Guess Who Knows The D, E, and A Chords On a Guitar

Are you guessing?  Did you get it?  I'll give you a hint...this girl!

After cruising around in my awesome black Toyota Camry (rental remember) I realized that I have been wanting to learn the guitar for a couple of months.  I started to wonder....hmm....where could I find a guitar to start learning?  A pawn shop, ksl.com, a friend or neighbor that has a guitar hanging around that they aren't using?  I guess all of the above.  The only problem would be that I have no clue what to even look for in a guitar.  Aren't they all some kind of wood with 5 strings?  Probably not.  I'm pretty certain that like all other instruments out there different kinds mean different sounds.

Thus enters the guitar store.  I opened its doors and was transported into a world of picks, strings, bridges, and wood.  The man behind the counter was kind enough to talk me through the guitars and help me come to the conclusion that it would be best for me to rent a guitar for 3 months and then if all has gone well I can start looking into which guitar would suit me best.

Walking out with my rented guitar, black case, and an assortment of picks I started out on my great guitar adventure.

Lazy Days

Sometimes you need lazy days.  Days were you do nothing of extreme importance.  I am greatful for todays lazy day.  There were only 2 things that I did to be productive.  I finally was able to take my car in to be fixed and I spent some wonderful time with some great friends/neighbors/family.

A cool thing about today was that my rental I am now driving was a free upgrade because they didn't have a comparable car to my own at the rental store.  It also has California government plates so I feel very important driving it.

My brother made the neighbors and myself dinner tonight which was nice.  He is quite the catch and someday some girl is going to come along and realize that.

Ice Castles

Today was filled with ice castles, cold, rearranging, and books.  As I type my arms are chilled by the cold metal touching my skin on my computer keyboard.  The night air seeps through the thin window of my bedroom and reminds me of the time of year.  In its chilling affect it can still bring beauty.

Words To Live By

Its possible that I can have my dream.

Only you can do the things that you can do.

Don't make your fear more powerful than your dream.

When you want something as bad as you want to breath that is when you find a way.

Success comes through failures.

Behind every fear is the person you want to be.

Fear is self imposed.

When you face a fear you realize it is not that big.

Don't be afraid to fail.  Be willing to fail.

Success does not define us.  We define ourselves.

When you change the way you look at things.  The things you look at change.

- References unknown to me

Men Can Be Cat Ladies Too

One thing (or I guess I can say three things) that my brother inherited when he started house sitting my parents home while they are away, were my mothers three cats.  Whatt, Pyewacket, and Winnie.  As he likes to call them fatty, the chosen one, and dumb dumb.  As far as I can tell he only puts up with their antics and overall annoyingness because he knows how much our mother loves them and would be heartbroken if anything happened to them.  The funny thing is that now he is a young single man living in a household of female cats.  It doesn't get much better than that.

To ease his feelings towards his new situation for Christmas he received a great guide, "Men Can Be Cat Ladies Too".  Within its depths it gives him all the knowledge that he needs to be a "well adjusted" cat man.  It includes question and answer sections, worksheets, and even pickup lines using your cat.  I just hope that it helps.

(I'm secretly laughing long and hard over all of this)

New Socks

Nothing is better than new socks.  Crisp clean socks with no holes in them.  The whiteness makes me feel like I am starting new and fresh myself.  Thank you mom!

Adventures With Cars And Snow

The first adventure reminds me that I am watched over always.  I am only still here by the grace of God and I am not ashamed to admit it.

As I drove up a snowy, black canyon Thursday I narrowly missed becoming a participant in a huge wreck.

The roads were dark and windy.  I only knew where I was on the road because I could see the bright tale lights ahead of me to show me the way.  The problem arose when the break lights of the car in front of me started to flash red on and off.  Now, I am very familiar with the concept that when you are driving in the snow you should never just push in your brakes and expect to stop because you will start sliding like nothing else.  You should always pump your breaks.  This is what the car in front of me did.  Little did I know that he wasn't just pumping his breaks to slow down, he was pumping his breaks to come to a complete stop.  This surprised me because as I started to slow down because I had noticed his flashing break lights I wasn't slowing down enough to come to a complete stop.  It suddenly stuck me that car in front of me was stopped.  The realization came to me that I would need to move into the other lane to avoid slamming into the back of the now stopped car in front of me.  I moved over to the next lane and I learned why the car had slowed down and stopped.  Sparks started to show up on the road and a car a little further up from the vehicle I was initially following and had now avoided suddenly slammed into yet another vehicle that had slid and smashed into the side barrier on the road.  With driving skills I do not possess and a presence of mind to use them that I am not practiced enough to have at my beck and call I turned back into the lane I had just vacated.  Twisting my steering wheel so that my tires were going one way while my car moved another way because of the snow, I was able to avoid 1) the car in front of me, 2) the cars that were now participants in an accident, and 3) the barrier on the other side of the road.

I'm not sure I will ever fully grasp how I managed to avoid all the dangers that surrounded me that night, but I fully know that I was watched over.

The second adventure took me 8 men to help me escape.

After spending an enjoyable Thursday night with my parents it was time to leave and continue on in my chosen plans for the weekend.  The only problem was that my parents (missionaries) are currently living in a cabin for the winter and the cabin in which they are staying resides down a little hill covered in snow.  Can you guess what happened?  If you are a deft thinker you probably have already come up with what occured to me.  I got stuck.  My cute little care couldn't for the life of it get up that small hill covered in snow.

I attempted the assent a couple of times on my own before admitting defeat.  I had to call for backup.  My mother went and recruited my father to direct me and help me make it up the hill.  Too bad I do not the possess the driving skills of my father.   He directed me over and over again on which direction to turn my wheel, how much speed I needed to have, and how much of a running start I would my car would need to have.  It would all have been great if I hadn't of backed up too far over in one direction and stuck myself good in the snow.  We then had to start all of the directing and tire spinning all over again with my father pushing on different sides of my car to get unstuck....needless to say, it didn't work.

In came more reinforcements.  My mother after observing our efforts realized that we would need more help and her call was answered by the rest of the male senior missionaries on the mountain.  Over the hill they came like the Elders of Israel to help.  All of them took a side and with a little effort I was unstuck.  My father then directed me out of the vehicle in which he took my spot and shamelessly showed me how it was done.  Backing up to a good distance, he pushed down on the gas petal and gunned it up the hill.  If only I had his talent.  I guess I just need a couple more years of driving experience or I just need to always have 8 male senior missionaries available to me when I get stuck....one of the two.

The third and final adventure was just dumb.

While spending the weekend with my wonderful grandparents we woke up on Saturday morning with a fresh blanket of about 6 inches of snow.  Out of the kindness of his heart a sweet neighbor came by and started to dig out my grandparents driveway with his four wheeler.  It only made sense that I should move my car so that the entire driveway could be cleared.

I got into my car and drove it around the block so that I could come back and park it back on the driveway.  As I pulled up to my grandparents house again I noticed that it wasn't quite done and that there were a couple of spots that I could help dig out before I moved my car back onto the driveway, so I jumped out of my car and started to help.  Here comes the kicker, I left my keys in my car and my car "smartly" locked itself.  Upon realizing this I knew that I was in a pickle.  The snow plows were starting to come around and my extra key was in my apartment an entire state away.  What now?

After unsuccessfully asking 2 separate neighbors for help, one of them a young man (who was no help), and trying to break into my vehicle myself (what are we teaching our youth if we cant break into our own cars with a coat hanger), and my grandfather trying to help the conclusion was drawn that a lock smith would have to be called.  He arrived and 10 seconds later my car was open.  I wish I made as much money as he does for as little work.

