Us Mormons

This poem was written a long time ago. I apologize to the person who wrote it if this offends you. I will delete it if requested. I just stumbled across it the other day and it made me so happy, I had to share it. I believe we were in like, third grade? Something around there? Okay here it is

We believe in the Book of Mormon,

Even do some doormen.

We also believe in the Bible

Yet not all are reliable.

We believe in the pearl of great price,

Even if do not mice.

Also, don't forget the Doctrine & Covenants

We also help the poor,

When they come knocking at our door.

We help the homeless,

Them do we bless.

We get baptized at eight

So doom be not our fate.

Sunday is our Holy day,

When we bless and pray.

Heavenly Father can help in time of need,

And very hard do not we have to plead.

This is how us Mormons do it,

And usually, we stick to it.

With a postscript of:

Shena,

I hope you always like church and stay a mormon.

Thank you so much. This really is touching, and it kind of surprised me. I forgot about the postscript. I love you.

Skiing with the Folks

So I was tired of my old posts, but can come up with nothing interesting to write about. So here are two pics of our ski/snowboard trip to Beaver. My mom is astounding and has actually found matching clothes to match her goggles. She bought white goggles with purple paint splotches, and has diligently been searching for coat, skis, pants, etc. to match. That woman is incredible. and adorable.

 My dad got new ski pants for Christmas, and while they may seem fairly simple on the outside, they're a disco party on the inside. He hasn't been skiing in years and now he wants to go every week. I love his enthusiasm.



I will put up a picture of the snowboard bag my dad bought me. He was all excited about getting us all bags for our equipment, and I just got it today. It's phenomenal.

Update

The timing belt on "my" car broke. Sound familiar? This time, given the amount of money just recently dumped into this abomination, we decided to fix it. What's amazing is the length of time it's taken to get to this point. The car sat at work for five days before I could get someone to help me tow it across the street to the shop. It was another two days before I could even get a hold of the shop to find out what was wrong. They are notoriously busy and hard to contact. Once the decision to fix was made and word given, it will be two weeks before I get my car back, hopefully.

Two weeks of the bus. I had planned before on not having a car and just taking the bus. What an absurd notion. Some peope only have the bus; they can't get around any other way. I feel very, very, very sorry for these people. It has been hideous. Missing busses and being late, spending so much extra time riding the bus and walking in the cold; on Tuesday I walked six miles to do my route at Provo because the bus was more out of the way and I didn't want to wait. And Tuesday was cold!!

On top of these frustrations, work has been a pain in the butt and I think I am ready to move on. Weird how it hit, all of a sudden. I was so content there. Too content, really. Complacent, safe, lazy, never going to leave for real. Not now. This experience has been the lead in my soul...there's an expression I'm trying to use here but failing. But you know what I mean?  I think there's no turning back and if all goes well, by spring I will be in Alaska making much more and finally leaving my safety net behind.

These last two weeks have not been the uplifting new year I was hoping to have. I've been frustrated and angry and resistant, haven't run or done yoga, or kept any other goals I set. I think its always harder to do things when you have some huge event like New Year's to motivate you. Cause then you let yourself down and it seems so much more intense.

I hope this isn't too negative. I have hope. This year is awesome and things will be great, I can feel it. Things being bad are impetus for change, and that's what I need. Change.A push.

Sidenote: I went snowboarding today with my parents, and it was fun! But I tried to branch off through some trees and had a spill that has left me with a headache. I also tried to ski on my mom's skis, just to remember, and it was fun but also somehow super exhausting. So I'm all tired and achey, but also content now watching the football game at home and relaxing, ignoring the text from Outback that they need my help this weekend, because I just don't want to deal with it. I am a quitter. (Song on its way, as soon as I can throw some ending together)

Thanks all, to whoever is reading this, I feel an overwhelming sense of love and connection with you. Isn't that weird? But there it is. My friends, I am grateful for you. Peace.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Yesterday was a memorable day. It was supposed to be amazing, according to my horoscope. The best day ever! Which is why horoscopes are bad, and lead you to believe things will happen that won't. But anyway.

