A new template and new resolutions

Last year I decided I wasn’t going to share my resolutions. I didn’t think it was important for anyone to know my deepest wishes and wants. Throughout this year I have changed a lot, mentally and emotionally. I have realized some great… and not so great things about myself, but I’m not afraid to share these with my friends (the 2 people who read this blog) :) So, for your reading enjoyment, my 2010 New Year Resolutions:

1. Volunteer. I love people. I love helping people. I have volunteered short-term at many places (crisis line, daycares, summer reading programs, etc) but I’ve never actually been a “volunteer”… Somewhere important, somewhere where I can make a real difference… So, I am going to call places Monday and set something up! And volunteer ALL year!

2. Be more positive! I have found over the past year that I am a Negative-Nelly. I tend to see the glass half empty, and I don’t like it! I want to be a lot more positive in 2010! Which means less gossip and more compliments!

3. Be more active. I am NOT making a resolution to exercise… I know for a fact that I am SO stubborn I will NOT exercise just because I made a goal of it. Really, I just want to be more active. I want to take Princess on more walks. I want to spend more time playing with the kids at school instead of just watching them play. I want to see the sights of Idaho (when it isn’t –20 outside!)

4. Eat more vegetables! Pretty self explanatory… I do pretty well, but I want to get more of the food groups in my diet. (which also means, less sugar… I mean… I am diabetic!)

5. Less procrastination!! It’s not working out to save 15-10 page papers until the day they are due! It makes me crazy! And crazy I DON’T want to be! :)

6. Be more responsible with my money! I am VERY frivolous! I spend money on the dumbest stuff… seriously! I need to cut my spending A LOT… and pay off bills… and SAVE. For now, spend less and pay more debt!

7, Finish therapy. I mean, I know it isn’t something you would normally be able to do… but I am so close, really. So many of my “issues” have been worked through… and I am HAPPY…… really! I know there are just a few more things I need to work through, but I think 2010 is the year!

8. Get more in touch with my spirituality. I am Buddhist, but this isn’t entirely the case. Although I find Buddhism to peaceful and accepting. But, part of the reason I like Buddhism is because it takes away my fear of God. Fear may sound like the wrong word… and maybe it is, but I fear there is not a God, and on the other hand I fear there is a God, because I don’t understand what that means. Does this make sense? Probably not! But, I need to figure this all out for myself!

9. Journal more. I use to write in a journal EVERYDAY, no matter what. Lately, I have really slacked off in that department… So… I resolve to write everyday, again.

10. Be less OCD. Because it’s December 31st and my resolutions don’t officially start until tomorrow… I can add a 10th resolution because if it weren’t even I’d go nuts…. But tomorrow, I resolve to be less “OCD” :)

There you go :) HAPPY NEW YEAR! LET’S HOPE 2010 IS WAY BETTER THAN 2000!

Saying Goodbye to 2009 (lots of pictures!)

 

Ten years ago I graduated high school, got married, and lost my dad :( Let’s hope 2010 is MUCH better than 2000! Last year I posted all the great photos from 2008. So… Might as well carry on the tradition, as well as mention a few resolutions… So, here you go (the 2.5 people who read this blog!)

 I went to New Mexico with my entire family (to visit my brother, his wife, and 2 daughters). My sister and her 3 kids flew in. This is me with Emily, Parker, and Rebecca. Aren’t they cute?!

My brother Chuck holding Marisa (who is 5) and Sasha holding baby Rosie (she was 2 weeks old in the photo… she’s 9 months old now!)

I went to the Baby Animal fair where I held a baby snake! Totally nast people!

I went  to my first Residency for graduate school in Atlanta Georgia… I ate Chicken and Waffles at “Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles”. Yum. I also ate Collard Greens. Which are amazing, and I damn Idaho for not having them!

I went to the Oregon Coast, where I found out I was allergic to Starfish :( (Stupid allergies!)

