Pioneer Day

Ok, so I know that Pioneer Day was LAST week, but I'm running right on time with my "running-one-week-behind-schedule" schedule. So it's all good, right?

For those of you who may not know what the significance of July 24th is to all Utah Latter-day Saints (and other Latter-day Saints, too, but mostly the Utah ones), then let me explain: on July 24, 1847, the Mormon pioneers made their way into the Salt Lake Valley after a long and arduous trek across the United States. Their trek was the result of bitter persecutions, and they sought a place where they could be free to establish their families and their religion without being driven from their homes.

Long story short: the pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley and other outlying Utah towns, and they and their families have been there ever since. And to honor their courage and sacrifice, their descendants (and other residents of Utah) throw a huge party every year on the 24th of July.

I found myself in the middle of these festivities last Monday, and as I was sitting watching the parade go by, I kept thinking about the pioneers and all the trials they had to endure, and all the sacrifices they had to make in order for people like me (a mostly-direct descendant of the Mormon pioneers in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies) to be able to live the way I do now and practice my religion without having to worry about the government (among others) trying to kill me and anyone else who believes what I believe. I am truly grateful for the freedoms I enjoy now because of the faith of the Mormon pioneers, and I'm also grateful the heritage and the legacy they have left for me and others.

You don't have to [pull] a handcart,
Leave your family dear,
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer.


You do need to have great courage,
Faith to conquer fear,
And work with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer.

-LDS Children's Songbook, #218


In our own way, we can all be pioneers. It most likely won't be easy, and at times we'll just want to give up. But the blessings will be worth it in the end, and I'm sure our posterity will be forever grateful to us for our courage and sacrifice.

"Happy day! All is well!"

Bouquets

Apparently I'm a magnet for wedding bouquets. Within the past four months, I have attended two wedding receptions and caught the bride's bouquet at BOTH receptions. That brings my total up to three.


Bouquet #1: April 28, 2006. This bouquet was caught at my sister Rachel's wedding reception. I specifically remember being in the kitchen at the church (making myself another chicken sandwich) when they announced that the bouquet was about to be tossed. Not particularly wanting to catch said bouquet, I stayed where I was until Rachel (not my mother or any of my other sisters, mind you, but the actual bride herself) informed me that I was to come NOW to try and catch the bouquet. Abandoning my chicken sandwich, I grudgingly obliged.


Showtime. I was situated in the far back left-hand corner of the formation of single ladies who had congregated in hopes of catching the bouquet. The excitement may have been killing some of them; I wouldn't know, because I was rather bored with the situation and wished I was back in the kitchen with my chicken sandwich. (You can tell what my priorities were back at the time.) The bouquet, once tossed, flew into a high arc to the left, well out of the way of anyone's reach... except, of course, for mine. I remember thinking to myself as I made a dive for the bouquet, "I don't want it to land on the floor because then the beautiful flowers will be smashed all over the place." I smoothly snagged the bouquet out of the air before it could make contact with the floor. It felt pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself; like some sort of Quidditch Seeker catch. (Yes, I'm a nerd.)


Then reality hit me. I had caught the bouquet. The bouquet that symbolized "next in line for marriage." Uh-oh. I turned guiltily towards my mother who, upon hearing the news of my triumphant save of the bouquet from certain destruction, stomped her foot on the ground and let out an anguished cry of "NO!!!" My dear mother, bless her heart, had just helped plan two weddings (my brother's and now my sister's) within three months, and I don't blame her for having had it with weddings for a while. After calmly reassuring her that I was only sixteen and that I most emphatically WOULD NOT be getting married any time soon, she calmed down and that was the end of that.


Or so I thought.


Bouquet #2: March 19, 2011. Five years had passed since the unexpected and rather unwelcome catching of my sister's bouquet, and I found myself, now a marriageable age, at another wedding reception, this time for my dear friend Katherine (of The Harmony Sisters).  I had helped plan this wedding reception, and I was feeling pretty good about things; the wedding cake (which I had helped decorate) looked immaculate, the flowers (which I had helped order) were superb, the food (which I was in charge of serving that evening) was delicious, and I was wearing a new Flirty Apron (which matched the bride's wedding colors) to seal the deal. Yes, I was feeling pretty good.


