To Blog or Not To Blog. That is the question.

My husband calls me fickle, which I despise hearing, but maybe he's right. After a little over a month of blogging, I'm kinda over it. It has become more of a burden than a joy. I want my blog to be "a success" - whatever that really means, and I don't feel that mine has been. I don't have the time to invest to make it a success (the fact that my network at work does not allow me to comment on blogspot blogs doesn't help). My life is rather boring and uneventful, so I don't have any funny stories or quirky anecdotes to share. I'm not very opinionated, and when I do have opinions, they aren't "popular" and I'd worry about offending people. So my fickle self has decided to go on a blogging hiatus. I've been thinking of maybe doing a food blog or something, but the idea of maintaining a food blog stresses me out. So... I'm going to take some time to think about it and see what I want to do. My general motto is as follows: "If at first you don't succeed, why keep trying?" Totally lame, I know. I don't actually live by that motto, it's just kinda what ends up happening.

To all of you who have become followers and commented on my little blog, I sincerely heart you. Seriously. You guys kept me going for a while there. If something silly or crazy happens to me, I'll stop by and post a little something. If you have any ideas or advice, feel free to send them my way. I'm still planning on reading and commenting on all those great, little blogs I have discovered and love.

Thankful Thursday

I actually have a lot to be thankful for today, so here it goes...

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm thankful I still have one more year as a twenty-something.

I'm thankful for all the birthday wishes I received and for the awesome loot I got!

I'm thankful that we get to have "birthday weeks" and even "birthday months" if we're really lucky.

I'm thankful tomorrow is Friday AND that it's a vacation day for me.

I'm thankful for the nice, little dinner I had with The Husband last night. We enjoyed ourselves and our food and our beer (yes, we can drink beer in Utah).

I'm thankful that the Olympics start tomorrow. Go USA!

I'm thankful for my Birthday (observed) tomorrow with some great ladies. Looking forward to some yummy dinner and then seeing Valentine's Day!

Terrible (and creepy) Tom Tuesday

Even though I'm not feeling the whole blog thing today, I figured I should continue what I started. Today's reading is one of my favorite sections of Tom's essay. You'll soon see why. Click here to get the background on this segment.

Note: Having grown up in a Christian home, there are a few things here and there that I kinda agree with, but I don't agree with his overall philosophy. He takes things too far and out of context and has an extremely old fashioned view of things, which is why he's creepy.

I am looking for someone who makes every day lovelier just by being there (well, that just goes without saying). She has a sweet, tender heart, and her life touches those around her. She loves to create beauty in her world. She has a character of elegance, tenderness, softness, inter- dependence, and has the goals of being a loving wife and nurturing mother. She rejects the traits of ferocity, arrogance, independence (well, I'm ferociously independent. Take that, creepy Tom.), and the goal of being a liberated woman as modern society defines it (boo).

We as a culture have undermined the traits that make a woman a woman, and have devalued the importance of motherly love (have we, really?). I am looking for a woman who strongly rejects those false notions, and has instead fully embraced her femininity, womanhood, and future motherhood. A feminine woman’s first priorities in life are to be faithful and loving to her husband, to live her life to please him and to serve him (I beg to differ)—the same relationship we as a Church have to Christ.

In the same way, a masculine man's first priorities are to protect and care for his wife, to live with her in an understanding, considerate way, to respect her as the weaker vessel (I have NO words) and as his co- heir to eternal life, to be faithful and loving toward her, and to live his life to please and serve her (well, at least he's being somewhat fair)—the same relationship Christ has with us, His Bride.

Take a minute to soak it all in.

Discuss amongst yourselves (imagine Linda Richmond saying this...).

Tomorrow I will be another year older. The jury's still out on whether I'll be another year wiser...

I just HAD to share this...

I know etsy is all the rage right now, and, honestly, I just heard about it for the first time a few months ago. I've gone on the website once or twice, but nothing really caught my eye. BUT, today I discovered something I just had to share with everyone. Check out KAANG Accessories. The cutest hair clips and headbands I have every seen. Seriously. The green feather clip is called Dizzy Miss Lizzie. It was meant to be :)

Special thanks to Tina @ Little Tots, Big Ideas for enlightening me.

