Life has been good lately. I'm meeting fun people who have good senses of humor here in Texas (it's about time!). I finally got a job. A new friend in the ward hooked me up with a great situation. The job itself has its ups and downs, but I guess all jobs do and right now I'm just so happy to be OUT OF THE HOUSE and NOT POOR! =) I've had some interesting experiences at the new place...there's definitely some "characters" there. Maybe another day I'll share some stories that I know you all love.
My baby Buggy moved away last week. It was a very tearful goodbye on my end (as I'm sure it would have been on hers if she had any idea that she wasn't going to get to see me everyday anymore, since I'm obviously her favorite person in the whole world besides her Mommy!). I'm really crossing my fingers that someday (hopefully sooner than later) I'll get to have a baby or two of my own that I don't have to move away from. It's heartbreaking to fall madly in love with these babies and kids and then not have them be a daily part of my life anymore.
Skylar is my bestie out here. If anyone had told me a few years ago that the sister 10 years younger than me would become my favorite person in the whole world, I would have gladly wagered a million dollars that they were mistaken. Good thing I didn't, because I definitely don't have the dough to pay up now. Anyway, I've resorted to lying about Skylar's age and grade (she's now "18 and graduating next week", lol) so that I can bring her along to parties and get-togethers with cool people from church. It's a win-win...I have a friend who gets my sense of humor and laughs irreverently at situations and people along with me, while she gets to stare and drool at a bunch of hot young men age 21-27ish...every 17 year old's dream! Don't worry, I'm very blunt in telling every guy we talk to that she is off limits and so far they all think that 18 is still too young for them. I'm either the coolest older sister ever, or the very very worst. =)
So yeah, life is good. I had an especially great day today. Then I came up to check Facebook. And this lame guy ("lame" is putting it VERY mildly, and kindly) that I kind of, sort of, dated last summer had posted something. And I commented on it. And then I fell into the trap of looking at pictures of him, then I dug into my archives and looked at pics and videos of times we spent together with his kids.
And now I just feel tired.
I really need to be careful about digging up those particular memories. I really need to just stop having any contact with him at all. If I was smarter or less inclined to inflict pain on myself I'd delete him as a Facebook friend altogether (again), and delete him from my phone (again) and vow never to talk to him again (again), and get rid of all those pictures and videos (again) except actually stick with it this time.
I got into a debate with a friend last week about what the ideal age for marriage is. I was adamant in my opinion that 90% of the time, any age before 24 is TOO YOUNG. He disagreed. My arguments all sounded very good at the time, about how when you're older you should be wiser, and have better life experience, and your brain is fully developed, and you know your own strengths and weaknesses better...but now I'm sitting here thinking about this stupid boy I allowed into my life last summer, who I'm STILL allowing into my life even from half a country away. I'm not 18 or 20 or even 24. I'm 26, so what's my excuse?
Maybe I'll have it figured out in my 30's? 40's? Or maybe it's not about age at all and my friend was right. Which would mean I'll keep making terrible, awful decisions about who I give my attention and emotions and esteem and maybe even my heart to, indefinitely.
I'm gonna go watch 24 now. Maybe living in Jack's world for a little while will put my own silly problems back into perspective. Or at least just distract me from them...did anyone else find it impossible to think about anything else last week when Jack GUTTED that guy to death?!
Lol, maybe it's 24's fault that I keep having crazy nightmares about cutting old women's hands off with saws. (She was a kidnapper and was trying to kill me ok?)
I need a therapist, stat. =)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Random Fun
I don't want to forget this, so I'm writing it down here... Brittney is going to audition for her Middle School talent show, so she's been practicing a karaoke version of Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly." She did a demonstration for us sisters the other day, and then of course we ALL wanted to try singing some karaoke. Skylar went first, and she decided to show Brittney how it's done on Bubbly. It was going well until she realized she didn't really know the lyrics and had to improvise. Her best line?
"You give me sillies in my tingly place!"
Yes, she did. And yes, I will make sure to use that line in her wedding toast somehow.
My last posts have been heavy on the words (what do you expect from a blog titled Word Vomit?), so here's some recent pics of my adorable niece, Kyleigh, for you to enjoy:
Look at those cheeks! Is it any wonder I kiss them 1,000 times a day??
Sometimes we torture Ky-bug to amuse ourselves, but she still loves us anyway. Mostly because we bribe her with food and drinks she shouldn't have - see video below: (p.s. we learned this behavior from our dad)
Note: The weird panting sound you hear at the end of the video is us trying to get Kyleigh to do her latest "thing", where she scrunches up her face and smiles really big, then pants while she cheeses it up for us. We love it, but couldn't get her to do it on film.
Such a big girl! I love my Buggy-Baby!
"You give me sillies in my tingly place!"
Yes, she did. And yes, I will make sure to use that line in her wedding toast somehow.
My last posts have been heavy on the words (what do you expect from a blog titled Word Vomit?), so here's some recent pics of my adorable niece, Kyleigh, for you to enjoy:
Look at those cheeks! Is it any wonder I kiss them 1,000 times a day??
Sometimes we torture Ky-bug to amuse ourselves, but she still loves us anyway. Mostly because we bribe her with food and drinks she shouldn't have - see video below: (p.s. we learned this behavior from our dad)
Note: The weird panting sound you hear at the end of the video is us trying to get Kyleigh to do her latest "thing", where she scrunches up her face and smiles really big, then pants while she cheeses it up for us. We love it, but couldn't get her to do it on film.
Such a big girl! I love my Buggy-Baby!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Another Texas Tale
I bet you think I broke my commitment, don't you? Well, I didn't. I spent over 2 hours writing potential blog posts the other night, but in the end they all came across as really rude or boring. So I hit delete and went to bed. There's a story I want to write out about one girl in particular here in TX, but when I try to describe her I just can't get it right. I think I was trying to give way too much info and background, so I'm going to try it again but keep it short and simple* this time, and hopefully not come across as too rude or judgemental. (*Disclaimer: Jessica + short-n-simple is usually an oxymoron, so just know I mean relatively short and simple)
Girl: 5'2 or 5'3ish, very blonde, huge smile, gives off a wholesome yet silly/flirty vibe, overall the type you just want to put into your pocket when you first see her. She tends to make boys drool a little. She will be referred to as "Bambi" from here on out.
Setting: FHE (The same one as the "scoot over" and "seaward" incidents. It was a big night for me.) A lesson on charity had just been given. The floor was opened up to comments. Bambi NEVER passes up an opportunity to comment or talk at church.
Bambi's comment (as best as I can recall):
So while you were talking, I came up with a list of things in my head that I want to share with everyone. (Sidenote: This intro clued me in right away that I was about to be amazed. Continuing on.) First of all, once I went to a psychiatric ward. As a volunteer, of course! Anyway, I met this man who was admitted because he was such a negative person. He was really unhappy because his wife was going to leave him because he was SO negative and he judged everyone he came across. He was so discouraged that he couldn't change, so I gave him some advice that I think we can all use. I told that man, "When you see someone and feel the urge to judge them, just tell yourself, 'Don't judge, love! Don't. Judge. LOVE!' ...
I started laughing to myself at this point and then I got the list of possible FHE group names, so I was distracted for the next 5 minutes of her comment. I tuned back in to hear this:
...and a big part of charity is forgiveness. Now I've learned a lot about forgiveness and I hope that y'all can learn from my experiences instead of having to learn the hard way yourselves. So, I was a young widow at age 20, and then I got remarried at age 22. I went to the temple and was sealed. Two hours after my sealing for time and all eternity, my husband told me he hated my guts and wished he had never married me. I think maybe he got cold feet or something. But anyway that was the hardest thing I've ever gone through, but I did forgive him and now we talk all the time, like every week. And I also give him advice and set him up with girls all the time! So I was able to forgive him and...
I tuned her out again at this point, and didn't hear any of the rest of her comments and advice. I was flabbergasted as I looked around the room, expecting to see people holding back laughs, or rolling their eyes, or maybe just looking confused. But no, all I saw were people nodding their heads and smiling, as if what this girl was saying was completely normal and, gosh oh gee, she really DID know all about charity and was really a wise little pixy!
I just don't get it. Have all my years in the Pacific Northwest turned me into a stone cold meanie? Am I completely jaded, or just looking for things to criticize? No, after thinking about it a lot, I would really like to think that MY reaction was not the strange one in that room on Monday night. The only thing that I can't figure out is WHY all those people seem to think that Bambi's comments are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I mean, granted she is VERY nice and sweet, and I really do believe that she means well with all of her strange stories and advice. But you can think someone is nice, and heck, even like them a lot, yet be able to recognize that sometimes the things they say are just plumb crazy.
So here are my 3 possible conclusions. Maybe you all can let me know which is/are the most probable in this case:
1. Other people DID think what she was saying was really TMI and a little self-righteous, and a lot strange. However, they are all just much better actors than me, and have more self-control over their eye-rolling and jaw-dropping reflexes.
2. Texans just expect people to ramble on about really personal things in their testimonies and comments? In Texas, you aren't spiritual unless you can back it up with evidence from your life, even if the evidence isn't very convincing?
3. Beautiful people can say dumb crap as much as they want and no one cares, because they're just so pretty. (I don't know whether I'd narrow this down to Texas, I think it may be a country-wide epidemic.)
So there you have it folks. Let me know how terrible and mean and judgemental I really am. Maybe Texas will make a kinder, gentler (more boring?) Jessica out of me yet, if I spend enough time here to let it.
Girl: 5'2 or 5'3ish, very blonde, huge smile, gives off a wholesome yet silly/flirty vibe, overall the type you just want to put into your pocket when you first see her. She tends to make boys drool a little. She will be referred to as "Bambi" from here on out.
Setting: FHE (The same one as the "scoot over" and "seaward" incidents. It was a big night for me.) A lesson on charity had just been given. The floor was opened up to comments. Bambi NEVER passes up an opportunity to comment or talk at church.
Bambi's comment (as best as I can recall):
So while you were talking, I came up with a list of things in my head that I want to share with everyone. (Sidenote: This intro clued me in right away that I was about to be amazed. Continuing on.) First of all, once I went to a psychiatric ward.