Then the bouquet toss was announced. I had every intention of standing quietly on the sidelines during the event and letting other people have a chance at the glory. But, much to my consternation, my friend Sydney (also of The Harmony Sisters), was somehow able to pressure me into going with her to catch the bouquet. So I found myself, once again, waiting for a bouquet that I didn't particularly want to catch.


As I was standing there waiting for the event to begin, I noticed the similarities between this situation and the last time I had caught a bouquet. I was again standing in the back left-hand corner (I figured the back was the safest because there were half a dozen eager, taller women in front of me who would most likely deflect any bouquets coming in my direction), and my inclination to catch the bouquet was strikingly similar to what it had been the last time.


So I shouldn't have been surprised, really, when the bouquet went flying in a high arc to the left and I found myself running to catch it before it hit the floor. And then it was in my hands (very smoothly, I might add) and everyone was cheering. Well, everyone except for Sydney, who was jokingly saying, "Aw! I wanted to catch the bouquet, MaryAnne!" Katherine, and all my other friends who were there, were eyeing me significantly as if to say, "Well, well, well! You know what this means... now it's YOUR turn to get married." "Good grief!" I thought to myself as my friends were both subtly and blatantly giving me hints. "In order to get married I'd need to find a man first, and goodness knows THAT isn't going to happen anytime soon." 


Famous last words, folks. This leads to....


Bouquet #3: July 8, 2011. This bouquet requires a little bit of back story:


Shortly before Katherine's wedding (where the infamous Bouquet #2 was caught), I got a new job as a receptionist for the Information and Communication Services department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (located in Riverton, UT.) Let me tell ya... LOTS of men roaming around. But since most of them were older men and already married (and the rest of them fell under the category of "computer guys..." need I say more?), I wasn't really looking too hard for any particular someone.


One day, however, about two weeks before Katherine's wedding, a very pleasant young man named Taylor (last name specifically avoided to protect the innocent) introduced himself to me, and I recognized in him a kindred spirit (he'd also attended LDS Business College), so I knew we'd at least be friends. :)


Well, let me just say that I think Bouquet #2 possessed magical qualities because in the week following Katherine's wedding, I was asked out on a date by said pleasant young man, Taylor. (I know some of you are thinking, "What does this have to do with Bouquet #3???" Hang in there, folks. I'm getting there...) And then after the first date, I was asked on another. And another. And then another. :) I think you all know where this is going, so I'll just cut to the chase and say that Taylor and I decided that we liked each other enough to form a more permanent relationship.  (That completely sounds like we got married or something, but that's not the case. As it stands, we are still only dating.)


ANYWAY...... Because Taylor and I were attached to each other, I had the pleasure of attending his cousin's wedding reception with him (I TOLD you I'd get there). Now, I didn't know anyone at the reception (except for Taylor, his parents and his two sisters), so I wasn't planning on participating in any of the activities. I was content to sit back and look pretty watch what was going on. That is, until Taylor's sisters asked me politely if I would go with them to catch the bouquet. 


My first inclination was to say, "Nah, you ladies go on; I'll watch you from here," but it felt nice to be included and I was in rather a compliant mood that evening, so I cheerfully agreed to join them. (If left to my own devices, I probably would have stayed where I was, but I found that I was rather enjoying myself, so it's not like I was being dragged out to my death or anything.)


In the lineup of single ladies (and yes, they WERE playing Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" during this event), I was on the front row in between Taylor's two sisters. The Younger Sister was to my immediate right, and the Older Sister was to my left, with a young girl (maybe ten years old) right in between us. There was also a toddler-aged girl roaming around in front of me, so I was hesitant to do any running and diving for the bouquet.


Blastoff time, and the bouquet left the bride's hands and literally flew right at me. There was no running or diving for this bouquet. All I can say is that it jumped into my hands and took me very much by surprise. You know, come to think of it, if the young girl next to me hadn't run in front of me to reach up and catch it, THEN I may have had to dive for it (and it's also highly possible that the Younger Sister might have caught it in that instance), but as it was, it bounced off the young girl's hands and right into mine. 


At first, I tried to hand off the bouquet to the young girl (she'd touched it first, after all, so it should be hers, I reasoned), but she ran away before I had a chance to ask her if she wanted it. So I was stuck with the bouquet. The bouquet that symbolized.... well, we've already been over that. Did my face turn red as people (namely: Taylor's family, who knew the stories of my previous run-ins with wedding bouquets) started cheering? (And laughing, in the case of Taylor's family.) Yes. Was I even more embarrassed when the wedding photographer beckoned me over to get a picture with the bride, who I didn't know from Adam? (Or would that be Eve in my case?) Of course. But did I enjoy myself immensely in the process? Absolutely. :)


Watch out, ladies. I got skills. 