Birds In The Winco

I received quite a surprise today as I accompanied my grandmother and mother to the grocery store today.  As we deftly made our way through the crowded produce isles I heard a sound I would never have expected to hear while grocery shopping in the confines of an indoor store.....the high pitched churping of birds.  Looking up I saw them.  Three birds jumping and chirping happly up in the rafters.  What a funny sight to see.  Evidently these birds fly in when delivery trucks back up to the store and the large delivery doors are opened.

I didn't mind shary my grocery store with a few unexpected guests.  I could see how others might object to them because of "health reasons", but it made a nice change to the normal hectic chore we were in the midst of completing.

Teddy's Story Joint

The are 2 things that I absolutely love.  Reading and laughing.  I stumbled across this video while wasting time and it combined the two wonderfully so of course I was hooked.  It also makes you think so that's a bonus.

The Look Of Singleness

Like most others during this time of year I spent much of my Saturday Christmas shopping to find the perfect gifts for those on my list.  As I walked out of one particular store an older Hispanic woman caught my attention.  Through broken English, hand gestures, and repeated words for my sake of understanding she made her desire clear that she would like me to drive her across the busy center street nearby.  Since there were so many cars on the road she felt it would be safer for someone to drive her than to walk.

Once I finally knew what I could do to help her out I was more than happy to give her a lift the short distance to the other side of the road.

As we drove taking a few U-turns and side streets to make it across the car cluttered road she continued to talk and ask me questions in her broken English.  Most of them were the basics like if I had grown up in Utah or if I was Christmas shopping, but one of them struck me.  She asked if I was single and when I assured her that I was she gave me a knowing look and said that she could tell because my face looked single.  The way I presented my face let her know that I was not married.  I wondered over her words and thought deeply about what in my face would let her know that I didn't have anyone special in my life.  My normal thought would be that single girls try harder to look more ready in public by doing their hair and wearing make-up to look more attractive, but this Saturday I had done neither.  I wore my hair in a ponytail and had not put make-up on.  So what could it be about my face that would have told her that I was single?

While I thought on this a realization hit me and I thought about my sister.  She has always been beautiful, but there was something that happened to her when she met her husband and was truly and wholly loved by him.  She glowed and continues to glow to the point where she is gorgeous.  Her face and eyes exude happiness and acceptance.  I think that this was the look that the woman knew about when she saw my face.  She knew what a face looks like when they are loved by someone.

How The Other Half Lives

I spent the afternoon waking up and down Park City's Main Street window shopping and people watching.  I was very much just window shopping because who could afford the things on sale!  Below are just a few of the examples of things I found for sale there.  The first was from an oil painting.  The second and third were from photographs of the narrows in Zions National Park I believe.  The last is from a mink fur coat.

As I was taking the pictures of the cost of the photographs (I didn't want to take pictures of the actual items because I was pretty sure I would have been reprimanded for doing so) the store associate asked if I was sending the price to my husband.  I didn't want to burst her bubble by 1) letting her know I wasn't married and 2) that there was no way I would ever buy something so expensive (I was taking the picture from utter sticker shock) so I played along and informed her, "that there were only so many suggestions I could give my husband for Christmas gifts".  It did kind of make me feel good that I could be mistaken for someone that was married and had a husband rich enough to buy me a $72000.00 photograph.

The store associate from the fur coat store also came up and asked if she could help me as I took a picture of the price of the fur coat, but I think she only did so because I was in the very back of the store and she was probably afraid that I was PETA or something and was going to mess up the coat.

$70,000.00 Oil Painting

$72,000.00 Photograph

$32,000.00 Photograph

$23,995.00 Mink Coat
Do you think the $5.00 off of $24,000.00
really helps people feel they are getting a
bargain?

The Reason For Accident Reports

Yah, I did it.  You know how a couple of weeks ago I was in a car accident where a man backed up into my car at a stop light?  Well after opening up a claim with his insurance company they came back to me and said that the man was no longer certain if "he had backed up into us or if we had rear-ended him".  AHHHH!  This stressed me out completely because if they took his word for it (as they probably would because they wouldn't want to pay) I wouldn't be able to get my car fixed soon because I would then have to pay for the repairs and my insurance premium would shoot up.  

This is where I am very grateful that my brother told me to call the police at the scene and have an accident report written up.  The only reason that I now do not need to stress out is because I ordered the accident report online, e-mailed it to the insurance company, and pointed out to them where it was written on that accident report that the man who backed into me actually backed into me.  They couldn't refute the evidence and accepted liability.

I have now learned my lesson.  I wasn't going to call the police in the first place because the guy that hit us seemed so decent at the scene.  He pulled right over, admitted fault, and said his insurance would pay for the repairs on my car.  If my brother had not called the police I wouldn't have a leg to stand on at this time and I would be stuck with repairing my car on my own.  Thank you bro.  You just took a lot of stress out of my life.

Men and Women

At the store the other day I had a great example of the difference between men and women.  As I was perusing the cough medicine isle trying to find the alka seltzer cold and cough medicine a women came and started to stare adamantly at the selection of deodorants.  She would pick each deodorant out one and a time, read the back, and smell it to see if it had a pleasing aroma.  This went of for a very long time (I know this because the whole time I was trying to find the alka seltzer.....remember I am in a cold induced haze currently so it probably took me much longer than it should have).  In the middle of her selection process a man calmly walked up the isle, in 2 seconds grabbed a deodorant, and walked back out of the isle.  He didn't need to take any time if finding exactly what he wanted.  Of course there are a couple of reasons for this.  Either he just grabbed what he always uses or maybe he is a guy and it just didn't matter.  All he needed was some deodorant so he found a kind that was for men and was good with it.  What a difference there was between these two processes.

Still Sick

I've still got this awesome cold that keeps getting worse.

All I Want For Christmas

Haggard Face

Its official.  I now have my first winter cold.  The cough, the sore throat, and the achy body.  That is what I get for living with 2 roommates who are both sick.  Now I get the enjoyable task of working and talking on the phone training people while trying to not sound sick all the while feeling like death.  How can such small bugs cause so much havoc to the human body?  At least the heat is finally on in my apartment and I don't have to fight through an illness while shivering.  Is it starve a fever and stuff a could or stuff a fever and starve a cold? Wait!  I have both.  What do you do then? This is when I wish I was still 10 years old and could curl up to my mom and have her make me feel all better.

A Glimpse Into My Afternoon

I sat in front of a fireplace and it felt like time stood still.  I started out reading, but in glancing up at the flames I became mesmerized.  The fire licked and crackled around the logs feeding its ever burning glow.  The flames became characters in my book fighting the every continuous battle waging on.

My Purple Backpack And I

I have gone on many adventures and there has always a friend that journeys with me.  My purple (used to be blue) backpack has been on most if not all of my travels.  Through my urban treks and miscellaneous wanderings it has carried everything from my keys to the book that currently has my full attention.  It continues to fade and wear out as I sling it over my shoulder while walking out the door and I will be heartbroken when I finally need to retire it, but until that point it will continue to be the perfect companion.

The Songs I love

I feel that different songs mean different things at different times in our lives.  Below is a link to the songs that currently mean the most to me.

My Songs

Yikes

I currently have a cat staring at me and I'm starting to fear for my life and also possibly my soul.  Its kind of intimidating.

What A Day

Sometimes the words just do not come in order to give justice and describe everything that happens in a day.

Yesterday started out promising to be a great day.  My brother and I decided to drive up to help my sister paint her nursery (so that when she and my brother in law have the opportunity to adapt they have a room all ready).  I called my brother bright and early to tell him that I was on my way to his house and he drowsily informed me that he would continue to sleep until I arrived at his house.  That was fine by me since I would sleep as we drove to my sisters house.

The drive up was good and when we arrived we started working.  Painting was fun and we were able to get a lot accomplished.  After 2 coats of paint and sheets of bead board being nailed into the walls the room was looking wonderful.  It was especially fun because as we painted we would each take a turn picking an old theme song to play while the other 2 guessed what it was.  Oh, the theme songs and shows of the 90's.  I miss those shows because they were just good and wholesome.