Fridays are Fabulous

Well, I still feel like poo and my ears are so plugged up I feel like my world is under water, so that's fun. Nevertheless, it is Friday and it is still fabulous. In addition to my usual Friday bagel and coffee, I'm wearing my most comfortable (and probably most unflattering) pair of jeans. Fridays are jean days at our office. We're still supposed to dress business casual, which means collared shirts or sweaters no athletic shoes, etc. Well, sometimes I abide by this and sometimes I don't, as you can see from my lovely, red Vans. Who cares? It's Friday and I'm sick and I'll wear my Vans and my oldest pair of jeans if I want.

Sidenote: Is there a point where I'll be too old to wear Vans sneakers? The Husband and I both have various pairs of Vans sneakers and we often wonder if we will have to "move on" at some point. I don't know. I think they're super cute and comfy. What about Converse sneakers? I have a pair of those too. What do you guys think?

Thankful Thursday

Well, it's Thursday. I'm sure we're all thankful tomorrow is Friday. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time being thankful for much else because I feel like major crap-ola - the first cold of 2010 is in full force. I'm annoyed at myself for taking a sick day yesterday because I feel much worse today, and now I have twice as much stuff do deal with today. Oh well, such is life. Time to be THANKFUL!

Yesterday was my mother's birthday. 28 years ago today she was about ready to pop and I'm sure very anxious to give birth to her first born (my bday is exactly a week after hers). Obviously, I'm thankful to her for bringing me into this world, drug-free, I might add. My child(ren) will not be able to say the same of me, that's for sure. Although, my mom and I are not "close" or "the best of friends" and I have never been one to "tell my mother anything," she's always been a great mom. She taught me a lot, and looking back, had an insane amount of patience. Just the idea of letting an 8 year old in my kitchen to "help" make chocolate chip cookies, makes my chest tighten. But, she did it. I think she actually wanted me in there cooking with her. Well, I thank her because I've always known my way around the kitchen and I believe she (and Food Network, of course) is responsible for my love of all things cooking.

I think the biggest thing I owe her is my sense of independence in every sense of the word. I have always been independent and liked being that way. Once I started working, I paid for a lot of stuff on my own. I was never one of those kids whose parents paid their car payment, car insurance, took them out shopping, or paid for their schooling. Anything financial, I took care of myself. Sure, I had to borrow a little money from the rents here or there, but I never expected it. It was very hard to be in my late teens and early twenties and see many of my friends getting most of that stuff paid for, but I think it gave me a sense of self-reliance earlier on - I was more than ready to move out and become an adult when the time came.

So today, on this Thursday of lameness, I'm am thankful for my mother who sacrificed so much of herself to make me the woman I am today.

Terrible (and creepy) Tom Tuesday

I am starting a new segment for Tuesday. I work with this guy, Tom*, who has a case of the crazies. I've never met him in person (he works in a different location), but I feel like I know his soul. The creepiness is just getting started, people. He has all kinds of odd jobs including, but not limited to: custom cabinet maker, writer, photographer, Certified Lactation Counselor (say WHAT!!!). Three people he'd like to meet in order of importance: Jesus the Messiah, Alanis Morissette, C.S. Lewis. Um.... how does Alanis fit into this equation? Jesus and Alanis. Yeah, ok.

So how do I know all this? In a very random way, I happened upon his two personal websites. They have been fodder for all kinds of jokes and distractions at work. Not until a week ago did I realize I was sitting on a blogging gold mine. This guy is going to give me enough material for months to come. Disclaimer: Since this guy is technically my co-worker and we work in a highly regulated industry, I'm not going to share his website URLs, his last name, or his pictures. He's already put them all out there, but I have no idea what I could possibly get in trouble for.

The following are just a few excerpts from his blog detailing his search for a wife. Read and discuss amongst yourselves. I'm pretty sure most of us wouldn't meet his qualifications, and I'm sure you're all super disappointed.

My name is [Tom], and I am looking for a wife.

I am looking for a woman who is others-centered, who has rejected selfishness on the worldview level of her heart. (Guess I'm not making the cut. Dammit!) Being self- absorbed kills relationships. Life and love do not work right if we're focused on our own desires more than on others'. I am striving to live for those around me, and I'm looking for a woman who lives the same way.

