Your people call my people...

I was working on a post recently that will most likely never actually receive the glory of appearing here. Oh well--some things just go the way of all the earth like that. Welcome to life...even for Blogs, "Life sucks and then you die." But back to People. One of the topics tackled in the aforementioned "non-posted Post" was people (not related to me) who've had a positive impact on my life. Its a worthy topic and one I've considered posting on for a while but I could never come up with a way to get in to it. But here goes nothing! An apology beforehand if you were expecting to see your name on this list and didn't. I still think you rock...whoever you are.

Walt Disney: (What? I never said I had to know them personally.) Mariah and I discussed Mr. Disney's impact on our lives a few years ago--the discussion was rather passionate and almost fiery. Fierce. That particular conversation focused on the fact that she and I met at Disney World. Despite living only 40 minutes away from each other for the majority of our lives, it took an internship across the country to bring us together. Thanks Walt Disney!

El Hombre: Longtime readers of this Blog would remember the character of El Hombre from last summer/fall. We dated for just a few weeks. My initial thought was "negative impact" but I realize now that's not entirely true. Negative? I was a basketcase for about 6 weeks at the end of last summer. I was juggling El Hombre, and trying to figure out where I really stood with him and whether I liked him as much as he liked me, and at the same time still liking someone else, and...oy vey. Not good. STRESS. But now I'm rather grateful to El Hombre. His impact
in my life was to act as a warning--don't ever involve myself in a relationship like that again! And its been great to compare new dating relationships to it...and see just how normal things are now. So I salute you, El Hombre!

The Brice: Positively Positive. "No, but I've heard about it". Gracias, my sassy friend.

Mr. Rogers: I used to watch Mr. Roger's Neighborhood every day. And I learned a lot. I learned the proper way to zip a cardigan is taking it all the way up, and then zipping it down half-way again. I learned that having a remote control trolley in your wall is awesome. I learned something about the importance of feeding pet fish every day. Most important? Mr. Rogers taught me I could never go down the drain--vital knowledge for a 5-year old. Thanks Mr. Rogers!

Merrill Osmond: My Blog about Mr. Osmond garnered uber amounts of attention, and all those comments made me feel really popular. I realize I owe Merrill a big "Thank You!" for bringing so much attention to my little piece of the World Wide Interweb--even though he didn't have much to do with it. So thanks Merrill--I owe you one. And it was his birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday, Merrill O!

The Disney Fam: Love them. Love everything about them. They make me happy. They make me feel good about being me. And they understand the need to laugh until you cry, cry until you laugh, and regular visits to the Happiest Place on Earth. I could gush on and on, but I won't. You guys rock my world.

Miscellaneous Friends Who Really All Deserve Their Own Paragraph: Andrea, who helps me keep my sanity at work. Abby, who is always ready and willing to talk. Arianne, who makes me laugh and offers brilliant advice on a regular basis. Elisa, who always inspires me with her enthusiasm and zest for life, and took me to Canada. Toffer, Josh, Erin, Megan, Becky, Derek, Sara...the list goes on here, so let's just sum it up with...

And many, many, many more: Life is good...thanks to so many awesome people who made it that way!

How was your weekend? Mine was great!

I got out of town this weekend. In and of itself, that is awesome. A mini-vacation of sorts. I went to Mesquite, Nevada with The Brice, his sister Camy, and brother-in-law, Dave. The point of the trip was to visit family and this was most certainly accomplished. I can't keep track of who I met exactly? But numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents are now in my acquaintance. The trip down wasn't bad--with music blasting, Sudoku, food and roadtrip games, we...kept ourselves busy.

Best part of the trip--besides the delightful company, of course--was the warm temperatures. Leaving Salt Lake, where we haven't had 3 warm days in a row all year, to the delight of 80 degree temps in Nevada was BLESSED. We could walk down the road at 10:00 pm in short sleeves--no jacket necessary. I LOVE WARM WEATHER!! And now I'm more eager than ever for the summertime to actually get here. Bring on the sun!

Since Mesquite isn't exactly "hoppin'" (I mean...honestly), we headed to Vegas on Saturday afternoon. We just walked the Strip, and wandered a couple casinos. Walking the Strip was interesting. I'm intrigued by people who take a job requiring them to wear a shirt advertising call girls. Who does that?! And why did these same people keep trying to hand my boyfriend fliers for said call girls?! He obviously already has one girl, and with that girl standing right there? Yeah, it seems a bit weird. We had an overpriced--but tasty!--lunch at The Bellagio (what a gorgeous place!) and saw the water show twice*. The entire afternoon I kept thinking of Oceans 11...Awesome.

Sunday morning I achieved greatness--not gonna lie. Due to some miscommunication, I had to get ready for church in 20 minutes. AND I DID! Shower, hair, makeup, clothes--the works--in 20 minutes! I'm so impressed with myself its disgusting. But it was really fun to go to church in St. George (with The Brice and his parents), because though the meeting was sort of dull, we got to walk around the St. George Temple after. Its really pretty and I'd never visited that particular temple before. Good times all around.