Fast forward to the drive home.  Again I was asleep (trying to catch a nap because it was going to be a long night) when I suddenly heard my brother start honking.  I sprung up to see what was going on just in time to see the back end of a huge Dodge Ram back into the hood of my car.  WHAT!!!  Evidently the driver had put his truck in neutral and taken his foot off of the brake.  This caused him to start rolling backwards without his knowledge (especially how he was looking down at the time trying to turn on some music (did I mention we were at a stop light waiting for the light to turn green)).  Crunch, and now my hood was dented in.  We called a police officer and an hour later we started our way back home.  All I can say is it is a good thing that my car was still driveable because now I was late for my evening gig.

Two weeks ago my uncle asked me to help him cater an event and I had told him yes.  I was supposed to start prepping food at 3 pm, but we didn't finish with the officer until about 3 pm and the drive is about an hour.  All I can say is at least we made it there eventually and since my brother is amazing he offered to help.  Also since he knows how I think I was able to line him out to start prepping as I ran to my house to grab my gear (knifes, chef's coat, etc...) and take a quick shower.

The night went well overall.  There were only a couple of times that I ran around like a chicken with her head cut off.  Everyone took direction well and we were able to pull off everything even though we were short an hour of prep time.  We all cleaned up and headed home.

The final event of the evening happened after I had dropped my brother off at his place.  I was driving in my home town when suddenly there was a dark shape in front of me.  I couldn't figure out what it was so I slow considerably down.  Good thing, because it was a herd of deer.  Yep, a herd of deer were meandering down one of the main streets of my town.  I don't even know where they would have come from because they would have had to walk quite a ways from the mountains to make it to this main road.  Why no one else had seen them beats me.

Again, what a day.  This little bit that I have written doesn't cover most of what happened, but maybe you now have a taste of what sometimes my life turns out to be.

I Know, I Know

Its been pretty much an entire week (okay only a couple of days) since I have written, but things have been long and tiring.  As it gets darker I have less and less energy to do anything like update my blog when I get home from work.  I promise that eventually I will write a great post and update you on all my adventures soon.

Improving Oneself

Change is hard.  Especially change that involves trying to make yourself better.  Lets face it, it is easier to stay exactly as we are.  No fuss, no muss.  We may not be happy, but at least there is no stretching when we don't try to improve who we are.  Too bad eventually we all have to stretch.  Eventually there comes a desire to improve.

Urban Hiking

Normally when you think of hiking the images that come to mind include mountain trails, scenic expanses, solitude, and unsure footings.  Not when I go hiking.  I go hiking in big cities surrounded by skyscrapers, strangers that you pass by, and paved sidewalks.  This of course is not how I normally hike (I too take the traditional idea of hiking as mountain hiking), but this is what I spent my time doing yesterday.  I walked up and down the big square blocks of Salt Lake City taking in all the surroundings that appeared at every step and turn that I took.

I viewed cathedrals (inside and out).  I marveled at the rich old architecture of building painstakingly put together in years long past.  I experienced the bustle of crowded outdoor shopping malls.  I even took part in an interview for one of the state newspapers.  So much activity coursing through a vibrant city.  Everywhere you went people walking through life taking it causally or fast paced.

Daylight Savings

I don't mind daylight savings.  Especially when that blissful day arrives when you get to sleep an extra hour with the time "falling" back.  The only hard thing is that now I get home from work in complete darkness.  It doesn't help either that since I work so early I go to work in the dark as well.  If it weren't for a lunch break I wouldn't be able to see the light of day.

Movies Have Ruined Me

There are many ways that movies have ruined me, but I will just share one way tonight.  

As I was driving down a canyon this evening I came to a gate that I had to use a combination lock to open.  I had been warned of this obstacle that I would encounter on my way home and was ready with the code to allow my progress to continue.  What I had not been warned of is how scary it would be to unlock this gate.

I pull up to the gate, left my car running with the music blaring, and got out to let myself through.  Running up to the gate (because of the chill in the air) I fiddled with the dials to hone into the correct numbers.  The lock was cold so the numbers weren't easy to manipulate and as I looked around me I realized how scary my surroundings were.  The headlights on my car only gave out so much light to the surrounding area.  I knew that out there around me there was darkness, animals and who knew what else.  I had left my car door open when I ran to the gate and my imagination just kept running through all the scenarios of some stranger climbing into my wide open car and "getting" me when I tried to drive away.

Why would I think this way?  Movies, that's why.  How many movies have I seen where out in the darkness an unsuspecting victim is attacked by a crazy person in the middle of the night?  Evidently, far too many.

The re locking of the gate was just as thrilling or terrifying as the initial unlocking.  As soon I had the gate secured I ran back to my car, slammed the door, locked it and rushed off home.  Shivers might still possibly be running up and down my spine.

Treading The Waters Of Online Dating

I will be completely frank.  I am not a fan of online dating.  Due to how the world around me now deals with the prospect of social interactions and meeting potential "soul-mates" I am forced to take part in this seemingly unproductive activity in the hope that maybe someday, yes someday my profile and some guys profile will strike each other as compatible and love will ensue.  How this is ever to happen beats me.  I think the planets have to align and cosmic forces have to collide and create super novas or something...at least that's how I see it happening.

On any given day on any number of dating websites men and women post pictures, descriptions of themselves with their likes and dislikes, and snippets of their personalities in hopes that that special someone out there will stumble upon them and desire to learn more.  When a profile is found that seems interesting and that person takes a chance and finds your profile interesting some kind of chatting commences.  Communication starts through chats, e-mails, and then in our day and age texts. Eventually a possible call will be placed or even a meeting will be planned.  This is when it starts to get even more interesting because such a meeting can be daunting.

The first time you meet someone from online dating could be compared to a first date where you start to get to know someone, except that you have now thoroughly exhausted all your first date questions through non face to face interactions.  You have completely used up all of your surface interrogating skills and are now left with nothing but the deeper aspects of a persons character to talk about.  What a scary prospect.  Yes, most people can still easily hide information about themselves behind their perfectly created profile that glosses over their quirks and flaws, but this is where you are left when first meeting someone that you have only communicated with online.  You come to the table armed with an arsenal of basic information about a person without knowing how to handle it now that you are with them in person.  Often you are left with their quirks, flaws and contradictions instead of the person that you have "imagined" while communicating in such an impersonal way.  This isn't always a bad thing though because quirks, flaws and contradictions are what make up a person.

Learning to navigate these waters can be tough, but manageable.  These are some of the things that I have learned.

1)  Realize that no one is perfect and if nothing else you are learning about new people in a way that previous generations didn't experience.

2)  Be hopeful.  Never think that just because one person isn't a "match" with you that your "match" isn't out there.  You are perfect for the person out there that is perfect for you.

3)  While being cautious (never reveal too much personal information about yourself until you are sure someone is who they say they are) realize that you can't get to know someone if you hide behind a mask.

4)  Have fun.  After all isn't that why we do this online dating thing.  To find someone to enjoy some time with.

5)  Just be you and smile.  This is just another aspect of life that makes it worthwhile and exciting.

Dream Interpretation....Go

I dreamed last night that I was driving on the freeway and suddenly it was covered in all sizes of pumpkins.  Everyone had to park their cars to help clean up (but we didn't park normally we all parked sideways facing the wrong way). The big pumpkins we just moved to the side of the road, the small pumpkins we pilled in peoples cars until suddenly we were all in an abandoned house that was full of junk and pumpkins (the ceiling was bowed and looked like it was ready to fall down). Finally we all made it out of the house and it lead to a fall farmers market during which the whole time I was worried that I needed to move my car now that the pumpkins were cleaned up......okay go, interpret my dream.