I believe that chivalry is an act of worship. God designed men to treat women with dignity as a way to honor Him, so I will increasingly view you and treat you as a precious treasure entrusted to me by the Lord. I am willing to die for you (who said anything about dying? Was that in my vows?) and, just as important, to live for you. A woman deserves to be treated with courtesy, honor, gentleness, sensitivity, compassion, and love by her man, which is a large part of what chivalry and Biblical manhood are about.

I believe men should be masculine and chivalrous and women should be feminine and ladylike. I’m looking for someone who agrees, and who has a truly feminine heart and life. Femininity is womanly elegance and tenderness. It is a refined mixture of being delicate, elegant, noble, stunning, sometimes flirtatious, sometimes erotic (Oh Tommy! You bad boy, you!), sometimes motherly, sometimes submissive (Excuse me?!!?), always displaying impeccable manners and taste (so, is belching considered bad manners?), and always pursuing and displaying beauty and kindness.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Until next Tuesday...

Fridays are Fabulous

Bagel and coffee from Einstein's - just one of the many reasons I love Fridays. If I wasn't trying to be so good (both health and money wise), this would be my breakfast every morning. So, I make it a treat - something to look forward to and to make my Friday even better. What's a regular thing you like to treat yourself to?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thankful Thursday

This is going to sound ridiculous, but today, I'm thankful for the pinch collar. Even though our new dog is already 5, she doesn't heel when walking. Our entire walk involves her pulling, choking herself, me pulling the opposite direction, me feeling like my hand is going to fall off, and me just being pissed off about the whole situation.

Then, we purchased this little gem. What a miracle! Seriously. This morning's walk was actually enjoyable for once. If you think the idea of a pinch collar is mean or inhumane, that's fine. Dogs feel more of a discomfort from these collars, rather than pain. Coco seemed to enjoy her walk just fine and probably gets more of a mental workout since she has to concentrate on how fast she walks to avoid getting pinched. As far as I'm concerned, this is a win-win for all involved.

Utah "Swear Words"

After living in "Motown" aka Mormon Town aka Utah, I've made some observations on the language that's used around here. Now, I'm sure these phrases aren't solely used in Utah, but they're heavily used by Mormons and Utah is their Mecca. I digress...

Since Mormons, or Mo's as the Gentiles sometimes refer to them, are not supposed to swear, they have their own particular set of replacement swear words. What's so funny about this set of words is that there are lots of people out there that try not to cuss (myself included), but these people don't necessarily use these phrases. They seem to almost be specific to Mo's in Utah. Early today, my co-workers (some of whom are Mo's) and I came up with the following list:

• "What the frick?!" (I don't even know what to say about this one.)
• "What the crap?!" (Why can't they just say "crap"?)
• "Oh my hell!" (Now this is a classic. Never heard this until I moved here. What's hilarious about this is that they're still saying "hell".)
• "Fetchin'!" (Seriously?)
• "Flippin'!" (I think I'm guilty of using this word back in jr. high or something.)
• "Oh my gosh!" (This definitely is NOT specific to Utah, but for some reason it weirds me out to hear a grown man say this.)
• "Fudge!" (I think only the older generation uses this one.)
• "Freaking..." (I think I've been using this word for quite a while.)
• "Friggin'" (No comment.)

Oh my gosh! I totally hope you all enjoy the rest of your freaking day. Oh my hell! It's almost time to go home! w00t!

The Only Constant in Life is Change

I've been thinking a lot about this lately - the way people change (or don't) throughout life. I've thought about how many people I've met, spent time with, worked with, hung out with, been best of friends with throughout my measly 28 years. Then, I think about how many of those people I still really "know". Sure, I may still see them, talk to them, chat with them via Facebook/email/blogs, or just stalk them online, but they certainly are not the same people I originally became friends with.

There's that rare type that hasn't changed at all, they haven't moved on. I was friends with them in my early to mid-twenties: my drinking until I can't walk without the support of some poor friend phase. We all had jobs. Most of us were finished with, or close to finishing, college. Some of us still lived at home, some didn't. But, we all loved to party - go out dancing, drinking, eating at Denny's at 2am. It was awesome then. But there's that select few that are still doing that 5 years later. I think some of them might not even be finished with school. Some might still live at home. I have no idea because I no longer keep in touch with them. How can I? I could no longer relate to them if I tried.