I started laughing to myself at this point and then I got the list of possible FHE group names, so I was distracted for the next 5 minutes of her comment. I tuned back in to hear this:
...and a big part of charity is forgiveness. Now I've learned a lot about forgiveness and I hope that y'all can learn from my experiences instead of having to learn the hard way yourselves. So, I was a young widow at age 20, and then I got remarried at age 22. I went to the temple and was sealed. Two hours after my sealing for time and all eternity, my husband told me he hated my guts and wished he had never married me. I think maybe he got cold feet or something.
I tuned her out again at this point, and didn't hear any of the rest of her comments and advice. I was flabbergasted as I looked around the room, expecting to see people holding back laughs, or rolling their eyes, or maybe just looking confused. But no, all I saw were people nodding their heads and smiling, as if what this girl was saying was completely normal and, gosh oh gee, she really DID know all about charity and was really a wise little pixy!
I just don't get it. Have all my years in the Pacific Northwest turned me into a stone cold meanie? Am I completely jaded, or just looking for things to criticize? No, after thinking about it a lot, I would really like to think that MY reaction was not the strange one in that room on Monday night. The only thing that I can't figure out is WHY all those people seem to think that Bambi's comments are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I mean, granted she is VERY nice and sweet, and I really do believe that she means well with all of her strange stories and advice. But you can think someone is nice, and heck, even like them a lot, yet be able to recognize that sometimes the things they say are just plumb crazy.
So here are my 3 possible conclusions. Maybe you all can let me know which is/are the most probable in this case:
1. Other people DID think what she was saying was really TMI and a little self-righteous, and a lot strange. However, they are all just much better actors than me, and have more self-control over their eye-rolling and jaw-dropping reflexes.
2. Texans just expect people to ramble on about really personal things in their testimonies and comments? In Texas, you aren't spiritual unless you can back it up with evidence from your life, even if the evidence isn't very convincing?
3. Beautiful people can say dumb crap as much as they want and no one cares, because they're just so pretty. (I don't know whether I'd narrow this down to Texas, I think it may be a country-wide epidemic.)
So there you have it folks. Let me know how terrible and mean and judgemental I really am. Maybe Texas will make a kinder, gentler (more boring?) Jessica out of me yet, if I spend enough time here to let it.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Texas
SO much to catch up on since last time I wrote...heartbreak, moving across the country, my wonderfully crazy family, visit to Utah, Cortney's visit to Texas, new job, the list goes on and on. Maybe I'll get to some or all of it eventually. Probably not. But tonight my mind is racing and racing with some of the crazy things that I've experienced here, and I'm wishing I had just one really irreverent friend to share my experiences and laugh with me. But since all of them live in other parts of the country, I'm going to record the best/funniest/most annoying things in this entry just to get it all out of my system!
Hm, I wonder if I can properly get these stories across in a written format instead of verbally. Here goes nothing!
1. Douchebag McGee (excuse the language, but really there's no other proper adjective for this guy). D.M. is in my ward. He's definitely Texan (most people I've met from here aren't) and I was prepared to like him at first, mostly just because I want a friend with a thick Texan accent. My first encounter with this guy was at a Church sporting event. People were playing indoor soccer, and he arrived late. He took a minute to observe the game and then yelled, "Ya'll are playin' like a BUNCH OF VAGINERS!" Abrasive? Sure, but I appreciated the humor of it too. The next time I saw him was across the chapel at church. We made brief eye contact and I smiled. He smiled back, I think. It's hard to trust this memory of him after all the lame things he's done since.
My third encounter with D.M. is the best, and has set the tone for our relationship since. I arrived at church late last month and rushed to the first seat I spotted at the end of a pew. I sat and then looked to my left and noticed D.M. was sitting 2 or 3 feet away from me. After a minute or so, he sneezed loudly. The guys behind him said bless you, and then he turned and LOUDLY whispered, "Thanks. I'm allergic to girls, and THAT one (pointing rudely at me), had the nerve to sit next to me!" Wow, thank you random vagina man! He shuffled around for a little while and then stood up and told me that I made him sneeze and he had to go. He left to go sit across the chapel. I was obviously self conscious after that, and scrubbed my wrists after the meeting thoroughly, because maybe he's allergic to perfume? But geez louise, first of all there was room for him to just quietly scoot over a few feet and second of all, HOW RUDE! (Sidenote: I tend to be sensitive to perfumes too, so when I wear them, I spray VERY sparingly. Maybe he's really allergic, but I just want to clarify that I never spray myself more than twice, from a distance.)
The next night was FHE, held in a ward member's home. I entered the house and as I was scanning the room, D.M. made eye contact with me and told me that I had better not be thinking about sitting next to him on the loveseat, because it was forbidden. Seriously. Then later that night, he wouldn't move out of the doorway when I needed to leave and when I lightly brushed his foot, he stopped me and stuck out his other foot and loudly invited me to "stomp on it too." I was seething, but decided he wasn't worth a response and just left so as not to make a scene.
I've avoided him since then until tonight. Tonight's FHE was at the church, and I once again arrived at the meeting late and rushed to sit down. I quickly heard a rude "Hey! HEY!" from behind me, and my blood pressure immediately began to rise as I turned around to see what Mr. Douchebag himself wanted this time. "I hope you know that you sat RIGHT in front of me, so now I'm not going to be able to see anything!"
I stared at him for one beat, and then sweetly said, "Oh no, I did?" I then changed my tone to uber-bisnitch and continued, "THEN SCOOT OVER!" I turned around and then proceeded to obnoxiously flip my hair around and constantly shift in my seat for the next 15 minutes. Hopefully he now realizes that I may look like a timid, chubby nerd, but I am actually a badass who is smarter AND wittier than him, and fingers crossed he'll leave me alone from now on. If not, I'm prepared to match him rudeness for rudeness.
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2. Texas humor is different than Jessica humor. Exhibit A: There's a girl at church whose initials are T.R.D. A group of kids was discussing this and a British guy commented, "Well that's a crap name." I immediately yelled out, "LITERALLY!" haha, get it? T.R.D. = turd = crap = literally a crap name. If you didn't get it, you should move to Houston, because no one else here got it either. I was forced to laugh at my own joke. Alone. What a waste of a funny.
Exhibit B My FHE group (sorry if you're not familiar with this term...I'm too lazy to explain it. Just know that it's a Mormon thing.) Anyways, my FHE group passed around a list tonight to nominate a formal name for the group. Each Sunday, the Bishop announces where and when the group will meet over the pulpit, and he will be using the name we selected from now on in his announcements. Once the list of possible names reached me, it contained suggestions like, "Kick Awesome Group," and "The Chuck Norris Group." Obvious attempts at humor, but really? Pfsh...amateurs. I immediately wrote down, "The Brother of Jared's SEAWARD Saints" (Emphasis added.)
This name was ingenius for a couple of different reasons. It was brilliantly subtle. The brother of Jared is a guy in our scriptures who led a bunch of people across the sea in little boats (like Noah, but on a smaller scale), so adding his name was good camoflauge for the naughty part of the title. Also, I thought the alliteration was a nice touch. The FUNNY part about the name is that Seaward SOUNDS just like "C-Word", which hopefully we all know is a very rude term used to describe girls. Admittedly I stole this joke from an episode of Arrested Development, but still, I think it was pretty great that I was able to use it in a church context. How awesome would it be to hear your ecclesiastical leader say "C-word Saints" into a microphone at church every week??
Ok, so the whole point of my hilarious title was to be subtle enough that not everyone would get it (such as the bishop, otherwise he would never approve). But I never thought that it would be SO subtle that NO ONE would get it. The group that was voting unanimously voiced their opinions that my name was super lame, and that they didn't want to be like the Brother of Jared anyways. (so. NOT. the. point. of. my. suggestion!) The joke flew right over their heads, and I didn't have one person who I could laugh with about how great my little plot could be. I was forced to text my innapropriate friend in Utah so that SOMEONE would validate that I am brilliantly funny, since no one in Texas understands. sigh.
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Wow, this Texas tangent is long. And there's still a lot more to go. Ok I'll take a break, and I commit to writing out a Part Two tomorrow. Goodbye for now, ya'll!
Hm, I wonder if I can properly get these stories across in a written format instead of verbally. Here goes nothing!
1. Douchebag McGee (excuse the language, but really there's no other proper adjective for this guy). D.M. is in my ward. He's definitely Texan (most people I've met from here aren't) and I was prepared to like him at first, mostly just because I want a friend with a thick Texan accent. My first encounter with this guy was at a Church sporting event. People were playing indoor soccer, and he arrived late. He took a minute to observe the game and then yelled, "Ya'll are playin' like a BUNCH OF VAGINERS!" Abrasive? Sure, but I appreciated the humor of it too. The next time I saw him was across the chapel at church. We made brief eye contact and I smiled. He smiled back, I think. It's hard to trust this memory of him after all the lame things he's done since.
My third encounter with D.M. is the best, and has set the tone for our relationship since. I arrived at church late last month and rushed to the first seat I spotted at the end of a pew. I sat and then looked to my left and noticed D.M. was sitting 2 or 3 feet away from me. After a minute or so, he sneezed loudly. The guys behind him said bless you, and then he turned and LOUDLY whispered, "Thanks. I'm allergic to girls, and THAT one (pointing rudely at me), had the nerve to sit next to me!" Wow, thank you random vagina man! He shuffled around for a little while and then stood up and told me that I made him sneeze and he had to go. He left to go sit across the chapel. I was obviously self conscious after that, and scrubbed my wrists after the meeting thoroughly, because maybe he's allergic to perfume? But geez louise, first of all there was room for him to just quietly scoot over a few feet and second of all, HOW RUDE! (Sidenote: I tend to be sensitive to perfumes too, so when I wear them, I spray VERY sparingly. Maybe he's really allergic, but I just want to clarify that I never spray myself more than twice, from a distance.)
The next night was FHE, held in a ward member's home. I entered the house and as I was scanning the room, D.M. made eye contact with me and told me that I had better not be thinking about sitting next to him on the loveseat, because it was forbidden. Seriously. Then later that night, he wouldn't move out of the doorway when I needed to leave and when I lightly brushed his foot, he stopped me and stuck out his other foot and loudly invited me to "stomp on it too." I was seething, but decided he wasn't worth a response and just left so as not to make a scene.