Other highlights of the weekend:

• Evanescence
• Warm weather
• 4-wheeling around the farm
• Warm weather
• The Brice
• Vegas street preachers
  
• And did I mention, warm weather?!

Overall, a great weekend. I recommend a weekend away to anyone and everyone. Live it up while you can!

*The second time, the music was this gorgeous piece. I'm in love with it.

It took 25 years and then some...

Its been suggested that perhaps I've been too busy kissing to keep my Blog updated. Whatever the reason, I admit I haven't been finding time to post regularly. So in order to respond to the demands of loyal readers, I Blog this morning to catch people up on the craziness that is my life. Are you ready for this?

Let me start by saying that its sort of embarrassing to admit it took me until the age of 25 to achieve this. I was in the club for a very long time, and in many ways I wore it as a badge of honor. People would ask, and when I responded in the negative they always seemed a bit taken aback—some would even gasp. But now…it’s done! I’m out of the club! I have finally seen Star Wars! Yes, the entire thing. I have seen A New Hope, and The Empire Strikes Back, and even Return of the Jedi. I think I liked Empire the most, but I’m still trying to decide. But really? Great movies. Loved them. WOOT!

Beyond my new understanding of the Star Wars craze, I’ve also learned some new things about myself. For example, I’m allergic to cats. We didn’t have any sort of furry pets growing up and I don’t have a lot of friends with animals. But this weekend, Mieka’s presence made my right eyeball swell up and itch like CRAZY. And now I know.

Saturday was an exercise in endurance for me. The Salt Lake Marathon. OH. MY. GOSH. 26.2 miles of running…that you will most likely NEVER see me doing. No, I’m happy handing out Gatorade and water at Mile Post 14, Water Station #7. I was the girl in the yellow T-shirt yelling, “Gatorade! Gatorade! Gatorade!” until it didn’t even seem like a word anymore. I love it! This is the second year in a row working the Marathon and its fantastic. I’ll do most anything for a free t-shirt, but this is one of my favorite things to do for a free t-shirt. But back to the endurance idea, the problem is I had to get up at 4:00 am. That’s in the morning? Before the sun’s up? Crazy. And my day didn’t stop until around midnight. The word of the day was really EXHAUSTION. But I had fun too and experienced some new things—namely, Hires Big H and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My judgment? Both good.

I counted this morning and I have 32 days of school/work left. 32 days is NOTHING. I can do 32 days! And its close enough to summer break that I’m beginning to construct my “This summer, I want to…” list. For example?

This summer I want to…

• Go to a Salt Lake Bees game and eat a hot dog

• Visit the zoo

• Roadtrip

• Watch a sunset

• Hike Ensign Peak

• Go fishing at Pass Lake

• Visit a National Park

• Run a 5K

• Have a bonfire

• Travel somewhere new

Totally random but should be noted:
Abby got her appendix taken out and she’s still fantastic! So I guess you don’t really need the appendix to have a great personality. I always wondered…

Dmitri Martin is HILARIOUS. I really enjoyed this video (and then link to the next 5 segments…) and I’ve been quoting it ever since. "Sassy..."

I ate two donuts, a hamburger/French fries/Root beer Freeze, nachos, chocolate pie/brownies on Saturday, and didn’t exercise. I ate two breakfasts, and a huge late lunch with dessert and also didn’t exercise yesterday. And this morning at the gym I had dropped another pound. Weird…

I had to pay a $20.00 parking ticket to SLCC because I went to Institute and didn’t know I needed a parking pass. Boo. I guess its my own fault for missing class two weeks in a row. When they announced it I wasn’t there. Talk about consequences of bad choices! Sheesh.

So life is crazy! But good! And I’m definitely not complaining! And every sentence in this paragraph is beginning with a conjunction and ending with an exclamation point! Because life is fun and this is my Blog and I can do that! So there!

Happy Monday, everyone.

Saturday afternoon...bein' lazy

The Organ Loft rocks my world. Have you been? You need to. Its in Salt Lake, and every other week they show old silent films, accompanied by a live organist (Go Blaine!). Last night's show was The Saphead starring Buster Keaton. Oh So Funny! I love Buster Keaton--the man is "seriously funny." I'm really looking forward to Douglas Fairchild in The Black Pirate in a month or so. Its gonna be big...

The Masters Tournament is taking place this weekend. I love watching golf. And I especially enjoy tuning in to big tournaments like this one. Usually I'd say something here like, "Is it weird that I like watching golf on TV?", but I already know the answer is a resounding YES. And thus, I don't ask the question. I'd love it if Tiger or Phil won again. I like 'em both.

On the topic of Golf, I tried my hand at the Wii last weekend. How cool!! I didn't do too shabby at bowling or golf...but its more that I'm great at following directions than that I'm great at actually bowling or golf. The Brice and Dave are GREAT Wii coaches. Elisa tells me there's a Wii game that involves racing cows? If this is true, I need it in my life.

Abby reported to me that she and Crista spent an evening recently watching the good endings to all the great chick flicks. Why didn't I ever think to do this?! Add to it a pan of brownies and you've got one great evening in front of you! In honor of their brilliance, I'm sending readers here to see one of my all time favorite movie endings. Every time I watch this movie, I rewind and watch the end at least twice. What can I say? I love it. (And as a side note, how all-American is this clip?! Baseball, kissing, The Beach Boys...God bless America!)