Then there's that type that has moved right on past me. They graduated from college before me, got married before me, some even started having kids before I met the Husband. Their whole lives are their children (at least, that's how it seems from the outside). They write blogs about bottles, diapers, strollers, carseats. I don't know these people anymore. And they don't know me. In fact, I sometimes get the vibe that they've moved on so much, they really don't want much to do with you if you're not in the same stage of life that they are.

While the above type of friends make me sad, they still play a very important role. These are the ones that make me question everything and make me think really hard about where I am in this game of life. Should I be having kids? Why is my clock not ticking? Am I not meant to have children? Is it wrong that I'd rather be selfish and spend my hard-earned money on 7s and Coach purses? Or am I being the opposite of selfish because I'm not bringing children into a home where I'd have to work full time in order to pay for all the extra expenses children bring? But then I think about these questions and it makes me wonder, is that all there is: getting married and having kids? I know that kids are fulfilling and once you have them, you can't imagine your life without them. But, I can't possibly know or understand that at this point. Ignorance is bliss, right?

I don't know.... This struggle, that I know many twenty-somethings are facing right now, is ever-present. My whole life I always assumed I'd have kids, but now that I'm in my prime child-bearing years, I'm not so sure anymore. I could see us never having kids and being happy, satisfied. However, the fact that I'm a woman, in America, raised in a very traditional household, I will always have that little "tug" telling me I have to have kids - how can I not have at least one? Who knows? Maybe there will be a "surpise" and I won't have to wonder about all this anymore.

I apologize for the rant, but this is something I've wanted to put into words for a while now. Anyone else struggling with this dilemma? Or, has anyone struggled with this in the past and finally came to a conclusion?

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, everyone! To those of you with "A Case of the Mondays", I hope your week gets better :)

On Friday, I blogged about my many worries about all that the weekend had in store for me. As I suspected would happen, it was all for not. There was hardly any snow for those of us not up in the mountains, so this made everything much easier to deal with: walking the dog, getting to the gym (I decided not to run outside, but MAN 4 miles on the treadmill is torture! Why is it so much easier outside?) Although I was late to my hair appointment, it was not because of the weather. By the way, I went for a major change to the hair this time around, cutting off several inches - yikes!

Snowboarding proved to be quite the success, as well. Although, I still haven't progressed off the bunny hill, I actually enjoyed myself for the very first time! This is huge, people! HUGE! To actually look forward to going next time is such a big improvement for me. Sidestory: I was super stoked to go to Sundance this year. I signed up months ago for the lottery and was able to get a timeslot to buy locals tickets. I didn't plan very well, so I only was able to get tickets to one movie - but I was still excited. The Husband waited until last week to tell me he really didn't care to go and would rather go boarding - we had storms all week, so it was nothing but powder up there. So I sold my only two tickets in order to go boarding. I hope he hasn't forgotten that he still owes me big time!

Here's hoping for a good week. I'm taking my car to the shop tomorrow because it has been leaking some sort of fluid for a while now. I can't put it off any longer. Just hope I'm not without my car for too long!

Weekend Worries

I have a fairly busy weekend ahead of me and with that busyness comes some worries.

Saturday:

• It's supposed to start snowing this evening and into tomorrow. By snowing, I mean several inches. I hate snow - specifically, I hate driving in it or having to do anything in it, for that matter.
• I HAVE to run tomorrow. Tomorrow is my long run (4 mi.) and I've been lazy this week and haven't run since last Saturday (shhh, don't tell anyone). So if it's still totally snowing outside, I'm going to have to go to the gym (4 miles on the treadmill? yuck!) - this means driving in the snow. Boo.
• At some point I also have to walk the dog (in the snow). Boo. Boo.
• I also have a hair appointment. While this is something I'm very happy about, it will most likely mean more driving in the snow. Boo. Boo. Boo.
• I think that's it for Saturday. By about 3pm that will all be over with, just in time for it to stop snowing. Just my luck.

