I ONEDER as I Wander...

"It looks like the Oh-Nee-ders."
"No! Its the ONEders!"
"Got it. Looks like the Oh-Nee-ders."

I wonder if the MANIA class at the gym will always be as amazing as it was today. Have you ever done MANIA? Its fast paced cardio that's awesome and amazing! I was literally shaking by the time we finished today. I'm also 98% sure I won't be able to lift my arms above my head tomorrow. How exciting!

I wonder if I'll get tired of Disney's Tangled. At this point, I'm guessing NO, because I love that show. Also, I really like watching it in my own house while eating tuna sandwiches and popchips with someone I adore. So as long as I can always watch it that way I stick with my NO.

I wonder if everyone else finds this as awesome as me:

(I would have said "anybody else" but come on! I'm SURE there are people who love it. Are you one of those?)

I wonder if Wednesdays will ever be a day I love. Besides that Mania class this morning, there's not a ton to look forward to or really find AWESOME.

I wonder if anybody else has a BFF who threatens the new BF with "death by singing and dancing" should he ever hurt me. How awesome is that?! And hilarious, of course.

I've been wondering for a while about why the earbuds that came with my iPod don't fit in my ears. I see loads of other people sporting the tell-tale white earbud look while walking down the road, running on the treadmill, or ignoring my fascinating lectures in night class. And they seem to have no problem! Why me?

I wonder what's for dinner tonight. My little sister has got me into Meal Planning as of late, but Wednesdays are a wildcard--usually leftovers and/or something quick due to Second Job starting 90 minutes or less after First Job ends. Perhaps tonight will be cold cereal? Or a HOT POCKET maybe!?

I wonder how I forgot for more than a month that I had a BOX--a BOX people!--of M&M's in my file drawer. I'm going to assume here, for the sake of my Internet audience, that its because I'm such an efficient and focused worker that I never had time to stop and consider where I could procure chocolate in the midst of a busy workday. Yep. That's what I'm going to assume...

And now I'm wondering how many packages of M&M's I could justify eating...

Spring Break #1

I should note that this week is my first Spring Break of the year. Since I have to take a bunch of time off work before June I took the U's Spring Break off. I'll also be enjoying the district's Spring Break next month. Charmed life? I think so.

Tuesday was a most excellent day in many ways. I did some service, had a nice workout, and enjoyed a fun lunch with Julie. I also got a chance to do a session at the Jordan River Temple in the afternoon. AND the weather was so nice in the evening that Skyler and I went for a little jaunt. Loverly.

Wednesday started with a great workout at the park (4 miles in 38 minutes!) followed by an all day adventure with Wallpaper Stripping. Its not like a California Adventure, but...yeah. Can't finish that. Its really not that fun and attempting to compare hours of scraping old paste and nasty paper off a wall to the brilliance of a Disney Themepark is sacrilege. But we finished the walls! And now we're one step closer to having Jon's room ready for him when he returns this summer.

Today I'm attempting to make a BBQ Chicken Pizza, introducing two of my favorite people to The Chocolate, and venturing down south to see Hairspray with Elisa. Yay Thursday!

Conclusion: Taking a week off in the middle of the year and having no major plans beyond "have a good time and relax," definitely fits into the realm of "The Finer Things in Life."

A couple quick notes about food--naturally.

Just in case any of you were considering putting some Girl Scout Cookies into food storage? They hold really well for at least two--if not three--years. I don't actually remember when I purchased this particular box of Thin Mints but they still taste GREAT! Happiness.

And I tried a new flavor of yogurt this morning. I stumbled on a Carrot Cake yogurt from Kroger and thought I'd give it a go for funsies sake. The flavor is actually not too bad. I mean, its not actually a luscious piece of carrot cake topped in several inches of to-die-for cream cheese frosting, but it tasted fine. The appearance of said yogurt, on the other hand, was fairly nasty. The consistency was THICK and the color was something between orange play-doh and fry sauce. YUMMY, right? I'm just really glad I didn't intend to mix anything in to it because I'm pretty sure that would have taken my appetite away almost immediately.

Sheldon Quote o' the Day: "Milk Duds, with their self-deprecating name and remarkably mild flavor, are the most apologetic of the boxed candies."

I Like Feta

I ran my first 10K of the season this morning. The Rex Lee run in Provo is a great race--good course and proceeds going to a good cause. As a runner, I felt really great. Sometimes you just find your rhythm and running is pure Joy! I finished the 6.2 mile course in 57:39--a new personal best. AWESOME!

Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was the kind of Spring day that reminds you that Winter will in fact end and Summer will arrive. And I finished breakfast five minutes early so...I walked to work. Before anyone gets too impressed, you should know that I can drive to work in about 2 minutes. Walking to work takes about 10 minutes, so I really should be doing it more often. Yesterday's walk TO work was beautiful and the walk HOME from work was even better. I love sunshine!!

Based on my shout-out in the last post to Mr. Sydney Carton, Andrea and I discussed the idea of naming hypothetical children (neither of us have any) after literary figures. I think I'm all for it, though likely as middle names. After all, Sydney is generally seen as a feminine name today and introducing oneself as Samwise Such-and-Such might garner strange looks. Still, I like the general idea.