My awesome friends took Me to Johnny Carino’s for lunch on my birthday… and bought me this cake! It was VERY good!

I got my 4th tattoo (thanks Jackie and Cindy for your immoral support!

A REALLY old man hit me while I was driving in Idaho Falls!

I went to California to visit my sister and her kids… we swam A LOT!

I got a Bonsai… I killed the Bonsai.

I continue to spoil Princess.

Chester continues to be cute.

I took a photography class… these were my models ;)

I adopted Spooky

I got to visit cute Vivan!

My cousins came for Thanksgiving

I enjoyed a peaceful Christmas

 

Okay… this is WAY longer than I imagined! I did A LOT of shiz fun things this year! I’ll post resolutions tomorrow! ♥’s

911, Rock band, Hard Hat, and resolutions

Today was an eventful day… First, I had an appointment with “J” my therapist, which is always not fun. My mom drove down with me so we could have dinner after. On our way there, some crazy drunk was driving in front of us… running stop signs and swerving everywhere! So, I did the good Samaritan thing, and called 911. Is this what you do when there is a drunk driver?? I don’t know, but it sounded like the right thing… So the operator took my name and number, and hopefully got that crazy man off the road!!

After my enjoyable therapy sesh, my mom and I decide to go to the used game store… we found Beatles Rock Band and a country Rock Band. Now, we both ♥ Guitar Hero (and spend too much time playing) but we don’t have Rock Band guitars (why can’t they be compatible?) So, my mom buys the games and we go out on a hunt for Rock Band guitars. Well, they are NO WHERE! Like, seriously guys… we called EVERY store with electronics in Idaho Falls and Rexburg! Nothing! So, we returned the Rock Band games :( No Rock Band fun for us tonight…

After this whole ordeal, we were pretty hungry. We decided to go to Hard Hat Steak House. The restaurant use to be in Rexburg and it was GOOD and CHEAP… They moved to Idaho Falls, which sucked for us. Well, today we decided to try it out, and it SUCKED! We paid 30 bucks for a dinner of chicken nuggets (basically)… It was ridiculous! And… our server was cute really crappy!

Well, stay tuned for my 2010 New Years Resolutions… They are gonna be good :)

A very Merry Christmas

I got this shower radio…

This electric shaver (except mine is WAY cuter than this one! Online photos don’t do it justice)…

Sheets like this…

This beautiful blanket for my bed!

These sheets!

 

This really great package opener, DVD opener, screwdriver, etc…

A couple pillows

 

This “snuggie ripoff”. I HATE the feel of fleece type stuff… this is silky smooth!

 

These!! SO yummy!

This book… which looks GOOD!

 

And of course Pajamas and a scarf and mittens! YAY! (Plus new thermals… So I can keep warm!)

 

Christmas was great! My nieces and nephew called at 6 AM so we could listen to them open their gifts. My sister (their mom) got them a Wii… which was most exciting… They were pretty excited about the skinny jeans I got them :) I was pretty tired after the hour and a half phone call, but not too tired to open gifts. I was excited for my mom to open the things I got her… The package was in the mail today (the one that was “guaranteed by Christmas)… but the Post Office was closed by the time I got over there… So she will get one more gift on Monday :)

 

My dog was pretty excited about her new bones, treats, toys, and necklace! What a spoiled pup! The kitties were quite excited about all the new jingle balls and softy balls…. and the feather thing :)

Now, I’m enjoying my Reeces Trees and my Pistachios ;)

And… trying to figure out what to do for New Year’s Eve… Any suggestions?

Merry Christmas

So, it’s Christmas Eve Eve… Which means nothing, except that it is VERY close to Christmas. I am excited! I am angry though… I ordered something online for my mom 2 weeks ago, and it STILL hasn’t come in the mail. They said it would be guaranteed by Christmas!! I better get it tomorrow!!!