Smile

There are very few things I love more than music. Especially when said music belongs to one of the greats: Michael Bublé, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.... oh wait. I said that one already.


But today's post contains the work of another favorite: Nat King Cole. Ohhhhhhh, I just love this man. His music is, shall we say, "unforgettable." *wink wink* Today's post, however, is inspired by his song, "Smile." 


Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying.

Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile.

That's the time you must keep on trying.
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile.

I believe that a smile goes a long way. It has the power to make you and others feel happy. To me, a smile is like saying, "I am determined not to let life get me down. I will choose to be happy instead of miserable." In fact, smiling when you don't feel like smiling is usually a great way to convince your brain that you actually do feel like smiling, and that life is not as horrendous as it seems. :)


I love to smile. When you work as a receptionist, smiling is part of the job description. Every day, I attempt to make eye contact with every person who passes my desk and give them all a winning smile as they go by. (Granted, not everyone will return the smile, or even make eye contact in the first place- I work in a predominantly male, computer technology environment, so need I say more?)


I love seeing the reactions that a simple smile can bring. I've had more than one person, on more than one occasion, tell me that they love walking by my desk because of my cheerful, sunny smile. (That just warms my heart right there, folks.) There are also people who I can tell are taken aback by my attentiveness; when they glance in my direction and accidentally make eye contact with me, they seem surprised that I'm actually looking back at them and willing to give a smile just for them, and it makes me chuckle inside to know that maybe I caught them off guard and forced a smile out of them, so to speak. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I can occasionally get even the most quiet, shy, reserved employees to crack a smile as they walk by, and some of them have even started to take the initiative and smile at me first! That's a great feeling, let me tell you.


Smiling, in my opinion, is the simplest (and often most poignant) form of service. Here's a little challenge for you: smile at as many people as you can. Even if you encounter the most annoying person on the planet, and you'd much rather flip them the bird than anything else (not that I approve of that kind of thing... it's just an expression), try making eye contact with said person and purposefully give them a smile instead. A smile really does something for the soul, and it quite likely will have the effect of cheering whomever you care to grace with one of your smiles.


And the best thing about smiling? It's free. :)

Race for the Cure

As many of you know, I have signed up to participate in the annual Susan G. Comen Race for the Cure, which will take place this coming Saturday morning. At this moment, I'm not entirely sure why I'm still planning to go through with this, but here is my story, as taken from my Personal Susan G. Komen Page. 

Until just recently I had never, EVER considered participating in the Race for the Cure; I'm not a very athletic person, and I was neutral about getting involved in "the fight against breast cancer" movement. In fact, if you had told me even three months ago that I would be registering for the Race for the Cure, I would have scoffed and said something witty like, "Yeah, right!"

But then I actually met someone who was fighting breast cancer. She inspired me, in her own way, to do something. 

I started a new job in February 2011 as a part-time receptionist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; I was to be covering the afternoon shift. On my first day on the job, I learned that my co-worker, the morning receptionist (who shall remain anonymous), had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. I could tell that she was still nervous and in shock about the news, and that she was reluctant to tell anyone about it because telling people would make it more real and there'd be no end to "Oh, I'm so sorry!" and "Is there anything I can do to help?" (Which is great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes what some people need is to be left alone for a while.)

What really struck me, though, was the fact that I barely even knew this woman, and yet I was one of the few chosen to know about her condition. She trusted me enough with the "secret," and that made me feel closer to her and to realize that I would do whatever I could to support her in my own quiet, almost secret, way. 

 A month or so went by, and I watched as my co-worker continued to try and live a normal life while struggling to fight the disease. I was amazed; she was so cheerful and hopeful (although there were times when I could tell she was weary and just needed to stop), and she made it look so easy. In fact, the only indication I had (most times) that she wasn't feeling well was the fact that I would get called in to cover her shift occasionally. I did so gladly. (Honestly, I have never been more cheerful and willing to wake up before the crack of dawn and drive a good twenty-five miles to get to work by 7:30 AM.)

