Are You Sure I'm Not a Blond?

You know how sometimes we can all be completely clueless? It happens quite often for some people, a little more often for me.

I went to the grocery store the other day to buy some much needed chocolate chips and paper plates. When I went to pay for my groceries, the cashier and I noticed that the woman who was in front on me in line forgot a bag of groceries that had some Nacho Cheese Doritos in it. Not the Doritos! Those were my favorite chips when I was a kid. The cashier hurried and ran outside in an attempt to catch the woman. She couldn't find her and came back in carrying the lonely Doritos that had been forgotten. I joked around that the woman probably wouldn't notice that she had left her chips behind until she got all the way home.

I paid for my stuff and headed out to my car. I noticed some people loading their groceries and asked them if they had left some Doritos behind. They responded, "no" as they looked at me with these "Who the heck is this girl?" and "Hurry quick, get in the car before she hurts us," disturbed look on their faces. As I was walking back to my car, I noticed the cashier running outside once again. I could her saying something about "that's two in a row," but I didn't even think twice about it. The boy pushing the carts asked if that bag was mine. I thought both the cashier and the cart dude were referring to the chips again. I told him they weren't mine or the other people's who were loading groceries.

I got home and went to enjoy my mouth-watering, melt in your mouth, milk chocolate chips. They weren't next to my purse. I figured I had left them in the car. I ran out there and they weren't out there. Are you serious? Did I leave them at the store? Was I so concerned about the woman in front of me not getting her chips that I spaced picking up my own groceries? Yep! I got in my car, went back to the store and laughed as the cashier handed me my groceries while refaining from telling me I was a complete idiot as I walked away.

Audrey and Jayne

I never knew how much fun playing the role of "Auntie Bweena" would be. I adore my nieces and have enjoyed watching them grow, learn and develop into these adorable little people. Little Audrey just turned two and doesn't sit still long enough for any picture. I was lucky to get this one while I could. She was playing "house" with her daddy.

And sweet little Jayne always has this look on her face. I would to if I had a crazy sister like Audrey. Her expression explains it all.

Ying Yang

I recently had a friend describe our relationship as Ying Yang. I couldn't describe it better. Other than that we both have sarcastic personalities and love to giggle, we are as different as night and day. It's a wonder that we get along and enjoy talking to each other. The beauty of it all is that we respect each other's differences and accept each other for who we are. And, we do giggle for hours and hours. God has a way of putting the right people in my life at the right time. I'm thankful for this new friend who loves me for who I am and allows me to do the same.

Happy New Year? You betcha!

For any of you who read my New Year's experience from 2008 to 2009, it'd be hard to imagine how I could top that. Well, since once of my goals for 2009 was to be more ambitious, I ended the year with the bang.

For starters, I finally got enough courage to tell one of my not-so-favorite-roommates that she had to move out. That was fun! She wasn't exactly happy and made life difficult for a week or two. However, there is now such a peaceful feeling once again in my home. I can come home and feel comfortable, as it should be. I realized that I grew a spine and figured out how to use it. It feels terrific.

And for New Year's Eve, I had a hot date with a terrific guy. I can honestly say it was one of the best dates I have ever been on. We went to 3ve in Salt Lake City. It was a huge party with lots of fun events down town. We laughed the entire time and had an enjoyable evening. No, there was no New Year's kiss. But, I don't hand out kisses to just anyone and I appreciate the fact that he doesn't either. But I still got my real fireworks at midnight which made me happy. The fact that I was on a date with someone I actually wanted to be with, was a great way to start the new year. I'm so used to writing about my lousy dates that this was a nice change and a great way to start the new year. Happy New Year!

You better not pout, you better not cry...

I don't know what's more entertaining: my niece Audrey reaching for anyone who will save her or my mom singing Christmas songs to calm her down. Merry Christmas!

A Precious Gift From God

The other evening I had the privilege of holding my sweet little niece, Jayne, while she slept. There is nothing more precious than a new baby sleeping peacefully in your arms. I was alone with her. The house was quiet, and the only lights that were on were those found on the Christmas tree. As Jayne slept, I enjoyed the quiet moment to reflect back on thoughts I had had earlier in the day during a lesson in church.