Here's how I thought my day would look:

6 AM wake up. yoga for an hour
7 AM get ready for work
8 AM Get to work, do some wonderful things until
12PM when I leave work to go snowboarding
4 PM come home after a wonderful day of snowboarding
Relax the rest of the eveing and get ready for two days of long work hours

Right. So here's how my day actually went:

6 AM woke up, after a couple of snoozes, for an hour of yoga
7:30AM got ready for work, including deciding, after a debate, to bring my snowboarding gear. I was tired and sore from a run the previous day (the worst run in the history of my runs), and wondered if I felt like snowboarding. Decided I did so I packed up and headed off to work.
12PM was informed I needed to help with a discharge for about two hours, as well as finish up an inventory I was not prepared for. I began to doubt my snowboarding plans.
2 PM realized snowboarding was not in the stars, but got excited to leave around 3 and go home and relax.
4:30 PM finally left work, disgruntled and saddened to be leaving so late but looking forward to relaxing.
4:25 PM Car suddenly died on the freeway, one exit away from work in American Fork. I coasted off and landed precariously on the exit off ramp, mostly out of everyone's way.
4:35 PM realized I needed a tow, and called the towing company.
4:45 PM realized I didn't have any money with me.
5:00 PM was towed for the first time ever. Cool trucks!
5:15PM back at work, to have my dad pay over the phone for my tow since I'm lame, then grab a work truck to take home
6:15PM arrive at home, lugging my snowboard, snowboarding bag, and laudnry basket up to my door, only to find my key won't unlock the deadbolt.
6:20PM start to panic, feeling like I'm somehow at the wrong house, or there at the wrong time in history and I no longer belong to it. It seriously felt like the lock had been changed.

At this point, I began a downward spiral into frustration, sadness, and disbelief. I called my roommate, she didn't answer. I imagined all sorts of horrible things that could have happened. Got my landlords number from a neighbor and called, also to no avail.

Wandered dejectedly to my stolen outback truck to get some food, when Jess called me back to say she had had no problem with her key and she'd be home soon. Landlady called back and said no changed lock, and wait for Jess to get home. I felt hopeful.

Unfotunatley, Jess' idea of "soon:" and my idea were different. After talking to her, I crouched in despair on the sidewalk for a while, looked at the stars, walked my snowboard out to the lawn and scooted around in tennis shoes for a while, then called Jess again to see where she could possibly be.

6:50PM Jess shows up, only to find her key doesn't work either.

7:00PM landlady calls us back; she never answers her phone on the first go. We tell her the plight and she sends us to on-site managers downstairs.

They aren't home.

7:15PM she calls us back again, says she's sending someone over in 15minutes.
7:45PM we call her back, wondering what's going on, sick of sitting in the hallway. She says she's buying some lubricant and will be by shortly. I dig in to the ice cream I had brought home from work that day to put in my freezer, now quite melted after a three hour delay. But I am starving and destitute in my hallway, panicky about my car and the unknown situation with it and my lack of ability to cross a 6 inch threshold into the warmth and comfort of my house. My feet are also frozen because I was frolicking in the yard with the snowboard.

8:00PM landlady shows up, sprays the lock, tried the key, nothing. She worries and thinks they'll need to come do something more drastic. I get ready for another hour or waiting and then some sort of breakin. (By get ready, I mean I almost break into tears and take deep breaths to try and calm the rising panic)

8:05PM she sprays it some more, tried the key and yeah!!!! It worked!!! I don't understand what happened, I just know that now we are in our house. And I am exhausted. And my night is completely gone.