Eventually, though, my co-worker had to leave her position in order to recover from the treatments she was undergoing. I decided that if she could be in so much pain or discomfort and yet still come to work every day, then I could do something, too. I decided to Race for the Cure. Now, she doesn't know that I'm doing this in her honor; I never told her about my plan, and I'm pretty sure that I never will. Since she's not at work anymore and I only knew her for about a month, I quite literally may never see her again, but hopefully my efforts will help her (and others) in some way. 

I've been asking others to please join me in supporting those who need help. I will accept monetary contributions, but I actually think the most significant donations I could receive are morale and motivation. :)

Life is pretty dang good

You know, my resolution to update this blog more often has pretty much epically failed. I'm not really the blogging kind, I guess. I check Facebook pretty often, and that's how I keep in touch with people and let people know what's going on in my life, but I can't seem to find the time to update the good ol' blog.


Well, I can't guarantee that I will update this post regularly, or even every once in a while, but I will try not to completely forget about this blog and leave it floating around in the great, vast ocean that is the Internet.


To start out this post, I would just like to begin by saying that I feel so very blessed right now, and there are several reasons why, but they require a little explanation first.


This past year (2010) has felt almost like a waste of time, mostly because I felt like I had nothing to show for it (like a finished Bachelor's degree (or even a begun one), or a wonderful dream job that was bringing in lots of money.) I spent most of the year (well, it felt like most of the year) unemployed and looking for work. I did find a short-lived and rather undesirable position at a local non-profit organization, and then I did a brief stint at the LDS Business College Help Desk (again) while I decided not to pursue a Paralegal degree. I felt like I got a lot of nothing accomplished in 2010.


Which isn't to say that 2010 wasn't fun. Sure it was! Because I was unemployed and not really in school, I had extra time on my hands to spend with friends (summer movie nights, anyone?), and I was able to participate in wonderful events such as singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir one Sunday morning (thanks to the LDSBC Choir I was in at the time) and performing on Temple Square with The Harmony Sisters at Christmastime. All-in-all, I was a busy, reasonably cheerful woman.... but I still felt like my life was on hold.


Do you know what the problem was? I wasn't taking the time to realize that I really was accomplishing a great many things, even though I felt like I was accomplishing nothing:

• Getting into the Bells on Temple Square and being set apart as a special music missionary is not "nothing." (I was selected to become a member of the BOTS in February 2011.) In fact, it's been one of my dreams for the past five or six years to become a member of the Bells, and now I can officially say that I have accomplished that goal. 
• Being an active member of the Church and a dedicated helper to those in my ward is pretty special, too. I was able to hold a number of different callings in my former ward (the Bountiful Millstream YSA Ward), and I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to serve in a variety of capacities and learn more about myself and others in the process. I made some very wonderful friends during my time in that ward (almost exactly two years, I'm thinking), and I hope to keep in contact with them. There has never been a ward like the Millstream Ward, and I'm going to miss it dearly. Life won't be quite the same without it, but I will just have to find ways to serve in my new ward. (Rose Park YSA Ward >> Salt Lake Pioneer YSA Stake.)
• Finding a job (after much searching and almost giving up hope) with the Church is also a significant occurrence. For those of you who don't know (and I'm pretty sure all my readers DO know because, seriously, who reads this blog?), I work as a receptionist in the Information and Communication Services (ICS) Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I don't quite believe in "luck;" I think "blessed" is a better, more accurate term. I feel like I wasn't just placed in this position by accident. Oh no. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I have the position I have now only because I had help; if I'd been left to my own devices, I don't think I would have made it past that first interview, if I'd even gotten an interview in the first place. *Side note: For those of you who don't know (sheesh, I keep using that phrase, don't I?), I'm horrible at interviews. Absolutely, fantastically horrible. In fact, every position I've ever interviewed for, I've never gotten. Every job I've had in my life so far is because I've been referred by someone I know, and I'm essentially the only one applying for the position. Granted, there are probably reasons (divine intervention, if you catch my drift) why I haven't gotten certain positions, but I still think that my abysmal interviewing skills are a slight factor in the problem. End side note.* But I feel like I'm where I need to be at the moment. Who knew I'd ever need to be in Riverton, UT?

I could go on with every tiny, seemingly insignificant accomplishment in my life to date, but that would take up WAY too much time, space and effort. I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that blessings and things to be proud of and grateful for are always there, no matter how small. Just looking at the three listed "accomplishments" make me feel like my life hasn't been such a waste after all. :)

Observation

Hm. It's been so long since I've posted that I don't think anyone checks my blog anymore. :( Nobody loves me.


