Natalie Jo: Live and Unplugged

last dating post update to date dating update

2012-01-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

did you guys get that title? cuz it makes sense if you read it in the right light. so basically i was going back and re-reading some posts (looking for one in particular cuz i couldnt remember a certain detail about something) and i realized that i really am glad i have done this blog. it has been a fun record for me and has documented some things i otherwise would have totally forgotten. i was with a friend from grad school this weekend and as we chatted and reminisced, i realized, man oh man i forget stuff, really great stuff, easily. so i decided i am gonna post more cuz i like it. so as indicated by the title, im gonna give a lil dating update. however, my last dating update post was almost 2 years ago. yowza. seriously? so i cant go over all of em, but i will hit some great highlights. i will say that 2010 was a year of some great unique dates. let us begin on a warm and sunny summer evening.......there was a gentle breeze blowing as we walked down to the restaurant in downtown slc. this was a tall blond handsome stranger with whom i had been set up by an old friend from my neighborhood growing up. k i am done being super detailed and descriptive. ill just say he lived in another state, we had a great dinner date (not at the thai restaurant...i think cuz he had read my post about that or something. on a side note, i think i am up to like 9 or 10 different guys at that yummy thai place. but this last time something new happened that had never happened before-some random stranger sent us fried bananas. i suspected it was because they overheard me say something about a "first date" and felt bad. my date thought it was because a guy at the table behind us had a crush on him. seriously. anywho.....) back to tall handsome blind date. so we communicated a bit and then i was already planning a trip up to oregon to visit some friends, so we set up some time to hang out then. and guess what we did. well we went on a beautiful amazing hike and had dinner with his family (his dad was an awesome legendary runner who knew all my heroes and big players in running back in the day. THAT was some freaking awesome dinner conversation) and we also went SANDBOARDING! so fun. ok, by "so fun" i mean it looks fun. but i suck at crap like that, so it was a good time, doing something i had never done, but he of course was a total athlete and so he rocked it. but he was super nice and patient. but the absolute best moment of that night was when i made a comment about how i should have brought a hair tie cuz it was super windy and i hear him say "will this do?" and he pulls a fluffy little purple hair thing out of his pocket. it was so classic and adorable. (he has two little girls). anywho, it was a great time, but in the end, we werent a great match. in that same summer, i got sorta set up with a friend of a friend. he took my FLY FISHING! seriously. it was rad. i dont expect guys to go all out for first dates or anything, cuz i totally understand how that could be wearing. i am easily amused. but these dudes really went all out. i learned im not patient enough for fly fishing and i mostly suck at walking up icy cold rushing rivers in the dark. but i totally did not fall in and i think i even walked across a log at some point. so it was good times. he also took me to the batting cages which was totally rad and something i had never done and seriously enjoyed. but again, not a good match in the end. other dating hilights include a summer outdoor movie, we were sitting a bit awkwardly on a hill in the park and halfway through the movie the sprinklers in the park came on, and one nearest us was busted so we had a geyser and eventually river running past us by the time the movie was over. i went to this bizarre sculpture garden thing that was just tucked away behind some houses and apparantly was made by an eccentric mormon mason guy. super interesting sculptures and fascinating company. he was one of the most awesomely nerdy dates i went on, he knew a lot of stuff and was totally patient in explaining it all to me. and then of course, there were a good number of cultural/arts/performance type dates (especially when i dated the theater teacher-saw some truly fantastic theater with him. still cant get the Aida music out of my head. so great!! and i also saw a little ho hum not my thing shows with him) the rest of the dates could be summed up (for your sake) by enjoyable dinners, charming ice cream chats, not so charming drives around slc looking for ice cream places and me getting carsickiness (only once i think), hot chocolate walks around downtown, dinner making, and a little bowling sprinkled in there for good measure. and overall fascinating studies in man behavior on dates. as i get older....well...i think ill save this for another time. there you go, kids. lots of men out there. despite what people say, they are dating. and it still amazes me with how many new people i meet regularly, how rare it is for me to really click with someone, and for them to feel the same at the same time. however, i will say that i did have the rare experience of really falling more for someone on like the 4th date (granted it was over a span of 2 years between our 2nd and 3rd dates) when i really thought that he was not someone i would mesh with at all and wasnt even really that excited about our 4th date. so natalie, let this be a reminder to you always. you do really have to give people a chance. or 3 or 5. but sometimes you just know for shizzle after 1 that you dont need a 2. :) the end for now.

artsy mcarts

2012-01-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

hi peeps. so not long ago a friend told me that civilizations fail when the arts are taken away (something along those lines...im paraphrasing ish...hope he wont mind). and that really made me stop and think. i had never ever thought of the arts in that way before. this is gonna sound ridiculous and whatever, but i always say exactly what i think on this blog....so here goes. this "friend" (ok fine, it was the guy i was dating who is a high school theater teacher) sort of legitimized the performing arts for me. sounds weird probably to any of you who know me, since i have been involved in choirs since elementary school and spent a lot of early morning hours in trouveres rehearsals and have been to gazillions of live concerts and whatnot. i love the performing arts. absolutely. love love dance shows, live performances, symphony, etc etc. always loved them. but i never truly thought of them as something that really changes society or civilization or history. like i said, i know this is ridiculously ignorant. but its where i was. they were something fun and enjoyable....a luxury. but i work in a healthcare field. i have a math and science mind. it never seemed like an essential. but spending some time with this guy, his high school kids in their rehearsals, seeing their productions...completely changed my mindset and thoughts on this. the arts are for real. they are life changing, for both performer and observer. i dont know that it is because of this epiphany that i took in a lot more performing arts this holiday season (there just happened to be a lot of great opportunities that i was able to take advantage of, and like i said, i always have enjoyed watching these things) but i did. i saw a concert of a whole bunch of talented mormon musicians that just get together to remake the hymns/christmas music in beautiful and new ways and they were fantastic to watch just because you could see they had no other motivation than their passion for music and wanting others to appreciate the beauty found therein. i went to the christmas carol service at the catholic cathedral here and it was absolutely exquisite. i have never been to an actual catholic service before (actually i take that back, i think my friend and i walked in on a service at notre dame once...) but the choir was fantastic. combo of children and adults and i absolutely loved it. i loved the latin, loved the harmonies, the clear as a bell childrens voice solos with no vibrato. such a distinct sound from motab and other choral performances and it was marvelous. i then lucked into some tickets to the sunday morning motab concert with nathan gunn and jane seymour which was of course fantastic. never heard the story of good king wenceslas before, but always loved the song. it was very special and i love that i will never thoughtlessly sing that song again. and then this last week i was able to finally go see "the nutcracker" for the first time ever. of course i have always loved the music but just never made an effort to find and attend a performance. i had gone to the ballet west performance of "dracula" back in october and absolutely fell in love with ballet. so i was totally stoked to see more and something so iconic and traditional. and they did not dissapoint. fabulous performance, although different from what i was expecting (i didnt even know the story AT ALL. so this mouse king thing was weird) but i truly enjoyed every moment. so there you go kids. i love performing arts. they are essential. and yes i have a much greater appreciation for theater in particular, although i still dont have a desire to attend any and all plays, indiscriminately (i am still pickier about those productions....i can get easily annoyed with community theater. but that is a whole other blog topic), but we will just say my mind has certainly been opened. and that is a happy thing in life so i am glad for that.

jobs and work

2011-10-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

so i had a very interesting conversation with a good friend the other night. she is a doctor and is a single woman. and dating can be very tricky for her. we talked about how sometimes it might be nice for her to date a guy without him knowing what her job is. cuz like it or not, there are all sorts of assumptions and whatnot that go along with the dr. title, as with anything else in the world (and you wouldnt believe the stories this girl has from dates-people completely alter their boundaries of what is "normal" and "acceptable" behavior and conversation on a first date when they know you are a doctor). but the thing is, how much of who we are is our job? most of us spend more of our waking hours there than anywhere else. its a huge part of our identity. but its just a job, right? to pay the bills, to live. but all the qualities that we have, who we are is developed and shaped by that job. we have to step into different roles and do things that we maybe wouldn't normally do, because the job requires it. so then we become the person that we need to be at work-but is that now the new us? or just a part we play to excel in our profession? they say you can't compartmentalize your life and that you have to be the same person (i think mostly referring to values and integrity, so maybe it doesnt completely apply to what i am speaking of) in all settings. but i dont know if thats the case. and going back to my friend who said she would like to date without guys knowing she is a doctor; can you really get to know her without knowing that? so much of who she is, her drive, dedication, discipline, intelligence, etc, is very much tied to the fact that she is a doctor. so that is incredibly impressive and attractive. but is it attractive because our society glorifies the occupation, the title...or because she herself has worked so hard to accomplish her goals? and on a side note, i think its weird that we do spend such a huge percentage of our lives at work, with people who may be good friends, but aren't really a huge part of our lives. and that those we love and care about the most, usually never see us in our work roles, doing hopefully what it is we do best. weird.

never say never

2011-05-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

well hello there! dear friends and family how i have missed you. k before i launch into this post, im just gonna give you a glimpse into my psyche. messed up though it may be. i have had lots of good thoughts and ideas for posts in past months. but i just couldnt bring myself to just start writing them because when it is a topic that i care about, well i think that so often i just dont think i can accurately express what i am thinking or that i wont be able to do the topic justice, so i just dont start it. i just let it be. but i am committed to this one dangit.

so there is a phrase that i have found myself thinking and using a lot lately, mostly in regards to dating. and sometimes about life in general but mostly about dating. that phrase is "never say never". and that is the title of the justin beiber biographical flick. but we will get to that. but i am really a believer in the never say never idea. i have just learned that you really truly have no idea what things might happen and how things will turn out. pretty much it is never what you expect. sometimes better, sometimes worse. and with dating, wow. you just really dont know what might work out for you. back in my younger years, i would say that i would never date/marry a guy that was younger than i was. ha. ya i think we all know how that has gone. and there are many other scenarios that i, at one time, would have expected myself to freak out about and never consider as possibilities. but now i am surprised at how ok i am about these situations. i know i am being vague, but all i am saying is that with these mindset changes, i really dont think it is a matter of getting "older" and "desperate" or lowering my standards at all. i certainly dont feel that i have done that. its a matter of realizing that sometimes the unexpected is what i need. sometimes i really dont know what is best for me. and so i have to open mind and give the unexpected a shot. and sometimes people surprise you. sometimes they dont. sometimes they are exactly what you thought they were. but you just dont know so you gotta give it a shot. and in my crazy jacked up mind this also somewhat relates to what i have learned in the past 4 years of my training/running/racing craziness. you never know what you are capable of. i put the same limitations on myself as i do on other people. but seriously peeps, you can do way way more than you think you can. years ago i swore i would never ever even attempt to run a marathon. i didnt have the desire or drive. but then that desire and drive got there. somehow. and i literally did things that i never ever imagined i was capable of. and i am not anything special, that is the thing. we have got to push ourselves, push our limits to see what we really can do. sure i succumb all the time and let my brain tell me that i am too tired or weak to push up the last bit of hill. but i think i always know deep down that i could do it if i was willing to be that uncomfortable for that long. thats what its about. not a matter of capability necessarily, but willingess to be in pain, discomfort, for longer amounts of time. in my opinion thats a huge part of what makes world class athletes. obviously, incredible talent. but a part of that talent allowing yourself to be uncomfortable for a really long time. and how does this relate to justin beiber?! well folks, i think the movie is certainly a worthwhile watch. its interesting, dare i say a bit inspiring, and well, not gonna lie, there is some fun catchy concert footage. the kid is likeable for sure. but the story is simply amazing. ya there is a lot of crap in our world and a whole lot of jack-upped ness in society today. however, i do love that we are so accessible to each other. how youtube has completely morphed everything. and that it makes things like justin beiber's story possible. and the thing i love is that watching him sing, seeing how he was just absolutely a natural musical talent from childhood, and then seeing the performances, wow, its like the kid was truly born to do exactly what he is doing. i mean seriously, you cannot deny that it is an incredibly rare kid that not only has the incredible vocal and musical talent, but the confidence and just straight up guts to perform the way he does and handle the pressure of the pretty much overnight craziness that became his life. so anywho, believe it or not, i see all these items in this post as related in a very broad sense. and it is summed up i suppose in every cliche motivational speaker-y catch phrase. but its true. you just never know what you are capable of/what can happen. so never say never. and yes, for a blog post titled "never say never" i certainly used the word never a lot. im ok with it.

zumba. are you freaking kidding me. no, no i see that you are not.

