bear Lake, which really isn't that far - maybe about 1/2 hour. I was excited because I'd never been up there before. It was beautiful! The water was so clear, it was like looking into a pool w/ a sandy bottom. The weather was so nice too. It was just a great day.
Then we drove back and did a couple of errands and went to Chili's for dinner, then got Aggie ice cream. It was so good, and I forgot to take a picture! Sigh. After that we drove over to the fairgrounds for the demolition derby, which was awesome. It was the first time either of us had ever been to one and we really liked it. Especially Derek. What guy doesn't like watching a bunch of trucks run into each other? He had a smile on his face the whole time, it was so cute :) At one point he was standing up and I looked up and saw him grinning away so I had to take a picture. I think I startled him, but I think it's cute.
Some of the trucks going at it. Notice the smoke coming out of some of them. These trucks were all pieces of junk, so they died pretty quickly.
Here's all of us at Firehouse. I just love these girls!
After we ate we swam in Kristianne's pool. While we waited for her to get the cover off Julie and I decided to jump on the tramp. We tried to take jumping pictures and were finally successful with attempt #4.
The pool was heated and it felt sooooo good because it was a little chilly outside. But after we got used to the temperature it started getting cold, so we weren't in for very long. So we got out, changed, and went to a bonfire that another friend was having. It's probably one of the last ones of the summer :( so I'm really glad we went.
On Saturday I finally got to see Derek! I drove up to Logan and got there in time for us to make lunch together and chocolate-covered strawberries. Yum. Then we decided to drive up Logan Canyon. I've been up a few canyons in my life, but this one was probably one of the prettiest. I just love being outside (or in a car driving through a canyon) and away from life. We kept driving and ended up going all the way to Bear Lake, which really isn't that far - maybe about 1/2 hour. I was excited because I'd never been up there before. It was beautiful! The water was so clear, it was like looking into a pool w/ a sandy bottom. The weather was so nice too. It was just a great day.
Then we drove back and did a couple of errands and went to Chili's for dinner, then got Aggie ice cream. It was so good, and I forgot to take a picture! Sigh. After that we drove over to the fairgrounds for the demolition derby, which was awesome. It was the first time either of us had ever been to one and we really liked it. Especially Derek. What guy doesn't like watching a bunch of trucks run into each other? He had a smile on his face the whole time, it was so cute :) At one point he was standing up and I looked up and saw him grinning away so I had to take a picture. I think I startled him, but I think it's cute.
Some of the trucks going at it. Notice the smoke coming out of some of them. These trucks were all pieces of junk, so they died pretty quickly.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Women and jewelry
So I had my Cookie Lee party last night - thanks to all those who came! As the consultant was setting out all the jewelry before the show started, I couldn't help but gaze and drool. Why is that? What is it with women and jewelry? I asked her that and she laughed and said it's the same with women and chocolate. We don't really know why. Then we discussed the possibilities. It makes us feel pretty, it's sparkly, and we feel more feminine. And it has something to do with shopping and putting outfits together. Accessories are a must to help women feel more "put together".
So the party started and I tried on jewelry with everyone else, but I also kind of sat back and watched. It was really interesting watching people look, try on, and then debate with themselves - this one or that one? darn, I wish I had money. should I really spend this much? At one point I walked in the room and saw my friend with like 5 necklaces hanging from her wrist. I couldn't help but laugh, especially when she bought them all. ;)
I admit, I also got caught up in the whole spree. Actually, when I went to a Cookie Lee party that my friend hosted a couple of months ago, they had to give me a basket to put everything in because I just couldn't decide what I wanted. Last night, since I was hosting, I got some pretty killer deals and ended up getting 6 pieces of jewelry for $60 incl. tax. If you divide that up, it's $10/piece which is about what you'd spend at Target or Wal-mart. Actually, I take that back. The jewelry that I got wouldn't be that cheap even at those stores. Maybe at Claire's, but theirs would be cheaper quality. So I justified this expenditure by telling myself that it was a GREAT deal. And I really did get some nice stuff which I'm excited to wear. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to buy some new clothes to go with it.
So the party started and I tried on jewelry with everyone else, but I also kind of sat back and watched. It was really interesting watching people look, try on, and then debate with themselves - this one or that one? darn, I wish I had money. should I really spend this much? At one point I walked in the room and saw my friend with like 5 necklaces hanging from her wrist. I couldn't help but laugh, especially when she bought them all. ;)
I admit, I also got caught up in the whole spree. Actually, when I went to a Cookie Lee party that my friend hosted a couple of months ago, they had to give me a basket to put everything in because I just couldn't decide what I wanted. Last night, since I was hosting, I got some pretty killer deals and ended up getting 6 pieces of jewelry for $60 incl. tax. If you divide that up, it's $10/piece which is about what you'd spend at Target or Wal-mart. Actually, I take that back. The jewelry that I got wouldn't be that cheap even at those stores. Maybe at Claire's, but theirs would be cheaper quality. So I justified this expenditure by telling myself that it was a GREAT deal. And I really did get some nice stuff which I'm excited to wear. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to buy some new clothes to go with it.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Cookie Lee party!
Hey everyone, I just thought I'd post real quick to let you all know I'm hosting a Cookie Lee (jewelry) party this Thursday. You're all invited! Details:
Date: 9/4
Time: 7:30-9 (it's an open house, so come and browse whenever you want!)
Address: 2731 N 1525 E, Layton
It'll be way fun, and I know the jewelry is a little expensive so please don't feel pressured to buy anything.
Also, just to put in a plug for my friend Mary....she just started doing Mary Kay so if anyone is interested in hosting a party or buying stuff from her, let me know and I'll give her the word. Thanks!
Date: 9/4
Time: 7:30-9 (it's an open house, so come and browse whenever you want!)
Address: 2731 N 1525 E, Layton
It'll be way fun, and I know the jewelry is a little expensive so please don't feel pressured to buy anything.
Also, just to put in a plug for my friend Mary....she just started doing Mary Kay so if anyone is interested in hosting a party or buying stuff from her, let me know and I'll give her the word. Thanks!
Monday, September 1, 2008
More birthday fun
Sorry to bore you with more birthday stuff, but it's kinda been like a birthday week. It's been great! Friday night Derek drove home for the weekend :) and on Saturday we did all the stuff that he wouldn't tell me about before. First we went hiking up Adams Canyon, which we'd been talking about all summer, and then we had a picnic at Layton Park with all my favorite foods and a birthday cake! Then he took me home so I could take a shower and then we went down to Salt Lake. This whole time I was trying to guess what we were going to do (because he wouldn't tell me). I never did guess right. We ended up going to Desert Star, which is a playhouse/dinner theater type of place that does spoofs on movies. The show they were doing that night was Scary Poppins. It was hilarious! We got to eat while we watched it and it was way fun.
Last night I thought we were just going to have some cake and ice cream with my family and Derek's family, but apparently my mom decided to surprise me and invite all my friends and family over as well. It was a big surprise and so much fun!
My mom made a bunch of cupcakes and put them all together to make them look like an ice cream cone. And yes, there were 25 candles, and yes I blew them all out in one breath!
Last night I thought we were just going to have some cake and ice cream with my family and Derek's family, but apparently my mom decided to surprise me and invite all my friends and family over as well. It was a big surprise and so much fun!
My mom made a bunch of cupcakes and put them all together to make them look like an ice cream cone. And yes, there were 25 candles, and yes I blew them all out in one breath!
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