Tee hee. Just kidding. ;)


Although I must offer this as some kind of justification for my lack of posts during the year of 2009: I'd forgotten how much I don't like Blogger. I dunno, it's just something about the format that I don't like. When I try to post pictures, the preview and compose views are always different from the actual result. MAJOR dislike.

Here goes...

Well, since I haven't posted anything really useful on my blog since 2008, I'ma just dive right in with brief updates of what's been happening since then.

In 2009:

• I had my penultimate and ultimate semesters at LDS Business College (for those of you who don't know, I got my Associate's Degree in General Studies in December of 2009.) During those semesters, I had myself a joyous little time. (See the following bullets.)
• I participated in the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference in April of 2009. I am on the second row, second person in from the right in the middle section, wearing a dark blue shirt. You'll see me. ;)
• I thought I was going to graduate in April, but didn't. (Although... I commenced in April, and sang a duet with my friend, Marisha, for the ceremonies.)
• I was in a production of Savior of the World (it was a multi-stake performance.) My friend, Katherine Voge, and I were in it together. We were some of Mary's cousins. It was a great experience.

From left to right: Casey Koldewyn, Katherine Voge (back in pink), MaryAnne Luker (front in green), Tali Marsh, Chelsea Bastian, Sarah Goaslind, Jessica McKnight.

• I moved out of Mom and Dad's house and got myself a tiny little apartment in Bountiful with Marisha (the one I sang at graduation with.)
• During the summer semester break, the family and I went to Mt. Rushmore.

• In September, I bought myself a CAR!!! A cute, silver 2003 Hyundai Accent that I christened "Minnie." I love that little car. :)
• In October, I went to Frightmares for the first time with some friends. WAY fun!
• I was Giselle from Enchanted for Halloween.

From left to right: (Rob Owens as Jack Sparrow in the background) MaryAnne Luker (Giselle), Daryl Embley (Anastasia), Ingrid Veliz (Snow White), Leah Tsiame (Whoopi Goldberg)

• Grandpa Luker passed away on November 2nd, 2009.

From left to right: Sarah Nicholls, Elizabeth Ellis, Christine Luker, Emma McNeal, MaryAnne Luker, Rachel Atkin

• Sydney Tittle, Katherine Voge, Effie Auga and myself formed a ladies quartet ("The Harmony Sisters") and ROCKED THE SOCKS!!! We performed for several devotionals, President Richards (president of LDSBC), and our choir's Christmas concert. No foolin', we were cool.

From left to right: Effie Auga (awesome Alto 2), Katherine Voge (Melody Soprano/ Alto 2), MaryAnne Luker (some weird person who sang Alto 1/ Soprano 2), Sydney Tittle (Stratosphere Singer/ Little Miss High C.)

• After LDSBC, I was briefly in a relationship with Robert Owens, although that is over and done with for now. He's a good guy.

I went to the spectacular Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert and also got pictures of the Christmas lights...

• I am now currently unemployed, and looking for a job. :(
• I auditioned for the Bells on Temple Square! I have yet to find out whether I got in or not. Hopefully for now I can just continue to attend the workshops so that I can become a bell-ringing expoit! Er, expert.

Anyways, these are just a few of my exploits throughout 2009. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with 2010 as it comes!

Let's get back to bloggin'!

Ho-ly COW. It's been pretty much forever since I decided to update my blog.

I have decided (and I don't know how well I'm going to do with this resolution I've made) to be more consistent with updating my blog. I figured that since I don't have a hard-copy journal anymore, I may as well have some other source of, um, remembering. So, blogging it is!

I am also going to try and get better about posting pictures. Ooo, I can make it, like, a PHOTO journal or something! Yeah, yeah! That's cool, right? Which means that I will have to actually TAKE pictures. That is also another resolution that I don't know how well I will follow through with...... heh, heh-heh HEH-heh, yeah.

Anyways, HI EVERYBODY!!!! I'M BACK!!

Trick or Treat Street!

As part of my HIST 170 class, I am required to participate in 10+ hours of community service. When I found that out, I thought, "Oh MAN, I don't have time for that kind of stuff right now!" But then I had the most brilliant idea ever.

As some (if not all) of you may know, our Young Men/ Young Women group participated in a Halloween service project last year. We volunteered at the Trick or Treat Street held in the South Towne Expo Center, and I had a blast. So this year I thought to myself, "Why not count THAT as community service?" I talked to my teacher and he gave it a thumbs-up. Woo hoo!