This morning I went for a run. THANK GOODNESS FOR SPRING WEATHER! It was truly splendid to be out running on the road, running in the sunlight, running in mild temperatures. I adore running. I'm looking forward to some 5Ks coming up in the next couple months. I don't know that I'll ever run anything longer than a 10K. The Brice asked the other day if I'd consider running a marathon and I had to laugh. No thank you--not interested! I'm volunteering at the Salt Lake Marathon next Saturday and I love being in that role, but I have no interest in being a marathoner. I love running, but running 26 miles? Not the least bit appealing.

Accomplishments today?

• Ran 40 minutes
• Cake made for Jello Mingle tomorrow
• Made my bed
• Talked to 4 friends on the phone
• Watched That Thing You Do
• Held my tongue (they can be taught...)
• Read a great talk in the Ensign
• Birthday present wrapped/card written

The only thing missing is a shower...so off I go. I love Saturdays.

Remember to Breathe

I learned a new word yesterday--"ninnyhammer." Its a synonym for Basket Case. And yesterday? I was feeling like a ninnyhammer. I couldn't stop thinking about things I had no control over. I wanted things to happen that I had no control over. I created rules for myself and then wanted--with every fiber of my being but one!--to break them. I was going CRAZY. Or something like unto crazy. I was going NINNYHAMMERISH. It was one of those times when I sort of hate being myself? I don't like feeling like a ninnyhammer. And it seemed I had no control over it. Oy vey...

So...I went to the gym. I got out of work a little later than planned and I didn't think I'd be able to get to the gym, shower, and be in Taylorsville for Institute by 6:00. I actually changed lanes on Bangerter at one point to head home instead of the gym. But I realized that in my NinnyHammer state, I would not survive at home for the next hour before heading to Taylorsville. I WOULD DIE. Or at least give in and break my self-made rules, so the gym was the destination.

And the gym, it turns out, was a GREAT idea. I ran hard and fast for 30 minutes--throwing all my excess energy into exercise and sweating like a pig. Delightful. That calmed me right down. Institute helped. Dinner helped. A quick texting conversation with a friend helped. Most of all? It helped to remember the need for a little Faith--if its meant to be, its going to work out. BREATHE.

So today? I breathe. In and out. In and out...

I was never good at Freeze Tag

I've been tagged--but its movies so I can't deny this. Let me say up front I have a real problem with the term "favorite"? My favorites shift and change as fast as my hormones, so feel free to be shocked when the next time you suggest one of my "all time favorites" I disagree and want to watch something else...

Favorite movies you have to be "in the mood" for in order to enjoy:
1. Better Off Dead
2. Mary Poppins

Favorite movies that make you laugh out loud no matter how many times you have watched them
1. Emperor's New Groove
2. You've Got Mail

Your favorite "Guilty Pleasures"
1. Rent
2. Connie and Carla

Favorite movies you have seen so many times, you can recite all the lines
1. Sabrina (with Harrison Ford)
2. You've Got Mail

Movies that "Opened your eyes."
1. Amazing Grace
2. Becoming Jane

Most Overrated
1. Gone With the Wind
2. Fantasia

What were the last 2 movies you watched
1. Anastasia
2. Stranger Than Fiction

Favorite "smart" movies
1. The Prestige
2. Oceans 11

Your spouse's/significant other's favorites
1. Jet Li's Hero
2. Dead Poet's Society

Your all time favorites:
1. October Sky
2. Sleepless in Seattle

And I tag Anna, Meredith, Elisa, Toffer, and Kevin.

The People Poem

Today my students wrote poems about Abraham Lincoln. The "People Poem" form goes like this:

Line 1: Name of the Person
Line 2: A description of the person using two words connected by "and" or "but"
Line 3: An adverb and a verb to describe a typical action
Line 4: Compare a quality of the person with something interesting using "as a" or "than"
Line 5: Close with a wish for the person or yourself, using "If only," "I wish," "I'll never," or "I always"

I got some GREAT comparisons and descriptions about our 16th president. Some of them really were good, and some were [insert sarcasm] GREAT. Here are some of my favorites--either because they're creative, or they're absolutely hilarious as a description of Abraham Lincoln:

"Thoughtful as a Test"
"Nice as a Bird"
"Happy as a sunbeam"
"Fun as a Circus"
"Virtuous as a priest"
"Less Scared than a Fly"
"Loud as a Cow"
"Wiser than an old man"
"Gripping as stitches" (What?)
"Sweet as a pineapple"
"Better than the Best"
"Taller than a frickin' Giraffe" (nice...)
"Nice as a Pillow"

What similes can you come up with?

Anyway, I decided to use this form and write a poem about myself. Why not? I've been having a weird day and this seems to fit in nicely:

Tara
Freaky and Fun
Regularly amused
Random as a Thriftshop
I wish she could just focus!

But since I can't focus, here are some of my favorite things relating to Abraham Lincoln...somehow...

Lincoln's Blog
From my Top Ten Picture Books list
Good for a rainy Saturday