2010-10-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

ok. sorry its been so long folks, i dont know what to tell ya. i just dont make the time to blog often. sorry. but rest assured that all kinds of fun crap has been happening and maybe ill tell you about it when youre older. ok. zumba. all i knew about zumba before tonight was that its this trendy new exercise class that is dancy/mostly salsa-y latin ish. and its supposed to be a great workout. well. peeps. i did my first class tonight. a great workout it was not. a really really good laugh it most definitely was. holy buckets. ok first off i think most zumba instructors are female. and just so you know, gayness does not necessarily a good zumba instructor make. i learned this tonight. we walked in to class, and this guy was wearing cargo pants and a leather belt, i kid you not. who works out in cargo pants and a leather belt!? and on top, a little nike sleeveless workout shirt that mostly acted as a half shirt throughout the class. especially when he raised his hands up and grabbed his head and acted all seductive. and he would not stop touching his dang bare midriff. yes folks. every cliche icky sassy sexy move that is normally attributed to less than savory female dancers-he had it going on. all of it. he began with a series of silly step outs with SHIMMIES. ooohhh so many shimmies. but not regular flavor shimmies. one arm extended, the other in ballet form shimmies. i mean, i have some dance background and im a girl. and i felt utterly ridiculous doing this move! and he looked beyond utterly ridiculous doing it. wow. but he loved it. oohhh he loved those shimmies. he took off his little microphone 2 minutes into the class. so we were left to just watching him and trying to catch on to what the crap those sassy little legs were doing beneath their cargo pant cover. and half the time it was obvious HE didnt really know what his sassy little legs were doing. homeboy did have pretty dang good rhythm and could move those hips like nobody's business....so he kinda just relied on that. and gyrating. and lest you think that i was a zumba failure, he did take the time to come sashaying through the group and gave me an encouraging little "youre doing great!". was that because i was laughing at him so he was trying to butter me up? because i looked pathetic and he thought i was laughing at myself because i was getting confused at his moves? or was it because i truly am a zumba prodigy? ill never know. but wow, i was surprised at how not shy he was about watching himself in the mirror do all his sassy moves. oh man. so ya, i am pretty sure, in speaking with others, that not all zumba classes are like this. at all. and i think it has potential to be a lot of fun. music was great, and there was a little part that we did some jive type jumpy moves that were pretty fun. we even got a little flea hopping going on. but i cannot bear the uncomfortable awkwardness i felt watching this guy up there doing that snake whatever thing over and over and shaking that booty like ive never seen. sir, im sorry, i dont like to shake it like that. it makes everything jiggle. everything. i think most girls dont like that feeling. so, im firing you, cory, as my zumba instructor. but thanks for getting me back on my blog. and giving me something to talk about besides dating. oh, and sorry peeps, still dont have a camera. but i think the mental picture is quite sufficient on this one.

lets do this

2010-07-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

ok its about time for another post. and as much as i would love to make it non-dating centered, thats sorta been the topic of my life lately. i mean, i go along, work is great. i enjoy the things i do daily. but it just hasnt been blog worthy. except the ragnar relay i did. that would have been a great blog post. but im not in the mood to recap that right now. let us discuss my new little project. operation master matchmaker. ok, so i blogged a few months ago about the terrible "man and woman differences" fireside thingy that we had. and i feel the need to inform you all, lest you be concerned that i had sworn off relationships in general after that annoying evening, that we had another dating coach fireside thingy. but it was a bajillion times more helpful. fantastic even. she was very knowledgeable and basically just talked about simple techniques and things specific to us as singles and how to get things started or moving along with the opposite sex. she talked about the main needs of men and women in a relationship, (men: to be trusted and useful, women: to feel safe and secure.....as i recall it) and it was overall helpful. but its tricky cuz she gave specific advice, but we were all with each other. the opposite sex. and the people with whom we would most likely be conversing/dating. so it would be tricky implementing this helpful information. so my friend and i were talking about the trickiness of dating and she just mentioned that arranged dating should happen more often. and the seed was planted and i decided to actually make it happen. i posted a facebook status asking who would be up for me arranging dates for them, and a bunch of guys responded. which is interesting. ummmm.....if you want to be dating, why arent you asking girls out? i have my theories. but anywho, i got enough of a response i decided to really try it. so im in the initial stages right now of Operation Master Matchmaker. i sent out facebook invites to all my single friends and just said, if you wanna play, let me know. i will just find two peeps i think would get along, send them both a message that says "be here at this time" and let them just meet and hang out for a bit. just makes it easier i think to just get out there and go on dates and realize it doesnt need to be some huge momentous thing. you go on dates to get to know people. and very often there are people you might thoroughly enjoy hanging out with but never would have thought/had the opportunity to meet. and some peeps have said they want to know more about the person before going out. but i think i will hold strong and keep it all confidential. cuz i figure, when someone sets you up, they always tell you all these amazing things about the person and why they are the perfect match for you. so of course, you have high expectations. very high. and very often, in my experience, that can lead to dissapointment. not that these people arent great or anything, but if you go into it thinking they are your soul mate, well it can just get trickier ( i realize i use many forms of the word "tricky" as a cop-out word when i dont want to find the exact perfect word for the situation. thats how i roll. just saying, i realize this, in case any of you felt compelled to chastise me. ok i know none of you actually would. and probably didnt notice. but i felt the need to disclose that. ok, back to my explanation..) so i figure, zero expectations equals zero dissapointment, right? and at least people will be getting out and meeting and going on dates. also, some of the matches i have made in the past, well, quite honestly i thought there was no way they would work. and they totally did. so you really never do know when people will hit it off and what will could make them a really great couple. it might be a huge epic fail. but at the very least, i think some good tales could come from this. and hopefully i wont lose any friends. and some of you may be thinking "wait, if she is so focused on setting up everyone else, does that mean she is done with dating? either giving up on it....or has she found the one?!" cuz usually thats how it works, right? someone meets mr/mrs right and are so blissfully happy they want everyone else to be as happy. well, dear friends, no that is not the case. i am not giving up on dating or getting engaged or anything. i continue to meet great guys and go on dates. and i will def keep you posted on that. but in the meantime, i figure why not. why not just try this experiment and see what happens. so there you go. let the matchmaking begin. ps i broke my camera months ago. so i havent taken/posted pics. sorry. how many of you actually notice the lack of pics and want me to make more effort? if anyone responds i will attempt to do as you wish. although, my posts dont really lend themselves to photos. they are all about my thoughts and crap. but if more pics would make any of you, my faithful blogreaders, happier, i will make it happen.

messity mess mess. but not without hope.

2010-04-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

so roommate came to visit all last week and we had some good chats about stuff as usual. and it got me thinking. and then tonight for fhe we had a little lesson dealio from a "relationship expert" about "bridging the gap" between the genders. yes, a good, well-intentioned activity. but i came away from it wondering if we dont sometimes create more gap by beating these dead horses. am i the only one that feels they have heard the "why do girls go to the bathroom in groups" question/joke a bajillion times? and heres the thing: im not that girl. i dont generally go to the bathroom unless i need to go the bathroom. i have always felt i was a little less compassionate, a little more selfish, perhaps a little heartless because of this. but i just am not a fan of silly things like that. anywho, thats a side note, but as i just sat and listened to this lady, whom i am sure has helped many a struggling couple find common ground, i couldnt help but feel that all this stuff is just too cliche and overgeneralized to be helpful really. havent we all heard this?! havent we all gotten the silly email forwards about "what guys want" and "why women do such and such" and whatnot? its not that we dont know these things. its that it takes a lot of effort to do it. just like relationships in general. and quite honestly, i really dont buy a lot of it. it was mentioned that men cant "multitask" and women can. well guess what people, i kinda sorta dont believe in multitasking at all. i am efficient, i get lots of things done, but for anyone to claim that they can listen to, process, and understand two different streams of auditory input at once is just rubbish. people, we have limited cognitive resources, and if we spread them too thin, doing too many things at once, the quality of something is going to suffer. plain and simple. you will make mistakes, you will screw things up if you really honestly do several things at once. thats a beef ive had for a long time, so there you go. now, yes, of course there are absolute differences in men and women. im certainly not saying there arent. im just thinkin that most of the strategies and "gap building" skills she was talking about are just basic, being a good person and a good communicator skills. yes, one could argue that i am of course a woman, and i am right now venting which is an ironic perfect example of what the lady was talking about tonight, that we women need to vent. and yes im a woman, which means communication is perhaps a bigger deal to me and thats why i focus on it, but i dont think its just that. i think, as my good friend confirmed to me tonight (male friend) that very often in these discussion we over-simplify men. they say they just have an "on" and an "off" switch. rubbish. guys have a lot more going on than that and i know it. i just feel that as we keep having these little "understand each other" discussions, we validate certain behaviors and make the genders feel that that is how they "should" behave because they have heard so much that that is what their gender is known for, ya know? i know we girls do crazy things. i know we are hard to understand. but guys insist they are every bit as scared of rejection and whatnot and that leads them to do crazy things, analyze behaviors, just like we girls do. like i said, im sure this lady has helped many clueless people navigate many a tricky situation, and i am not dissing her because i know she honestly wants to help us. but i sincerely want to know if im the only one that feels that we overtalk this (granted, its fun to talk about this stuff in small circles, but a lecture setting is different) and use the same examples over and over and it doesnt get us anywhere? ok now moving on, the next topic is kind of related and i think will require a completely different blog post. its one my roommate and i discussed. loving and being loved. she says that in every relationship someone loves more than the other. so would you rather be the one that loves more or is loved more? its a sucky question indeed. and im just not sure if i buy it yet. but its been interesting to ponder..... to be continued.

year to date dating update

2010-02-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

i know what you are thinking. oy. lookin at that title. it probably gets monotonous reading about my dating life. actually, what am i saying!? because a) i dont even know who "you" is these days when i address "you" because im thinking my lack of posts in the last months could have deterred the few peeps that were reading this blog and b) my dating life is anything but monotonous, lets be honest. not because im super desired or exciting or whatever but merely because when you reach my age, you tend to encounter/go out with ALL types of folks and that makes for entertainment. anywho, i just feel like doing a recap because honestly, ive tried to post a couple of times this year and just really havent had a thing to say. and im not in the mood to psycho-analyze anything or whatever....i really just have gone out with lots of great guys and felt like documenting the experiences. so, shall we begin? well, i said "year to date" so we will just go ahead and start with new years day. i worked a bit then headed up to a yurt in the uintahs for our ward snowshoeing trip. this was my first snowshoeing experience, btw, and well, lets just say i dropped a couple hundred bucks the next week for a nice pair. i loved it that much. so i trekked in with a few other folks, we got a bit lost, but i didnt mind meandering through the forest on a nice moonlit night with cool people. so we made it in to the yurt (i know you are probly wondering what this has to do with dating. wait ...for...it...). so it ended up that me and one other guy wanted to go on a late night moonlit snowshoe adventure. so we took off up the trail. it was fantastic and gorgeous. i absolutely fell in love with winter recreation/camping because everything just looks and feels so different. everything is still and peaceful and its just incredible. so that was fantastic. and yes, i definitely noticed that this guy was sooo much fun. but i thought, "he is so young (23), so whatever." sorta dismissed it. in the meantime, there were a bunch of blind dates that had been sort of accumulating (friends that said "oh i want you to go out with this guy. can i give him your number?"). so, names and times get sorta fuzzy here, but we will just say that I have eaten at the Thai place by my house with 4 different guys. (hey, if they ask where I wanna eat, its just simple and close and yummy, ok?) and i began to feel like a blind dating machine. i definately dont hate blind dates. i appreciate my friends and their desire for me to be happy. but it just gets a little old. all of them were great guys, not a single jerk in the bunch. but in comparison to the other dates that were happening at the same time, well it just made it hard to really consider them. and the funny thing is....the ones that i thought for sure would call...didnt. and the ones i wrote off have actually pursued. so ive come to the conclusion that with all my years of experience and wisdom ..i am worse than i ever have been at determining levels of interest and accurately perceiving guys' level of fun/enjoyment/interest on a date with me. anywho, so back to the "other dates" that were distracting me from enjoying the blind dates. so im gonna have to say that one of my favorites was the christmas tree burning. so, snowshoe boy, yes he asked me out the week after that yurt trip. and i was surprised but stoked cuz he seemed great. we went to dinner (at THE thai place, but it was funny because he picked that with no input from me. ironic) and a wedding reception which was a funny first date. but we already had plans to go snowshoeing the next morning (everyone else that was supposed to go flaked out so we decided it was a date) so it was sorta a marathon first date. (oohh that just made me wonder if anyone has ever done an actual marathon for a first date. huh. ya thats a bit much for even me. a 5k, perhaps.) so our morning snowshoeing excursion....well ill just say im blown away that he asked me out again after that because, well i had no makeup on, and when i exercise at all my nose gets way runny and i was just slipping and falling and snotting all over the place and being ridiculous, and wow. ya. defintely not my typical "date natalie" polite boring behavior. (for those of you that dont know about "date natalie...its my lame version of me. that usually comes out on dates, particularly first dates. and uuuusually mostly when i actually am interested. not always though. ps i am fairly certain that none of the these guys read this blog, but if you are, well, i just needed to document these months of my life. hope you dont mind. :) anywho, i think christmas tree burning came next. yes indeed. we had talked about the amazing smell of pine and how id never burned a christmas tree. so somehow we ended up on a freezing cold dark, very foggy night tromping around some frozen lake in bountiful finding the spot for christmas tree burning. we climbed through barbed wire, through snowy muddy fields, down a path, through some trees, over a frozen river (yes of course as i carefully descended down one side of the riverbank i absolutely slipped, flew up and yes, down right onto my bum. he just chuckled and came and helped me up. i had already had so many embarassing moments with this guy that i just didnt care at all anymore. which was nice. i should always do ridiculously awkward things at the beginnings of dates or whatever so i can just get it over with and not care. ) and we eventually found the designated "christmas tree burning spot" in the middle of a marsh that had become significantly marshier since snowshoe boy had last been there. but we forged ahead, used a whole box of matches and magically, on the last match, he got it to catch fire a bit and we savored that moment. it was pretty awesome for anyone who has never done it. anywho, time moved on, yada yada, we hung out, did stuff, insert random other dates and blind dates in here. alas, things didnt work out with snowshoe boy. im tired of blogging and its been so long since i posted so theres really no point to this other than to post. and not forget what ive done since i lived in SLC. so there you go. the end.