I made Banana bread today. I replaced half the butter with applesauce and added some chopped pecans. It is DELICIOUS...

I haven't given anything up for Lent in a few years. (No, I am not Catholic, but I really respect the idea of Lent. I think it can be viewed as a Christian practice--and I'm definitely a Christian!) And truthfully I wasn't really planning on it this year. Then on Wednesday morning I saw that a friend was giving up Facebook for Lent, and I really liked the idea. So after giving it some fairly detailed thought, I'm going for it. I signed off Facebook for forty days. And so far I'm doing okay! My hope is that I'll learn I don't NEED to spend time every day online doing my Social Networking. I'd really prefer to network in the real world, after all. That kind of 'social' seems a lot healthier, anyway.

Tangled comes out on DVD/Blue-ray in 17 days. WOOHOO!!

Skyler gave me this balloon on Valentine's Day and it is STILL afloat in my living room nearly a month later. Impressed? You should be. That thing has staying power!

A Few Quick Notes

Dear Jonagold Apple-

I'm writing to express my displeasure in your general state of being. An apple should be crisp and break off into big chunks in my mouth when I bite into it. When I bite into your reddish-gold flesh I instead get a less-than-satisfying slushy pull of apple-ness. Boo. Shape up, please. SHAPE UP.

*me*
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Dear Sacramento Cab Company--

The airport is really close to my hotel. Really. It took us all of 15 minutes to get there. So why the $40 fare, cab company? That's ridiculous. I took a no-name white van shuttle service back to the airport for less than $20--in case you wondered why I didn't call for a ride back to the airport on Saturday. Boo on you and your ridiculous fares.

*me*
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Dear Philadelphian--

Your restaurant is gross. There is grease and all sort of nasty all over the place; I fear I'll contract a disease when I'm still 20 feet from the front door. Be that as it may...I will still be darkening your door regularly because you make one dang good sandwich! I applaud you for that and offer my most fervent thanks for an absolutely incredible meal Saturday night. I still might suggest cleaning the place up a bit...but then, it does give y'all some character.

*me*
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Dear SyFy--

I adore your new show Being Human. The combination of ghost, werewolf and vampire is absolutely absurd and I should be embarrassed by this but I seriously LOVE IT. What do I not love about this? Explain the silly block on Hulu, Syfy. Why do I have to wait 30 DAYS for a new episode? 30 DAYS! I thought we were better friends than that. Lame, Syfy. LAAAAAAME.

*me*
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Dear Cream Cheese frosting--

Never change.

*me*
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Dear Disneyland--

I miss you. I miss your churros, Toy Story Mania madness, parades, and overall happy vibe. Its been far too long since we've been friends. I think we both agree this is a tragedy. Do you have any ideas on how to remedy this situation soon?

Keep on with the magic--and see what you can do about having Corn Dog Castle open next time we get together.

*me*
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Dear Sydney Carton-

You are the Bomb-Diggety--especially as fictional characters go.

*me*
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Dear Universe--

Life is currently AWESOME (minus a few bad Jonagold apples and things of that sort). Your focus and attention to detail is exemplary--the UFO "coincidence" was BRILLIANT. Keep up the good work!

*me*

A Final Nod to the "27 in 27"

Believe it or not, the big 2-8 is just around the corner! With that in mind, I thought it only proper to take last year's Bucket List and give a brief rundown of it all. Did I cross everything off? Nope. But I did try, and I can say that I have had A LOT of fun this year. Some of these I know I've reported on in the past, but we'll give a synopsis of the entire thing in one fell swoop, anyway.

1. Take a road trip
California here we come! Caryn, Greg, and I ventured to the sunny climes of California at the beginning of June.

2. Reach my weight goal
Nope. Didn't hit this one, but I'm close! 7 lbs. away. And I'm working the Livestrong.com calorie counter to try and make it happen soon.

3. Go camping Trips with my ward and my family--two weekends in a row! Love it.

4. Make a new friend I made a number of new friends this year! Shouts outs to Jen M. and Skyler, in particular.

5. Finish the quilt I started last year
Its brilliant. I love it. Its on my couch 24/7 and makes me happy happy happy!

6. Buy a house
I barely remember a time I wasn't living in this cute little condo of mine.

7. Lose a bad habit
Sorry--no details for y'all on this one. Just know...still working on it.

8. Run a race--10K, half marathon or Ragner Relay I tackled a 10K and a half marathon last spring. Looking forward to my first 10K of 2011 next month!

9. Do something entirely new to me Snowshoeing? Awesome. But I could also count the multitude of new tasks I've been tackling in my new position at work. Lots of new stuff there, believe you me!

10. Finish the National Boards process Finished with bonus points because I passed in November!!

11. Get a massage The real tragedy here is that I've only gotten ONE this year. That should change.

12. Enjoy a mutually desirable kiss This was a buzzer beater, coming in with just a week to spare! I cannot complain, though. It fit the bill by definitely being enjoyable...