Blogging About Blogs

I just asked my brother what I should write for my next blog post since from my end thing have been fairly normal without many variations and he informed me that I should blog about blogs that blog about blogs.  Too bad I don't know any blogs that blog about blogs so that I could blog about them.  If any of you know any blogs that blog about blogs let me know and I'll think about blogging about them.

Winter

I can't believe how fast the weather changed.  October brought fall and now November has brought winter.  There was about a 20 degree temperature drop in the last 2 days.  It was definitely a poor choice on my end to wear a knee length skirt today to church instead of a floor length triple layer flannel dress.

Eye Numbness

Its official, the dentist can numb you to the point where your eyes feel numb.  I can feel the lower lid of my right eye sagging.  Wow, it is a strange feeling to say the least.  I know in a very short time I will have full use of my face again, but until that time hits I will look like someone who has experienced a stroke (not to make light of those that have had strokes since that is a serious topic).

I also felt like I was in one of those cartoons that you see about people going to the dentist.  Today, I was all numbed up and mouth full of dental instruments while the dentist kept asking me questions that did not revolve around a yes or no answer.  I just kept looking up at her with disbelieving eyes until she realized what she was doing.  It was pretty funny.

What I Do At Home

Thanks bro.  You and I do great work!

What I Do At Work

You know you don't mind work when you are willing to spend 2 hours after your done decorating with your coworkers for Halloween!

My Roommate The Trooper

I have learned a very good lesson this evening.  When I become scared, I become more polite.  You have no idea how many times the words, "how are you" came out of my mouth this evening.  It didn't matter if it was a death's head, a grotesque mask, or a clown on stilts walking towards me.  Each of them received a greeting to ask about their well being.

My roommate probably would have preferred that I completely ignore the people with the scare tactics and keep my head down as we made our way through a haunted maze, but then we wouldn't have made very much progress.  Each avenue of terror brought on a new form of horror.  Fright, alarm and panic would normally be the words that I would use to describe my feelings while finding my way through a place designed to make my heart race and my voice shout out in surprise, but I found myself quite calm.  I attest this feeling to the fact that my roommate was terrified and needed me as her strength.  I could not cower if I was to be the leader that brought us out to safety.  Through walls that pushed in on us and corn filled with the sound of chainsaws we trudged on.  No zombie or maniac was going to hinder our way.  No sir, we would prevail and so we did.

A"MAZE"ING

Tis the season for corn mazes.  Time to get lost in rows and rows of golden, dried up, corn stocks.  Each twist and turn leading you further and further into the depths of lostness.  Only sheer luck will allow you to escape the grasping reaches of brittle leaves and hardened corn kernels.

I Am Awesome

Every Thursday my company takes a couple of minutes and does some kind of activity that we dub "Game Day Thursday".  This can consist of quizzes, races, and even things like hacky sack throwing.  Today the task was to transport M&M's from one plate to another using only your ability to suck air through a straw.  We were each given a minute to see how many M&M's we could move in that time.  Can I just say that I rocked it.  I was able to move 66 M&M's in a minute.  That is more than 1 a second.  How did I do it?  I don't know.  All I can say is that I was crazy out of breath at the end.  I think I beat the next highest person by at least 12 M&M's.  This must mean that I am a good kisser because I hold my breath for extended periods of time it seems, and yes my face just went bright red in saying this.

The Ten Minute Art Gallery Run

A scavenger hunt in an art gallery is fun.  The only draw back is that you are so distracted working out the next clue and trying to find a certain painting that you don't really get to see the exhibits.  The few pieces of art that did make it through to my memory were beautiful.  I wish that I had the kind of talent that would allow me to create such masterpieces from nothing.

Feel The Burn

I am hurt.  I am hurt.  I am hurt.  Who decided that it would be a good idea to spend half of my lunch hour climbing up and down the cement flight of stairs that is located in the middle of my work place?  Oh ya, me.  I am hurt.  My thighs are on fire.  Its a good hurt, but still.  Owww.  At least I have my book to distract me from the pain and my coworkers bemused stares as I awkwardly climb up and down stairs while reading a book.  This had better be worth it!

Letters

Our world is all about the fast.  We want instant everything.  Instant connections with people.  Instant messaging.  We don't like to wait.  In this I think that we are missing out on how important the slow is.

My parents are currently away from their home for the next year and they aren't the easiest to get a hold of where they are now located.  As such I have come to the lost art of letter writing.  Every week (mostly, sometimes I'm not as diligent) I write a letter to my mom.  One of the things that I have noticed is that writing a letter makes me contemplate a little bit the things that I write.  I still write mostly about the mundane unimportant aspects of my life, but I tend to dive a little deeper than just the surface because a small note about nothing would not be worth the price of the stamp.  I wish more people would write letters.  The instant can make us loose so much of the important deeper parts of life.

I Made It To The Zoo

I did it.  I made it to the zoo.  After all that time and desire (I know it was only about a week since I decided that I wanted to go) I got to see the animals.  I could have spent all day watching the polar bear, seals, and sea lions swim.  I could have spent hours leaning over the rail watching the tiger pace around his cage.  I could even have stood around in the cold to watch the baby orangutans sleeping all wrapped up in their blankets.  As much as I am not a big fan of seeing animals in small living spaces when they could be out roaming the wild, I do love that I have the ability to view these animals that I would not have the opportunity to view because they are not native to where I live.  I have to admit that it would be a little disconcerting to see a lion, elephant, or rhino walking free around my town.

I'm A Cat Person

I'll admit it.  I'm a cat person.  Dogs are fine, I just prefer a cat.  I think a big portion of this is because I like the independence of a cat.  You have to work to get them to like you.  A dog is aptly named "a mans best friend".  They are always happy to see you and want to spend all their time with you.  Cats on the other hand most of the time will have other things to occupy their time.  They have to explore, nap, hide, nap, wake you up at 5 in the morning with their cold noses, oh and nap.  Most things happen on their terms.  I like that.  Yes, it can get annoying when you just want to pet or hold one and all they want to do is bite you, but I don't mind.  It means more when a cat that has been standoffish all day comes up and sits on your lap.

Thinking

So, I started this blog because a lot of things were changing in my life.  I moved, I started a new job, and my family became a little harder to stay in contact with.  I wanted to notice the changes and the good things in my life.  It hasn't always been easy, but I think I may finally be starting to have a few things settle down and fall into place.

Work is still a new experience everyday.  I compared my new job to learning Incan while speaking Chinese and living in Greece.  While it is still difficult, I think I can rephrase this statement to learning Chinese, Speaking Greek, and living in Scotland.  At least somethings are starting to look a little bit familiar.

I'm also starting to get a small group of "friends".  They really are still more like acquaintances that I sometimes spend a little bit of time with, but I enjoy their company and I think they enjoy mine.  It is nice to at least have a couple of friendly faces instead of the constant stream of strangers.

Life always continues.  Everyday brings new things to learn and to try.  

Night Games

Right now I wish that night games were a thing of the past.  I remember as a kid I loved them.  There was nothing better than running around with your friend in the dark streets as you played things like sardines or escape from Alcatraz.  Now that I'm older though I wish they had stopped at some point so that I wouldn't have been startled by a group of young teens running around in the middle of the night.

As I walked out of my parents house this evening to drive home to my apartment off to the side of me I suddenly heard a voice whisper "hey".  I could have jumped out of my skin.  All I can say is that it is a good thing I am not a screamer or I would have woken up the entire neighborhood.  I located the voice as coming from a young guy laying next to my brothers truck hiding from his friends.  He is lucky to be alive right now.  Good for him I wasn't startled enough to invoke a flight or fight reaction (though it was a close thing) because I'm pretty certain it would have been a fight response.

I Want To Go To The Zoo....How About You?

I haven't wanted to go to the zoo so much in my life.  Every October the girls in our family and our closet girlfriends have a girls night out.  This year we are breaking out of our norm and not going the the dinner theater show that we normally do, but in doing so it has been difficult to find what exactly we should do instead.  My sister has been suggesting the zoo all along, but I have been hesitant to say yes just because to me the zoo hasn't sounded like a "girls night out" activity.  Now there is nothing better that I would like to do.