I've avoided him since then until tonight. Tonight's FHE was at the church, and I once again arrived at the meeting late and rushed to sit down. I quickly heard a rude "Hey! HEY!" from behind me, and my blood pressure immediately began to rise as I turned around to see what Mr. Douchebag himself wanted this time. "I hope you know that you sat RIGHT in front of me, so now I'm not going to be able to see anything!"
I stared at him for one beat, and then sweetly said, "Oh no, I did?" I then changed my tone to uber-bisnitch and continued, "THEN SCOOT OVER!" I turned around and then proceeded to obnoxiously flip my hair around and constantly shift in my seat for the next 15 minutes. Hopefully he now realizes that I may look like a timid, chubby nerd, but I am actually a badass who is smarter AND wittier than him, and fingers crossed he'll leave me alone from now on. If not, I'm prepared to match him rudeness for rudeness.
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2. Texas humor is different than Jessica humor. Exhibit A: There's a girl at church whose initials are T.R.D. A group of kids was discussing this and a British guy commented, "Well that's a crap name." I immediately yelled out, "LITERALLY!" haha, get it? T.R.D. = turd = crap = literally a crap name. If you didn't get it, you should move to Houston, because no one else here got it either. I was forced to laugh at my own joke. Alone. What a waste of a funny.
Exhibit B My FHE group (sorry if you're not familiar with this term...I'm too lazy to explain it. Just know that it's a Mormon thing.) Anyways, my FHE group passed around a list tonight to nominate a formal name for the group. Each Sunday, the Bishop announces where and when the group will meet over the pulpit, and he will be using the name we selected from now on in his announcements. Once the list of possible names reached me, it contained suggestions like, "Kick Awesome Group," and "The Chuck Norris Group." Obvious attempts at humor, but really? Pfsh...amateurs. I immediately wrote down, "The Brother of Jared's SEAWARD Saints" (Emphasis added.)
This name was ingenius for a couple of different reasons. It was brilliantly subtle. The brother of Jared is a guy in our scriptures who led a bunch of people across the sea in little boats (like Noah, but on a smaller scale), so adding his name was good camoflauge for the naughty part of the title. Also, I thought the alliteration was a nice touch. The FUNNY part about the name is that Seaward SOUNDS just like "C-Word", which hopefully we all know is a very rude term used to describe girls. Admittedly I stole this joke from an episode of Arrested Development, but still, I think it was pretty great that I was able to use it in a church context. How awesome would it be to hear your ecclesiastical leader say "C-word Saints" into a microphone at church every week??
Ok, so the whole point of my hilarious title was to be subtle enough that not everyone would get it (such as the bishop, otherwise he would never approve). But I never thought that it would be SO subtle that NO ONE would get it. The group that was voting unanimously voiced their opinions that my name was super lame, and that they didn't want to be like the Brother of Jared anyways. (so. NOT. the. point. of. my. suggestion!) The joke flew right over their heads, and I didn't have one person who I could laugh with about how great my little plot could be. I was forced to text my innapropriate friend in Utah so that SOMEONE would validate that I am brilliantly funny, since no one in Texas understands. sigh.
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Wow, this Texas tangent is long. And there's still a lot more to go. Ok I'll take a break, and I commit to writing out a Part Two tomorrow. Goodbye for now, ya'll!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
I'm Baaaaack!
Ok, it's time to start writing again. Maybe. I can't actually promise I'll be consistent, but I have some things I just have to say so here's at least one entry for now...
1. I have a deep, dark secret I need to get off of my chest. Lean in so I don't have to say it very loudly...(and if you tell anyone and they ask me about it later, I'll deny it without batting an eye) I have an ldssingles.com account that I pay to renew each month. I don't pay to keep the account because it has resulted in me actually talking to anyone. Basically I keep it for entertainment because it reminds me of my favorite boardgame in the entire universe,
REAL PEOPLE!!!
This game is from 1991 and consists of hundreds of cards. The front of the cards have pictures of people of all sizes, genders, races and ages. Since the pictures were all taken in the late '80s and early '90s and they seriously are of just regular, real people from the streets of random cities, you can only imagine how hilarious they are. The backs of the cards have answers to interview questions the people were given. Childhood nickname, secret fantasy, etc. etc. My roommate in Utah resurrected this game from the Goodwill pile at our apartment complex, and we abandoned the rules of the game and instead spent night after night with our other roommates and guy friends choosing the awesomest cards in the bunch to show each other and laugh about.
So yeah, ldssingles is totally like that game. I've found myself addicted to scrolling through all the pages of pictures and profiles that are on that website. There are lots of normal, everyday people on there and since I'm totally voyeuristic I get some entertainment out of looking at those, but holy crap there are also a TON of crazy people on that website. I've been laughing and laughing at some of the pictures and crazy things that people have put on there. And I wonder what conclusions people who look at my profile come to about me.
2. I've now upped my "number" to 3. Well, 2 1/2 really. His name was Jon, and it was quite the soap opera. But that's a story for another day. I just wanted to say that having a fling was totally fun, and I don't think I'm sorry it happened, but now that it's over (my choice, well his too I guess, but really mine) I'm left more lonely and wanting than I was before. Maybe not dating for years and years isn't so bad, since after a while you just get used to being single. But you can't find someone significant without going through some insigificant people first, and those insignificant people just make your need to find the significant one even greater. I think I'm rambling, but oh well. I'm out of practice with the whole blog thing. (P.S. the number I'm referring to is kissing partners, so get your mind out of the gutters people!) (P.P.S. I know, I know - 26 years old and only 2 1/2 people I've kissed. Pathetic. Oh well, lol)
3. I'm no longer in the mansion. I like the new place muchly, but I miss Jessie. I'm also feeling a little restless with my life. I'm contemplating moving again, especially since my parents and 2 sisters are abandoning me for Houston in a few months so my ties to Vancouver will become limited. Right now I'm most tempted to move to North Carolina a. because my favorite cousin and his wife who is just one of my favorite people period live there and I want to be near them and b. because the wife promises that I'll be able to find lots of dating opportunities. Which I am not ashamed to admit I'm looking for.
4. Wow, I didn't know this whole entry would turn into a "All roads lead to Rome" type of post. Except here it's "All Roads Lead to Jessica Being Single and Not Liking It Much".
Hm, what else can I write? Oh, I know! I don't want to write it all out again, but for your viewing pleasure, I'm going to copy and paste a google chat convo I had with my good friend Robbie describing the most bizarre experience I've ever had in a work setting. It has NOTHING to do with me being single, so it's a good way to end this post. Enjoy!
me: oh, i have a story for you if you're interested
i really should post it on my blog, but i think i've retired
Robbie: oh no
well yeah i want to hear the story for sure
me: now?
Robbie: yes
me: ok so...
Last week at work was SUPER stressful and I was in a bad mood pretty much all day everyday. I was snapping at rude coworkers and not being as friendly/talkative with patients as usual, and just in general hated everyday. So on Friday afternoon, my manager called me into her office. She had me close the door and sit down and then said she'd noticed I hadn't been my usual self that week. I immediately agreed with her and began to explain why. But she interrupted me.
To ask if I was about to start menstruating.
I told her I didn't think so. So then she asked if my depression was acting up (I made the mistake of telling her I had depression once and I'll never live that one down)
Robbie: haha she sounds very impertinent
me: I assured her that my pissiness did not extend beyond work hours and that I'd actually been very happy in my personal life.
me: Oh, you have no idea. Side note, she's told my coworkers they a. need to lose 100 lbs b. are unfit to be mothers and c. should hurry up and get married and lie about the due date so no one judges them...yeah.
Robbie: i like her
me: Anyways, I started to list all the (totally valid) reasons why work was stressful that week and yet again I was interrupted. This time she leaned forward, put her hand on the desk and looked earnestly into my eyes, and then said,
"Jessica, this is between you and me and I'm only saying it because you are a fellow Latter Day Saint. Sometimes we get into a 'mood' that lasts days or even weeks. We start to wonder what's wrong with us, and blame ourselves. But Jessica, I want to assure you of something -
Robbie: haha i can't wait for this
me: Satan is very real, and there are REAL evil spirits roaming this earth, and they will choose people to attach themselves to. I fear that this is happening in your case. I want you to know that you absolutely have the right to go to the temple and pray, and command these spirits to leave you. And they will. There is nothing wrong with YOU. We just are too quick to dismiss when this happens as a bad mood or a flaw on our part. But this is NOT from a father in heaven who loves you. It is evil spirits who have attached themselves to you."
Robbie: hahahaha
me: Yeah, so apparently i'm totally possessed, but only at work
Robbie: that is so much better than i expected. oh of course that happened
me: ROBBIE
holy crap
she was DEAD serious
and then she repeated a version of that speech 2 more times
and kept telling me to go to the temple
Robbie: haha. i like that she repeated it
me: finally i was just like, "wow, thank you. You've really given me a lot to think about."
Robbie: hahaha
haha
ha
oh man
so great
me: =) I thought you'd like that one. I haven't been to the temple yet, but now at least i know it's an option for my possessed self.
Robbie: haha. you probably should
me: yeah, for more reasons than that
haha
so bizarre
Robbie: haha yeah. i love that so much. This lady is comic gold
me: you have NO idea
you would DIE if you saw her
she's 65 and wears a pants suit and high pointy heels everyday
her make up is absolutely CAKED on
but the BEST part about her is that she wears her bangs in a huge bouffant style and has a PONYTAIL WIG that attaches to the top of her real hair and then drapes down the side of her face and ends just above her stomach
-----------------------------------------------------
Oh dear, I really shouldn't post that story on here. I'm crossing my fingers that no one who shouldn't reads it. But it's too bizarre and hilarious NOT to post. Oh well, if I get fired then I'll really be free to move across the country, right? Right!!
1. I have a deep, dark secret I need to get off of my chest. Lean in so I don't have to say it very loudly...(and if you tell anyone and they ask me about it later, I'll deny it without batting an eye) I have an ldssingles.com account that I pay to renew each month. I don't pay to keep the account because it has resulted in me actually talking to anyone. Basically I keep it for entertainment because it reminds me of my favorite boardgame in the entire universe,
REAL PEOPLE!!!