sissy's baby and favorites

2009-12-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

well i just felt the need to write a quick update here, as the taste of delicious triscuits and candy cane hershey's kisses fades away (two delicious things im greatly enjoying lately). im just gonna talk about recent favorites. songs-stolen by dashboard confessional, kings and queens-30 seconds to mars, karma police -radiohead (thanks to my guitar teacher for reminding me of this one) fake empire-the national, straight away-mat kearney, gravity-sara bareilles. i am really really adoring my ugg boots right now. people, they arent overrated. they are truly fabulous and cozy comfy and i live in them and have actually slept in them cuz they are so comfy i forget they are on and then dont want to take them off when i realize im wearing them and worth every penny. contemplating buying a second amazing different pair but i know dana will give me a what for (whatfor? i dont know how to type that or if thats even the saying) if she reads this and i do. oy. my moroccan oil hair stuff. makes my hair feel like an amazing lil slice of heaven when after i use it and dry and straighten it. very cranberry scented oil mixed with holiday pine smell oil from body shop. amazing smells are never overrated. ok thats it for now. now, the baby. ill just start by saying ive never been around someone when they were in labor. and i was just chilling at my sissys on sunday night. and it just so happens that she was in labor. and it was crazy. and im glad it wasnt me. and so i slept at her house cuz mason obviously was asleep when they went to the hospital and he is the cutest little bug when he wakes up happy in the morning. we had a great time and laughed a lot just getting him dressed. anywho, my sis is amazing and my hero and did an amazing job and went and HAD that baby and he is precious and adorable of course and very quiet and i have seen his eyes a couple times and its so sweet and i love him and his little wrinkly neck when he stretches. life is good. thats all for now.

the awesomeness that is anne

2009-10-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

its high time i devote a blog post to my friend anne jackman. and i dont even know where to begin or how to do it justice, but she is pretty much the most fantastic friend one could hope for. and i dont mean that in a trite insincere way. dead seriously, she is a wonderful person and i truly am blessed that she is my friend and has been for the past 15 years or so. and here is why, in no particular order. anne doesnt try to be anything she is not. she is straight up, straight forward, what you see is what you get. i never ever have to wonder about meanings behind her words or guess what she is thinking because i know i can count on her to be honest and give it to me straight. its so hard to find that! truly. i cannot tell you how much i value that in a person. and even moreso, the ability to be straight up but not ever rude. when you go to anne's house to stay, you know you will have delicious homemade-ness in many forms. holy crap the girl ASTOUNDS me with her culinary prowess. i am not even kidding you as i type this i am dyiinnnnggg for one of the incredible pumpkin cookies with perfectly brand new freshly whipped frosting that i had when i was down at annes for the marathon this month. holy frik. amazing. see, for me, i find a recipe or two that work and use them over and over. anne has a talent and interest in finding, creating, perfecting new recipes for friends and family on a regular basis and it makes me soooo jealous! she is so supportive of all those around her even when she may not understand what or why they are doing what they are doing. (like when i came down for the marathon and she had her kids make signs and came down to the course and waited and waited for me, or when we called her the morning after a rainy night camped out in a freakin old riverbed by her house and needed a warm comfy place to go) anne has a way with words. she thinks. she forms opinions. she cares about important things and asks opinions and gives hers and does it in such an eloquent way. she is always trying to do something to improve herself or help her adorable little family. she takes care of people. but not in a babying annoying way. she is organized and on the ball, reliable-the girl doesnt know the meaning of the word flakiness which is HUGE to me. she is passionate about so many things, loves what she loves, hates what she hates, and in that sense we are absolutely two peas in a pod. as years pass, i have pondered many times the reasons i keep in touch with certain people and not with others. it really is a lot of effort to keep in touch with people, and you simply cant really stay friends with everyone. but i stay friends with anne. because every single time i go see her or talk to her, i remember how much i value her friendship. we can always pick up and talk as if no time had passed since we have seen each other, even if it has been months or longer. and it is never obligatory. it is absolutely delightful every time because she always has interesting things to say. and fun. the girl is fun and funny and clever and tells stories like no other (i absolutely nominate her as the one friend of mine that needs to have her own column in a magazine). there are sooo many other things i love about the girl and memories and reasons why she is fabulous. this post doesnt do her justice, but suffice it to say that she is an absolute gem and i hope to call her my friend always. because she IS awesome.

marathon #2 ( ie: seriously, did that just happen?)

2009-10-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

so i was debating writing a whole blogpost about my running of the st. george marathon on saturday. i had decided no, then i looked at all the books i have about running and different runners' experiences in different races, and how much i enjoy reading about them. and i figure, at some point im gonna forget exactly how it was, so im just gonna go ahead and document it all here, beginning to end, all the crazy, ridiculousness of this last marathon, in vivid detail. i think this is a good thing cuz ive had lots of peeps ask me how the marathon was, and i just say fine, cuz i figure they are just being nice in asking. but some people (other runners) actually might want to know the mile by mile rundown, so whatever your purpose is in reading this, you can skip through and get the gist, or read every blasted word and feel like you were there. so there you go. k ill start off by saying obviously ive been preparing for this for months, and ive done one marathon before, so i knew what i was getting into. and its my own dang fault, my pain, soreness, etc. so i dont expect sympathy either, so ill say that right off the bat as well. im just gonna tell it like it was. so i spent the last week before the marathon asking for suggestions for my perfect marathon playlist, and had put together quite the awesome collection of running music, if i do say so myself. i was super excited to push play and let the tunes carry me through the red rock. theres nothing like hearing a new awesome song when you are in an unfamiliar stretch of road on a cold morning, and i was looking forward to it. (this will become important later). anywho, i drove down to the meeting spot at 3:15 am on saturday morning (they have buses to take you to the start and there were 7000 runners, so i wanted to get on the first bus), boarded the bus in the freezing cold dark, nervous but excited. i had absolutely no idea how the race was going to go, because i hadnt run for over 2 weeks. ive been having major lateral knee pain when i run for the last few months (likely caused by ilio-tibial band stress/tightening/crap-a common runners injury) and the only "cure" they say is to stretch, massage and NOT RUN. i had sorta been ignoring it for a while, figuring it would go away and when it didnt go away but got worse, i decided to just do cross training (biking, stair climbing, elliptical, weight lifting) for the last few weeks to let it rest and take lots of ibuprofen and hope for the best. everyone kept telling me not to do the race, saying it wasnt worth it. well, i simply knew that wasnt an option. i had set my sights on this for so long and worked so hard, i just had to at least attempt it or id always wonder how it would have been. also, i had done a half marathon a month earlier at very near my goal time, and although my knee hurt during the race, i was able to keep going (thanks cindy for helping in the last miles) and finish ok. granted, i couldnt walk well for a few days, but i thought it worth it. and it felt like it got better, so i thought "no permanent damage. im good to go". anywho, i simply couldnt just not do the race. no way. so anywho, we got up to the start line, pitch black, a random stretch of highway outside of st george. the time right before a race is exciting and thrillling, people everywhere, totally different (some peeps doing their 1st, some doing their 101st marathon. elite runners, rookies) but everyone is gonna go the same 26.2 miles on the same road and reach the same finish line. hopefully. so its exciting talking to everyone cuz you all understand certain aspects of the process. anywho, they had fires there to keep us warm, so we sat around for a few hours and chatted. anywho, start time came near, and i went to go drop my clothes off (you put your warm up clothes in a bag and put it on the truck and they take it to the finish for you), which i did-jacket and pants. i started walking away, and as i did, i realized that something was missing. it was my ipod shuffle. my frekin ipod shuffle that i spent forever grooming its playlist and making the perfect mix to get me through the tough miles ahead was safely tucked in my jacket pocket. NOOOOOOOO!!!! this could not be happening, i thought to myself. i ran back to the track and begged for them to let me go look for my bag and get my jacket but they said no, its too late. the runners around me as they realized the seriousness of my predicament begged the clothing drop people to let me go look for my bag. still no. and there i was. music less. with 26.2 miles of endless silent highway ahead of me. oh heres a pic of me at the start, moments before i took of that cursed jacket. see, can you see my poor innocent ipod just sittin there in my pocket?! arg. it took quite a while for this to sink in. i have never ever run a long run without my ipod. and i certainly didnt want to find out now how it would effect me. but i remembered reading a runners world article a few months ago that talked about adjusting to race conditions when they arent what you expect. weather, your body, sports drinks, surroundings, something can always change and "ruin" your race if you let it. so i just decided "well, i guess ill talk to people and just try to enjoy the experience" ha. well anywho, they have "pace groups"-with a pace leader that is very experienced and runs marathons at a certain pace professionally to help people be able to finish at their goal time (its a lot harder to keep a good pace than one might think) so i found the 4hour, 15 minute pace group (about 9:22 minute miles i think) and decided id just go with them and talk to the pace leader to pass the miles. so the gun went off, and 6 minutes later i crossed the start line (when there are that many runners, it takes a while to get there), and we were off. it was pitch black, but i was feeling good. i wasnt cold, and i was enjoying the thrill of starting a race. i could certainly feel the dull pain in my knee, but it was certainly endurable. so i hoped it stayed that way. i ran about the first 11 miles well, right on pace with the group. i talked with "joe" our pace leader, who has paced over 50 marathons. he was awesome and had a lot of great advice and things were going well. i felt like it might be a fantastic race. it just goes to show that you truly never ever know what will happen in a marathon. it is indeed a really really long way. and there are always ups and downs. and sometimes they come and go rather quickly. you see and hear incredibly inspiring things in the course of a marathon. you see the old timers, who have raced like 200 marathons and been to boston tons of times and just keep on trucking along and you have no idea how the are even able to do one mile with their crazy old gait, but they do! its amazing. anywho, i got behind the pace group a bit at the water stop at mile 11, and never caught back up. my whole left leg was aching and cramping, and i simply coudnt bend it to run with my normal gait. so i would start limp running, then my right leg calf suddenly spasmed and my toes started curling up, which i have never ever had happen before. it veered off the the side, and officially freaked out. i had never been in so much pain during a race and had never before wondered if i actually would be able to finish. with my toes curled and muscles spasming i almost fell over when i put my foot down. it was bizarre and im sure looked incredibly strange but entertaining from behind. so i stretched out the muscles that i could and walked as fast as i could. that was about mile 13. and i thought to myself, holy freakin crap. im only half done. and it took me 2 hours to get here. then i did the mental math to figure how long it would take the rest of the way if i walked the whole time. and that freaked me out more. plus, i knew that my friends cindy, anne and her two kids would be waiting for me to pass by. crap. so i hobble/ran/walked/jogged/lurched on. i took the ibuprofen that i had stored in my tank top. the awesome volunteers rubbed ben gay or icy hot or some goo crap on my leg for me at every aid station. (i never thought id be running past a tent with a guy standing there holding out popsicle sticks with big globs of vaseline on them, let alone that i would actually be glad to see him and take and use one of those sticks! chafing is real people. just on my arms though. so that was good). the icy hot wasnt helping as far as i could tell, i still had sharp pain all up and down my leg every time i tried to run, so they ace wrapped some ice on my knee at one station. i tried to run with that for a while, but it just got in the way so i tossed it after a mile. oh, and if youve never raced before, they have photographers all along the route that take pics, which is awesome if you are having a good race, cuz then you can buy those pics later and its cool. but if youre having a pathetic race, its humbling to see them. ya, i already saw some of my pics and well, they capture the essence of it for sure. oy vay. anywho, i continued on, with the lovely encouraging people along the street trying their best to encourage me, telling me not to stop. oh how i wanted to be able to give them something less pathetic to look at. but i just couldnt. ps, if you go cheer on runners, and you are anywhere before about mile 23, do not say "you are almost there!". cuz unless i can see the finish line, it doesnt matter, and it just gives me false hope. so at about mile 16, there was another guy hobbling on the side, and i hobbled past and he said "IT band?" ( i was wearing a strap thing above my knee that most runners would recognize as something you wear when trying to alleviate IT band issues) and i said "yup" and he said "ya , me too. i dont think im gonna make it on this one. im gonna be ridin the meat wagon in. you should come with me. if you are injured, theres no shame in riding the van in." i told him thanks but no thanks. that just was not an option. maybe it was stupid, but i just could not fathom not finishing. so anywho, i continued on, met and chatted with several other injured runners along the way, and i eventually got to the last few miles, in st george. i was overjoyed when i spotted cindy, anne and her kids with their sign. i was just so excited to see familiar faces, and especially loved that anne got so caught up in it that she started running along with me, hollering all kinds of encouraging things. so i pressed on. and i remembered something that joe, the pace leader had said, about finishing strong. he said everyone hurts at mile 20, but if you went out too fast at the beginning you will be dying. and i started wondering, and frankly am still wondering, how much pain does everyone else feel at mile 20? its interesting to think about pain threshold and whatnot, and i really started to wonder if maybe i am just weaker than other runners to not be able to keep pushing my pace when my leg hurt so bad. maybe its true that the real good ones are just the ones that can endure the most pain. well, ill never know. all i know was, i pushed as hard as i could. it was a horridly heinous physical and mental battle. and i came in at 5 hours 9 minutes, about 12 minutes slower than my first marathon. but now i know that i can go for that long without music. oh ill throw in a pic of me and my radically huge blister, which i didnt really feel much and i cant believe it didnt pop. gross i know. and right now as i sit and type this, 2 days later, my legs are indeed incredibly sore, and my knee is still horrificly painful when i change positions or try to walk. so im not sure what that means. i wasnt sore at all after my first. im hopin with ice and rest from running for a while, itll clear right up and i can run the half marathon that im registered for on halloween. so, when i was out on the course, i swore to myself that i would not do another full marathon. i just kept telling myself that bodies are simply not meant to do that. especially my body. im not a naturally talented runner. i have to really push, even to be a slow runner. and when i train for marathons, things just seem to not go as planned. so either, my training plans are bad, or my body just cant tolerate it. so i swore, no more fulls. just halfs. and cross training. cuz i enjoy that and it doesnt injure me. but now, of course, im just wondering. wondering if i did something different, tweaked things, took a different approach, healed my knee, if i could do the marathon the way i want to. or will it always end up this way? hmmmmm. so thats what im pondering. im sure this all seems insane to some of you, but i cant explain it. i just enjoy it. im addicted to running and to races. no i dont enjoy the pain and definitely not every run is a good one. but its totally awesome enough of the time to make me keep coming back for more. weird.