Last night to celebrate a friends birthday a mini group of us girls that normally attend our "girls night out" went to dinner and as part of the conversation the zoo came up.  The birthday girl had just returned from the zoo with her family and couldn't stop talking about how cool the new exhibits were.  Evidently the polar bear exhibit is remarkable.  I now what to see it.

Can we please go to the zoo?

Owwww

Can you get a goose egg on your knee?  I've heard of getting a goose egg on your head, but I don't know if it is possible to get a goose egg on your knee.  If you can then I have one and I'm getting no sympathy from my family.  It was even my brothers truck that gave it to me and all he does is give me a hard time.  He keeps offering to whack my now swollen knee with a hard bound book to see if it will "pop" the swolleness.  He swears he would only whack it once unless he likes it.  Sooo much sympathy coming my way.

Driving In My Town

I love the roads in the town where I grew up.  There are probably many in my town that would disagree, but they are wrong in my opinion.  I love driving over all the bumps, dips, and cracks that run rampant on the road.  Its like riding a roller coaster.  Other towns and cities can keep their smooth paved unmarred roads.  I'll keep the uneven surfaces that make driving more exciting.

Onions Are Mean

Yah, you heard me!  Onions are mean.  I have been chopping onions for a long time.  I spent 8 hour work days as a prep chef chopping onions and I have never teared up as much as I did chopping onions tonight.  2 small yellow onions made my eyes well up to the point that I could not see.  I got to the point where my left sleeve was sopping from the amount of water flowing from my eyes.  It was crazy.  I mean crazy!

I hope all those men that end up eating and enjoying the chicken enchiladas that I made this evening appreciate the tears that were shed for them.  I would say that blood, sweat and tears went into this, but I can only say that tears were a major component.  No need to be grossed out by this.  The tears didn't actually make it into the enchiladas.  I just cant believe how much water was brought out of me because of 2 onions.

Grandpa This Is For You

Now that I have caught up a couple of days and I'm not soooo long in posting.  (I didn't think a week was a long time, but evidently it is).  I just want to say that I am grateful for my grandparents.  I know how lucky I am that I still have both sets of my grandparents.  I am truly blessed that I get to spend time with such amazing people.  I just hope that as their posterity I can live up to the great example that they have set for me.

Grandpa, thank you for caring about me.  We don't ever have to say much, but I know that you love me more that I can comprehend.

Grandma, thank you for all that you have taught me.  I hope to be as an amazing mother someday as you have been.

Adoption Is An Act Of Love

I'm not very personal on my blog (at least not personal in the aspect of giving specifics about myself).  I tend to lean on the verge of vagueness in most of what I write, but as to this I will get specific.  My beautiful sister and her handsome husband have been working towards, hoping, and praying to someday be able to adopt a child of their own.  They as so many others before them have learned the heartbreaking truth that they will not be able to have children "the regular way" so they have opened up their hearts to the hope that they can open their home to a child that will come to them in a different way.  If you know of a birth mother that is looking for a wonderful couple to take in and raise her child you need look no further.  Please check out their blog, learn more about them, and help them in their desire to make a loving home for a child that could receive no greater or fuller love than they would be able to give them.

Isn't It Too Early For Snow?

Okay, as you might realize from my last post I am just barely getting used to the fact that it is October and not May like I think it should be.  I missed most of summer because I didn't take a moment to stop everything around me and realize that time was passing very quickly.  Now I'm trying to slow things down and enjoy my favorite month and time of the year.  The crazy thing is that since I have started to notice the season I'm currently in I've realized its cold.  Its getting much colder than I expected it to be.  I love fall with its colors and crisp air, but this is starting to feel too much like winter.  Winter is beautiful with its white clean snow, I'm just not ready for it.  Where is my fall?  Snow should not be a part of my fall.  If I stamp my feet and throw a tiny fit do you think it will be fall again?

Ahhh Where Did September Go

How is it already October?  Where did September, August, July, or even June go?  Wasn't it just May and April?  I swear February was last week and January was just getting started.  I think days blend together the older I get (and yes, I realize I skipped over March).  Once you mostly spend your time working only a couple of things ever break up your schedule.  This is how you can get to the end of September without realizing where the time has all gone.

♫♪♫ Yes, We Have No Bananas, We Have No Bananas Today ♪♫♪

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head?  It doesn't even need to be a song that you have heard recently.  I find myself as of late singing songs in my head that go along with whatever is occurring in my life.  It seems to me that I am creating a soundtrack to my life.

Today's most recent song came into my head after my roommate mentioned that she has recently been experiencing a lot of charly horses in her legs and should probably start eating bananas to get more potassium in her system.  All I could think of was the song that Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart listen to as they go sailing in the movie "Sabrina".

♫♪♪♫ Yes, We Have No Bananas, We Have No Bananas Today.  ♪♪♫♫

Traveling To The Moon

Tonight I traveled to the moon.  I entered a spaceship and took flight.  I punched through the atmosphere and was enveloped by the dark abyss that encompasses space.  I flew through the emptiness to find the light that led me straight to the moon.  I walked on its cratered surface.  I felt the weightlessness of a lesser gravity pulling me down.  I traveled to the moon.

Being An Adult

Today my adulthood slapped me in the face.  A seemingly unimportant event that I have gone through my entire life brought me to tears.  Was it because it was touching?  No.  Was it because it suddenly became sad?  No.  Was it because it was painful?  No.  Though some peoples experience in this may differ from my own.  It was for none of these reasons.  For whatever cause, this event was the tiny drop in the bucket that made my emotions overflow and made my tears fall.

What pray tell would be the event....going to the dentist.  Yes, going to the dentist.

This trip to the dentist was like so many others that I have had except for one major difference.  This was the first time that I had gone fully as an adult under my own means.  Before this point I had always been able to enjoy the dentist from the safety of the shield of my parents insurance.  I knew how expensive dental work could be, but I had never had to fully face it on my own.  Especially on my own with no insurance.  Needless to say it was a shock to my system.

The appointment went well and as planned.  My dentist and the hygienist did their part wonderfully and took care of my cleaning needs, but then came the bad news.  I had 3 cavities.  Cavities = lots of money.  Cavities = time to give up most of your life savings to take care of a problem that if left will only become worse.  Cavities = too bad sucker.  I could feel the the news sink deep into the pit of my stomach as I smiled at them graciously, thanked them for their help, and tried to hold myself together to talk to the finance manager.  I thought I could make it through.  Oh, how wrong I was.

As the exceptionally nice financial manager told me the cost of my visit I was okay.  I was okay through my first pen dying as I wrote out my check.  I was okay through my second pen dying as I continued to write out my check and the financial manager started to look up the cost to take care of my cavities.  I started to feel my emotions boiling up to the surface as I finished writing out my check with my third pen.  The breaking point was as I was handing over the check the financial manager told me the cost it would be to take care of my cavities - $600.  I fell apart.  I started to sob.  It wasn't just small tears, but heavy hiccup inducing crying.  I was so embarrassed.  I do not like to cry in front of people.  Especially people who don't really know me.

Great.  I'm full blown sobbing while I sit in the financial managers office and to top it all off she has no idea what to do with me.  She tries to console me and ask what is wrong and if they had done anything.  Of course, they hadn't.  The people who work at my dentist office are the nicest people ever.  Its not her fault that she has an emotional wreck of a pretend adult on her hands.  All I could do was assure her that I was okay and that I had no idea why I was crying.  I knew it would be expensive and I knew that as an adult these type of things hit you all the time.  All that I can figure is that with all the pressures on me I finally couldn't hold it in any longer and everything overflowed until I was left sobbing in a financial managers office at my dentists.