This game is from 1991 and consists of hundreds of cards. The front of the cards have pictures of people of all sizes, genders, races and ages. Since the pictures were all taken in the late '80s and early '90s and they seriously are of just regular, real people from the streets of random cities, you can only imagine how hilarious they are. The backs of the cards have answers to interview questions the people were given. Childhood nickname, secret fantasy, etc. etc. My roommate in Utah resurrected this game from the Goodwill pile at our apartment complex, and we abandoned the rules of the game and instead spent night after night with our other roommates and guy friends choosing the awesomest cards in the bunch to show each other and laugh about.
So yeah, ldssingles is totally like that game. I've found myself addicted to scrolling through all the pages of pictures and profiles that are on that website. There are lots of normal, everyday people on there and since I'm totally voyeuristic I get some entertainment out of looking at those, but holy crap there are also a TON of crazy people on that website. I've been laughing and laughing at some of the pictures and crazy things that people have put on there. And I wonder what conclusions people who look at my profile come to about me.
2. I've now upped my "number" to 3. Well, 2 1/2 really. His name was Jon, and it was quite the soap opera. But that's a story for another day. I just wanted to say that having a fling was totally fun, and I don't think I'm sorry it happened, but now that it's over (my choice, well his too I guess, but really mine) I'm left more lonely and wanting than I was before. Maybe not dating for years and years isn't so bad, since after a while you just get used to being single. But you can't find someone significant without going through some insigificant people first, and those insignificant people just make your need to find the significant one even greater. I think I'm rambling, but oh well. I'm out of practice with the whole blog thing. (P.S. the number I'm referring to is kissing partners, so get your mind out of the gutters people!) (P.P.S. I know, I know - 26 years old and only 2 1/2 people I've kissed. Pathetic. Oh well, lol)
3. I'm no longer in the mansion. I like the new place muchly, but I miss Jessie. I'm also feeling a little restless with my life. I'm contemplating moving again, especially since my parents and 2 sisters are abandoning me for Houston in a few months so my ties to Vancouver will become limited. Right now I'm most tempted to move to North Carolina a. because my favorite cousin and his wife who is just one of my favorite people period live there and I want to be near them and b. because the wife promises that I'll be able to find lots of dating opportunities. Which I am not ashamed to admit I'm looking for.
4. Wow, I didn't know this whole entry would turn into a "All roads lead to Rome" type of post. Except here it's "All Roads Lead to Jessica Being Single and Not Liking It Much".
Hm, what else can I write? Oh, I know! I don't want to write it all out again, but for your viewing pleasure, I'm going to copy and paste a google chat convo I had with my good friend Robbie describing the most bizarre experience I've ever had in a work setting. It has NOTHING to do with me being single, so it's a good way to end this post. Enjoy!
me: oh, i have a story for you if you're interested
i really should post it on my blog, but i think i've retired
Robbie: oh no
well yeah i want to hear the story for sure
me: now?
Robbie: yes
me: ok so...
Last week at work was SUPER stressful and I was in a bad mood pretty much all day everyday. I was snapping at rude coworkers and not being as friendly/talkative with patients as usual, and just in general hated everyday. So on Friday afternoon, my manager called me into her office. She had me close the door and sit down and then said she'd noticed I hadn't been my usual self that week. I immediately agreed with her and began to explain why. But she interrupted me.
To ask if I was about to start menstruating.
I told her I didn't think so. So then she asked if my depression was acting up (I made the mistake of telling her I had depression once and I'll never live that one down)
Robbie: haha she sounds very impertinent
me: I assured her that my pissiness did not extend beyond work hours and that I'd actually been very happy in my personal life.
me: Oh, you have no idea. Side note, she's told my coworkers they a. need to lose 100 lbs b. are unfit to be mothers and c. should hurry up and get married and lie about the due date so no one judges them...yeah.
Robbie: i like her
me: Anyways, I started to list all the (totally valid) reasons why work was stressful that week and yet again I was interrupted. This time she leaned forward, put her hand on the desk and looked earnestly into my eyes, and then said,
"Jessica, this is between you and me and I'm only saying it because you are a fellow Latter Day Saint. Sometimes we get into a 'mood' that lasts days or even weeks. We start to wonder what's wrong with us, and blame ourselves. But Jessica, I want to assure you of something -
Robbie: haha i can't wait for this
me: Satan is very real, and there are REAL evil spirits roaming this earth, and they will choose people to attach themselves to. I fear that this is happening in your case. I want you to know that you absolutely have the right to go to the temple and pray, and command these spirits to leave you. And they will. There is nothing wrong with YOU. We just are too quick to dismiss when this happens as a bad mood or a flaw on our part. But this is NOT from a father in heaven who loves you. It is evil spirits who have attached themselves to you."
Robbie: hahahaha
me: Yeah, so apparently i'm totally possessed, but only at work
Robbie: that is so much better than i expected. oh of course that happened
me: ROBBIE
holy crap
she was DEAD serious
and then she repeated a version of that speech 2 more times
and kept telling me to go to the temple
Robbie: haha. i like that she repeated it
me: finally i was just like, "wow, thank you. You've really given me a lot to think about."
Robbie: hahaha
haha
ha
oh man
so great
me: =) I thought you'd like that one. I haven't been to the temple yet, but now at least i know it's an option for my possessed self.
Robbie: haha. you probably should
me: yeah, for more reasons than that
haha
so bizarre
Robbie: haha yeah. i love that so much. This lady is comic gold
me: you have NO idea
you would DIE if you saw her
she's 65 and wears a pants suit and high pointy heels everyday
her make up is absolutely CAKED on
but the BEST part about her is that she wears her bangs in a huge bouffant style and has a PONYTAIL WIG that attaches to the top of her real hair and then drapes down the side of her face and ends just above her stomach
-----------------------------------------------------
Oh dear, I really shouldn't post that story on here. I'm crossing my fingers that no one who shouldn't reads it. But it's too bizarre and hilarious NOT to post. Oh well, if I get fired then I'll really be free to move across the country, right? Right!!
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Life Update
Well I'm sorry about that last (apparently totally unacceptable) post. Haha. I know I'm a huge blog-slacker on BOTH of my blogs, but it's hard to feel like you have any good material when you don't have husbands or cute kids to talk about all the time. Here's an update on the life of a single, female, 25 year old student...
The "Boy" I talked about in my "I suck at accepting compliments" post disappeared. Well, not by his choice. He tried to call me and text me once more after the whole Hey Beautiful fiasco, but I just never responded. I maybe, might have not responded because his voice was high pitched and weird sounding. I know, I'm totally judgmental and rude but hey, that's my prerogative!
I am now attending what was supposed to be my last semester of college but I absolutely hated one of my classes so I dropped it. That means I'll still have 6 weeks after this semester, but it's just one class so I'm not too worried about it. Honestly the idea of not being in school anymore freaks me out a little which I was not expecting. But with graduation comes real adulthood, and student loan debt! I'm not even really sure if I'll be able to find a good job but I'll figure it all out I guess.
I'm still living in the mansion and watching Jessie. I'm also still T.A.'ing and working at the Physical Therapy Office. Now I watch my friends' 4 month old every Friday too. And I'm the choir director in church. The truth is that all of these things are VERY, VERY part time, but I secretly really love listing them all off, preferably without taking a breath, because it makes people think I'm some sort of super-woman who can take the whole world on successfully. Really though, I'm still the same old, lazy, slacker-ish Jess I've always been. I'm just better at disguising it now.
I have officially begun attending the single's ward again. Surprisingly it's been much better this time around. Going to a counselor MUST have been at least a little helpful, because I find that I'm not nearly as socially anxious as I used to be. I've been able to talk to several new people comfortably. One guy even asked for my number, and he wasn't even mentally retarded! I've eye-balled a couple of boys who seem cute and normal so maybe I'll try being bold and manipulate one or more of them into asking me out on dates. I fully realize that it's stupid and lame to mention the single's ward and then dating prospects in the same paragraph, but I'm not gonna lie, meeting boys is the only reason I switched. I'm now officially One of Those Mormon Girls on the hunt for a man...a walking cliche. But whatev.
Speaking of boys, I am madly in love with one. It's the feet guy from the last post. He's been causing all sorts of drama in my life for the last few months without meaning to. He is one of my best friends, sometimes THE best friend. He's good and smart and fun and even good-looking. So what's the problem? There's only two:
One. He's not Mormon. Don't judge me, it's not a problem for me...it's a problem for him. He knows lots of us silly LDS people, and he's aware of the whole "if you don't get married in the temple, you're only married 'til death do you part" belief we have, and since he has no intention of becoming Mormon himself he would never even think of trying to date me because he's so noble and crap. Gag.
Two. I have, yet again, firmly entrenched myself in "friend mode" with the kid. (I totally suffer from Buddy-itis, and have for many years. If any of you find a pill to cure it, send it my way please.) He's not attracted to me one iota as far as I can tell. And ok, I realize that I'm far from a perfect 10 on the looks scale, but I think I'm cute enough for him. Maybe. Besides that though, I'm everything he's ever wanted in a girl. I know it because, as one of his best friends, it's been my pleasure to listen to him discuss everything he's looking for in a future love interest. But for some reason, he just only sees me as his friend. One of his closest, and probably THE best girl friend, but that's all. I tried to have "the talk" with him last weekend and worked myself up to just flat out tell him how I feel. It didn't really work out the way I planned though. I at LEAST said enough stuff that hinted at my true feelings that he'd have to be a COMPLETE MORON not to know what's been going on with me, but he's still pretending that he has no idea why I've been acting all crazy and jealous and yes, even a little clingy, lately. So I guess I just have to re-train my brain and heart to be content with our friendship (which I'm TOTALLY grateful for) because I guess it's never going to be anything more.
Boo, that was depressing. I'll end on a better note that's related to loving that boy. So, if you read my Story blog, you'll know that I haven't had the best luck at trying to woo boys using food. But my friend was having a really bad day right before Christmas, so I decided to anonymously take him some delicious cookies. Of COURSE he would figure out that they were from me and it would carve out a little space in his heart for me, right? Wrong.