It didn't work out QUITE as I had hoped (I ended up having to miss a class on Friday so that I could be there at the right time, and I had to take TRAX there, which was not so fun, although I did have one of my friends with me so it wasn't so scary), but it was still a lot of fun. I ended up getting 12 hours in as opposed to just 10. (Although, to get that many hours, I had to work a 7.5 hour shift on Saturday, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone who wants to keep his/her sanity; they play the same songs over and over, and there are enough lights flashing to cause a minor seizure. But not like that bothered me. Heh.)

Seriously though, to anyone with little children, the Trick or Treat Street is a fun idea. It's supposed to be a safe alternative for Trick or Treating on Halloween Night, it lets you show off your cute children and their costumes (there were so many cute little princesses... it was adorable) and it gets you a lot of candy. "Candy out the wazoo," as I heard people saying. For those of you who DON'T have little children, but who are still children at heart (that's me right there), I recommend this as a great excuse to dress up in fun costumes and serve your community while you're at it.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. And no, I did not get any pictures. I left my camera home both days, and it's not like there was an abundance of time for taking pictures... you're pretty much on your feet for the entire time. I think that the longest sitting break I had was 5-10 minutes long. And during that time I was organizing boxes of candy so that I COULD sit, or at least think about sitting. *Whew!*

*Sigh.* You know you're a college student...

...(especially a second-year student) when you find that you have no time to post to a blog that you created only because you had so much time on your hands in the first place.

...when you begin to miss the seemingly endless, and ever more dreamlike hours to kill in which you sat in the hall, ate Funyuns, and posted at least once a day on your blog that you have only because you were bored during work.

...when you find that your favorite pair of pants (which is usually your ONLY pair) has finally gone through the wash after being worn two or more consecutive times, which means that now you can wear them again for two or more consecutive times.

...when you spend most of your waking hours at school. (And, in my case, work does count; I am on campus from around 7:15 a.m. to at least 3:30 p.m, sometimes longer. That chunk of time right there already takes up more hours than I sleep at night, and I'm usually still "at school" when I'm at home... homework never sleeps.)

...when a sandwich from the Bookstore tastes like the best meal you've ever eaten.

...when you fear that the world's forests are about to disappear from your doing alone, what with all the papers you have to write and the Kleenex you have to use. (Just FYI, I haven't gotten sick yet, but it's only a matter of time.)

...when you started this post two weeks ago and it still hasn't been finished.

So You Think You Can Dance Tour- It was awesome!

Do I really need to say any more? 

Ok, ok... I'll expound a little bit. Yesterday I went to the SYTYCD Tour with my older sisters at the "E" Center. It was great fun. My only problem was that the music was too loud, but what do you expect? 

Speaking on music... check this out! (For anyone who doesn't really know or care, this link is as much for my benefit as it is for yours.)

National Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy from off the port bow!

Yaaaarrrgh mateys! Today be a day of much celebration and rum! Here be yer CHALLENGE from the Captain Mad Charity Bonney of The Stalwart Walrus: sing as many seafarin' chanties that ye can, say "Argh" to all ye meet, and drink up all th' rum ye can lay yer hands 'pon!

May the Fair Winds ever be to yer back, and may th' sea take ye to High Adventure!

I must confess...

So. I ordered myself a MacBook. I know, I know... everyone I know will be rolling their eyes and moaning, "Why, Lady Type, why?" And I'll tell you why.

*Ahem* 'Cause.

OK, so there are WAY more reasons than just "'cause." But I don't feel like putting them all into this post right now. Lemme just tell you this. I love my old lappy, but I felt like I wanted to upgrade sometime before I moved away and had to start paying for food, rent, utilities, and all those other things. I figured that I should deplete my resources NOW while I have the resources. I know, I know. It's not very good logic. I guess I've never been logical. So sue me. ;-)

I'm Back!

For those of you who don't know (it's funny how many of my posts have started with those exact same words), I am back and living in Salt Lake for good. Until I move out, that is. (But I don't know when that will be, so don't hold your breath. *wink wink* You thought you could get rid of me so easily, huh? Well bwa ha ha haaaaaa! I ain't going nowhere, yo!)