So, my mom is the district secretary and payroll clerk for the entire district that I work for. In other words, he job is super important… well, because teachers have been off this whole week, she decided to take the week off too… I mean, payroll is done and teachers are on holiday, so what could it hurt? Well, today we are still in our jammies, playing guitar hero, and just vegging when there is a knock at the door…… It is a teacher needing a signature on some important paper…… So, as we are looking totally ugly we get a visitor… Just our luck! That is what you get for living in a small town!

Well, the week has been good. Yesterday we went to see “Did you hear about the Morgan’s?” It was pretty cute… I wouldn’t recommend paying $8.00 for it, but it is DVD worthy. After the movie we ate at Texas Roadhouse, which is AMAZING! Their food is SO GOOD! I had the best steak ever!! YUM!

Today we are going to play games and chill and watch movies and all the stuff we want because it is VACATION! And we can!

So, I hope my package comes and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

And the vacation begins!

School got out at 11:10 today.. Then, VACATION time started!! I had to go into town to do the last of my shopping, then I was able to come home and relax!! I love my job, I love the kids I work with.. But vacations are SO nice! I get 2 weeks off, which is amazing! And, I’m out of school until January 11th! So, everything is great!

Today, teachers held their classroom Christmas parties. It is so fun to see the kids excited for Christmas. They are excited for Santa, no school, and OF COURSE presents! But, it’s the spirit they have that’s contagious. I feel so much more excited for Christmas now that I’ve partied with some cool kids. One of my students is a Jehovah’s Witness, and I UNDERSTAND that everyone is DIFFERENT… But it is SO hard for him to come to school and listen to all the kids make their wish lists for Santa, play Christmas games, and sing Christmas songs….. and it is SO hard for me to watch him bow his head in disappointment. I did get him a root beer for a “winter prize”… Just because I wanted him to be included somehow. He understands why he doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but it is still hard for him to feel okay about not getting gifts and new things. The other kids don’t understand either, which makes things worse.

Well… I am HAPPY to be on VACATION! I do not have plans. I was too poor to fly to visit family, and it’s too scary to drive… So, I’m staying in good ol’ Idaho… But, it should be fun to watch Christmas movies and scrapbook and wrap presents and see Christmas lights and all that stuff!

I’m not complaining about the weather AT ALL… But it is WEIRD that we have NO SNOW… I mean, remember LAST YEAR??? If not, here is a picture to remind you…

Christmas time 2008… This year looks NOTHING like this!!!

Where are you Christmas?

I know it’s been quite awhile since I last posted… Some days I just can’t find the energy to blog on top of everything else. With Christmas quickly approaching (and a month long break from graduate school) I figured I’d write something.

The last month has been an emotional one. 5 weeks ago my friend Lori called to tell me her husband (basically my adopted dad), David, was in ICU. He had to have emergency brain surgery to remove an abscess from his brain, and he was (and still is) in critical condition. Because Lori and David are like parents to me, it was an obvious shock! As soon as I could, I made a trip to Utah. I wish I could say the visit was a happy one, but it wasn’t. Sure, I loved seeing Lori and my other Utah friends… but seeing David helpless and vulnerable brought tears to my eyes (and I don’t cry!!) (This is a picture of David one of the days I visited).

One day while I was at the hospital, Lori’s dad and brother-in-law gave David a blessing. The spirit was so strong in the room, I just know David had to feel it. Although I am not a religious person, I know God is listening to each and every prayer for David. David was able to squeeze my hand one time while I was there… He also mouthed “I love you” to Lori, which again made me cry! Since then, he has had 2 more surgeries, a stroke, meningitis, and many complications. He has 3 tubes draining abscesses from his brain. He rarely responds, and when he does it is just a hand squeeze or thumbs up. The doctors removed the breathing tube and replaced it with a trach tube in his throat. Since then he has improved slightly.