First I made the cookies. They were peanut-butter cookies with Hershey's kisses stuck on top when they came out of the oven. I used a recipe I hadn't ever tried before and I'm not gonna lie, the cookies were not as delicious as I had hoped for. But I figured he wouldn't be picky (plus I was too lazy to mix up another batch of dough) so I decided to forge ahead with the plan anyway. I took my sister with me to his house and made her place a plateful of cookies on his doorstep. They were covered in foil, and I had written "Merry Christmas" on the foil. We drove away, me with a big smile on my face thinking how happy it made me to perform anonymous service. Even if he didn't figure out it was me who had done it, the warm fuzzy feeling would be enough reward for me!
Several hours later, I got a text message from him about, well I don't remember what about but it didn't involve cookies. We started talking via text and eventually he wrote, "Hey, did you leave some cookies on my doorstep earlier today?" YES! My plan was working! I replied, "Well, I might have done that, yes." I sent the message and giddily waited for his text message which would be full of gratitude for the cookies, but even more for my kind heart and maybe then he'd tell me that this gesture made him realize his True Feelings for me and that he was coming over right away with some flowers and love poems I had inspired.
"Oh, well stuff left on our doorstep without a name on it makes my mom really nervous." is what appeared on the screen of my phone instead.
"Oh, so you haven't eaten any of them?"
"Nope, but I'll go ahead and have one now."
"Uh, I'm sorry. Yeah, they're from me. Make sure that your mom and brother get some too. I'm so sorry I didn't put my name on them but I promise they're safe to eat."
Now I was just embarrassed. The cookies weren't even that good in the first place, and now they were all stale because his mom thought some weirdo had left poisoned treats on her doorstep.
"Um, are these peanut butter cookies?"
"Yeah they are."
"Oh, well my brother is allergic to peanuts. But thanks."
STRIKE THREE. I may have well left poisoned cookies on his doorstep, since eating just one would have swelled his brother's throat shut and killed him. That probably wouldn't have helped my chances of marrying my friend at all.
Ay ay ay. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I'm totally screwed because I'm racking up a TERRIBLE track record with attempts to make sweet treats for boys I'm interested in.
Ha, I think I'm really funny. All right, I'll end here. I'll try to update this thing more often but I'm not making any promises. You all haven't been writing as much as you used to either though, so don't get too snippity with me (a-hem, Jeanette!) lol. Good night!
The "Boy" I talked about in my "I suck at accepting compliments" post disappeared. Well, not by his choice. He tried to call me and text me once more after the whole Hey Beautiful fiasco, but I just never responded. I maybe, might have not responded because his voice was high pitched and weird sounding. I know, I'm totally judgmental and rude but hey, that's my prerogative!
I am now attending what was supposed to be my last semester of college but I absolutely hated one of my classes so I dropped it. That means I'll still have 6 weeks after this semester, but it's just one class so I'm not too worried about it. Honestly the idea of not being in school anymore freaks me out a little which I was not expecting. But with graduation comes real adulthood, and student loan debt! I'm not even really sure if I'll be able to find a good job but I'll figure it all out I guess.
I'm still living in the mansion and watching Jessie. I'm also still T.A.'ing and working at the Physical Therapy Office. Now I watch my friends' 4 month old every Friday too. And I'm the choir director in church. The truth is that all of these things are VERY, VERY part time, but I secretly really love listing them all off, preferably without taking a breath, because it makes people think I'm some sort of super-woman who can take the whole world on successfully. Really though, I'm still the same old, lazy, slacker-ish Jess I've always been. I'm just better at disguising it now.
I have officially begun attending the single's ward again. Surprisingly it's been much better this time around. Going to a counselor MUST have been at least a little helpful, because I find that I'm not nearly as socially anxious as I used to be. I've been able to talk to several new people comfortably. One guy even asked for my number, and he wasn't even mentally retarded! I've eye-balled a couple of boys who seem cute and normal so maybe I'll try being bold and manipulate one or more of them into asking me out on dates. I fully realize that it's stupid and lame to mention the single's ward and then dating prospects in the same paragraph, but I'm not gonna lie, meeting boys is the only reason I switched. I'm now officially One of Those Mormon Girls on the hunt for a man...a walking cliche. But whatev.
Speaking of boys, I am madly in love with one. It's the feet guy from the last post. He's been causing all sorts of drama in my life for the last few months without meaning to. He is one of my best friends, sometimes THE best friend. He's good and smart and fun and even good-looking. So what's the problem? There's only two:
One. He's not Mormon. Don't judge me, it's not a problem for me...it's a problem for him. He knows lots of us silly LDS people, and he's aware of the whole "if you don't get married in the temple, you're only married 'til death do you part" belief we have, and since he has no intention of becoming Mormon himself he would never even think of trying to date me because he's so noble and crap. Gag.
Two. I have, yet again, firmly entrenched myself in "friend mode" with the kid. (I totally suffer from Buddy-itis, and have for many years. If any of you find a pill to cure it, send it my way please.) He's not attracted to me one iota as far as I can tell. And ok, I realize that I'm far from a perfect 10 on the looks scale, but I think I'm cute enough for him. Maybe. Besides that though, I'm everything he's ever wanted in a girl. I know it because, as one of his best friends, it's been my pleasure to listen to him discuss everything he's looking for in a future love interest. But for some reason, he just only sees me as his friend. One of his closest, and probably THE best girl friend, but that's all. I tried to have "the talk" with him last weekend and worked myself up to just flat out tell him how I feel. It didn't really work out the way I planned though. I at LEAST said enough stuff that hinted at my true feelings that he'd have to be a COMPLETE MORON not to know what's been going on with me, but he's still pretending that he has no idea why I've been acting all crazy and jealous and yes, even a little clingy, lately. So I guess I just have to re-train my brain and heart to be content with our friendship (which I'm TOTALLY grateful for) because I guess it's never going to be anything more.
Boo, that was depressing. I'll end on a better note that's related to loving that boy. So, if you read my Story blog, you'll know that I haven't had the best luck at trying to woo boys using food. But my friend was having a really bad day right before Christmas, so I decided to anonymously take him some delicious cookies. Of COURSE he would figure out that they were from me and it would carve out a little space in his heart for me, right? Wrong.
First I made the cookies. They were peanut-butter cookies with Hershey's kisses stuck on top when they came out of the oven. I used a recipe I hadn't ever tried before and I'm not gonna lie, the cookies were not as delicious as I had hoped for. But I figured he wouldn't be picky (plus I was too lazy to mix up another batch of dough) so I decided to forge ahead with the plan anyway. I took my sister with me to his house and made her place a plateful of cookies on his doorstep. They were covered in foil, and I had written "Merry Christmas" on the foil. We drove away, me with a big smile on my face thinking how happy it made me to perform anonymous service. Even if he didn't figure out it was me who had done it, the warm fuzzy feeling would be enough reward for me!
Several hours later, I got a text message from him about, well I don't remember what about but it didn't involve cookies. We started talking via text and eventually he wrote, "Hey, did you leave some cookies on my doorstep earlier today?" YES! My plan was working! I replied, "Well, I might have done that, yes." I sent the message and giddily waited for his text message which would be full of gratitude for the cookies, but even more for my kind heart and maybe then he'd tell me that this gesture made him realize his True Feelings for me and that he was coming over right away with some flowers and love poems I had inspired.
"Oh, well stuff left on our doorstep without a name on it makes my mom really nervous." is what appeared on the screen of my phone instead.
"Oh, so you haven't eaten any of them?"
"Nope, but I'll go ahead and have one now."
"Uh, I'm sorry. Yeah, they're from me. Make sure that your mom and brother get some too. I'm so sorry I didn't put my name on them but I promise they're safe to eat."
Now I was just embarrassed. The cookies weren't even that good in the first place, and now they were all stale because his mom thought some weirdo had left poisoned treats on her doorstep.
"Um, are these peanut butter cookies?"
"Yeah they are."
"Oh, well my brother is allergic to peanuts. But thanks."
STRIKE THREE. I may have well left poisoned cookies on his doorstep, since eating just one would have swelled his brother's throat shut and killed him. That probably wouldn't have helped my chances of marrying my friend at all.
Ay ay ay. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I'm totally screwed because I'm racking up a TERRIBLE track record with attempts to make sweet treats for boys I'm interested in.
Ha, I think I'm really funny. All right, I'll end here. I'll try to update this thing more often but I'm not making any promises. You all haven't been writing as much as you used to either though, so don't get too snippity with me (a-hem, Jeanette!) lol. Good night!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
It's a Sign
How do I know it's true love? We sit with our feet in the same weird position without even realizing it!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Who, Me?
I have a new goal and it is this: Learn to take compliments graciously...both externally AND internally.
It should be totally easy right? Wrong. When I get a compliment, my reaction is one of the following:
1. Brush it off and change the subject
2. Inform the person paying the compliment that they're mistaken and then offer "proof"
3. Tell the person paying the compliment that they are stupid (Seriously, I do this all the time - sometimes I tell them that they are "SO stupid")
4. Assume the person paying the compliment is insincere and totally ignore them
Actually, there's a couple of things that I am willing to be complimented on. First of all, my sense of humor. It's the one trait that I fully embrace and acknowledge to be fabulous. I know that I am pretty smart and also that I give pretty decent advice to friends and family in need of it.
I'm trying to think of more things that I'm willing to accept compliments about, but I'm coming up blank.
The reason this is on my mind is because there might be A Boy. We were getting along fabulously through text messaging and e-mails, and just when I had prepared myself to start talking to him on the phone and maybe even go on a date with him, he sent me a text message that began, "Hey Beautiful!" Ew. Ok, BESIDES the whole cheesy factor (which, c'mon, is HUGE here), my instant reaction to his stupid text message was to write him off as really desperate and/or socially retarded. Because in my mind, a normal, intelligent, un-desperate guy would never call me beautiful based on my looks. And he hasn't known me long enough to base it on my personality.
I know, I know, I have some MAJOR issues. Sorry you have to hear about this sad side of me. This blog has morphed into a place where I just post pictures and silly things, but it's original purpose was to serve as a sounding board and venting place. So even though more people read it now, and this is completely embarrassing to be writing about in a public forum, I'm putting it here.
Anyway, I don't know how I'm going to handle that boy. But in general, I recognize that I really need to start pretending to believe people when they compliment me, and maybe even eventually ACTUALLY believe them. I can smile and offer a sincere "thank-you" when kind words come my way. It will help me be a more positive person and easier to be friends with. Also (not that I have a lot of first-hand experience with this), I HEAR that when you date/marry someone, they should, like, love you or something and probably it's also good for them to TELL you that they love you and why. No one will do that if I never give them the chance to.