Yeah, it was fun in Provo, but I am glad to be home, mostly because now that means I won't have to wake up at 5:00 AM to get to work on time. THAT was a killer. Let's just hope that I don't forget that I'm back in Salt Lake and hop on the 801 to Provo and realize, too late, that I am on the completely wrong bus. (That would not be funny while it happened, but afterward I would get a real kick out of that.)

I just realized that other than being back in Salt Lake, I have nothing interesting to say. Everything else is pretty much unchanged. I work all day, I haven't been to any cool parties, there are no vacations or days off from work in sight, and school doesn't start for another month. (Well, a little less than a month. Which reminds me.... I should prolly go figure out what textbooks I need soon. *Sheepish grin*)

Um... lemme see... I went to see WALL-E the other day. Hi-larious. A definite must-see. Oh, I've also seen Get Smart. It's funny as well, but WALL-E is the one that you'll want to see first.... trust me.

Well, blog on, my friends. Until next post, I'm Some Crazy Person. (And I can assure you that I'll be Some Crazy Person next post too. That just doesn't change.)

I await with great anticipation...

Oh man. I am so excited. Breaking Dawn is almost here, and my sisters and I are gonna have the most fun party EVER tonight! Everyone will tremble before the fury of our homemade T-Shirts and our deadly accurate trivia knowledge.

Team Edward all the way. Or at least Team Cullen. Hm... or maybe Team Carlisle. Oooh! So many options!

And then guess what we get to do the next day after zero hours of sleep because we were reading B.D. all night long! We get to go to Build-A-Bear for my number one Mom's birthday party! Doesn't that sound like just a jam-packed-fun weekend?
(I really have no idea why I even posted this post, seeing as how all -or most all- of the people who read this blog already know about the various parties. And I think that the majority of the people who read this blog are going to BE at the various parties.)

Work is funny... especially today

It's the day before Pioneer Day and you'd think that I wouldn't be super-busy because everyone is out preparing for holiday festivities. And you'd be right. Except, of course, for the fact that when one person calls with a problem, that means EVERYBODY starts calling at the EXACT SAME TIME.

I am not joking. It was dead silent for about an hour and then all of a sudden, the phone started ringing. I picked up the phone and it started ringing on the other lines as well. And you've got to understand something about my work phone. If someone calls you in the middle of another call, you can't just transfer the person already on the phone whenever you please and THEN pick up the other line... you have to answer the other line(s) first. And if you've got, say, five other calls on the line, you forget where you need to transfer people and they end up waiting for a ridiculously long time to talk to whomever it was they needed to talk to. (Although we do have really cool hold music. I think it's the MoTab singing "Love at Home." Maybe the pretty music is supposed to have a calming effect on the callers. You never know.)

Man. Crazy stuff.

Fun in the Sun

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take some time off from work and go on a little vacation with my family and my sister's in-laws. Here's how it went:

After work on Wednesday I was picked up by my mother and little sister ("Steenie"). We got home, had a quick bite of dinner, and then hooked up the trailer and headed for one of our many Camperworld campgrounds which is located near Starvation Reservoir. (Oh! On the way there we saw the biggest elk I have ever seen. It looked almost like a moose, it was that big.) Anyway, we got to Starvation at about 8:00-ish and we set up camp. It was very windy and the mosquitoes were eating us alive, but we finally managed it. After we got set up we went down to the reservoir to skip rocks. That was fun. Then we went to bed.

The next morning we had a quick breakfast and then we broke up camp and headed to yet another of our Camperworld campgrounds, this time located near Flaming Gorge. That afternoon after lunch we went to a little beach (I think it was called "Sunny Cove") and went swimming. We had dinner, had a small campfire, and then watched "Enchanted" on our tiny little TV in the trailer.

On Friday it was rafting day!!!! Erachamay and her in-laws drove up to meet us at the raft rental place (which happened to be right next door to our campground), and then we headed down to the Green River for some rafting fun! We all went down the river the first time (there were eleven of us including my little one-year-old nephew). It took us about 2 hours to reach the bottom end. (Heh. My two sisters and I jumped out of the raft when we got in sight of the landing dock area. Boy, it was COLD! But I'd rather jump out than get thrown out.) Oh, it was so pretty! I recommend it to anyone who couldn't come. We had lunch at the bottom end of the river, and then we drove back up to the top to go it again (this time minus one nephew and his two grandmas). It took us about 1.5 hours the last time. And yes, I didn't put on nearly enough sunscreen. I was toasted by the end of the day. We had a fun hot dog roast after we took the raft back, and then it was time to call it a day.