We had an amazing lesson that compared the birth of John to the birth of the Savior. The teacher compared their parents, where they were born, and the lives that they would live. She also shared information, that was new to me, and gave me a new perspective on what Mary and Joseph went through to bear the Christ child.

As I sat there holding Jayne, I thought of how Mary must have felt when she held her new baby. I am only Jayne's aunt and can't imagine how a mother must feel holding her own child. But, I wondered what little Jayne would do in her life and what she'd become. I wondered what her personality would be like. I was curious if she would be anything like her older sister, Audrey, who is more fun than we ever imagined possible.

I wondered if Mary had any idea of whom and what her son would become. Did she know that he would become the Savior of the world? Did she know that he'd be a perfect example to all?

During this Christmas season, my thoughts are turned to Christ; but especially to his mother and the heartache she suffered and the sacrifices she made in order to give us the most perfect gift of all.

Sub-For-Santa

Each year the company I work for provides Christmas for 25 families in need. One of my responsiblities is to coordinate this event. Gift tags are distributed to our branches and hung on the Christmas trees. Then members, employees and family members can select a tag and purchase the gift. Monetary donations are also accepted and used to purchase any gifts not selected off the trees.

Once all the gifts are collected and purchased, we have a Family Wrapping Party. Employees and family members are invited to come help wrap all of the gifts. We wrap all day and have lots of food and fun activities for the kids. Santa also makes a visit. My niece, Audrey, really enjoyed herself and her cookie.

It's overwhelming to watch the generosity flow into our various branches. People are so kind and make this event one of my favorites. It's incredible how I get to witness Christmas miracles that make this a success each year. I feel so blessed to work for such an amazing company that goes above and beyond and reaches out to help those in need.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I love Christmas time and all the fun things associated with it. This year I really wanted to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. I had several family members apply for tickets to increase my chances of being able to go. We ended up getting a few tickets and the first group of us ventured down to Salt Lake City last night. We left at 6 p.m. giving ourselves and an hour and a half to get to our seats. Plenty of time, right? Well, none of us realized there was a Jazz games going on that night too. Needless to say, traffic was horrible and the thought of going over 10 miles an hour on the streets of the city, was just a thought.

Our attempt at parking in our assigned parking terrace took another half hour to accomplish. After the three block brisk walk to the Conference Center, we made it inside to battle with hundreds of other people to find empty seats. The concert began. We were still searching for seats. The concert continued. We still searched for seats. About 30 minutes later, we ended up in the overflow seating at the tabernacle. So much for watching the concert and feeling the music inside the Conference Center. I could have stayed home and watched it next year on KBYU. The best part came after the concert when we waited in line for another 30 minutes to leave the parking terrace.

Was it worth it? Well for the girl who loves Temple Square at Christmas time, it was well worth it.


I also love the Festival of Trees. Most years I'm so busy volunteering with it that I don't have time to see many of the trees. This year I actually went to the event as a spectator and was able to walk up and down each isle and drool over my favorite trees. This upside down tree was so intriguing to me.


But most of all my favorite thing this year has got to be Earl the plant. I went to my brother's house and saw that Earl got roped into playing the role of the Christmas tree this year.

Thanks"giving" Day

Mmmmm...Thanksgiving.

"Bring on the pie."

"Can you pass the roles, please?"

"Is that bird ready yet?"

"Oh I'm so hungry!"

For the past several years, we've traded in the traditional football games before dinner to go serve dinner to the homeless. My mom always insists on being the first ones there. As we wipe the sleep out of our eyes and disguise our yawns with big smiles, we find great joy in serving others. This year there were so many volunteers. But we still managed to have a good time.

Sweet Baby Jayne

“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.” Charles L. Wallis

My sweet little niece, Jayne Elizabeth, was born this past Wednesday.

She is so different from her older sister, Audrey. She is calm. I'm not sure if Audrey is a fan. She pulled the baby carrier toward her dad, pointed to it and said "away." My guess is that she's a little jealous. This was Jayne's response:

Yee-Haw!

People often ask me what I do for a living. This explains it all. I get paid to have fun.