Ok, game on. Starting today. I'm going to be a gracious, compliment-accepting machine!
It should be totally easy right? Wrong. When I get a compliment, my reaction is one of the following:
1. Brush it off and change the subject
2. Inform the person paying the compliment that they're mistaken and then offer "proof"
3. Tell the person paying the compliment that they are stupid (Seriously, I do this all the time - sometimes I tell them that they are "SO stupid")
4. Assume the person paying the compliment is insincere and totally ignore them
Actually, there's a couple of things that I am willing to be complimented on. First of all, my sense of humor. It's the one trait that I fully embrace and acknowledge to be fabulous. I know that I am pretty smart and also that I give pretty decent advice to friends and family in need of it.
I'm trying to think of more things that I'm willing to accept compliments about, but I'm coming up blank.
The reason this is on my mind is because there might be A Boy. We were getting along fabulously through text messaging and e-mails, and just when I had prepared myself to start talking to him on the phone and maybe even go on a date with him, he sent me a text message that began, "Hey Beautiful!" Ew. Ok, BESIDES the whole cheesy factor (which, c'mon, is HUGE here), my instant reaction to his stupid text message was to write him off as really desperate and/or socially retarded. Because in my mind, a normal, intelligent, un-desperate guy would never call me beautiful based on my looks. And he hasn't known me long enough to base it on my personality.
I know, I know, I have some MAJOR issues. Sorry you have to hear about this sad side of me. This blog has morphed into a place where I just post pictures and silly things, but it's original purpose was to serve as a sounding board and venting place. So even though more people read it now, and this is completely embarrassing to be writing about in a public forum, I'm putting it here.
Anyway, I don't know how I'm going to handle that boy. But in general, I recognize that I really need to start pretending to believe people when they compliment me, and maybe even eventually ACTUALLY believe them. I can smile and offer a sincere "thank-you" when kind words come my way. It will help me be a more positive person and easier to be friends with. Also (not that I have a lot of first-hand experience with this), I HEAR that when you date/marry someone, they should, like, love you or something and probably it's also good for them to TELL you that they love you and why. No one will do that if I never give them the chance to.
Ok, game on. Starting today. I'm going to be a gracious, compliment-accepting machine!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Thanksgiving in Moab: The Dinner
After Denny's, all four of us were cold and tired, so we went back to our hostel to rejuvinate. We ended up taking a really long nap that was WONDERFUL! We woke up feeling calm and cozy and warm...ahhh, it makes me happy just thinking about it. Robbie and Greg were determined to go to a park in town that we had scouted out before and start a fire in the grill there to cook our tin-foil dinners. It was still pouring down rain, so Red and I didn't think it was going to happen, but we gamely helped them gather everything they needed and we all headed to the park. Red and I got to sit in the car and get to know each other better while Robbie and Greg actually managed to get a roaring fire going!
While Red and I were in the car, we saw a group of three young hobo's approach the fire. They warmed their hands and chatted with the boys for several minutes. I really wanted to get out and talk to them too, but the rain kept me in the car. I wish I had just done it anyway though, because Robbie told me that the people were super interesting. They lived in the desert and just came into town occasionally to do odd jobs...enough to earn a little money for food and drugs. One of the guys used to be a Rainbow person, a group of people I had just barely learned about. He said he stopped though, because when he went to their big conference, he had to put out like 4 forest fires. He also said he was too "pirate" to be one of those dumb hippies, whatever that means. Robbie didn't ask what he meant by that, which is exactly why I should have been out there talking to him.
After Robbie reported about the hobo-encounter, Red and I decided to get out of the car and encourage our men in their dinner-making efforts. (It helped that there was a covered pavilion and hot chocolate for us to enjoy.) We had a fun time finishing the dinners, and we ended that portion of the evening by singing some more hymns of gratitude and then headed back to the hostel.
Our tin-foil dinners smelled SO DELICIOUS and we were stoked to have our awesome Moab Thanksgiving dinner. The theme of the dinner was "CLASSY," so we set the table with an old, gross blanket as the table-cloth, styrofoam bowls and plastic utensils, and best of all, our plastic wine-glasses that you had to assemble because the cup and the stems weren't attached. Oh, and of course the centerpiece and mascot of our classy dinner was our bottle of de-alchoholized Merlot.
The table was set, the food was out, and all that was left was to list our Thank's and have our prayer. The guys made us all hold hands around the table and then I had to say the prayer. Both of the boys were squeezing my hands while I prayed, which I thought was strange. I found out later that Robbie was just examining a burn on one of his fingers, so really it was just Greg that was squeezing my hand as a sign of support and friendship while I prayed in (kind-of) public (which I hate doing, by the way.) We were all feeling super content and happy and cheesy and CLASSY, and finally the moment we had been anticipating had arrived...it was Time for the Wine! We poured it, and swirled it, and sniffed it, and then we all took a swig. And it was AWFUL, DISGUSTING, PUTRID, GROSS, EW, BLECH and also JUST what we had been hoping for! Totally classy. And hilarious. Seriously, it tasted like yeast and vinegar and grapes. If that is what real wine tastes like, what on earth are all of you wine-o's out there thinking?
Before:
After:
After our dorky wine moments, we dug into our real dinners, and they were amazing. I highly recommend tin-foil turkey dinners to everyone. Everything was cooked perfectly. Greg and I cooked yams as well, and those were also sooo yummy. After dinner, we had Thanksgiving S'mores, which consisted of homemade gingerbread, pumpkin-pie-puree` spread, and roasted marshmallows (I forgot the chocolate, but that probably would have made them even better.) All in all, despite the rain and the lateness of dinner, it turned out just as good as I had been hoping for. It may go down as my most memorable Thanksgiving dinner ever!
Friday morning arrived, bringing sunshine with it. We packed up the car, and as we were about to leave I saw something on the ground by the passenger side door. I bent over and uncovered...a half-buried baggy of marijuana!! It actually wasn't that suprising, considering the hippies who live at the hostel had been smoking the stuff the whole time we had been there, but I still thought it was hilarious. Especially since Robbie was freaking out a little and begging me to throw the bag away. He's usually not easily riled, but he really hates drugs apparently. I made him take a picture of me with the good stuff, and then after musing whether or not we should sell the baggy to pay for a tank of gas, I threw it back on the ground and we were off.
Greg really wanted to do one last hike, so we drove to Canyonlands National Park, and Robbie and I opted to wait in the car while Greg and Red went on their own little adventure. Robbie graded papers while I listened to music and just took a few minutes to reflect on my life and on the weekend. Robbie is one of those amazing friends that I can talk to for ever and ever, but also we can just sit together quietly without feeling the need to fill the silence for no reason. It was nice.
We left Moab behind us and went back to Provo, and our wonderful Thanksgiving adventure was done. I'm so glad that I went with the people I did, that we stayed in the place we did, that our food turned out the way it did, and that God created all those amazing Moab rock formations for us to enjoy the way He did.
Back in Provo, I was able to eat at one last fabulous restaurant (Zupa's!), watch some great kids spread Christmas cheer, enjoy a free musical, play some intense speed scrabble, and then talk until 3? 4? AM with my friend Glade (thanks, by the way, for the good talk and for being so honest and open with me...I enjoy talking to you more than you even know!) before driving back to SLC, turning in my rental car and getting on a plane to come back home.
Whew! I can't believe I made it through all that. Congratulations to you if you made it through too...I give you a GOLD STICKER! I hope everyone's Thanksgivings were full of good food, family, friends and memories.
While Red and I were in the car, we saw a group of three young hobo's approach the fire. They warmed their hands and chatted with the boys for several minutes. I really wanted to get out and talk to them too, but the rain kept me in the car. I wish I had just done it anyway though, because Robbie told me that the people were super interesting. They lived in the desert and just came into town occasionally to do odd jobs...enough to earn a little money for food and drugs. One of the guys used to be a Rainbow person, a group of people I had just barely learned about. He said he stopped though, because when he went to their big conference, he had to put out like 4 forest fires. He also said he was too "pirate" to be one of those dumb hippies, whatever that means. Robbie didn't ask what he meant by that, which is exactly why I should have been out there talking to him.
After Robbie reported about the hobo-encounter, Red and I decided to get out of the car and encourage our men in their dinner-making efforts. (It helped that there was a covered pavilion and hot chocolate for us to enjoy.) We had a fun time finishing the dinners, and we ended that portion of the evening by singing some more hymns of gratitude and then headed back to the hostel.
Our tin-foil dinners smelled SO DELICIOUS and we were stoked to have our awesome Moab Thanksgiving dinner. The theme of the dinner was "CLASSY," so we set the table with an old, gross blanket as the table-cloth, styrofoam bowls and plastic utensils, and best of all, our plastic wine-glasses that you had to assemble because the cup and the stems weren't attached. Oh, and of course the centerpiece and mascot of our classy dinner was our bottle of de-alchoholized Merlot.
The table was set, the food was out, and all that was left was to list our Thank's and have our prayer. The guys made us all hold hands around the table and then I had to say the prayer. Both of the boys were squeezing my hands while I prayed, which I thought was strange. I found out later that Robbie was just examining a burn on one of his fingers, so really it was just Greg that was squeezing my hand as a sign of support and friendship while I prayed in (kind-of) public (which I hate doing, by the way.) We were all feeling super content and happy and cheesy and CLASSY, and finally the moment we had been anticipating had arrived...it was Time for the Wine! We poured it, and swirled it, and sniffed it, and then we all took a swig. And it was AWFUL, DISGUSTING, PUTRID, GROSS, EW, BLECH and also JUST what we had been hoping for! Totally classy. And hilarious. Seriously, it tasted like yeast and vinegar and grapes. If that is what real wine tastes like, what on earth are all of you wine-o's out there thinking?
Before:
After:
After our dorky wine moments, we dug into our real dinners, and they were amazing. I highly recommend tin-foil turkey dinners to everyone. Everything was cooked perfectly. Greg and I cooked yams as well, and those were also sooo yummy. After dinner, we had Thanksgiving S'mores, which consisted of homemade gingerbread, pumpkin-pie-puree` spread, and roasted marshmallows (I forgot the chocolate, but that probably would have made them even better.) All in all, despite the rain and the lateness of dinner, it turned out just as good as I had been hoping for. It may go down as my most memorable Thanksgiving dinner ever!