13. Visit all the temples in Utah I have not yet been to Okay, this one needs more explanation. No, I did not visit all the temples. I began a concerted effort last spring and summer. I've been to the Draper, Timpanogas, Bountiful, Ogden, Salt Lake, Jordan, Oquirrh, Provo and St. George temples. But it struck me one afternoon that I was spending all this time traveling when, well, the work is the same--no matter what temple you're in. So I basically dropped this entire goal in about July and focused just on attending the temple regularly all year. Good lesson learned.

14. Do something that scares me Oh where to begin?! Meeting new people scares me, but I went to my new ward and actually introduced myself and made real effort to get to know people. Calling men up on the phone for a date scares me, but I called him anyway and it worked out pretty darn well ;) Risking looking like a fool scares me, but I flew solo to a Swing Dance one weekend anyway...and did look the fool, in case you were wondering. This one will always be a challenge, but I tackled it more than once this year.

15. Read Jesus the Christ Read it. Loved it. Recommend it to all.

16. Give someone a nickname that sticks I think this one was just an epic fail. *sigh* My only connection with nicknames this year was hating a few that were "gifted" to friends. The success here was that I didn't claw anybody's eyeballs out about it.

17. Go to a U of U football game WOOHOO!! Thanks to Greg and family for taking me along!!

18. Do something spontaneous A lot of my spontaneity this year involved stopping at bakeries in Salt Lake and NYC. This is a good form of spontaneity, in case there was any doubt.

19. Take a class unrelated to teaching Swing Dancing at DF Studios in Salt Lake City. Crazy fun times. You should all do it.

20. Visit a historical site
Federal Hall in New York City and The Alamo in San Antonio. SKIDOOSH!

21. Fall in love with a new band
Now, this just needed to be a new band to ME. And my band o' the year was most definitely Train. I'm sort of addicted to "If It's Love," "Marry Me" and, of course, "Soul Sister." Just can't get enough!!

22. Engage in a significant service to another
I don't know on this one...I mean, I participated in service projects, helped out some people here and there, but I don't know if I actually achieved the true purpose behind the goal. ALAS.

23. Watch a sunrise or sunset with somebody I love
Nope. Well, if we did it wasn't anything so memorable that I thought, "Yes! Crossing this one off the list!" I'll see what I can do to make it happen eventually. Doesn't it just sound lovely?!

24. Send thank-you cards I really can't get enough. I love thank-you cards!

25. Go "Green" Recycling. Reusable grocery sacks. I just need a Prius and I'd be set...

26. Practice civic responsibility in a tangible way Giving blood. Saving lives.

27. Do something that makes me feel like a kid again
Staying up extraordinarily late during holiday vacations to read popular fictional novels? Don't mind if I do.

Pictures from here
and my own camera :)

February 14th

Remember #12? Yeah, me too. One word: CHECK!

Hope your Valentine's Day was as fun as mine.

Meet My Faves: Arianne

Episode 5 in this little series is long overdue. Arianne is one of my best and oldest friends--in the sense that I've known her for a long time. Not that she's an old lady. Because she isn't! She's a spry soon-to-be mom with a truly winning personality! We first met in 7th grade math class (and I am really grateful she forgave me our very first introduction since I was sort of a snotty beast as a pre-teen), cemented our friendship in a shared love of Mike Damus and TGIF's short-lived sitcom Teen Angel, and went on to be roommates at BYU. The rest is a chapter from the History of Awesome. She is one of my best friends in the world, my go-to for great advice, and just a generally delightful girl with a firm grip.

Best Thing: Arianne is my unpaid therapist from afar. She gives every situation a logical spin and usually leaves me laughing about things too.

Worst Thing: Its going to start sounding redundant, and you'll think all my friends live far away, but it really is terrible that she lives in Texas! My trip earlier this month was the first real quality time we've had together in YEARS. (Move back to Utah...)

Where are you from?
Utah--West Jordan until age 14 and Brigham City for high school

What do you do for a living?

My husband and I work from home selling child custody software online. I do the search engine optimization (writing a lot of content to put on the internet and hoping that Google rank us high for certain key words).

What is your favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes

What color is your bedspread?
Maroon, green, and gold

What book/movie has had a major impact on you?
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potek

What is your favorite word?
Pumpernickel

What is your best color?
Blue

What is your favorite restaurant?
Olive Garden

What is one material possession you couldn't live without?
Since moving to Texas--air conditioning

Which cartoon character do you resemble the most?
Belle--because I like to read and sing while I walk down the street

Why do you think I like you so much?
Same reasons I like you--how can you not like someone who will stay up all night laughing with you?

What is the best compliment you could receive?
That I'm kind.

What is your favorite memory we have shared?
Any time when I cried or fell on the floor laughing...so, a lot of them. One of the best was coming up with the commercial for duct tape in the middle of the night and "This is Dr. Weaver. You may remember me from 'Dr. Weaver, Dr. Weaver'." Awesome.

What 3 words would best describe you?
Amused, Curious, Delightful