moved slash new car too

2009-08-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

hey all. ive been gone a while. i realize this. i moved to salt lake city. im in the cutest little apartment ever in the avenues. there are no white walls which makes me very very happy. and its fantastic and tiny but lots of space in just the right places (ie my bathroom countertop). i adore it. im not gonna talk about leaving vancouver and how sucky and hard it was cuz theres no point in that. just know it was sucky and very very hard to pack up my life and actually drive away. but life in slc has been great so far. i accepted a job with a rehab company and will be working at mainly the VA nursing home and sometimes hospital and some other facilities. ive been hangin with dana and dan a ton (they claim they arent sick of me ...but i have my doubts. ) dana has fed me about 70% of the meals ive eaten since arriving in utah. bless her heart. really and truly. shes freakin pregnant and taking care of her child and cooking and im napping on her couch. its good times. anywho, my ward is huge. i walk to church in under 2 minutes. oh, but the stake center is a good 10 minute walk. i dont feel the need to say much more right now and this is quite the boring post. im even bored writing it. usually i entertain myself at least a little bit. ok, and i also bought a gorgeous new fantastic car that has taught me that all those years owning a cheapie car (which i loved dearly, dont get me wrong. it was very very good to me) really help me appreciate a nice vehicle ohhhh soooo much. oh my ..the leather. the beautiful nice smooth leather that doesnt absorb my sweaty stink when i get in after working out. and the amazing bose system, and controls on the steering wheel, and six cd changer that actually plays burned cds, and being able to unlock it while im walking to it, and the beautiful sunroof, and a cigarette lighter that doesnt blow the stereo fuse (yes, that happened all the time in the mazda. well, until i stopped pushing in the cigarette lighter). and THE V6! sweet mother it is divine!!!! so, ya. its been fun. and i have free cable in my apartment and watched iron chef america yesterday and i hate the host but i love watching them concoct crazy a dishes. oh and heres a pic of francisco. he loves his new home on my dash.

volcano

2009-07-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

so, ive always loved volcanoes. well, geology in general is totally fascinating (its one of three things i would major in/do as a career if i didnt love and was established in my current career. the other two being exercise physiology and hair). i even always wanted to live close enough that i could go to mt st helens when i found out about it (wow, and here i am. that reminds me i need to go again before i leave). so anywho, going to crater lake oregon has been on my to do list for a while. and well, time is running short here and i decided that was one thing i really didnt want to miss before i left (much less likely ill make it out there once i move to utah) so a friend and i decided last week that we were gonna make it happen this last weekend. and we did. but i really want to not forget about the experience, so here goes people. it might be a longy (this post). and i mean really really longy. well, we took off saturday morning after our 5 k race in ridgefield, wa (which was fantastic, i won a raffle and got a rad hat and a little band thing to clip my race numbers into which im so nerdily excited about cuz i hate pinning them. ive always wanted one but couldnt bring myself to actually buy one. ps, people, if you enter races with lots of slow people, its way easier to win awards. last week i won my age group in a 10k race, then at this 5 k i took 2nd in my age group and 6th overall woman! so i got a cool red ribbon, which hasnt happened since field day in elementary school. super awesome! ). the drive down was great, uneventful, good conversation, good tunes. we got to the first lookout of the lake and pulled in and WOW! seriously breathtaking. its a super intense color of blue because of the depth and purity of the lake and its just immense and strikingly steep. so we chilled and absorbed for a while, then decided we best get moving on to get camp set up and whatnot. so we jump in the car, giddy and ready to go. i turn the key, and something happens that has never in my life happened. nothing. i turned the key and there was absolutely nothing happenin. not a sound, not a click, not a blasted thing. i pushed the clutch in, turned the steering wheel, jiggled myself around a little just for good measure, and tried again. about 28 more agains actually. nothing. nothing. nothing. kami (my awesome travel buddy) and i look at each other with that same unmistakeable facial expression. the one that says "frik. frikking frik. what do we do now?!?!" so we get out and pop the hood and pretend to look at it, but mostly to attract some passerby that might be a car genius and super eager to demonstrate his skills to strangers. and to look pathetic. no takers. so we wander over to the closest man, and this is how that conversation goes: Kami: "hi, excuse me, do you happen to know anything about cars? " Man: "nope." ...............awkward pause..... Kami: "...cuz the thing is, our car wont start and we were hoping you might be able to help us out". ya. it was awesome. so he and his wife did meander over and look at the engine and confirm that, yes, he does not know a thing about cars. but luckily by now, our ploy had worked and some young hippy rebel types overheard us and wandered over as well. well, they discovered that i apparantely had like surpassed the normal amount of corrosion anyone has ever seen on a car battery ever before in the history of car batteries. they couldnt stop talking about how much corrosion there was (it sorta looked like my battery puked, there was all this fluffy blue stuff burbling up out of the "contact" or whatever) so anywho, i luckily found that i had jumper cables in my trunk somehow (im pretty sure that dad insisted on throwing them in there when i moved out here or something. thank GOODNESS!) so we cleaned off what we could of the corrosion, hooked those babies up, and she started right up. yay!! we were good to go. so we headed off to the campground. (we had planned to backpack in off some unknown road and camp in the backcountry, but we were too late to get a permit and well, the car sitch threw a wrench into all our plans) so we got in and registered to camp for two nights at the campground which was 7 miles from the actual crater lake. well, we both held our breath as i turned the car off to try and restart it on its own, just to see if it had been some fluke. and sure enough, when i turned the key, the nothingness returned. BLAST! so we found some nice peeps, they jumped it and went on their merry way. we waited a bit, taking care of some stuff, then i went to back out to go to our campground, and talk about bad timing, i freakin stalled my car that ive had for 6 years! well, that actually happens regularly (my sissy swears i have the most horrid clutch ever, and she says its hard to get used to. so....ya. ), but ya, suck! stuck again! so it was my turn to ask someone to jump it. and there were tons of people and cars around. lots of tourists. from not america. so i slowly made my way to the closest car of young friendly looking tourists. but their door was open and i was sorta blocked and i felt silly and i opened my mouth to say something, but then they werent speaking english so i lost my nerve and just walked away. ya and they totally saw me. ridiculous. but anywho, we found some other nice guys who gave us a jump and i was very careful backing out and we were on our way again! so we went to the campsite, i backed in for easier access when we would have to get jumped when we left. we set up camp, roasted some delicious weenies with pillsbury biscuit dough and enjoyed the tranquility. pretty uneventful night, except i learned that when you just have the marshmallows and not the chocoloate and graham crackers, you can eat lots more marshmallows before getting sick and they actually taste way better. so that was awesome. morning arrived. a glorious sunny perfect for hiking morning. so we planned on hiking up to the lake and hangin out up there then hiking or hitchhiking back to our campground if we were too tired. so we set off on the backcountry path. we had a wonderful time hiking through, beautiful scenery, we even made a snowman (high elevation so lots of patches of snow, which became significant later. oh one of the pics is of me running across the "magic glacier" cuz it was amazing and the mosquitos were so horrific everywhere on the trail except ont this patch of snow, or "glacier" as i liked to call it), we hiked for a mile on the pct (pacific crest trail) which was just lovely. then as we neared what should have been the last couple miles, it got a little trickier finding the path, cuz it was covered in snow in parts and there were several clearings and possible paths. we had seen little blue signs on some trees as we hiked, so we assumed they were trail markers so we kept looking for them. and usually found them. but then we couldnt see them at all. or a trail. but there was a stream bed/ravine to our left and it looked like a ridge of some sort up above us so we just went ahead and hiked on up towards that ridge. i thought for sure we were close to something. i got up to the ridge and looked around...and it was just a clearing. and i saw nothing anywhere near to help us get out. no blue dots, no trail, nothing. and i had a little panic moment of "crap. do i have ID on me? are they gonna find me unconcsious in the middle of this clearing? am i going to die right here?!?!" then kami turned her head to the left and said "oh. theres the road." YAY!! we did it! we freakin bushwacked our way to the lake! (well, the last quarter mile or so. :) so we hiked around and had an absolute blast. then we decided it was time to head out. and decided to try our luck on the road. so we started strolling down with our thumbs sorta carelessly dangling out, not really insistent or desparately sticking out or anything. and we didnt get too far before this very lovely jeep stopped and said "we wish so much we could help but we have kids and no room for you! sorry. " oh. k. but thanks for stopping and getting our hopes up. ya but we walked not far at all before this huge handicapped van stopped and threw open the door and there was a little square of carpet in front of the guy in his big wheelchair. so we hopped on in. i told them what had happened as we drove and they were super stoked about helping us fix our car. they were nice guys. not the most clean or well kempt, but they were our knights in shining armor that night. i went and got a coke from the store (the only thing i retained from our "car fixing" enrichment activity years ago- use coke to clean batteries) and they cleaned off the corrosion, jimmy rigged the battery connection with a screw or something and then told me to fire her up. i thought there was no way itd start on its own just after a cleaning, but it totally did!!! it was amazing and i sure learned my lesson. heres the best part. we thanked them profusely and tried to offer them money, and the guy in the wheelchair (the dad of the crew, who had been hollaring instructions from the van the whole time) yells out "gimme the towel!!"(my roommate has an awesome sham wow! lookalike thing they had been using). thats what he wanted for all their time and effort. a sham wow! (which is a FREAKIN AMAZING thing if i do say so myself). so we gave them the wanna be sham wow, hugged them all, and they were on their way. wow. goooood times. we fire roasted the weanies again (the biscuit dough got dropped in the dirt and pine needles and was beyond washing or picking dirt out) and had a delightful dinner knowing that we would not have to leave the car running everywhere we went the next day, as we had planned. oh we went to an awesome fireside chat at a little ampitheater by the campground by ranger don. he talked about solo hiking the pct and appalachain trail (the night before ranger mike talked about how crater lake was formed which is AMAZING and sooo freakin cool but i cant do it justice on here. go research it). so pleasant and enjoyable, those old park ranger dudes. another fantastic night of delish hot chocolate and marshmallows. next morning i was overjoyed to find that the car continued to start up on its own, and BONUS! the check engine light was off! so we drove around the whole rim of the lake, hiked down to the rocky shore, dipped our feet, slept on the rocks, and just enjoyed the majestic views which are amazing. we headed home and saw a young cute hitchhiker on our way out and we thought "karma. we gotta give this guy a ride" so we did. nice guy. his name was nate. and he harvests pot with his friends when hes not hiking around the country. nice. welcome to oregon. so we dropped nate off at his little town, and had an uneventful but completely enjoyable ride home. so throughout those several days, i did lots of sweating and zero showering and felt like i was well on my way to dreadlocks. but thankfully, i just got my hair done and it survived. no dreads. for now.