Each year for our benefits fair, we have a theme. This year's was the Old West. My responsibility, as part of the marketing department, was to create an atmosphere where employees could take pictures. In the past they've used cardboard cut-outs that you stand behind. I pulled out my creative skills and with a few props and a refrigerator box I put a little western scene together.

Trick or Treat

So I’ll admit it. I was so excited to wear my costume today to work that I didn’t sleep last night. It was like Christmas Eve. The anticipation was killing me. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we got to dress up in homemade costumes and parade around from classroom to classroom at school showing off our creative concoctions. We’d scramble the night before at home turning pillow sheets into a anything from a toga, to a ghost, to a mummy, to a tube of toothpaste. It’s funny how the fun hasn’t worn off yet. Here it is 20 years later and the only thing that’s changed is that I wasn’t scrambling last night to get my costume put together.

I also had fun carving my alma mater into a pumpkin. Go Aggies! Not bad for a beginner. I won't mention the number of hours and bloody knuckles that were sacrificed for this fine piece of art.

Another One Bites the Dust!

There’s nothing as entertaining as my lovely dating stories. So, to humor you all, I went on another date. I don’t know why I put myself through this self-inflicted pain. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve been taught "after much tribulation comes the blessings,” “the best is yet to come,” or if I’m just being hopeful. But I keep saying “yes” to these dates knowing full well that it’s probably going to lead to more great text on another page in my best-selling novel, yet to be written, about the joys of dating.

My dear, sweet sister-in-law encourages me to do on-line dating. At this point in life, why not? It’s not like Ogden, Utah is swarming with 30-something year old single men. Actually, it is. But the majority of them hang out at the homeless shelter. Let me rephrase that. It’s not like Ogden, Utah is swarming with dashing, temple-worthy, self-supportive, intelligent, funny, incredible 30-something year old, single men. Because of that, I’m willing to take different avenues to meeting men. I know online dating is not the most reliable source. But it’s a simple way to find a lot of men at once and weed out the weirdos without having to go out with them to find out how weird they really are.

I’ve been on a couple of sights. The majority of the men who show they are interested, are divorced, inactive, social drinkers. Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner! Once again, I ask, how hard is it to find a a descent man? Am I demanding too much? I think not. So, when these oh so tempting men wink at me or send me an email, I polite say “no thanks.” However, there was one guy who I decided to give a chance. In his profile he mentioned he grew up LDS, but wasn’t active. I wondered what his story was and if he was bitter or if he just needed a good push to get back into the church. It’s not like I want a project. But I was curious. I responded to his wink and we emailed a few times. Email leads to texting, which leads to talking on the phone, which leads to going on a date.

We somehow went from texting one day to meeting the next day. I should have seen the warning signs from the beginning. The fact that he took up to 30 minutes to respond to my text message with a one-word answer, should have given me some clue that he’s a little slow. I just figured he was busy or occupied and was texting when he could. Rather than inviting me to join him for dinner, he just said, “so when are going to meet?” I responded with “whenever you get the guts to ask me out.” Did I mention that I’m kind of bitter when it comes to dating? I’m so tired of getting hurt, getting my hopes up and trying so hard to impress a guy. Hence my blunt, not so sweet response. He replied with “where do you want to meet?” My gosh! The guy can’t even plan a date? Do I seriously have to hold his hand through this whole process? Needless to say, I planned where and when and gave him directions of how to get there.

We, I mean I decided that we should meet at the Pizzaria. It’s casual, good food, and not too expensive. I arrived promptly at 7 p.m. After getting through a game or two of Solitaire on my cell phone, he finally showed up. I love it when people who date online put pictures of themselves on their profile that are 10 years old, 50 pounds lighter. It’s always a pleasant surprise to see how they really look now. He was kind of attractive. He had pretty eyes. With each awkward date like this one, I attempt to give it my all and at least have fun for the evening. That’s what I did. I asked him several questions about himself, thinking he’d respond and then ask me about me. Nope! I sure learned a lot about him. I learned that he has no interest in coming back to the church, he has a major coffee addiction, and he thinks I’m denying myself opportunities to experience life because my religion teaches me not to drink. Where did I find this dude? Why did I agree to go out with him?