Lori’s niece entered them into a secret Santa “contest” in a local radio station (I think 97.1, but don’t quote me)… Well, the radio station gave Lori’s family a nice bunch of gifts including 4 tires for Lori’s van, gift cards, Wii games for Hunter and Morgan, and more. I am SO grateful to this radio station, and Lori’s niece. This family is SO deserving! I went out myself and picked out a few things for Hunter, Morgan, Treavor, and Lori… I wish I could have done more, but I felt like I needed to do something. I’m sure Lori won’t feel up to doing much shopping. I know that all they want is for David to be home… but it is going to be awhile before that happens. I love Lori and David, and I hate that this is happening to them. All I can do is pray, but I want to do SO much more!

I have bought, wrapped, and shipped Christmas… I’ve decorated and sang Christmas songs…. but… I just don’t feel like Christmas. I feel like Cindy Lou Who in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. I feel like Christmas has become all about gifts and commercialism. What about the FEELING of Christmas?

“I'm glad he took our presents. You can't hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, because it isn't about the... the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That's what Cindy's been trying to tell everyone... and me. I don't need anything more for Christmas than this right here: my family.”

Isn’t Christmas about the spirit and family and togetherness?? I don’t know… It’s 10 days until Christmas, and I just don’t FEEL it… It’s hard to explain…

Well, besides the sadness, I did get to see my friend’s ADORABLE little girl, Vivian… Thanksgiving was enjoyed with cousins (who think I’m awesome), and my semester ended. Grades haven’t come out yet……. but I think I may be stuck with a B this semester. Oh well… I’ll get over it :)

I miss my family. I can’t believe my cute niece Rosie is 9 months old! The last (and only) time I saw her, she was 2 weeks old… I wish I could see all my nieces and nephews open their fun gifts I bought them… but, I can’t. So, I’ll enjoy Christmas with my mom, and HOPE the spirit finds me sooner than later.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope Christmas finds you!

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SwInE fLu

Swine flu sucks… Yep, I am one of those lucky people who caught this flu. A lot of the kids at school have gotten sick, so I’m sure they infected me….. Oh the joys of working in a school district. So, I was off work for a week, and I still don’t feel so great… But… It’s back to work tomorrow. I hope the kids are feeling better so I can stay healthy. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long winter.

 

I adopted a new kitten. A family was giving free kittens away at Wal-Mart….. So, of course I chose the runt. She’s super cute…. and I named her Spooky :)

 

Halloween is over with. I can’t believe how fast the Christmas stuff goes up in stores… it seems like the minute the Halloween candy is sold, the Christmas trees go up…… BUT this year, the Christmas trees and ornaments were up BEFORE Halloween… Crazy. I don’t have any plans for the holidays… So fun.

 

School still sucks… I can’t wait to graduate!

 

So… There is your update. :) I live a boring life, I know :)

 

Princess and Chester still love each other :)

The new edition… Spooky :) She’s SO TINY! And SO cute :)  

It's been a long time!!

Well, I decided I should update my blog... it has been forever!! Not much is new, which is probably why I haven't thought to write. Yesterday was the last day of work for 2 weeks. Here in good ol' Idaho (well, Sugar City anyway) we get 2 weeks off for Spud (or potato if you aren't a true Idahoan) Harvest. I love this time off! It isn't cold yet, but it isn't really hot either. The weather is perfect to enjoy the changing of the season. I've been taking a photography class, so I'm really excited to use these two weeks to take awesome photos! I'm enjoying work this year. I really care for the kids I work with. I love seeing the small glimmers of change in them everyday.

I'm not much of a T.V. junkie, but I am excited for new Criminal Minds, House, and Law & Order.

The holidays are coming up, and I'm pretty excited. My mom and I are going to California for Thanksgiving, which should be fun. We are going to take the train, since it is $300 cheaper!!

I was in a car accident a few weeks ago, which totally sucked! An old man cut me off, and I hit him... but he got the ticket and had to pay for my emergency room visit. I only sprained my shoulder and twisted my back... but they did a CT scan on my head and neck to make sure nothing was broken. I was pretty lucky, but my car was pretty nasty lookin'. We are both better now though :)

Well, there is a short update for ya! I'll try to be more vigilant in my blogging ;)

California, facebook holiday, old habits...