ode to my sissy

2009-06-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

well, i promised that i would get around to dedicating a post to each of the faithful readers of this blog (well, the ones i know about). and today....its my sissy, dana. cuz she has been an IMMENSE help to me in the last months as ive been deciding about the move and a multitude of other things. doug and marie, if you read this blog, im sorry to dissapoint you if you thought i was gonna write about your cat. i love her too. but she didnt drive me all around and let me use her car to find an apt in salt lake. but shes a funny cat. ok, im getting off track. my sissy. where do i begin. i was reminiscing the other day, as i looked at the mound of clothes on my bed that needed to be put away, on the days when i shared a room with dana. and when mom forced us to clean it, it was an alllll day endeavor. and rarely was totally done. and it reminded me of dana reading from her journal back in the day (when she was like 6 or something), when every other entry started or ended with "i hate natalie! she is so annoying!" or something along those lines. im pretty sure we never would have guessed we would be roommates in college and bff's. seriously, we have spent so much time together talking and analyzing and discussing, she pretty much knows whats going through my head in any situation. and she then uses that information to help me. usually to keep me from doing something totally ridiculous. (and then when i do those ridiculous things cuz i didnt consult her first, i can hear her voice...."oh natalie. ohhhh natalie. sweetie. ") most of my dating behavior she is somehow able to understand and summarize very succinctly so that somehow even i can see whats really happening and it just makes everything ok. i love her for her last motivational words to me as i nervously talked to her the night before i ran my marathon. "Natalie, even big fat Ron finished." (referring to the big dad on the biggest loser that walked a marathon). ya. she can always make me laugh about anything, mostly cuz she knows what i would think about things and she knows that i think im funny, so she just says what she knows i would think. ok, and she is ridiculously funny herself and says things that would only come out of her mouth. my co-workers get to hear all kinds of dana/nat chat cuz i call her about every day at lunch and chat with her just cuz its nice. and again, with the laughter. i need it. i cant tell you how many times shes listened to the same stories/scenarios with different and sometimes the same boys over and over, in minute detail (seriously people, when i tell a story to her, i give every little detail and then i realize that what im saying has nothing to do with anything. i remind myself of that part of win a date with tad hamilton when petey says "i cannot remember a time.....before you started telling that story), and she never acts bored or annoyed (well, but its always productive annoyance), she actually seems to enjoy it. i love that she took care of me when we were roomies and made me burritos when i would come home (with my pants leg ripped up cuz i forgot to peg them before riding my bike) and act all helpless and silly. she still takes care of me, even when i, the big sister, come to visit her and she has an 18 month old and is pregnant. i love that she is excited to get her hands on my money (ha ha ha) when i move so i can be smart and budget as good as she and her hubby. (im dead serious about weekly budget meetings you guys, so dont think im just saying that). she is wise beyond her years and works so hard to make sure her little family is happy and healthy (see her hubbys blog post for more on this. its adorable) i love honk-shoo, wa-ee, and moist coins. she always says she wishes she could spend money on cute clothes and dress nice like me, but then when i come to visit, she always looks absolutely adorable and makes the most out of her very cute wardrobe (ok, that sounded a little condescending. thats not what i meant. what i mean is...im always a little jealous of at least a few of her new clothes items). i love that she toughed it out living in the houseboat with me and the mice for a bit just so we could be together (remember that awesome pic of us on the front porch and you are looking off all artsy like into the distance but you look TICKED! ha ha). i know that was pretty rough. she notices things that people are good at and things they are trying to be good at and she tells them. and she helps me not be annoyed at everybody all the time. haha. its pretty sweet to have 3 amazing sisters, especially when one of them is crazy just like you. sorta.

simple

2009-05-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

ive been sitting here for at least a good 2 or so minutes deciding exactly how to describe the couple of weeks since my last post. wow. ill just say i wish id saved my ridonculous post idea cuz i would have had a WHOLE LOTTA ridonculous to add. except, its not really blog appropriate or explanable (perhaps explicable is a better word choice, seeing as how its a real word, but i like explanable better. yes i know, this is hypocritical coming from me, the grammar/pronunciation/word nazi, but its my blog. so i dont care.) but these weeks have truly been an interesting study in humans. and behavior. and motivations. and me. and what i like. and what i cant stand. and how i respond to things. and i dont know how or if this is even related, but im gonna say, i feel like im pretty simple. im made happy by very simple things. my friend once told me that i live a decadent (and yes i absolutely just looked up that spelling on an online dictionary ) lifestyle. i disagree somewhat. some things are important enough to me to spend money on, yes. but they differ from where he spends his cash, so it seems decadent to him. cuz when it comes to food and stuff like that, as you can see from previous posts, im not impressed by gourmet. there are lots of seriously cheap, simple, delicious things. trying out fancy or highly rated new restaurants really doesnt interest me at all. too many flavors at once annoy me (i love eating with you guys dana and dan, but i fear you think i dont appreciate your amazing combos. its not that they arent amazing, im just a simple girl) too many toppings on pizza totally grosses me out (especially a whole lotta meat. ick. plain cheese is just fine with me. or bbq chicken). yes, its nice to have some nice things. some pricey jeans. a real tiffany bracelet. high thread count sheets. those things have been worth every penny to me. but i also once lived in teeny tiny room in a "houseboat" (not really a houseboat. it was a house, but the kitchen had wood paneling everywhere and creaked and felt exactly like a houseboat). i paid $75 a month for the "hotbox" as it was nicknamed. seriously, you walked in and pretty much hit your shins on the bed. well, you would have if i didnt have the bed up on about 6 cinder blocks to fit my stuff underneath. and i had a pole against the wall on which to hang my clothes. i paid less to live there for an entire semester of school than i paid for my first month of rent in my apt when i moved to vancouver. but it was college. thats what you do. anywho, my point is.....um. crap... i think my point was that sometimes i feel like gettin by in a crap house paying next to nothing, and sometimes i feel like shellin out a bit more cash to live alone in a way nice place. sometimes i feel like buying the best running tights that exist with all kinds of science and technology behind them, and sometimes i feel like buying cheap shorts. and as i type this it seems to contradict my feeling that i am overall pretty simple. but it doesnt. cuz i said so. and as previously mentioned, this is my blog so what i say goes. but, as i think on this idea of simplicity, maybe thats why honesty is such a big deal to me. its straightforward, its simple, and you dont have to worry about keeping different stories straight for what you have told different people and whatnot. im sure there are many that would argue that honesty is anything but simple because what if that honesty hurts peoples feelings and yada yada yada. but for me, its pretty simple.

ridonculous

2009-05-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

so my friend told me the other day that ridonculous is a real word. its like when ridiculousness is boundless. more emphatic. im a big fan of that cuz i like precise words that really emphasize my meaning and i use the word ridiculous a lot so its nice to have options when things really really blow my mind. like today. when i heard something from someone that i hardly knew, that he had heard from someone that i knew even less than him. and that something that i heard was about me and decisions in my life. and it was off. wayyyyyyy off. and im just thinking to myself "wow. seriously!? people really sit around making up things about other people's lives?" ya. apparantely so. and ill just say, im not gonna whine about "i hate all the silly gossip in the singles ward. you hang out with someone once, and everyone thinks you are engaged " (very nasaly whiny voice is necessary when reading that, so if you didnt do that in your head the first time you read it, well go back and read it again, the right way darn it!!) yes, people, that gossip is gonna happen. it just is. i get it. cuz we are all trying to figure out who is dating/who is into who so we know who not to flirt with and whatnot. it effects us in a way. not that its right to do that. but i get it. but this, out of nowhere, purely about me and my life and personal relationships!? wow. its rather ridonculous. here are some other ridonculous things:

the semi truck that i saw crumpled and bent and stuck in a little tunnel. wow. really dude? you dont know where your truck will fit and where it will not? huh.
swine flu coverage
ok the media in general.
people thinking the media is reliable
me. im ridonculous a lot of the time. and im not afraid to admit it. i eat one of 3 meals for lunch every single day, almost without exception (my turkey/pepperjack/spinach wrap, carrots, grapefruit, or chicken noodle soup, carrots, grapefruit, (maybe wheat thins too), or white albacore tuna with cranberries stuffed in the halves of a bell pepper, carrots, grapefruit, and wheat thins. ok, and now and again, if i feel i simply must go out, i get the steak salad from chipotle.
im gonna write more ridonculous things later. im tired now. feel free to add your own. i didnt even go into the ridonculous things that some crappy drivers do, cuz that will get me worked up and annoyed. and i want to sleep happy.

the trainer

2009-04-15T21:17:00.001-07:00

k. so you are all asking yourselves "why the crap did natalie post pictures of a hot shirtless guy on her blog. shouldnt she be through that whole "posting pictures of hot guys" phase by now?". well, yes. i should be. but as i said, i am endeavoring to capture the absurdity and awkwardness that IS me working out with my personal trainer, Taylor. (ever since i mentioned it in my last post, ive been laughing to myself about it so i need to just do it already. plus, since i will only be working with him for like 2 more months (ack! it makes me wanna puke just thinking about that, cuz he is the best trainer ever, gonna be very hard to replace), i gotta get some of this down in print, lest i forget about it when i leave...) so anywho, thats him. and yes, when i saw him i thought the same thing you all did.. "what the?! thats gonna suck to do really ridiculous things and be sweaty and gross all the time with this guy watching my every move. " so ill just go ahead and say, to put your minds at ease, its really not so bad. k, taylor happens to be really good at what he does, and from the first second we started training, he has been amazing and totally professional and for some reason, he just makes you feel pretty ok and not dumb about what he is making you do. but man, i can only imagine what its like watching me sometimes, and im truly impressed he doesnt burst out laughing on a regular basis. i guess those are the kinds of things they teach you at trainer school. and im gonna go ahead and say it, im pretty dang impressed with myself that i still, to this day, have never farted in front of him. i mean, thats got to be a record, right? maybe im way off on this, but training seems to be the "perfect storm" when it comes to potential for that particular humiliating moment: the flexing, moving, holding, pushing, sometimes early in the morning with weirdness in my stomach. ya ive been waiting for the day when it just happened. so far so good. ya, ill have to ask him about his percentage of clients that can claim that distinction. anywho, i can remember so vividly one of our first sessions when i was doing a "plank" on the mat (you hold yourself parallel to the ground, on your toes and forearms, trying to hold yourself steady and pretend like you dont know that everyone on the cardio equipment behind you is pretending to look at the tv but they are really watching your clinching/quivering glutes and arms as you try to hold yourself in this wholey unnatural position). taylor was sitting next to me, calm as a warm summer morning, no cares in the world, counting down ever so slowly. ok, let me pause here to say people, i am a major sweater. seriously. i literally ring out my ponytail in the sink when i get done working out. my roommate has witnessed it many times. so im there clinching and sweating and i feel a huge drop of sweat...sliding....ever so quietly and annoyingly down my forehead...to my nose, and off the end. (a lot like that scene in mission impossible, when tom cruise is suspended above the computer and the drop of sweat rolls off and he catches it in his hand. only it somehow wasnt as awesome when it happened to me) it splashed down on the mat, i swear it was so freakin loud and i felt like it was going to splash onto the person next to me. and i was there, clinching, flexing and helpless. taylor continued to count down....ever...so slowly. all he said, was "it happens" when i glanced up at him, with a horrified look on my face. and thus it began.

so we went through several months of training much like this, him pushing me and helping me do things that i had never in my life conceived of, let alone imagined myself being able to do. but when you've got someone there watching you, and you know they arent going ANYWHERE until you do what they say, well, its pretty motivating. at some points, you forget that you are actually paying this person to stare at you and not leave you for one second, but stay with you and make you do all the most uncomfortable and annoying positions/movements imagineable. it really wasnt so bad at first, cuz i couldnt do much, and we mostly just worked out on machines and stuff. and then, as i started to get fitter, well that brought a whole new awesome world of humiliation. a world of plyometrics and swiss balls. wow. ok so swiss balls are awesome and ya, great for "core" work. cuz whatever you do on it, you have to work harder to stabilize and whatnot. but, being a ball, it does have a tendency to move around, and yes, to roll. and combined with my lack of coordination and strength, well, hilarity ensues. so i dont know what made taylor think that i could do a push up on a swiss ball (maybe the fact that all his old lady clients can do it. i dont know. ) but at first he held it and i tried, gosh i tried my little heart out to go down but i just kept losing my balance and flopping around. so finally, hes just like "just go down and bounce off it and come up". ya. ok, i want you all to stop now. and picture this people. picture yourself. or me, either way. in push up position, hands on a big huge ball. so i try to go down and bounce off it, and sure enough i managed to flop down and bounce some body part off of some part of the ball, and then it all just happened so fast and i lost control and, well, i didnt come back up. i am fairly certain i ended up in a pile on the sweaty mat with the ball rolling away. it may or may not have hit some innocent people warming up next to me.