By 8:30 p.m. I was in my car driving home. That was my shortest date ever! Thanks goodness! I think had it gone any longer, a vicious side of me would have come out and I would have given him a piece of my mind. The best part is that when I was driving home, he texted me. I figured he’d say “thanks” or “no thanks.” All he said was “so.” Are you freakin kidding me? He can’t even take the initiative to tell me this isn’t going to work out? The guy has no spine. I was really ticked. I told him exactly what I thought. I said, “So, it obvious we have different lifestyles and this isn’t going to go anywhere.” He simply said, “I agree.” I think if I would have said, “I had a blast and we should do this again sometime,” he would have responded with “I agree.” Anyway, it’s obvious this wasn’t a match made in heaven. He did send one last text saying “you’re a cute lady and you will find the right guy.” That was nice of him.

I went home, laughed with my roommate as we discussed my wonderful date, and enjoyed the comfort of a good pair of pjs and a good movie. I just have one question. How do I get this awful taste out of my mouth? I guess I’ll keep on praying, preparing, being patient, and trusting in the Lord. There has got to be a reason for all this. If nothing else, all of these wonderful dating experiences will help me appreciate my husband so much more someday when we finally find each other.

Since When is 31 Considered Old?

I finally took the plunge, to a new ward that is. As much as I loved being the mother hen of my former ward, it feels great to be a baby chick again. I was in my former ward for 4 years. Needless to say, I was very comfortable and could probably name every member in the ward. I had a blast in that ward and made so many life-long friends.

A few months before my last birthday, I approached my bishop and told him I’d be turning 31. Not 31!!! That’s the official booting age in a student ward. I asked him what his rules were and was ready to accept his answer that I would have to move to another ward. He was so kind and told me I could stay as long as I needed. That was a relief. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.

It’s not the most fun thing going to church and trying to relate to a 20 year old who thinks she’s never getting married because she just broke up with her boyfriend. The best part is when the 20 year old finds out my age. Once the shocked, bug-eye expression disappears from her face, she asks me how I’ve done it. Done what? Managed to keep a smile on my face because I’m single? I didn’t know that happiness begins once you get married. In fact, I’ve heard just the opposite.

Anyways, my bishop gave me permission to stay in the ward. I decided to stay for a little while and explore my options. I did go and check out an “older” ward in Salt Lake. I’ll admit I was a little freaked out. These people were not only balding, but they had wrinkles and kept calling me darling. I was waiting for someone’s dentures to fall out during one of the hymns. I wondered how they play church basketball with all the walkers in the way. I felt so out of place. So, I continued to go to my old ward for a few more months. As summer came, the ward changed due to school ending and people coming and going for work opportunities. It was such a young crowd that moved in. I got more and more antsy and knew I needed to move on.

After much fasting and praying, I decided to attend the “Senior Citizen” ward once again with a different attitude. Low and behold, this time around it was so different. People were so kind to me and they were really welcoming. Yes, there are some people who are balding. But as I listened to them talk, teach the lessons and share their testimonies, I realized that people are in the same boat that I am in, and we can relate to each other. I can carry on a normal conversation with them. It’s such a drastic change talking to a 30-something year old compared to an 18 year old. I decided to give the ward a try. Now, not just anyone can attend. They have strict rules, which helps enforce that if you’re coming to the ward, you’ll have a calling and be active. It screens out the folks that are ward hopping. I’ve been there a month and have proven that I will be active. Next comes an interview with one of the counselors and then the bishop. Once the bishop has met me and knows I’m serious about attending this ward, he’ll request my records. I guess what I’m saying, is that I’m off the hook with a calling and visiting teaching for a month or two. I should enjoy the free time while I have it.

I’m looking forward to the new friends that I’ll meet and the new experiences waiting to happen. Who knows if Mr. Right attends this ward. I’d like to be hopeful and keep my fingers crossed. But I’m taking a new approach and not worrying about it. I attend church for the spiritual side of thing and for the fun of it all. If I happen to meet an amazing guy, that’s just icing on the cake!

What the heck?