The Great Saltair

I touched the great Salt Lake.  I have grown up in the state of Utah and to my recollection had never touched this wonder that we literally have at our finger tips.  I had seen it.  I had heard and learned of its wonder, but had never felt the salty waters that cover so much of the northern part of this state.  I walked along its white expanding shores and smelled its salty brine shrimp aroma.  I thought of all the people who had come before me to experience this natural wonder.

In this excursion I also was able to experience the great Saltair and learn if its history.  It was once deemed "The Coney Island of the West".  Oh, to have seen it in its grandeur and magnificence.  The building that now stands I believe is about the 3rd structure to be raised, the other two having burned down, and is used as a concert venue.  The previous buildings were gathering places for thousands of people to socialize, dance, listen to music, experience culture, and swim in the mineral rich waters.  Piers and bath houses lined the shores of those great buildings.  Today's structure is not quite so grand and could use some major work if it were ever to be near what it once was, but you can feel the spirit of the people who gathered there and continue to gather there.

So much human experience has occurred on the shores of the Great Salt Lake.

The Story Of Your Life

What would your story be if your life were written in a book?  Would it be a comedy, a mystery, an adventure, a drama, or a heart warming romance?  Would every chapter follow a different written style?  Would you be the hero/heroin of your own life or would you be the best friend/acquaintance?  Would it have moments of tragedy that made you cry?  Would it be a page turner, or one of those books that was a struggle to read the next sentence?  What are you going to decide what your story will be?

Choose Your Own Adventure

I decided that I was going to make Saturdays my explore Utah days.  I haven't always been the best at this, but when I have put forth the effort to find new places and experience thse places near and far to me I have had a marvelous time.

This Saturday I decided to visit the the capital city here in my state and discover something, anything that I had never experienced before.  Wonderfully my wish was granted.  I ended up walking around The Avenues and stumbled upon a Memory Park.  This park was off a road that I'm not certain that you would normally find a reason to follow and I don't remember seeing any signs that lead to this park.  It was purely by accident that I found it in the first place.

 The Memory Park was a vast stretch of lawn that was dedicated to all the brave soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in all the wars since the 1st world war.  There were statues, fountains, memorials, and even a contemplation chapel where you could sit (if it were open) and contemplate.  The stained glass in and of itself in the chapel was worth seeing.

I was truly amazed at what I found and I am so grateful for stumbling upon it.  My challenge to you would be to go out in the world around you.  Find the special places that only need to be discovered to be enjoyed.  I know that the more I explore the happier I become.

The Family Tradition

For as long as I can remember my dad has slept under his own denim quilt on top of the covers on my parents bed.  This habit of his has been passed down to at least 2 of his children if not all 3.  Since my sister has been married for a number of years I have no idea if she sleeps under her own denim quilt or not.  I do however know that my brother and I still have our own denim quilts, made by my mother, that we each sleep under every night.

To some it may be strange and they may wonder why the quilt doesn't just go over the sheets and why not get rid of the unused comforter all together, but there is just something about sleeping on top of the comforter under a denim quilt.  At least this way my bed is always made when I wake up.  I just have to fold the one denim quilt to make my room respectable.

It is a wonder the habits and small things that children pick up from their parents.  Parents mold a childs life, but sometimes even the habits that were necessarily meant to be taught linger on.

A Budding Yogi

I don't know why I ever stopped.  I love it so much.  I love the sweat dripping off my face onto my mat.  I love my butt being kicked by a little Chinese man on the computer screen.  I love being sore and tired the next day.  I love everything about it.  I'll have to work up to doing the full program again, but I love it.  Yoga is the thing for me!

Don't Let A Boy Make You Macaroni and Cheese

Just as my title suggests, beware of boys making macaroni and cheese when they decide to add bacon.  Bacon of course is an amazing food group in and of itself but tonight's endeavor in the cooking of the bacon did not turn out the best.

The macaroni turned out well.  The cream sauce was creamy and thick - perfect.  Even the cheese was the perfect flavor and melty goodness.  The only draw back really was the bacon.  At least I have learned from the cookers experience that bacon grease can and will catch on fire.  Yep, fire.  Broiling bacon is not always the best option when deciding on how to prepare bacon.  It turned out crispy the way I like it.  I just don't really prefer the flavor of burnt offerings.

This evening was filled with billowing smoke, charred bacon, and simple prayers that even though the bacon was burned that maybe it could be nutritious in some way.

I will say thank you to the maker of the macaroni and cheese.  I could have had nothing and starved instead....so thank you.

Most Of My Blog Posts In One Day

If you've followed my adventures at all you are aware that I notice things like the weather, that I struggle with simple tasks like shopping, and that I can't seem to get through a single day without some kind of mishap.  Well....yesterday was no different.  It even seems that most of the things that I just mentioned happened to me in the space of one hour.

As I drove up to the grocery store I noticed the clouds as they rushed by.  Yes, they literally rushed by.  The clouds were also only feet off of the ground.  I knew that it wasn't a tornado passing through as most people thought, but it was amazing to behold.  I could tell that these clouds were full to the brim with water waiting to be poured out upon all of us below.  I sat and watched the clouds for a bit until eventually I entered the store to complete my shopping.

The shopping was uneventful.  The only thing out of the ordinary was the sound of the storm beating upon the roof.  Of course being me the trip couldn't remain uneventful.  I made it all the way to the check out stand and realized that my wallet was still in my car.  Thank you to the cashier who let me run out and grab it while leaving my groceries on the checkout stand conveyor belt.

Now comes in the mishap.  As I rushed out to my car in the middle of the raging storm I slid across the wet pavement and slid right down onto my backside.  It wasn't bad enough that I was soaked from the top down.  I now was soaked from the "bottom" up as well.  It also so happened that earlier in the day I had cleaned my room and opened my window to let the air in.  Too bad for me I had left the window open all day that by the time I arrived back and was able to close the window my bed and many of my belongings were soaked through.

What a fun time I had.

The Pain Of Popcorn

Every once in awhile I get a hankering for some popcorn.  It isn't very often and when I do desire some most of the time I just move on without fulfilling this particular craving.  There is a reason for this I realized today.  When I get a hankering for popcorn and actually partake in its crunchy goodness I inevitably regret my decision.  I hate pulling popcorn kernels out of my teeth the remainder of the day.  It doesn't even matter if I vigorously brush my teeth (which I did this evening), because inevitably there will always be that remaining popcorn kernel that lingers and lingers to be found in my teeth at a later time.  I know that you have all experienced this because I cannot be the only one to have dealt with this annoyance.  Oh the woes the can strike when eating popcorn (this line was delivered with my hand on my forehead in my most tragic pose with my most tragic voice....could you hear it).

Boom Baby

To begin with, yes, I know this picture is sideways!  With all the advances and technologies out there I just couldn't figure out how to flip it the right way.  I work in IT now and I still struggle, but whatever.  The main point is that I completed this crazy puzzle!  It only took me a month, but I did it.  Many a night those puzzle pieces lay jumbled together taunting me in my inability to place them in the correct places, but not tonight.  Tonight I conquered!  Tonight I reigned supreme!  Tonight I did it!  I know that I will just end up pulling this masterpiece apart to be stored in its flimsy box back at my neighbors house, but for now it lies completed in all its glory to proclaim to all my amazingness!

Toothpaste

As I sit here on my bed gazing at my computer screen I intermittently brush my teeth as I contemplate life.  I love brushing my teeth.  I'm not overly zealous and brush my teeth every moment of everyday, but when I do it is an enjoyable experience.  Just the feeling of clean teeth is a benefit, but the fresh minty taste that accompanies my toothpaste makes it all worthwhile.  Whoever created the minty burst that comes across my taste-buds from my toothpaste should be commended.  They have brightened many a tooth brushing moment.