so time went on, and i learned and got stronger, and didnt hit myself in the face or head with the weights/bars as often. wait, i still do that pretty regularly. anywho, i think it was when i started running and training for a half marathon when plyometrics were introduced. so, plyometrics are "fast twitch" muscle exercises. they include lots of "exploding" (when taylor says that, it means, like being powerful and strong when i jump, not the gastrointenstinal type of exploding that one might associate with this type of exercise. although.....:)), jumping, quick movements, obstacles, steps, etc. IE: things that look super awesome and cool when athletic people like Taylor do them, and incredibly ridiculous awkward and sympathy-inducing when folks such as myself attempt them. it just feels so funny when you jump with no real purpose in it, like, you are not jumping over a log or a puddle. you are just jumping. up and down and over and across. your hands and arms sometimes get confused about what they should do and where they should go. (ok, mine do anyway). so taylor had me bounding through the gym, and squat leaping and what not. and it wasnt toooo bad. then, came the day. the day for which the girls were so ill prepared. k i will not go into details here, for the sake of the male readers of this blog. but ill just say, not all jumping is created equal. there are certain ways to jump that make it, ummm shall we say, a little more annoying when you are a girl. a girl...with not small at all sized girls. (as my sweet niece Lexi has always called them "chesties"). to make matters worse, i happened to be wearing stretchier pants with a not super secure wasteband, and as i did these intense, fast twitch, explosive jumps, well, my plants kept slipping down (just enough to be annoying cuz, due to the type of jump, i couldnt use my hands to pull them up. luckily they never slipped down quite enough to make this experience extra horrifying) even taylor's professional calmness could not overcome the awkwardness of this one.

however, it turns out personal training is super good for your health, and CLOSE TO as ridiculously entertaining as my dating life. im super glad i discovered this. really though, in the end, i absolutely recommend the personal training thing, in case you are wondering. it adds a whole new dimension to working out, and its amazing what you can actually do when someone else tells you that you can. plus its good to have someone guaranteed to be there to witness the funny awkward ridiculousness that is bound to happen. cuz i hate it when i have a really good fall or something and theres no one around to laugh about how funny it looked. its a total waste.

computer clock

2009-04-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

so ever since i moved here to the couv, my clock on my laptop has been wrong. its on utah/idaho time. and i went in and corrected it lots of times. but it never stays. it always goes back to utah idaho time (mountain standard time, as it were?). so i just stopped trying to fix it and i just know when i check it to subtract an hour. its like my laptop has been fighting me living in washington or somethine. so it wins. my clock will be right again. ya, its lookin like ill be moving to good ol SLC in late july-ish. im working out the details to transfer for work cuz that would be freaking rad. so things are gettin worked out. but ya, its time. and im super excited. i hope you utah dwellers werent really offended at the grass post. you guys arent brown grass. you are the pretty beautiful flowers in the grass. and, in my defense, i did say that it just LOOKS brown from over here, but i know itll be green and beautiful when i get there. im super stoked to be closer to family and friends i havent seen much lately. so thats the dealio folks. im not gonna go into how/why i made the decision or all the things im going to miss cuz i just dont wanna go into that yet. but its happenin. and heres some other noteworthy happenings from my weekend:

i went to a crazy interesting hip/hop show which actually didnt feel at all like a hip hop show cuz there was a definite lack of afroes and lots of white people, there was a tuba, and a full band, and there was def more of a "jam band" feel to it. they are called "roots". but i did have a fascinating conversation with a very attractive black guy outside the venue as i waited for my buddy. first time ive heard a sorta hick-ish accent from a black guy. hes from LA but went to school in montana. good times.
i got super crappy plantar fasciitis ouchiness on my long run saturday morning and it has me really really worried, what with my marathon a mere 7 weeks away. curses.
i watched a totally freakin awesome cover of a great bob dylan tune at our ward variety show (joel feik rocked the harmonica like nobodys business and alyssa held it steady with the piano)
i leg wrestled a bunch of girls
i got a pie right in my face for the first time ever. im glad i dont have to go my whole life wondering what thatd be like. turns out, its pretty difficult to see immediately after receiving the pie in the face.
i had it confirmed by two different girls with awesome hair that i really need to master the wrapping the hair AROUND the curling iron thing to have really great curls. the ends are the key. dont curl the ends, thats what makes it modern. thanks jessica.
i had a fabulous easter sunday, basket, bunny, jelly beans included (thanks roommate!!!) and a wonderfully delicioius easter dinner with good ol friends and cute chubby babies that i couldnt stop pinching the cheeks of.
i reconfirmed my complete and absolute love/obsession with my new perfume Chloe. wow. i cant stop smelling myself. so delicious. and doesnt give me a headache. which is pretty amazing.
ok and this wasnt on the weekend, it was today, but i did master...well....got closer to being able to do the wrapping the hair around the curling iron curl thing. it was fun. and looked part awesome, part bizarre. but i dug it. makes me able to keep growing my hair.
ok, and also today, i reminisced with my trainer about all the awkward things he has made me/seen me do in the last year and a half. mostly when he made me do a pushup on the swiss ball. ....ok and most of the plyometrics we do. k i need to dedicate a whole post to him and our experiences soon.

k i gotta go night night now.

grass

2009-04-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

the grass isnt always greener on the other side of the fence. sometimes its pretty brown actually. maybe your grass is really actually a very awesome shade of green. and you are content and happy with it. but you have to go over to the brown grass anyway. not because of the grass, but for other reasons. but then when you get there, maybe you will find that the grass that looked pretty brown from far away is really actually greener than you thought. and then you love it. and you might miss your other green grass, but guess what? all you gotta do is water that browner grass and it gets nice and green. and then maybe you might find a husband hidden in it. haha. jk. gosh i didnt set out to be all metaphorical and cryptic tonight, but i havent the time to be anything else. and i dont feel like spewing the actual thoughts in my head right now. cuz my head is throbbing cuz i laid out in the sun a bit today and sweat a lot and am probably dehydrated. so when im dehydrated, i want to talk about grass. i adore the smell of fresh cut grass.

inner monologue

2009-03-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

is it just me, or does anyone else find the concept of our inner monologue fascinating? dont you ever wish you could listen in on other peoples inner monologues and see how closely it matches your own? what if you are WAY off and have an inner monologue that is way weirder than anyone else. ok, given the fact that we are all human here on the same planet, thats probably quite an unlikely scenario. i dont want to read minds. not at all. i think it would drive me nuts and frighten me im pretty sure. but it would just be interesting to get a snippet. does your inner monologue ever make you laugh? not because you remembered something funny, but because of the way your brain worded something that you thought? or just the fact that you had a certain thought out of nowhere? i sometimes work with people that have little to zero language ability. theyve had strokes, and they either cant express anything, or it comes out completely wrong, or they cant understand anything, or only very simple things, or any combination of those scenarios. and i often wonder what is going on with their inner monologue. cuz science tells me one thing... but, really? i just dont know.

a fine line... need your thoughts, people...

2009-02-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

k folks, there are only a few loyal readers to this blog, but the majority of you are happily married people that i respect and i admire your relationships. yes, it appears ive departed from my originally intended "superficial blog"-ness. but whatever. its on my mind. and ya, sometimes its pointless and silly to talk and discuss too much about relationships and dating and "right-ness", and im sure when i meet "the right one" as everyone calls him, this will all be a moo point (yes thats right, it will be a cow's opinion :), but i just wanna throw this out and see what ya'll think. so, my recent dating intrigues have caused me to think. and i had a few epiphanies on my saturday morning run. ill share one. so it seems that very often, there is a very fine line between completely right for you and totally wrong for you. sounds absurd, but think about it. and, as my wise sis said (i think? didnt you say this part dana, or was it me? well, whatever) someone said that this rightness or wrongness can largely depend on what you choose to put up with or ignore. i have been interested in guys and trying to get to know them and overlooking some things that i wasnt too keen on cuz thats what we are supposed to do, right? cuz no one is perfect. so i focused on the good. but then as soon as its not working out or we break it off or just, whatever, well...suddenly those negative things combine and assault me with all their force and i get really and truly completely annoyed and disgusted with these guys. i know i know, sounds like bitterness because the relationship didnt work out. no. its not like an "i hate you cuz im all scorned and whatnot" kind of thing. i definitely dont hate them. i just am very aggrivated and have no desire to spend time with them. and just a few days ago i was totally into getting to know them and enjoying every moment with them. when considering them and some aspects of their personalities, id think, well thats very opposite of me, but that could be just what i need to even me out or make me better or whatever. like i said, i know yall are gonna say im overthinking this and when i find the guy, i wont have to consider all this crap. but i really dont know about that. im 29 people. ive dated a lot of different guys. and i just dont know if itll fall into place easily for me. anywho, so if you feel like giving me some help or your thoughts on this one, id love to hear/read it. i feel like this is a downer blog. this isnt a downer people, i just find it a fascinating concept. nothing really fun or blog worthy has happened lately other than dating haps/mishaps, so this is all i got folks. oh, and i bought an amazing state of the art GPS watch thing to track my pace and distance and all kinds of crap while running. and then i did a run with it and, well, it was just overkill for what i needed. and the one function i really needed to be accurate (pace) was not really. so it didnt do me a ton of good. so i took it back. which is not a very natalie thing to do. but i feel much better since i did. ill stick with my awesome, cheaper sports watch/heart rate moniter. its served me very well. sometimes, we really dont need new things that we really want to need. that goes for the google phone too. i want it bad. but im stickin with my dash. it loves me and i love it. the new down alternative pillows i bought at costco, however, have been a 100% awesome buy that i am grateful for every time i lay my head down.

why i love stina and shawn

2009-02-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

i love old friends. friends that can pop in whenever they are in town and its awesome from the first second you see their faces until you hug them goodbye. you enjoy every catching up moment and it feels like they never left. i love it. stina and shawn are two such friends. and maybe now that im dedicating a whole post to them, they will have the guts to comment on here and not be blog stalkers :). heres why i love these people. i know i can count on shawn to wear flip flops, cargo shorts, and his sweatshirt , regardless of the weather. and i can count on stina to wear something cute and stylish and to have rad, unique hair that i would not like on ANYONE else but her. i know i can count on them to be non traditional, but not in a "look at how not traditional we are" kind of way, but just in a regular, this is who we are and what we do, cuz its what we want to do, take it or leave it kind of way. i love that they didnt stand up in the clark ward when their engagement was announced, even under pressure from the pulpit. i love that stina is amazing and made me feel like maybe i actually could give birth to my kids with no epidural (yes, all my sisters and sisters in law, i know you are laughing hard right now). i love that they make delicious food from natural ingredients and that stina uses not one, not two, but MULTIPLE cookbooks already. i still think about the amazing pizza you made me on a regular basis, stina. i love the memories of when they were here and how i was third wheeling it with them on their first sorta date thingy. i also love thinking about how delicious those amazing cupcakes were at their reception. i love people that are easy to hang out with and love. they are chill, relaxed, but extremely entertaining. shawn is the most mellow human ever born and stina definitely has the sass and energy to balance him out perfectly. its so easy to laugh and have fun with shawn and stina. its a given. and their 2 month old adorable baby boy, ira, is definitely a way cuter than average 2 month old. i wasnt just saying that you guys. he really is adorable. which is a relief because we all hate lying to the parents of ugly babies. so keep the cute ones coming, you two, cuz i dont ever want to have to lie to you! ok, well i have to go now. oh and to anyone other dear friends who read this, i love you too, and your day will come, with your very own blog post. today is just a very thankful for stina and shawn day.