For some strange reason, every time I've attempted to "blog" lately, I have gotten all sorts of fun errors messages and even got booted out once or twice. My feelings were a little hurt. I actually took the time to write something after months of being occupied, with lots of other fun adventures in life, and then I couldn't even post it. So, here's back to hopefully continuing on with my blog.

We are a happy fa-mi-ly.

My oldest niece, Ashley, got married yesterday. This was a wonderful excuse for my family to get together. For most families, that would seem like no big deal. However, this was the first time in over 10 years that all 7 of my dad's children would be together at one time. I was so excited for months waiting for this joyous occasion to come. I'm sure my coworkers got so sick of hearing how excited I was to see my siblings and nieces and nephews.

It turned out to be an amazing weekend of laughing our heads of, shoving our faces full of food, wiping the tears as we watched Ashley marry her incredible husband, Mike, and building tons of new memories.

The lovely couple: Ashley and Mike

Ah the men. I never realized what hotties there are in my family. This is my oldest brother, Mike (father of the bride) and his 3 sons. Left to right: Trevor, Jason (twin to the bride), Corey and Mike.

Kyler, on the far left, is my oldest sister Carrie's son. We totally bonded on this trip and kicked everyone's trash in a competition to see who could eat their explode in your mouth chocolate cake from Chilis the fastest. Next to him is Jason, Trevor, Mike, Corey and my dad.

This is my oldest sister, Carrie, and two of her three kids, Teisha and Kyler.

It was so awesome to spend time with my siblings and to get to know my nieces and nephews a little better. I have such an awesome family and we really are a happy family! :)

And The Award Goes To...

A few weeks ago for a Family Home Evening activity, we had our own Academy Awards. Previous to this activity we were put into groups and made movies, infomercials, and music videos. Half the fun was being creative while filming.

For the night of the event, we were encouraged to wear our DI (Deseret Industries) best. I was unable to find a lovely dress and couldn't round up an old Prom dress. Instead I went as an Audrey Hepburn look-alike. I got the dress and matching earings from another favorite second-hand store for $5.

In case you were wondering...our movie did get an award and I didn't cry during my acceptance speech.

Ya Gotta Love It Baby!

Because of a generous man, who not only led me to my current job, but encouraged me to apply, I got free tickets to a Jazz game. The first game that I ever went to, when I was kid, was when they played at the Salt Palace. Mom won some tickets to the game on a radio contest. We were all so excited to go. This was a first for all of us. Our seats were the very last row at the top. But, we were at a Jazz game. And that was pretty awesome.

Each time I go to a game, I get one row closer to the court. I finally made it the second row in the upper balcony. Someday I'm going to enjoy the sweat of one of the players as it's flung across the court and lands right on my face. Someday!
I invited my friend Elanor to go to the game with me. She's a huge Jazz fan and this was her first time attending a real game. Right away she got into the fun. She was shaking what her mother gave her and cheering for her favorite players.

After the game, we got to go down on the court and shoot hoops. Elanor took a few shots and then sunk a basket that would put Deron Williams to shame.

Single Awareness Day

This past Friday at work, several bouquets of roses kept popping up on the desks of various women I work with. I found myself hoping that just one of the notes attached to the beautiful flowers would have my name on it. I guess I would have had more of a chance of receiving flowers if I was actually dating someone. As most of you know, I play the role of the friend. Friends don't get flowers on Valentine's Day. However, they do get invited to single awareness parties. What a relief. Instead of sitting home alone moping in my lonely misery, I could surround myself with other lonely miserable people and share my box of Kleenex with them.

Luckily I have some amazing friends that are neither miserable, nor lonely. They saved me from attending a single awareness party. After a night of shopping, fine dining, and watching "Bring It On" while making fun of the cheerleaders, once again, I felt grateful for this time I have to be single and enjoy great friends and good times. Maybe someday those roses will appear on my desk. And when they do, I'll enjoy that too.

Wedding Bells

My oldest niece, Ashley, recently announced that she is engaged. Of course I wanted to hear all the details of how she was purposed to. This is what she sent. She didn't have to say anything else. All I can say is, "Congrats Mike. You did good!"