Sunday:

• Snowboarding. I'm sure some of you are like, oh how cool, how could that ever be a worry? Well, it is if you suck at boarding. I just learned last season, and I use the term "learned" quite loosely. I have this insane fear of falling. It gets me uber-frustrated. Instead of laughing when I fall, I cry. So, needless to say, I'm not at the point where it's an activity I look forward to. The one upside is that we're going up with friends, M and E. E might be more of a beginner than I am, so I'm hoping we can fun with our mutual suckyness. This is actually the first time I've had a friend to board with. Usually the Husband goes up with whoever came with us and does his own thing, leaving me to mope down the bunny hill all by my lonesome. I'm going to do my best at staying positive about this first boarding excursion of the season.

Stay tuned Monday to find out if my weekend of worries was actually worth worrying about.

Thankful Thursday

A handful of the blogs I follow do this segment on Thursdays, and I thought I'd do the same.

Today, I am most thankful for the Husband. Not only did he get up very early to take the dog for a walk before work, he walked her in about 6 inches of snow. And after he got back from said walk, he shoveled the driveway. If you asked him, he'd just say he was doing what needed to be done, but I am truly thankful that he spared me from these two lame tasks on a day when I'm sore from head to toe (mainly from yesterday's little fall).

Happy Thursday, all! Tomorrow is Friday!

Well, that's just awesome.

I had a cool, little post planned out for today, but this is so ridiculous I had to share it. This little event really showcases my potential for how awesome I can really be. This may actually be a qualifier for Be Awesome Instead (I've known Hutch since highschool - check out her blog if you haven't already).

This morning, I went out to take the dog on a walk before work. Overnight, we got a dusting of snow so all the sidewalks were covered. Before I left, the Husband said, "Be careful. It's slippery out there." My response, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine." I get out there and the snow is still pretty dry and not slippery. There were some ice patches here and there, but nothing you couldn't avoid. And then it happened. I had started to return home and out of nowhere, I find myself falling to the ground. It was basically like I was allowing myself to freefall backwards - butt, back, and head all hitting the ground at the same time. Once I realized what had just happened, I was able to recover and finish my walk back home after the pooch lavished me with a few kisses to make sure I was ok. So, I just had to share that random bit of awesomeness.

Leash Laws?! Who Needs 'Em?!

We recently adopted a dog from the Humane Society of Utah. Her name is Coco. She's a 5 year old German Shepherd mix. Even though she is very well behaved and loving, since she is my first dog ever, it's all pretty overwhelming. Friday and Saturday were no exception. Friday was Coco's first morning alone in the house outside her crate. I was only working a half day, so it was a great opportunity to test her out. She did amazing! Not a thing was touched. When I got home, I had to get her ready to go to the vet. So we went on a walk. Not one of our greatest walks (Saturday's was worse), but I guess I can't blame her for wanting to chase a cat and attack an annoying Pomeranian (sp?). Oh well. The vet appointment went well. Until she was finished and they brought her back out to me. She was so crazy excited and wound up, that she squirmed out her collar and leash!!! I was so panicked (and embarrassed)! She trotted off over to the cash registers, right by the front door (I take my pets to Banfield in Petsmart). So I quickly walked over to her and called her over. She came right over to me and sat down as I put the collar back over her head. I was shocked. It could have been so much worse. Friday evening was capped off with her throwing up. Fun times!! Yeah, so I'm really enjoying this whole dog thing.

Now for point of my title. I took Coco for a walk yesterday afternoon. I took her on one of my favorite routes because I never see any other dogs. Until yesterday, that is. We round a corner and down a driveway comes a yappy Pomeranian. We've already established that Coco does not care for this breed. It ran right up to us (no leash) and was barking like crazy which actually scared Coco a bit. As I was proceeding to cross the street to get away from this yapper, one of the biggest German Shepherds I've ever seen comes trotting down the same driveway and again, no leash. It comes right over. I get Coco behind me, but it doesn't matter - this dog proceeds to attack my dog!!! I couldn't believe this was actually happening. So I scream like no other and kick the dog. It immediately stops and retreats. That's awesome that it stopped, but where in the hell are these dogs' owner??!!! It's so irresponsible, and I can't even understand it. I immediately turned around and walked back home, and as I was, I see a pug running down the same driveway and, again, no leash. That's 3 dogs left completely unattended to wander wherever they please with no leashes in sight. What's worse, is that with all my screaming and dog growling and barking, nobody ever came out to see what was going on - not the owner, not any of the neighbors. Awesome. I love people.