My mom and I took a quick trip to California last weekend. My sister just bought a new house, so we thought we would drove over and see it. The drive was LONG and HOT... but it was fun to see my sister and her kids. We spent most of the time in the pool because it was too hot to do anything else. I can't believe how fast my nieces and nephew are growing. Every time I see them I swear they have grown 5 inches! My oldest niece Rebecca will turn 15 in November! I can't believe it. (Is anyone reading this that remembers "bungee"! Yep, same little girl!) She will start high school, and she definitely has the attitude of an almost 15 year old! She may be tiny, but her attitude is full grown!! I love her though, she keeps me on my toes. She is so honest and innocent. Emily will turn 13 on the 31st. Another teenager! Because of Rebecca's disorder, she is much younger than her age... Emily on the other hand is most definitely 13!! She spends her time texting, standing in front of the mirror, shopping, and wishing for more skinny jeans... She is a fun girl to be around! Parker just turned 12, and is a sweetheart. There is something about Parker that I can't explain, he is just a sweet spirit. He is smart and athetic and super cute, but he is also pure and innocent. ANYWAY... I love those kids!! They are growing up wayyyy too fast!

So I decided recently to take a "holiday" from facebook. I do enjoy keeping in touch with my friends and family, but I find it really impersonal and frustrating. I dislike drama, and I feel like that is all that happens lately. I'll go back to it, but for now I just need to take a break... it is hard to explain...

Well, probably everybody knows that I am sometimes pretty crazy. Lately, that craziness has been creeping back. I really do try to be a happy upbeat person, but it is hard sometimes. I feel very isolated right now, like I'm stuck in a bubble and nobody is allowed in. I try to put myself out there, make friends, but my efforts fail. I'm just not a very social person, even though I really wish I was. The summer is getting long and hot, and as much as I love the time off work... I'm ready to get back. I feel at home helping people, helping the kids at school. Even if my influence is small, I hope to make lasting impressions on their lives. Recently, through facebook, I was reunited with my old high school counselor. High school for me was not easy, not because I wasn't smart enough, but because I didn't have the emotional capacity to deal with daily life. I spent many a day in her office, along with other kids who were social misfits, talking and escaping. I hope that the kids I work with will be able to look back to my time with them and feel as though I added something positive to their lives. I've been thinking back a lot, which isn't something I like doing, but I think it is necessary. There is so much heartache in the past, and recently it has been eating at me... making me feel down in the dumps. I'm not anywhere near as crazy as I was 4 or 5 years ago, but I feel it creeping up, like an old habit. It scares me. 4 weeks ago I quit therapy, which at the time I felt really great about... I really thought I was ready to handle life on my own. I was ready to embrace the present and rock at life....... but, I fear the rocking isn't happening. So, I have a dilemma... Do I swallow my pride and call my therapist, or do I try working through this on my own?? I don't know.

On a good note, I went to the back doctor and he scheduled a epidural injection. I had one about a year ago, and they really do work for a few months. It will at least give me some short-term comfort. I've also decided that when my back starts to feel better I am going to start running. It has been a dream of mine to run a marathon, or at least a 5K, so hopefully by next summer I'll be in good enough shape to do so.

Sorry to be such a downer... I just had to get that off my chest.
Oh, happy late Pioneer Day to my Utah friends :-)

Hopefully my next blog will be full of smiles and sunshine!

Sloth bears, school, frustration, and back pain...

Okay, so I haven't updated in awhile. I know I'm terrible at this blogging thing, but I figured I would update it before I got too involved in school.

