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.