Saturday was our "drive home and get everything unpacked" day. On Sunday I was a visitor in my own singles ward. And now it's Monday.

If you hadn't already noticed.... I had so much fun and I would so do it again although next time I have to put on more sunscreen!!

Life in Provo

To anyone who doesn't know, I'm living with my sister in Provo while her husband is off conquering llamas in Peru. (Or at least the law, if not llamas.) 

So far it's been fun. A little stressful, perhaps (what with me having to wake up at 5:00 in the morning in order to catch the bus that will get me to work in SLC on time), but fun nevertheless. There's not a whole lot to DO in Provo if you're in Salt Lake for most of the day, but so far we have managed to find the time to go shopping twice (and come away with some dang-cute things) and watch several movies in order to expand my cinematic horizon. (We've watched Treasure Planet and Jurassic Park. Oh so great movies.) We have also gotten dinner at a great place called Zupa's. They have excellent soup and sandwiches there. Seriously, I'm not a soup person, but this place makes me want soup. 

Well, that's about it so far. Between work, bus rides, and sleep, I've managed to squeeze in a few hours of Provo living. Rock, rock on. 

Warning: Shopping Maniac

Oh man. So Steenie and I went to the Gateway yesterday for one last sisterly shopping trip before I move. That was a bad idea. (But don't get me wrong... I don't regret it at all.)

So we went to the Gateway looking for clothes, right? We each wanted to update our wardrobe (well, in my case, the words "image overhaul" come to mind; it's time for a drastic change- no more T-shirts and jeans every single day!), so we went to several stores looking for cute, different, hopefully inexpensive (or at least not ridiculously overpriced) clothes to add to our stores. I had no such luck... but that doesn't mean that I didn't buy anything.

We were in Wet Seal (not a store that I would recommend: the music is too loud and they don't have a lot of cute clothes, although there are a few roses among thorns) looking through the racks upon racks of clothes when I saw it. It was the single coolest thing in the store (apart from a really cute brown "safari-type" button up shirt that didn't fit quite right and didn't have a small enough price tag). It was hanging from a peg amid all the yellow and black, which makes sense, because it's yellow.

I'll bet you're wondering what it is. Well, here's a picture.


It's a purse. Isn't it cool? (Only mine's not blue. It's yellow.) Yeah, Christine convinced me to buy it, even though I really don't need it. (But we figured, "Hey, we're here and you might as well buy something." Not good logic, but the damage is done.)

Yeah. It's dangerous to take me shopping.

Life Comes At You Fast

So much has happened since I last posted. And not all of it is fun.

For those of you who don't know, the CGF and I are no longer together. Here's what happened, if you really want to know. (*WARNING!* Reader Discretion Advised. Deep, Dark Secrets coming up. Not really. It's just kind of sappy. And awkward.)
Our ward was kinda scheduled to go do Baptisms for the Dead on Saturday morning, and the CGF was going to come pick me up. He got to my house, but his tire was flat so I had to drive Mom's car. We got to the Temple and no one from our ward was there, and there was this HUGE youth group in front of us and neither of us really wanted to wait that long to do Baptisms, so we went walking around the Square. Now, he and I had been talking before about our relationship and where it was going. He was sure that he liked me, even loved me, but I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about him. I mean, I liked him, but I got the feeling that he liked me a whole lot more than I liked him and I wasn't starting to like him any more than I already did. I did a lot of thinking and praying about it, I decided that it was time to end the relationship (I didn't want to do it, because I'd had such a good time with him. We could talk to each other and he liked me the way I am and I was grateful for that, but I felt like it was what I had to do.) We can still be friends, but I don't see us as anything more than that. I feel bad because the CGF told me that he thought I was the right girl for him, but I just didn't feel like he was the right guy for me. Weird, huh? I just hope he doesn't have too hard a time forgiving me and letting go. And the other weird feeling is that even though he may not think it's the right thing, I do think it's the right thing, and I haven't cried about it or thought about taking it back and going back to him.

On a lighter note, I am going to live with my sister for the next month and a half, and I just have to say that I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!!! It'll be a little inconvenient living in Provo and working in Salt Lake, but I think it will be a great experience. I can barely contain my glee (as you may have already noticed.)

Well, gotta go. I'm at work right now and it is rather busy, surprisingly. That may not be the case later on today, but we'll see.