Fall Is Coming

I can feel it!  Fall is on its way.  It may be a couple days or weeks away, but its going to be here soon.  The crispness in the air will be available to me as the wind blows in.  The beauty of the changing leaves will be outside my window before I know it.  Oh, I love the the change of the seasons.  Fall will always be my favorite.

Taking A Day Off

I finally took a Friday off.  Wow!  I almost don't know what to do with myself.  I may have every other Friday off from my job, but I usually go and work at a previous job that is kind enough to let me show up randomly to earn a little extra cash.  Not today!  Today I am going to have a me day.  A day all to myself in which I don't have any structure or obligations.  I may need to be a little tighter on my budget these next 2 weeks, but it is so worth it.

Rain On My Face

As I do everyday I was sitting outside under a pinetree during my lunch break.  I decided to lay down for a moment and just feel the world around me.  I focused on the breeze, the rustling of the leaves, and the commotion of all the people moving by.  Out of nowhere I feel moisture drip onto my face.  First one, then two, then multiple more.  I could have jumped up and ran for shelter, but I wanted to just lay there and feel the rain on my face.

Let The Games Begin

So...I have put off buying groceries ALL week.  I just have not had the desire to go shopping for food.  I am becoming very adequate at living off of very little.  I used to have cans of food that continually remained in my cupboards as food storage, but lately those cans have actually been used as real food stuff (can I call canned food real food stuff).  The only problem with living this way is that eventually I run out of all things that are eatable and I HAVE to to buy something that can be used to sustain life.  Here in comes my dilemma.   I am VERY VERY bored of what I have been eating.  Every time I go to the grocery store I inevitably end up purchasing the exact same things.  Why, you might ask?  Because it is cheap and doesn't take much thought or time.  As I have mentioned before I am more than capable of preparing food and some may even say that I have a talent in the field of cooking, but when it is just you it is easier to not put forth the effort.  Now I come to the point of all of this.  I have decided that in my need to go to the store tonight I will purchase nothing (yes, is said nothing) that I normally buy.  This could very well be the most exciting shopping trip of my life if not at least my day.  Who knows what I will come back with.  Cross your fingers and your toes that this works out for me and let the games begin.

Flash Flood Warning

The rain is beating down outside of my window.  The phrase "raining cats and dogs" doesn't even come close to the monsoon type waterfall cascading down the ledge of my apartment.  Luckily I am warm and dry as I lie in my bed watching the storm.

Suddenly out of the blue I hear a beep, beep, beep.  It reminds me of the warning signal that comes across the television when an emergency message is being broadcast.  Startled I look around confused because I have no tv in my room and I know my computer isn't making that noise.  Riffling through papers I discover my phone is what is making that noise.  I never knew that I could receive a warning broadcast over my phone.  It makes sense that this is possible and is a good way to inform people of danger, but it still surprises me that I can get a flash flood warning over my phone.

If you are in this storm or any storm stay safe!

Fruit Stands

One of my favorite things about this time of year would be the road side fruit stand.  All along the roads that I take small farms have erected makeshift and permanent pavilions in order to sell the wonderful fruits and vegetables that they have so lovingly grown.  Each succulent bite from one of these freshly grown delicacies makes the taste buds on your tongue dance in ecstasy.  I will need to hurry as not miss out on my chance this year to experience all that these fruit stands have to offer.

The Ill Conceived Idea Part 2

I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to finish the story that I started a couple days ago.  Sorry, sorry, sorry it took me so long.  Don't worry my "adoring fans" I am back and am here to finish that which I started.  Please forgive me for leaving you hanging for soooo long (I would put an emoticon here of a smile with a tongue sticking out, but I didn't want to go through the effort so therefore I spent more effort writing out the fact that I didn't want to take the effort to put an emoticon here).

Now back to the story.  If I remember correctly I had finally made it to the bike path to continue my arduous journey across 3 cities to my brothers house.  It was smooth sailing from here (well sort of).  The path was actually very nice.  There weren't many hills and since it is fairly new it doesn't have any rough parts.  Just flat cement laid out for miles ahead to be ridden or walked on.  I guess you could do a number of other activities like running or rollerblading or even skateboarding, but since I don't participate in any of those (mostly for my own safety) I tend to focus on those riding their bikes or walking along looking at the scenery which was quite resplendent when I would look up from staring at my handle bars.

Mile after mile the cement just continued on ahead of me.  How much further was it?  I swear it didn't look this long on the map?  At least I'm keeping up with those 2 bikers that look like they do this a lot.  That's a bonus.  I'm not lagging behind or peddling so slowly that I might as well be walking.  Boy is my backside starting to hurt.  I never noticed how painful my small skinny bike seat could be.  These were just a few of the thoughts that ran across my brain as my legs just kept moving up and down, up and down.

As I peddled along I started to realize that I was getting close enough to my desired destination that I would need to leave the path sooner rather than later in order to not pass up the road I had to take to make it to my brothers house.  I didn't want to go further north than was necessary, that would have just been dumb.

Instead of going too far north I timed my exit of the bike path just a couple roads too early.  As such I ended up barreling down a very steep hill and realized that I really should have planned my exit better.  It was not a good idea to be going so quickly down a steep hill while not wearing a helmet (no, I did not have a helmet...dumb, I know).  All I could do was pray that I wouldn't hit a bump that would make me fly over my handlebars and hold on for dear life.  I made it to the bottom.

Once I was solidly on a flat road again I came to the knowledge that I still had at least 2 miles to go if not more.  I put my head down and watched the light on the front of my bike brighten up the way in front of me.  Did I mention that it was now getting fairly dark (another reason that I am no good at judging time)?  I continued to pump my legs in order to keep going.  I then reached the point in my trek that I just couldn't make myself go any further.  Yes, I only had probably a little over a mile left to go but it seemed to daunting.  I had to call my brother to rescue me, which he was wonderful and did.  It was so good to sit in a nice soft truck and be driven the rest of the way.

The final facts to my tale include the points that I was crazy sore the next day,  I had the weighting notion over my head that I would most likely need to ride my bike back home at some point, and I still had at least a partial day of working in a hot warehouse to get through.  Good thing I made it through the work day, I muscled through the pain, and my brother was kind enough to drive me home.

I told a friend that I was no longer allowed to attempt such an en devour unless I had worked up to it first.  And thus ends this adventure.

The Ill Conceived Idea Part 1

I have a part of my personality that at some times can be construed as a character flaw while at other times I feel is a huge benefit to have.  If I decide to do something I do it.  I don't take a long time debating the pros and cons of the situation.  Most of the time this is a good thing in my opinion and it has allowed me to experience some wonderful things, but at other times I look back and think...I should have probably thought about that some more before deciding to jump in head first with a running start.  This portion of my personality can every once cause me not to make the best choices.
 
The most recent idea that I decided to go full steam ahead with was definitely not the best choice on my side.  Yesterday after sitting in my apartment for a couple of hours once work had ended the thought occurred to myself that I could ride my bike over to my brothers house and spend the night.  I would need to be near his house the next day since I work at my previous place of employment every other Friday, and that previous place of employment resides very near his current place of residency.  The flaw to this reasoning....my brother lives 3 cities away.  Yes, count them, 3!  I should also mention that since it has been EXTREMELY hot lately with it being summer I have not ridden my bike as much as I would have liked.  I am very out of practice and very low on bike riding endurance, but I was not to be deterred by any of this.

I made the conscious choice to get my bike off of my balcony, make a quick detour at my uncles house to pump up my tires (the heat had caused them to deflate), and find the new bike path that had been constructed "near" my apartment that goes through the cities that would get me to my brothers house.  On I went.