the year thus far

2009-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

so my year started out awesome. new years parties in the past have always been a let down. nothing particularly crappy happens, ive even gotten some rad random new years kisses, been in times square in nyc (did you know they freakin lock you in there from like 5 pm on, and you cant leave!? except i shmoozed a cop i think to get out to go to the bathroom at a bar then we decided it wasnt worth it and we wandered around nyc talking to random people for a while and then watched the ball drop on tv from our hotel in queens. it was hilarious. and satisfying. but thats not the topic of this blog, crap, i went off on a tangent) and whatnot. for some reason i always build new years up in my head every single year and then its just not great. so i decide to forego the usual young single adult dance and try something new. so i convinced a few other crazies to do a midnight 5k fun run (the "first run") in downtown portland. well, it was cold and rainy, but awesome. we ran along the river at night, protected by cops, which doesnt happen too often, so i have to take advantage of any midnight sponsored runs cuz i love night running. no new years kiss, but whatever. we then went to an after party and had amazing fondue and i played some old school contra on the nintendo. (i really and truly just cant get into the wii thing. sorry people, but i think you are all crazy for liking it so much. i just ...dont....see...it. the fun of it i mean. man im gonna get burned at the stake for saying this crap) anywho, good ol super contra, thats the way video games aught to be- just lazering big aliens with horrid graphics so you cant actually like see a realistic disgusting violent bloody scene like other games. man, contra really just brings back the memories of sleepovers back in the day, at rebecca's, with the hide-a-bed and butter mints. anywho, so that was new years. and although ive complained that its ridiculous that they hired another speech therapist at my facility, cuz they can hardly keep ME busy, it is sorta nice to just make the newbie work all the holidays. she doesnt mind, and hey i covered them myself for like 3 years so its time. anywho, so me and roommate just hung out most of the day. watched "elizabethtown" twice, our new years custom. what a fantastic movie. pure magic i tell ya. anywho, since that illustrious beginning to the year, the time has flown fairly uneventfully. i didnt sit down and write any resolutions. cuz they are silly and people like almost plan to break them. my goal making is ongoing. and i already have some big ones planned for the year, so i felt it unnecessary to sit down and write out some others just to say i did. my favorite gay nurse bff at work came up to me and asked "is your new years resolution the same as mine?" and i said "to get a boyfriend?" and he said "yup". but then i corrected him, actually mine is more along the lines of married and pregnant. in that order. and we chuckled. we chuckled a lot. but its true. i mean, its obviously not really my resolution, but its certainly what id love to happen this year. k not pregnant quite yet, but the marriage thing, well that wouldnt be so bad. i love my job people. im very lucky ive gotten to do all i have. but people at work (those that havent talked to me for more than a few minutes) assume that if you are an adult woman in a professional position, and you come across as confident and good at what you do, that you are a feminazi and that you curse men and marriage. no. no not me. my priority is marriage and family people, in case any of you were wondering. and then everyone asks, "well then why the crap are you so picky and why arent you married yet?" well people, because i havent found the guy im supposed to marry yet, thats why. its pretty simple. anywho, life is great. there has already been a lot of good music in my life in 2009. and i got to eat at fatty pattys with my roommate and her parents and i got to chip tile off our wall which was way cool. roommate got a little crazy when she was snowed in and started remodeling the kitchen. aaaahhhh roommate. i havent cut my hair yet. i resorted to watching videos of people chopping their hair on youtube (dont worry, i took breaks in between haircuts to watch "models falling down" videos as well.) ya, people, say it. im obsessed. i know it. but for the time being, im still growing it out. just for the h of it. and to see how creative i can be with my styles. i bought some amazing new boots that are crocheted with big buttons on the side and up to my knees. they are simply incredible. and worth the wait (thanks dana and dan for being my financial advisors). ok i gotta go clean now.

a fantasic watchless week

2008-12-29T16:18:00.000-08:00

well, this post may not jive completely with its title, seeing as how i have much more than a week to catch up on. but i hope that you, the two or three friends or family members that read this blog, will forgive me for that. ill just run through some of the things that stand out to me from the last month. first off, and i know some of you (mike) are sick and tired of hearing me talk about running. but when i think back on the last month, well, of course my last half marathon comes to mind. usually i like to be superficial and meaningless on this blog. but i really learned something amazing. and its cheesier than every cliche and cheesy movie you have ever seen. but its true. and it was important for me. so ive been working hard training for this half. the other two i did this year were hard and fun, but i fell short of my goal both times which i really really hated. anywho, i had set some limits for myself in my mind and i was certain that there was no way i could do what i did. i didnt run super fast by any means. but i ran much faster than i thought i could for 13.1 miles, and totally demolished my goal time. people, do not put limits on yourself. its true. you really and truly never know what you might be able to do. yes, it seems silly, but it was an important moment for me. so theres that. i had a great thanksgiving with my roommate and her fam, which is a very eclectic collection of personalities i must say. i was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed myself with her kooky funny aunt and grandpa. december flew by fairly uneventfully...the usual fun old people stories, lost dentures in bras and the like. i won a toaster oven at our staff christmas party which was an historic moment for me. ive only won something that i really wanted one other time in my life- a limited edition yazoo single for being a member of EIS, or the Erasure Information Service. so that was pretty spectacular, and i did a good job avoiding the jealous looks from staff members that didnt win a big beautiful shiny toaster oven. we had insanely crazy weather up here (snow) which brought with it all sorts of excitement. i got to drive my roommate to work which was sorta fun. mostly cuz she freaked out every time i sped up faster than 15 miles an hour and yelled "are we sliding?!" or "is this ice?!?!" aaaahhhh roommate. we had a spectacular and well attended sweater party, with the most amazing egg nog ive ever tasted and lots of lovely sweaters. i lucked out with my christmas travels this year and made it out of pdx on one of the last flights before everything closed down. i wont bore you with details, but i almost got stranded in reno (thanks to my friends who kept me text entertained while i was sad and stressed about not getting to slc and advised me to put $20 on black while i was stuck in reno). anywho, i won over the nice lady at the southwest counter with my sweet vulnerability and she got me to slc. thank you lady. and she was so very patient too. i mean she was dealing with a lot of stressful things and annoying rude people and none of the things were her fault but she was so calm and nice the whole time. it made me feel good about people that are nice and can keep their cool always. it really makes life better. so i made it home, had a wonderful time with the fam. i got a freakin nintendo ds, which had never in my life crossed my mind and i didnt really know what it was, but turns out its pretty fun and awesome and thank you to my dear bro in law dan who wanted so badly to help choose a present for me this year (cuz usually he is left out of the equation when it comes to getting my presents) and did a fantastic job. ive never been a sudoku fan but lo and behold i really love it now that i have a cool fun little stylus to write with on my little screen. i got lots and lots of delicious candy, ate amazing homemade egg rolls, cinnamon twists, fudge. luckily there was a huge new gold's gym just down the street from my parents (not suprisingly, almost empty the three times i went. poky just doesnt strike me as a big gym going town) so i didnt go completely insane with inactivity. oh goodness what the crap am i going to do when i have kids and cant go to the gym all the time? i better freakin marry a really rich guy so i can have some decent workout equipment at home. oh and i actually really truly enjoyed driving in the very snow covered roads. i like a little slippage when there arent many cars around. oh yeah, church back home in vancouver got cancelled two weeks in a row cuz of crazy weather, but i got to go to church in utah so im pretty sure im more righteous than the rest of my ward right now. i wonder how long it will take them to catch back up. maybe never. hmmmm. the trip back to utah from poky was very scary, I 15 sucked, we almost slid into a flying J tanker that was sliding and fishtailing all over and i am not gonna go off on the ridiculous utah drivers that flew past us on the freeway in little tin can cars, cuz this is a happy blog. i had one last wonderful day with daney and dan and mason, the most adorable sweet one year old on the planet. i had to post a pic with him and his kissy lips. that boy likes kissing. oh my its precious. ya i just noticed i pretty much didnt take pics of anything but him. oh well. anywho, we had amazing sweet pork salads at costa vida and i must continue my search for a similar restaurant here in the couv cuz they are pretty much the most delicious food ever. my trip back to pdx was much less fraught with disaster than my journey to slc, and i was pleasantly surprised when i arrived at the airport by two wonderful people with cupcakes, chocolates and a balloon. (i was only gone for a WEEK! i love you people. i have the best friends ever) and then flowers and licorice from another friend a half hour later upon arriving home. honestly, it was almost a little bit more impressive than when i came home from my mission. but not quite, cuz you cant beat all the nieces and nephews with signs and balloons. sunday was business as usual, good meetings, etc. then sunday night, i realized i had not been wearing a watch over my whole blasted vacation and it was so wonderful, but monday....it would be time to put it back on and go back to real life. its always so bittersweet. its great to be home and have my stuff here and not be living out of a suitcase, and just be back to life. but also, i wasnt quite ready to go back to the daily grind. but thank goodness my daily is not too much of a grind. the old people always make me laugh, and it helped that i only had a 5 1/2 hour day. ya its a tough life. oh and my trip home makes me want to cut my hair so bad (thank you "what not to wear") cuz its so much more fun and easier. so heres a couple pics of hair id love to have but people wont let me have.

no outlet

2008-11-13T22:19:00.001-08:00

while i was running tonight, i passed a dead end road that had a sign "no outlet" at the intersection. and i am amazed and a bit disgusted that this thought seriously crossed my mind: "i wonder if they put "no outlet" instead of "dead end" because they were offended at being called "dead" ends, like its offensive to them, the dead ends, or something". seriously??! seriously. thats the silly PC world we live in. and sometimes it really and truly annoys me.

the perfect storm......ish.

2008-11-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

a gorgeous autumn evening in the northwest + awesome sleek new running tights + loud, incredible new music + a very emotional life situation + questions on my mind + lonely, unexplored suburban roads with lonely, beautiful mansions on them + pent up anger from someone smashing into my car in the parking lot + a solid chunk of uninteruppted time = a completely amazing run + passion for running outside reclaimed after 3 months of treadmill running + a good, bloody heel and bloody good hills + a very delicious and unexpected pina colada slurpee from a thoughtful friend

cheap skin

2008-11-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

well first off, i have to give a shout out to blue and white square, cuz they assured me that if i took the time to post tonight, that it would be rewarded. so thanks, guys. i expect you to make good on your promises. so i havent too much to say except that i think i have cheap skin. im ok with it, i mean we all have our trials and blessings in life. there are some people that are blessed with gorgeous, smooth, olive skin that has never seen a sunburn or a zit (think nordstrom quality skin), and then there are those of us that have skin with three color options: white, red, and freckled, and which consistently breaks out in the same annoying spots over and over (think dollar store quality skin). im not complaining here, folks, cuz i know we are all God's creations and i feel very blessed just to have a healthy, able body. im just making some observations. my skin has gotten me by just fine in my 29 years and i really have come to terms with my freckles and im ok with them. but i have a new skin thing going on lately and i think its to teach me a lesson. i thought i just kept getting spider bites, since i live in the basement. but i was getting too many of these ridiculous annoying itchy spots all over and decided that since ive not seen a single spider in weeks, its unlikely that they are bug bites. so of course, i googled it, and it turns out i probably have some sort of skin condition or allergy thing. and ya know what, im gonna bet that its caused by gluten. i say that mostly cuz i secretly mock the girl at work who is super over the top about any kind of contaminants or unnaturalness in anything she consumes, of course gluten included. i mean, this girl seriously came to work with a different type of water container every day for a week cuz she heard different reports about all kinds of crap that is in whatever type of container she had brought the day before. anywho, i know that gluten allergy is real, but i just sorta thought she was being a little dramatic about it. so it would serve me right if i have my own stupid gluten thing going. and also cuz bread is my favorite. suck. so apparantely ill have to be choosing between delicious pastries and non itchy/bug bitey all the time skin. darn.

why i have been avoiding this

2008-10-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

ok so mayyyyybe i feel a bit of pressure to update my blog since most of my friends have updated several times since my last post. but i thought that the length of my last post and inclusion of pictures would suffice for quite some time. but i find myself longing to post something. anything. so ill tell ya....ill tell ya somethin on a topic ive been avoiding all around-politics and the election. democracy is a beautiful thing but i cant freakin stand another retarded political ad. im not gonna go into specifics about what my beef is with these ads cuz itll just get me all worked up and angry then i wont be able to sleep, and im gonna reach my goal of being asleep by 1030 tonight, dangit!! anywho, im sick of it all and im sooooo over hearing politicians, cuz HONESTLY, does anyone really believe what they say!?! the freakin implementation of these 'plans' they create never goes as promised and im just fed up hearing silly, well thought out and powerful , yet insincere, speeches that mean nothing. . (this is why i avoid political discussions, cuz its the one thing thats guaranteed to make me negative. and i hate that) but i will say, i THOROUGHLY enjoyed some solid SNL making fun of politicians tonight. i like it when they make fun of both sides equally. cuz it makes me laugh and doesnt work me up into a cynical, annoyed, frustrated frenzy. it just makes me laugh. a lot. so thank you, SNL. and i truly cannot believe how much tina fey looks exactly like sarah palin.