Today was actually no better than yesterday, but this was negative enough so I'll just leave it at that. With the added info that my car is still at Outback, no more idea what is wrong than before, I have a busy day tomorrow and people expecting me to do things I can't, and my roommate is at the moment missing. But I'm in my house, eating food, watching a movie, feeding my turtle, relaxing on my very own time to do whatever I want, and so things are good.

Sigh. Jeta shkon.

2010 in review

What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?


Visited Omaha, Portland, and Yakima; bought and rode a scooter; quit grad school; saw Cloud Cult live
Did you keep your new years' resolutions?

I doubt it.
What are some of your resolutions for 2011?

Only eat sugar one day a week; have already broken that and may need to adjust to wean me down a little. But anyway, eat less and treat my body like it deserves to be treated, no more poison and gluttony.

Run a half-marathon (March) and a whole marathon (??!?!?!)

Love every day, or at least something about every day
Did anyone close to you give birth?

YES!!! So many people having babies. yeah!

Did anyone close to you die?

I don't believe I attended any funerals this year.

What countries did you visit?

mean. still just the us of a.
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A clue

What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 15th, first time seeing Cloud Cult, an amazing night in Chicago where some of my life plans got turned upside down.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting a full time job I enjoy; buying my first vehicle, casting out old loss in the bottle and finally letting go
What was your biggest failure?

Continuing to judge and rank everything and everyone.
Did you suffer illness or injury?

Food poisoning one night, maybe a cold...nothing big.
What was the best thing you bought?

the aparment, though we're just renting it, and the scooter. oh and for sure the horse blanket for chris.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

several different conversations with unsatisfied single lds girls. and now church members in general often leave me appalled and angry, not depressed.
Where did most of your money go?

Freakin' car bomb, gas money, scooter, turtle, impulse buys, and maybe a little to hair stuff. and definitely rent.


What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Visiting Jackie, Lindsey, Wendy, and Derek; seeing Cloud Cult live, seeing smallcomb, liz having a baby, quitting Telos, riding my scooter

What song will always remind you of 2010?

Freakin' "hot then your cold" song that won't get out of my head, "Secrets" by One Republic, Regina Spektor, ... Light Chasers album

Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer?

I am not richer, but more aware of my financial situation; soooo much happier, not sure about nicer. less fake nice though.
What do you wish you'd done more of?

Money saving. Friend making. Traveling. Performing.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Making an ass of myself, caring that I made an ass of myself, or how people percieve me in general, waiting for things to happen, complaining, bad habits

How did you spend Christmas?

Relaxing with the fam, playing life, the drawing game, laughing hysterically with my family, snowboarding, sledding, cuddling with pets, watching movies, drinking (oops) and eating way too much,
Did you fall in love in 2010?

y7es, for just a little bit. but once he got married i swear, i got over it...

What was your favorite TV program?

For the short period there was a tv i got really into Modern family and, sadly, american idol. Then i bought some scrubs and office dvd's, and king of the hill, and enjoyed them thoroughly.
What was the best book you read this year?

Whale Wars certainly had the biggest impact

What did you want and get?

snowboard bindings, to live with jess in a huge place, jeans, season pass, keens, a real job, a scooter

What were your favorite films of this year?

How to Train Your Dragon!!!! Royal Tenenbaums
What were your least favorite films of this year?
why bother?
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I worked for 12 hours, froze in a snowstorm at Oakley, then got stuck in the desert. Watched how to train your dragon the next day.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

being present for all of it

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

answer remains the same from last year: wha? fashion...?

What kept you sane?

personal ponder time, the outdoors, yoga, friends, love
Who did you miss?
all my friends who left me

Who was the best new person (people) you met?
I don't know.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

Find out what you believe, cause if you don't, you won't stick to it. Life is immeasurably more beautiful than some of us let it be

What are you most excited for in 2011?

i have a lot of plans, and really its planning that makes me excited. the runs i will do, getting in shape once and for all, camping, traveling, life, what have you
What are you least excited for in 2011?

having little money as i attempt to pay off debt; trying to get a real job, fear