So, in summary, I have two things to say:
1) This whole dog ownership thing is not what I signed up for.
2) If you own a dog and don't keep it on a leash, SHAME ON YOU!

A picture of the cutie that's adding all this lovely stress to my life has been posted over on the right.

Heidi Sucks

At just 23 years old, The Hills star Heidi Montag decided to go under the knife for a second time and have a staggering 10 plastic-surgery procedures in one day. "For the past three years, I've thought about what to have done," the reality star tells PEOPLE. "I'm beyond obsessed." And so, on Nov. 20, Montag's total transformation began. Keeping even her family in the dark, the starlet chronicled every painful moment of recovery and her journey to become "the best me." To find out what surgeries Heidi underwent and what husband Spencer Pratt thinks of her new look, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

I know I shouldn't care, but SERIOUSLY!!!! I'm definitely not a hater of plastic surgery; there are a few procedures I'd have done if I had the means. So, when she got implants and a nose job, I was like, yeah, ok, she looks good. But THIS is just ridiculous! She got another boob job?!? They were already too big for her frame to begin with. All I'm saying is I can't wait to see her on some TLC special when she's 40 and looks like an alien (I think might already look like one) sharing her story of her addiction and asking people to feel sorry for her and her lack of self confidence. Girl's got some is-sues!!!

Oh, and I will be buying this issue of PEOPLE. Please don't think I'm too good to pay money to read her story. How else am I going to find out what all 10 procedures were? And, of course, I want to find out what "flesh-colored-beard" thinks of all this (gag me).

Lazy Sunday

I'm sure many people are jealous that I was able to enjoy a lazy Sunday. Well, I don't particularly care for lazy days, unless I literally have nothing else I feel like I should be doing - this is rare. I woke up at a decent hour and had every opportunity to be productive, but what did I do instead? I plopped on the couch and flipped on the Food Network. I don't care much for the cooking shows that are on early on Sunday mornings, so I proceeded to watch a movie I really don't care for, Bridges of Madison County. Seriously?! Eventually, I make myself breakfast and get on with my day. The only productive things I did today were go out to lunch (if this is even considered productive...) and went to the Humane Society and looked at dogs (this will be a later post). And what did we do after leaving the shelter? Why, we went home and took a nap, of course!! Because my day was just so exhausting, after all. Nothing got cleaned, no laundry was done, no boxes unpacked (we moved over 2 months ago), groceries were not purchased. In fact, I just got around to eating dinner at around 9:30pm, but didn't have the food or desire to make dinner, so I settled for a bowl of Cheerios. I'm only sharing this because I'm disgusted in myself, and maybe this will provide some of you with a few chuckles. Here's hoping for a more productive week!

New Year, New Blog, New Run

Welcome to my blog! Throughout 2009, I'd thought of doing a blog - one that's just for fun to share my thoughts, opinions, and any silly experiences that have come my way. I figured with the new year starting, I better just dive in. Thank you for taking an interest in little, ol' me :)

So, I'm training for the Salt Lake Half Marathon for the second time. "So, you've run the half once before?", you may ask. Wrong. This is just the second time I've trained for it. I was side-lined last year with some crippling shin splints. Hundreds of dollars in physical therapy later, I'm back. I'm determined to run this race!!

I just officially started my training program earlier this week and today was my first outdoor run in a very long time. Now, for those of you who don't know, it is COLD in Utah right now. When I went running this morning, it was probably in the high 20s. Luckily, I have all the right gear complete with fleece lined running tights (which are NOT attractive - the crotch sags and it drives me nuts), a compression turtleneck and my Smart Wool socks. I ran about 2.5 miles, which is "nothing" for some of you runners out there, but I'm starting from scratch and very gradually because I refuse to get side-lined again this year! The run was pain free and that is awesome. Hopefully, this trend continues.

I'll continue to post about the status of my training because the "fun" is just beginning. My runs are just going to get longer and suckier. Not fun for me, but, hopefully, fun to read about. Can't wait! Seriously. I can't.