Friday morning arrived, bringing sunshine with it. We packed up the car, and as we were about to leave I saw something on the ground by the passenger side door. I bent over and uncovered...a half-buried baggy of marijuana!! It actually wasn't that suprising, considering the hippies who live at the hostel had been smoking the stuff the whole time we had been there, but I still thought it was hilarious. Especially since Robbie was freaking out a little and begging me to throw the bag away. He's usually not easily riled, but he really hates drugs apparently. I made him take a picture of me with the good stuff, and then after musing whether or not we should sell the baggy to pay for a tank of gas, I threw it back on the ground and we were off.
Greg really wanted to do one last hike, so we drove to Canyonlands National Park, and Robbie and I opted to wait in the car while Greg and Red went on their own little adventure. Robbie graded papers while I listened to music and just took a few minutes to reflect on my life and on the weekend. Robbie is one of those amazing friends that I can talk to for ever and ever, but also we can just sit together quietly without feeling the need to fill the silence for no reason. It was nice.
We left Moab behind us and went back to Provo, and our wonderful Thanksgiving adventure was done. I'm so glad that I went with the people I did, that we stayed in the place we did, that our food turned out the way it did, and that God created all those amazing Moab rock formations for us to enjoy the way He did.
Back in Provo, I was able to eat at one last fabulous restaurant (Zupa's!), watch some great kids spread Christmas cheer, enjoy a free musical, play some intense speed scrabble, and then talk until 3? 4? AM with my friend Glade (thanks, by the way, for the good talk and for being so honest and open with me...I enjoy talking to you more than you even know!) before driving back to SLC, turning in my rental car and getting on a plane to come back home.
Whew! I can't believe I made it through all that. Congratulations to you if you made it through too...I give you a GOLD STICKER! I hope everyone's Thanksgivings were full of good food, family, friends and memories.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Thanksgiving in Moab - The Hiking
Despite the fact that we were up playing games and giggling until very late the night before, all four of us managed to get up bright and early on Thursday. We loaded all of our food in the "boot" of the car and set off for Arches National Park. It was chilly and cloudy, but Greg optimistically noted that "the clouds look like they're going to burn off!" We bundled up against the cold and started off towards our first arch. Before the arch, we went to a scenic overview and I yelled out loud to hear my own echo and then joked that we should sing a song. I forgot that I was there with a bunch of cheesy, music-loving Mormons and they took me seriously. After some feeble protests on my part, we began to sing a hymn. When we began, there were some people approaching and we gained confidence and sang out enthusiastically in 4-part harmony. When we finished, the people were nowhere to be found. I guess they didn't appreciate our "special moment."
We spent the morning walking around Balanced Rock, the North and South Windows, and other amazing rock formations.
I was amazed by all the wonders of nature we were seeing, and at one point I was standing off on my own, just taking it all in (or trying to) and feeling in awe of my surroundings. I glanced around after a few moments, and what did I see but Robbie laying down taking a mini-nap. I don't know why, but that totally cracked me up.
Just as we decided to go see the grandaddy of all arches, Delicate Arch, Greg's optimistic prediction proved to be very false and the heavens opened. I listened to every song about rain on my i-pod so I couldn't hear the sound of my loud breathing (high altitude + fatness = trouble getting oxygen while hiking). The trail led to the side of a stone mountain that we scaled like goats. My friends went ahead at my insistence, and I passed a man coming down who said he was giving up because "this was supposed to be an easy-ass hike, but I'm turning the hell around and I'll just look at the thing on the internet." I'll admit, I was slightly tempted to follow his example, but I pressed on and luckily for me (sadly for that man) the hard part of the hike soon ended. The walk to the arch was wet and cold and oxygen-lite, but the cliffs and rocks were actually really beautiful in the rain.
The Delicate Arch was seriously so wonderful! It looked all glisten-y and smooth in the rain. There were other hikers there with us, including a group of Indian guys. We had a long conversation with them under the arch and made friends with them, although the kind of friends where I can't pronounce or remember their names. But still, we laughed together and shared our travelling tales and mini-life stories and also they wanted pictures of/with us...so even though I'll never see them again, (and even if I did I wouldn't know what to call them), we're still friends.
My favorite part of the "Delicate Arch" pictures is that if you look closely at the picture of Robbie and I, you can see a little figure under the arch shaped like an X. That X is Greg, and we accidentally captured his moment of unadulterated JOY at being there. Fun, right?
We were soaked completely through our clothes after the arch, so we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car. It was way too wet out to start a campfire for our Turkey dinners, so we decided to wait and see if the rain cleared that night. Instead, we went to Denny's for Thanksgiving lunch! It was surprisingly crowded, and while we were eating our Indian friends walked through the doors and were seated right across from our booth. I was so happy to see them again, but not enough to acknowledge them. I guess we're not the type of friends who like, smile or talk to each other.
Whew, who knew 3 days could give me so much to talk about? And I'm only giving the bare details! Sorry if you're a little bored, but it's good for me to write this stuff down while it's fresh so I can remember it better later. Stick with me though, because next time I'll be writing about the best parts of the trip...DINNER, HOBOS, and DRUGS!!
We spent the morning walking around Balanced Rock, the North and South Windows, and other amazing rock formations.
I was amazed by all the wonders of nature we were seeing, and at one point I was standing off on my own, just taking it all in (or trying to) and feeling in awe of my surroundings. I glanced around after a few moments, and what did I see but Robbie laying down taking a mini-nap. I don't know why, but that totally cracked me up.
Just as we decided to go see the grandaddy of all arches, Delicate Arch, Greg's optimistic prediction proved to be very false and the heavens opened. I listened to every song about rain on my i-pod so I couldn't hear the sound of my loud breathing (high altitude + fatness = trouble getting oxygen while hiking). The trail led to the side of a stone mountain that we scaled like goats. My friends went ahead at my insistence, and I passed a man coming down who said he was giving up because "this was supposed to be an easy-ass hike, but I'm turning the hell around and I'll just look at the thing on the internet." I'll admit, I was slightly tempted to follow his example, but I pressed on and luckily for me (sadly for that man) the hard part of the hike soon ended. The walk to the arch was wet and cold and oxygen-lite, but the cliffs and rocks were actually really beautiful in the rain.
The Delicate Arch was seriously so wonderful! It looked all glisten-y and smooth in the rain. There were other hikers there with us, including a group of Indian guys. We had a long conversation with them under the arch and made friends with them, although the kind of friends where I can't pronounce or remember their names. But still, we laughed together and shared our travelling tales and mini-life stories and also they wanted pictures of/with us...so even though I'll never see them again, (and even if I did I wouldn't know what to call them), we're still friends.
My favorite part of the "Delicate Arch" pictures is that if you look closely at the picture of Robbie and I, you can see a little figure under the arch shaped like an X. That X is Greg, and we accidentally captured his moment of unadulterated JOY at being there. Fun, right?
We were soaked completely through our clothes after the arch, so we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car. It was way too wet out to start a campfire for our Turkey dinners, so we decided to wait and see if the rain cleared that night. Instead, we went to Denny's for Thanksgiving lunch! It was surprisingly crowded, and while we were eating our Indian friends walked through the doors and were seated right across from our booth. I was so happy to see them again, but not enough to acknowledge them. I guess we're not the type of friends who like, smile or talk to each other.
Whew, who knew 3 days could give me so much to talk about? And I'm only giving the bare details! Sorry if you're a little bored, but it's good for me to write this stuff down while it's fresh so I can remember it better later. Stick with me though, because next time I'll be writing about the best parts of the trip...DINNER, HOBOS, and DRUGS!!
Monday, December 01, 2008
V-A-C-A-TION (I'm singing this in my head as I type it)
One week ago today, I was sitting in my cousin Nathan's (and his wife, my cousin-in-law? Lynn)apartment digesting a full stomach of delicious Cafe Rio food in Provo, UT. I was there for my Thanksgiving Break and it was SO MUCH FUN! (Despite the fact that I didn't get to see you, Kizzie. I'm coming again this summer so for sure we HAVE to get together then!!) Monday night was filled with good food, good company (Nathan and Lynn are the best!) and fabulously awful television! The three of us share a love of ridiculous t.v. and since they have Ti-Vo, we got to watch Hannah Montana, Little People Big World, Jon and Kate Plus 8, AND the Hills all in one night.
Nathtan and Lynn left early the next morning to drive to Washington for Thanksgiving, so I was left to my own devices. I got together with my old friend Mark and we hung out for a few hours. It was fun and also we got to eat at Burger Supreme, which makes the best fast food in the whole continental U.S. of A. (In case you don't already know, I get just as excited about all the wonderful restaurants there are to eat at in Provo as I do about seeing my family and friends. I know it's pathetic, but whatever it's also never going to change.)
After lunch, I bid Mark adieu and then went to my alma mater (is it only that if I graduated there? Or can I claim it since I attended there for a term?) UVU to pick up Robbie. The rest of Tuesday was spent shopping and seeing old friends and meeting new friends and hanging out in church and telling stories. I don't remember what I had for dinner that night, so it must not have been Provo-licious. Anyway, Robbie and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning eating orange rolls and talking about his life and it was great.
On Wednesday, Robbie, Greg and my new friend Jessica a.k.a. "Red" left for our Moab Thanksgiving Adventure. Robbie, Greg and I have done the whole road-trip thing together so I knew they'd be great, but I was nervous about introducing someone new to the mix, especially a girl, but I liked her right off the bat and Red turned out to be an amazing travelling companion.
After driving an hour on the wrong freeway, the four of us stopped for lunch and then realized we were NOT on the correct route. Some people may have been upset by this, but since we were putting the miles on a rental car and we had enough good music to last us several months, we were able to just laugh about adding 2 hours to our trip. We finally made it to Moab and checked into our hostel...the Lazy Lizard. I am now a huge fan of hostels. They give you beds and warm rooms and showers and ours even had a kitchen and living room (those parts were shared with other guests, but still...awesome!) all for less than $10 per night. Our building was crawling with hippies, but besides their constant stern warnings not to use their pans with the pink handles (those were vegetarian pans), they were pretty good housemates. They were probably just really mellow from all the pot.