The other day my mom and I went to the zoo. They have new sloth bears, which were very, very cute. It was a hot day, but the sun felt nice. My semester started today... back to school after having a month off. It's been nice having the time off, but I'm ready to get back to it. The faster I work, the closer I am to graduation! I have something to vent about though:

Yesterday, I was watching "Rookie of the Year" (The 90's kids movie about the 11 year old playing for the Chicago Cubs). Yeah, it's kind of a cheesy movie, but with my back issues I've been down for the count for a few days. So, it was about noon while I was watching this movie... and what commercial comes on? A "male enhancement" commercial. The commercial was advertising a product that will allow me to "get bigger and last longer". It basically talked about sex and penis size for 30 seconds (actually 1 minute, because the commercial played twice in a row!) Now, I don't have kids... but if I did they would probably be curious, mouthy little kids. They would probably want to know what sex was and what exactly would get bigger if they took the pills. It is RIDICULOUS! Play that kind of commercial at night, during adult programming time... seriously. I have to mute the TV or change the channel every time it comes on. It seriously makes me angry! Don't even get me started about the new condom commercial!!!!!!

So, my back is killing me... I've basically been down and out for 3 or 4 days. Today, I've spent the day in bed, with an Icy/Hot patch on my back, reading blogs, drinking diet coke, taking a Lortab, and cuddling with my dog and cat.

I will definitely have better, more uplifting, rad posts soon! Promise!

From Atlanta to Oregon

Okay, so I know it's been a long time since I posted last... So I'll try to give ya'll a quick update.

I had to go to Atlanta for school a few weeks ago, which I was pretty nervous about but it ended up being really fun! I met really cool people and learned a lot! I also tasting some really great food including collard greens, chicken and waffles, and some really great shrimp pasta stuff at Benihana. (And yes, I did the YMCA at the Hard Rock Cafe!)
Chicken and waffles... MMMMMMMM


After getting back from Atlanta, my mom and I headed out to the Oregon Coast. It is BEAUTIFUL! We stayed in a beach front house in Depoe Bay. The sites are amazing!
A cool bridge
Hanging out with Johnny Depp
This is my mom's stomach after her fall.
My mom's black eye after the fall
It is SO green here! I LOVE it!

The beach at low tide. This is all lava rock! It's so beautiful!
Heading out whale watching

My mom did take a pretty bad fall, but she's okay!We went whale watching... which was AMAZING!


When I get back from Oregon I'm heading straight to Utah to see my bestie Brooke and her brand new baby Vivian :) (Isn't she beautiful!)



I went to a lot of aqariums and stuff too... more pictures to come later...

My hero Tambi gave me permission to link to her blog. I honestly think you should all read her blog! She is an amazing source of happy!! I hope the link works, because it's the first time I've done a link on my blog!

So, I am in Utah... I am sleeping in a hotel tonight so I can get to the airport by 6 AM tomorrow! The drive here is really boring! But, I made it :) I really need to get some more homework done while I have time! So, read Tambi's blog..... and I'll try to write something more entertaining later!

♥'s

Memories Monday

HAHA, another themed blog... hey, it can be kinda fun!

I was going through some pictures on my computer today, trying to get some edited... and found a folder called "rehab candle fun". I was like, "what the fudge?" So I open it and find these photos.

Yeah, they look CRAZY, I know! So, funny story... Rachel and I had a TOTALLY CRAZY roomie in college at UVSC... Not just a little crazy either. She had a crazy boyfriend that was probably part of like the Utah mob (if such thing exists). We totally had to call the police on him, and then crazy men were out looking for him, to kill him (or at least cut his thumb off). So, Rachel and I were freaked out!!! But, one evening we smelt something super weird coming from her room, so we broke in :) She had a candle on a candle burner that had been on for DAYS (since she hadn't been home in days, we knew this to be true). So instead of turning it off and thanking the good Lord we didn't die from our apartment buring down....... we played in it. Yep, that's right, but our fingers and elbows in it and everything! Quite possibly the greatest day ever! No kidding!

P.S. I call it rehab candle fun because the candle was from some kind of drug rehab place :)

P.P.S. Rachel, your hair is SO short in these pictures!