The first hiccuped happened not far from my uncles house.  I was peddling along and tried to change gears (my bike doesn't like its gears to be changed, it tends to cause the chain to catch) and my bike made a terrible crunching noise signifying the fact that my chain had just become lodged deep into my gears.  I of course had to stop, flip my bike over, and try as I might to yank the chain out of its mangled caught state.  I spent a good 10 minute pulling and yanking on the chain until an old man decided to pull over on the side of the rode and help me.  He walked over, flipped one lever on my bike, twisted the chain, and pulled it straight out.  I was thoroughly schooled.  Never again will I allow my bike chain to get the better of me because of what I learned from that old man (at least I hope I wont let it get the better of me again).  I was once again on my way.

The second hiccup took place as I peddled up the hill towards the elusive bike path.  I have learned that I am no judge of distance or time.  Looking at the map to the bike path earlier on my computer the bike path really didn't look that far from my apartment.  Boy, was I wrong. The farther I peddled the farther I realized I had to go.  I thought that I could probably make it to my brothers house in a good 30 to 40 minutes.  Nope, it took me a good 30 to 40 minutes just to get to the bike path.  Finally I make it to the path and continued on my way.

To be continued......

What Was He Thinking?

I attended a coworkers wedding reception and the way that he introduced me to his new wife was that I was the one that kept him sane at work.  Really???  Most of the time I am moments away from insanity at work.  How in the world could an insane person help someone else be sane?

Blood Red Sun

As I was driving this evening I glanced up at the sun and was amazed at what I saw.  The sun peaked through the gathering clouds in a red glow that reached out to all around it.  It was beautiful.  The epitome of a blood red sun.  As I glanced at it every now and then (because since I was driving I couldn't continually watch it) I traced its slow decent behind the west mountains.  The lower it sank the brighter the sun shown forth its red reaching rays.  When it finally dipped behind the peaks it looked as if the mountains were on fire.

Queen Of The Pool

Have you ever had a swimming pool completely and blissfully to yourself?  I'm not talking about the small blow up kind that you can fit in your front or back yard, but the full scale (5 foot deep) cement legitimate kind.  Well I'll let you in on a secret....it is heaven.  No one else's ripples diverging on yours.  No need to dodge or pay close attention to the people slowing creeping in on your water space.  All the water and room in the pool are yours.  I will say it once again, HEAVEN.

The Embarrassment of Me

If you haven't figured this out by now, I will let you in on a secret, I am the epitome of cool and collected.  I never do anything that would cause me to be embarrassed or flustered.  Nothing ever ruffles my feathers.  I could walk through a raging storm and come out looking like a beauty queen and smelling like freshly picked roses.  NOT!  I have come to the conclusion that at least once a day something has to occur in which I realized how human I am and that I will never make it through a day without being knocked off the small pedestal of perfectness that I try to build for myself.  Did you notice the subtle use of the word small in the last sentence?

I will let you in on a couple of the embarrassments that have happened to me lately and the fact that a lot of them (at least the ones that I will convey) have happened at my local grocery store that I frequent at least once a week in order to purchase groceries.  The way things are going I really should find myself a new place to shop.  They don't seem to get the best of me.

The most recent event in the field of embarrassment happened yesterday on my weekly grocery trip.  I took my time roaming each isle of the store. I didn't have anywhere to go and I didn't have any time constraints so I just leisurely walked everywhere, which you would think could possibly be bad for the pocketbook as you have more chance to purchase want items, but I actually did better than normal and came in under budget.  I tell you the fact that I took a long time in the store because as I was leaving after procuring my weekly rations I realized that the zipper on my pants had been at half mast all day.  I had walked slowly ALL OVER the store with a zipper that was not all the way up as it should have been.  How many people saw me?  How many people got to snicker behind their hands because of me?

On to the next story.  Lets rewind a couple of weeks.  Again this takes place at my local grocery store.  After finding all the items that I needed (and wanted) to buy on this particular weekly trip I proceeded to the check out stand.  The sweet cashier rang up all of my items and proceeded to read off the final total of my purchases and the amount that needed to be payed.  I pulled out my handy debit card (important fact because this particular store does not take credit cards), swiped it through the machine as I had done many times before, put in my pin, and received a decline notice.  I had forgotten my pin.  A number that I have had for years simply slipped my memory.  I tried 2 more times until the system locked me out and I had to leave my groceries there at the checkout stand as I walked away with a bright red face.  This wouldn't have been so bad except that it happened the next week the exact same way.  Oh, the embarrassment.  What was my pin number?  Why did it stay in the dark recesses of my mind?  Why didn't I have any cash on me both of those days so that I didn't go home empty handed?  Why did I keep going back to that store after I had so thoroughly embarrassed myself?  Why didn't I just go to a store that took credit cards?  Instead I just spent those 2 long weeks depleting my "food storage" and thoroughly emptying the shelf at my apartment.

Good thing I finally did remember my pin and was able to once again purchase what had become luxury items like milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables.  Also as you can tell from the fact that my last embarrassing story occurred only yesterday at the same grocery store that I did not take my business to another establishment even though they probably have a picture of my embarrassed face in the back room that reads. "If you serve this girl beware.  She might have to leave her unpaid for groceries at your check out stand or she will walk around with a half open zipper on her pants."

See I have nothing that ever happens to me that would cause me to squirm even the slightest bit.

A Very Sarcastic Thanks

I am a one show at a time girl.  I don't diversify a lot.  If I like a show, that is what I watch and that is pretty much all that I watch.  It is even made easier now that you can watch an entire season or series of a show one episode at a time one after another.  The problem, if I like a show I watch the whole show at one time.  It may take me awhile because of the length of the seasons, but I still do it.

For a couple of months I have been good.  I haven't had a show that I was hooked on.  I haven't really even cared to find one.  If I was in the mood to watch something I would just toss on an old episode of a show that I previously enjoyed and be done once it was over.  It wasn't a big deal.  Too bad it wasn't to last.

Today after work ended I walked into my apartment to my roommates watching a show.  I was tired from the long day so I decided to sit down and watch a little bit of it with them.  Since I had only ever seen a couple of the episode before in my life my roommates decided that I needed to start from the beginning.  4 episodes later we called it quits for the night.  Thanks to my roomies I am now hooked.  I will be finishing all the episodes of this show sometime in the following months.  I say months because there are a lot of seasons and a lot of episodes in each season to get through.

THANKS A LOT! (Said in the most sarcastic way possible)

One, Two, Three....Eleven, Twelve

The best part of my day happened as I was driving home from work this afternoon.  Actually it happened while I was at a complete stop waiting for the turn signal to flash green so that I could continue on my merry way.  First one, then two, then three old school hot rods drove past as I waited at that red light.  They were then closely followed by 9 more old school hot rods driven by little old men.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was the coolest thing that I have seen in a long time.

See Me Again In 2 Days

With life, hopefully love, and the pursuit of happiness (and even maybe a little stress from work) I will be pretty busy and I won't be able to write an update on any of my experiences for a bit so come and check back in a couple of days.  I promise to have something more exciting than clipping my toenails to tell you.

Caught Red Handed

Yesterday was an extremely busy but satisfying day.  I spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon painting fire hydrants for an Eagle project my neighbor was doing.  It was fun, hot, and a very good use of my time if I do say so myself.  The only downside (and I wouldn't even call it too much of a down side) was that I left the service project with my hands covered in red paint.  I looked like I had been involved in a boxing match and bloodied up my hands.  As people would notice my hands they would ask what had happened to them.  What had I done to have so many cuts and sores?  My arm even got a little of the paint action and I have a splotch on it that looks like a pretty decent bruise.  My response to their question was that the I was now the new heavy weight boxing champion for this district.  Other responses included that I couldn't talk about fight club and that you should see the other guy.  Of course I am the type of person that can't leave a story with someone if it is just a joke so I would inevitably let them in on the true fact that I had spent the day painting fire hydrants red, but the reactions that I would receive from the first version of the story were quite amusing.

Yes, this looks a lot like blood but luckily
it is not and I was able to get most of
it off.

My "beat up" hands

You should see the other guy.