We spent that night driving through the Red Rocks, and eating delicious Thai food. Then we decided to go ahead and prepare our Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time so we could have all day Thursday to hike around Arches National Park. Moab had a great little grocery store and we bought everything we needed for dinner, including WINE! (and plastic wine cups for the wine!) Ok, it was de-alcholized, but we were totally stoked to have classy wine and cups for our friends' Thanksgiving. Excited in a way that only nerdy Mormons can be. Back at the hostel, we chopped and seasoned and wrapped our food in tin-foil and prepared our sides and coolers for the next day. The plan was to hike until late afternoon, and then find a camping spot and start a fire and then make tin-foil dinners (aka hobo dinners). Except our tin-foil dinners were for Thanksgiving so they had turkey meat in them and we also prepared yams.
After preparing our Thanksgiving dinner (with a twist), we decided to go to bed early so we could have a FULL day on Thursday. Greg was the only one who followed through with that plan though, since Robbie and Red and I were too distracted by our games of BOMB and 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon to actually go to sleep.
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I'm in a weird mood and just now decided that this post was too long, so I'll continue with my Moab/Utah adventures later this week. I seriously will -- this won't be like the Logger's Jubilee post that never came to fruition.
On an unrelated note, Jeanette and Karin (and Lynn too, for that matter), what the heck are we? Are we cousins? Are we cousins-in-law? (cousin-in-laws?). Am I just your husband's cousins? Are you just my cousins' wives? Will we be real cousins after like 5 years? I'm so confused by our relationships. Well, actually just about what to call them. The relationships themselves just make me happy.
Oh man, also unrelated...I'm having church crisis. Not a soul-searching, is god really there, who am i really crisis. Just a oh crap, I went to the single's ward and the only person who talked to me was my crazy semi-retarded stalker-since-i-was-15 man (who STUNK by the way) kind of crisis. And so now I don't know where I want to go to church. I was all stoked to go to a congregation full of kids around my age, but since stupid Aaron (long story) goes to that ward and steals my other friends so I can't sit by them, I'm totally screwed unless my friend Grant comes to church. But when he doesn't, I'm left sad and alone or sad and stalked. It's quite a predicament. If any of you know of a smart, willing man who wants to help me to NOT be single anymore so I don't have to deal with this single ward crap, I'd surely appreciate you sending him my way.
Ok, I really am done now. But you should be excited for the pictures still to come of beautiful Arches and fabulous Thanksgiving!
Nathtan and Lynn left early the next morning to drive to Washington for Thanksgiving, so I was left to my own devices. I got together with my old friend Mark and we hung out for a few hours. It was fun and also we got to eat at Burger Supreme, which makes the best fast food in the whole continental U.S. of A. (In case you don't already know, I get just as excited about all the wonderful restaurants there are to eat at in Provo as I do about seeing my family and friends. I know it's pathetic, but whatever it's also never going to change.)
After lunch, I bid Mark adieu and then went to my alma mater (is it only that if I graduated there? Or can I claim it since I attended there for a term?) UVU to pick up Robbie. The rest of Tuesday was spent shopping and seeing old friends and meeting new friends and hanging out in church and telling stories. I don't remember what I had for dinner that night, so it must not have been Provo-licious. Anyway, Robbie and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning eating orange rolls and talking about his life and it was great.
On Wednesday, Robbie, Greg and my new friend Jessica a.k.a. "Red" left for our Moab Thanksgiving Adventure. Robbie, Greg and I have done the whole road-trip thing together so I knew they'd be great, but I was nervous about introducing someone new to the mix, especially a girl, but I liked her right off the bat and Red turned out to be an amazing travelling companion.
After driving an hour on the wrong freeway, the four of us stopped for lunch and then realized we were NOT on the correct route. Some people may have been upset by this, but since we were putting the miles on a rental car and we had enough good music to last us several months, we were able to just laugh about adding 2 hours to our trip. We finally made it to Moab and checked into our hostel...the Lazy Lizard. I am now a huge fan of hostels. They give you beds and warm rooms and showers and ours even had a kitchen and living room (those parts were shared with other guests, but still...awesome!) all for less than $10 per night. Our building was crawling with hippies, but besides their constant stern warnings not to use their pans with the pink handles (those were vegetarian pans), they were pretty good housemates. They were probably just really mellow from all the pot.
We spent that night driving through the Red Rocks, and eating delicious Thai food. Then we decided to go ahead and prepare our Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time so we could have all day Thursday to hike around Arches National Park. Moab had a great little grocery store and we bought everything we needed for dinner, including WINE! (and plastic wine cups for the wine!) Ok, it was de-alcholized, but we were totally stoked to have classy wine and cups for our friends' Thanksgiving. Excited in a way that only nerdy Mormons can be. Back at the hostel, we chopped and seasoned and wrapped our food in tin-foil and prepared our sides and coolers for the next day. The plan was to hike until late afternoon, and then find a camping spot and start a fire and then make tin-foil dinners (aka hobo dinners). Except our tin-foil dinners were for Thanksgiving so they had turkey meat in them and we also prepared yams.
After preparing our Thanksgiving dinner (with a twist), we decided to go to bed early so we could have a FULL day on Thursday. Greg was the only one who followed through with that plan though, since Robbie and Red and I were too distracted by our games of BOMB and 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon to actually go to sleep.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm in a weird mood and just now decided that this post was too long, so I'll continue with my Moab/Utah adventures later this week. I seriously will -- this won't be like the Logger's Jubilee post that never came to fruition.
On an unrelated note, Jeanette and Karin (and Lynn too, for that matter), what the heck are we? Are we cousins? Are we cousins-in-law? (cousin-in-laws?). Am I just your husband's cousins? Are you just my cousins' wives? Will we be real cousins after like 5 years? I'm so confused by our relationships. Well, actually just about what to call them. The relationships themselves just make me happy.
Oh man, also unrelated...I'm having church crisis. Not a soul-searching, is god really there, who am i really crisis. Just a oh crap, I went to the single's ward and the only person who talked to me was my crazy semi-retarded stalker-since-i-was-15 man (who STUNK by the way) kind of crisis. And so now I don't know where I want to go to church. I was all stoked to go to a congregation full of kids around my age, but since stupid Aaron (long story) goes to that ward and steals my other friends so I can't sit by them, I'm totally screwed unless my friend Grant comes to church. But when he doesn't, I'm left sad and alone or sad and stalked. It's quite a predicament. If any of you know of a smart, willing man who wants to help me to NOT be single anymore so I don't have to deal with this single ward crap, I'd surely appreciate you sending him my way.
Ok, I really am done now. But you should be excited for the pictures still to come of beautiful Arches and fabulous Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Pictures Pictures Pictures (and Some Not-Famous People)
I just really love this picture of the sunset outside my house earlier this week. It was perfect timing too, because I've been all bummed out and moody for the last 3 weeks, and then I got a shot in the arm of happiness (the "shot" consisted of 1 part hot chocolate, 2 parts good book, 3 parts amazing women and 4 parts faith in God. Mix thouroughly and partake...and you're good to go!) Anyways, the weather's been extra dark and rainy this week but then the day I started feeling happy again, the rain started to subside and by eveningtime THAT sunset took place. I felt it fit my mood perfectly.
Yesterday, between the "hormonal" and "idiot" parts (see previous two posts), was a busy and fun day. The family I live with went out of town for the weekend, so Jessie and I were left to our own devices all weekend. I took her to my old high school where my sister was participating in a cheer competition. Jessie was amazingly content the whole time (probably because there were lots of cute boys for her to observe). I was in a picture-taking mood, so here are the results of that...
Skylar in all her Cheerleader Glory
Ok, this picture makes me laugh because I keep thinking "Skylar, quick...go make sure mom and dad get to that prom together, or you might never be born!" Because remember Back to the Future and how his body parts kept fading away one after another while he played Johnny Be Good and Earth Angel?
Mom is Skylar's biggest fan.
The next series of pictures are from when I tried to get a good shot of Jessie and I together. The first three make me laugh. A lot. Jessie was really distracted by watching a little boy fight with his mom, and she was annoyed with me for trying to make her look at the camera instead.
This one was almost a good one...
And finally one with Jessie actually looking at the camera AND smiling! I look a little gross, but I'll take what I can get.
The "Mom, Jessica, Skylar" photoshoot. We were obviously feeling silly at this point.
After the cheer comp, I took Jessie to see Twilight. She loved it, and I loved listening to her laugh whenever someone got hurt or was killed. It cracks me up when she thinks violence and pain are funny.
We met up with my mom and Skylar again after the movie and all drove together to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my mom's birthday (it was earlier this week.) After we were seated in our booth, we noticed that this guy was standing right next to me and he was dressed like a CIA agent...complete with dark sunglasses and an earpiece. There were 3 others just like him positioned down the restaurant aisle. We glanced around excitedly to see who was being guarded, but all we could see was 4 tables-worth of tackily and skankily dressed people across from our booth. The girls all had gross wigs and fishnets on and the guys were wearing sunglasses and muscle shirts and "bling". My mom tried asking the guard if the people were famous and he wouldn't respond to her (just like the British castle guards!), and instead of just giving up, she KEPT talking to him. At one point she (loudly) said, "I just feel so bad, I mean it probably hurts their feelings that we don't even know who they are if they're famous, so if you just tell us then THEY will feel better!" I had to kick her under the table to get her to stop talking. But then she kept pestering our waiter to find out if someone famous was sitting just feet away from us. Luckily, our server was super-cute (Jessie was totally making googly eyes at him all night) and nice to my mom and he even tried talking to the guards himself to get info for us. But nothing worked, so we left dinner with our curiousity never satisfied.
When I marry Mark Ruffalo, I'm totally not inviting my mom to the wedding. She's too embarrassing around famous people.
I think this post is super random, but whatever. I needed an excuse to put off getting ready for church so I chose this. Speaking of that, does anyone else out there HATE getting ready for stuff? I mean, I enjoy looking nice and I love it when my outfit and hair and make-up reach perfect harmony, but ugh! The effort it takes to get there makes me tired just thinking about it. Maybe I'm not a real girl since I hate the primping process?
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