calling in sick. ie: i have no excuse to not post today

2008-09-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

so for the first 3 years i worked at good ol' CPCC (Cascade Park Care Center), I did not use one single sick day. not one. (refer to prior posts to see how long i had my last non sick streak, broken this year) it was mostly cuz im very healthy, but also because im the only speech therapist there and its near impossible to get an oncall speech therapist last minute and so basically my peeps dont get therapy and its just crappy. so i just never called in sick. but since we got another part timer, i can finally call in. which is lucky cuz i got horridly sick a few months ago. but its nice for days like today, when i have a pretty crappy cold, which would normally never keep me away from work (my philosophy was always, if i can manage to get up and walk around, im fine to go in to work). but since i know i have a backup, im calling in dang it, cuz im blowing my nose and hacking every 2 seconds and i just dont feel well. also, since i worked yesterday with this nasty cold and one of my patients said "ew you are sick. dont come in tomorrow, i dont want your germs". ya super nice of her. haha. no really its true. im learning that staying home is sooo not just about feeling icky, but not getting medically vulnerable people sicker. so im home. and figured itd be a good time to post. now, peeps SAID they want more pics, so....um..ok. i guess i will. so theres a pic of big ben there. i just had to put that up and pay homage to the good ol favorite caldwell childhood tune by roger miller (eng-uh-land swings like a pendulum do, bobbies on bicycles....yada yada..the tower, big ben....yada yada. if you dont know the song, look it up and listen. its a great one) anywho we flew to london and then had enough time to go do a quick tour of some sites before our train through the chunnel to paris (ya, that "tube" or subway thing sure is handy and quick) so we went to westminster abby, parliament, etc. it felt sufficient cuz those things are cool to see, but not things you just want to sit and stare at and reflect on life like in the alps or the national gallery. so i was ok that we did a quick tour, although was a teeny bit sad to not get to see buckingham palace. but i suppose it looks just like the pics. anywho, so we then took the train to paris which was pretty cool, although obviously you cant really tell you are under water. you are just in a tunnel. anywho, we went to paris, had a couple of days there including the louvre (see the pic. and in case yall didnt know, i really love self inflicted pictures. did i already post that somewhere? see i cant remember what ive put here, on facebook, or on my family website, so forgive me for not doing the research and possibly repeating myself) we also happened upon mass at notre dame which was pretty rad and i got some video but that felt funny. but i heard the bells of notre dame and yes its an absolutely incredible building and i enjoyed being there. my buddy and i wanted to see different things so i went to the rodin museum (an amazing museum with most of the sculptures outside in the gardens (including the thinker and other very intriguing works)), a very small and uncrowded monet gallery in a cool old house (which i absolutely loved. mostly for its out of the way, non crowdedness. i couldnt stand the huge crowds around the mona lisa and other paintings in the louvre, which is why i didnt spend much time there. i think its ridiculous, cuz they arent even that incredible. sorry, leonardo). anywho i just wandered around paris and enjoyed hearing the little tikes in the park speaking french. we then met up again to go to the eiffel tower at night which was truly awe inspiring and worth every minute of the wait. we decided to go to the top and i highly recommend it, but only in an off season. the ride up in that lift is pretty freakin rad and exhilerating as you see paris get bigger and smaller at the same time. its crazy. so it was a pretty amazing day. next morning, we flew to venice. i spent my birthday there and had an amazing time. and i must say i agree with rick steves-if theres one city where you dont try to "see the sites" but just wander around and get lost, its venice. call me crazy, but one of my favorite parts of our trip was getting up early and running around the cities (oh, we didnt actually stay in venice, but just outside it. so heres a pic of the cute street that i ran up in the morning) k i think this post is gonna get boring quick, so ill try to be a better summer upper. from venice we took a train to geneva, switzerland and stayed there a night, then took the train in to interlacken the next day. wow. indescribable, that train ride. thats when i fell in love with switzerland. we found an absolutely adorable little bed and breakfast in this cute little village and then train/bussed/cable carred around and enjoyed every single second of the pristine beauty. oh, i forgot to mention, in the geneva train station, i told my buddy i was just gonna go look at the watches cuz we had some time. ya, long story short, i sprinted up the stairs to the platform with my amazing new swiss military watch just as the train was pulling away, and my poor nice travel buddy whit was standing there with my stuff. luckily there was another train in an hour and guess who should ride on it with us, but the whole dang swiss military i swear. ya the train station was full of them and they freakin had their huge guns and everything. i couldnt get close enough to see what watches they were wearing though :) so switzerland was my favorite place on earth. period. oh, and yes due to some miscommunication, i missed the cable car back to our little village but a very nice swiss man gave me a ride back and thats a whole nother story. so the next morn, i had to fly out to london cuz i had a 5k tree-athalon (fun run) id registered for and tickets for wicked. so my buddy stayed in switzerland and i headed out. the 5k was the funnest ive ever done, met some great people, got my best time ever and loved it. wandered around london, LOVED the national gallery, watched the brits in trafalgar square and all the excitement there (amazing street performers, soccer kids, etc), got last minute tickets to "stomp" which was thoroughly enjoyable. and then, sadly, flew back to the states the next day, sunday. and was back at work monday morning. so that was the trip. and now my plan is to have at least 10 days just in switzerland and austria next year. so there ya go peeps. ps ill have you all know i did not NOT repeat an outfit and also did NOT check a bag (at whit's request, but im sooo glad i didnt, it worked much better, but id definately do a backpack next time as the rolly wheels of my carryon are annoying in train station booths, etc). so im a pretty expert packer, as you may ascertain from this experience. k thats all.

oh, and....

2008-09-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

ok so apparantely the pics dont show up the same in the blog as when you post them....so ignore my "top left, top right" descriptions in that other post. i suppose you can just figure it out by looking at the pics. you are intelligent people.

pseudo "europe trip post", more to come

2008-09-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

so for those of you who are dying to see pics from the trip (thanks for caring, dana and anne) i will post some quick ones here and then be more thorough later cuz im about to keel over from exhaustion right now. so heres one from each city- top left, murren, switzerland, where i absolutely want to live NOW!! so incredible, like a fairytale, then top right, london-trafalgar square, right by the national gallery, my fave part of london, where i saw incredible paintings including THE monet ive always wanted to see, and many others i didnt know i loved, then bottom left, eating pizza in venice, bottom right, me and whit (my travel buddy) when, after much research and an expensive cab ride, we arrived bright and early at the paris branch for church, and ummm...no one was there. not a soul. there was the plaque with the church name on it, and big huge locked doors. so either they all went inactive or changed the time without letting the website know. anywho, good times. ill post more later peeps, i promise. but it was the best vacation of my life, fyi. :)

three rad weekends in a row and facebook

2008-09-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

ok frik i just gotta do this dang post. i wanted to wait till i had lots of time to make it good but that so is not happening so you'll all (the two or three people that may read this) have to settle for a substandard post. all in all, i had three totally awesome, fun, challenging, unique weekends in a row. and i joined facebook and i got 130 friends in less than a week. i love technology. anywho, so the 3 weeks ago, i got to drive to idaho for the big caldwell fam reunion in island park. got to spend lots of time with the whole fam, play H ball, a rad new game i learned on a pool table, and just enjoy the pristine environment. fairly uneventful, but thoroughly enjoyable. the following weekend was the portland to coast relay. ya that needs its own whole post. basically my team of 11 other ladies and i walked (speed walked, mind you, which can be more tiring and soreness inducing than i ever would have imagined) 127 miles from portland to the coast (umm, hence the name) in relay fashion. it was a huge event and super fun and our silly GPS system literally tried to guide us STRAIGHT OFF A CLIFF! seriously people, i know i just said i love technology, but come on GPS, dont try to kill us humans. it was very comical cuz it did not tell us to turn anywhere that there was actually a road even one time. it was always into the trees or something. ya. so im over GPS systems. (ya, of course it reminded me of the office episode where michael drives the rental into the lake. one of my fave office moments of ALL time) anywho, we successfully made it in 29 hours. so it was fun. then the next weekend i flew to SLC, and drove to poky for the half marathon there. that was fantastic, a great event and im getting better at not spilling powerade on the volunteers as i run by and grab and drink. then i got to go hang out with my sissy and nephy and bro in lawy and help them pack and eat all their food so they didnt have to pack it (its reasonale to have chicken and spaghetti and sandwiches for dinner right?) oh, i cant believe i forgot to mention how i got a free upgrade from a crappy little tin can car which i booked to a rad big nissan Xterra. ya its fun to be single and use my powers of flirtation to get cool stuff. ok so that never happens. i think he felt sorry for me cuz when the nice concierge girl asked if i wanted a bottle of water i responded with "yes, please, im starving!". ya. im retarded. i couldnt remember the word for really super extra thirsty and so thats what came out. anywho, that was my AWESOME weekend trilogy and i think i may keep the streak going cuz right now i gotta go pack cuz im flying to london tomorrow morn for a fun little european tour!! yay. k bye.

Wool Slippers and other marvels or "my fourth post"

2008-08-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

so ever since my mission, where they dont have carpet, i am addicted to slippers. i love them and always wear them at home. and ive gone through many a pair in my day. but i have discovered the cadillac of the slipper world. wool slippers, and more specifically, Haflingers. oh my goodness. i was sceptical. see, i usually get those big compfy squishy slippers which are great for a while, but after a few washes, they get icky and flat and honestly my feet would always get too hot. but i still wore them. well, those of you slipper fans out there who have gone through the same trial, you need not suffer any more. it is amazing how wool makes for the PERFECT temperature foot. they are never hot or cold. and they are so comfy and sturdy and im truly in love. while im on the shoe topic, as far as flip flops go, ive got an incredible brown leather pair of flojos that i bought at hastings video in logan utah like four years ago (an impulse buy, dana and dan, that i have thanked myself for every single day!! so ha!) and they are still by far my favorites and look like new. i seriously wear them constantly in summer and they show no signs of breakin down anytime soon. so i highly recommend them. oh crap, i just somehow busted off the "0" button on my laptop and it now looks ridiculously white trash. crap ive had this laptop for like 6 years and hes my buddy. i cant bear to upgrade but i really dont know if i can tolerate looking at that big gaping icky naked button spot. i wonder if superglue would be bad. jeff, care to advise me? superglue is another one of those marvels i cant live without. it amazes me how it instantly just bonds things together. how do they engineer this stuff? and ive definately glued my fingers together more than several times. oh double frik, i just realized that the "0" button also houses the right parenthesy (how do you spell one parenthasie?) and i use it a lot. curses. when it was just the 0 it wasnt so bad, but parenthasee?!?! come on!!! well, thats all ive got for now.

2008-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

The biggest longest funnest slip n slide ever. my buddy brian has a big ol house on lots of acres and a nice not so gentle slope and he made an amazing slip n slide last weekend. he even dug a huge hole in his backyard and made a big pool at the end. it was AWE-----SOME!

"Tag" or "my third post"

2008-07-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

Rules1: Each player starts with 8 random habits/facts about themselves.2: People who are tagged need to write a post on their blog about their eight things and post these rules.3: At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

1. i am very strongly opposed to chain letters/emails or anything even remotely resembling said entities. However, i must admit i enjoyed reading suzie's and dana's responses to the "tag", and since there was no mention made of any royalty in foreign countries or me receiving a part of their lost fortune in this little tagging game, i decided to give it a go. oh, and im sorry to friends and family who love chain letters and emails, but i only do the bare minimum when it comes to email responses. i have never, will never respond to or forward chain emails. thats just how i roll.

2. i am not much of a board or card game player (id rather just hang out and chat and laugh. sometimes playing games feels like a chore to me. and yes, i can get a little competative and annoying also) but i must say i LOVE the game of scrabble and yes, am a member of the online scrabble community (scrabulous.com), although i havent been able to play in months. theres nothing like when you first see that bingo just appear amongst your letters, and then when you find the absolute PERFECT spot on the board to play it. yes, nerd central, i know.

3. i really look forward to my 20 minute morning commute in to work every day. partly because of the delicious baggie of frozen fruit (sometimes peaches, mango, pineapple, all kinds of berries. i mix it up. how did i never know about frozen fruit before??!) and almonds i eat every single day while driving and cuz its mostly freeway and i can just look around at the beautiful trees and contemplate my life in vancouver, washington. k mostly its cuz of the fruit.

4. i am continually amazed by the power of music in my life and its effect on me. lately ive been investigating (who says that research stops when you finish grad school? im doing some serious experimenting here) the kinds of songs that overcome fatigue and give me that extra drive to keep peddling, running, lifting, pushing, whatever i am doing at the gym or on the road. (currently, the veronicas, some rob zombie, muse, pearl jam, hot chip and the ting tings are the front runners). however, i am also amazed at the incredible workings and little nuances of the human body and how seemingly minor things can really have a huge effect on performance.

5. i cant resist little notebooks. at this very moment a totally adorable little green notebook with an elastic around it is laying on my desk. so cute. so serene. did i have a purpose for it when i bought it? heck no. but i absolutely could NOT resist it.

6. i learned how to make the most amazing jumbalaya yesterday. it was de-freakin-licious. and i really really want to see if i can make a slightly healthier version, cuz truly, good fuel in makes a difference, but i just dont know if its gonna work out. cuz its rather perfect as is.

7. i am known at work for having a different hairstyle every day. yes i get sick of it and have to constantly change it up. i adore bobby pins. i mean, i LOVE them. i am currently sporting the "assymetrical" haircut. ya when i got back from getting it cut, i saw a coworker, and i said, "i decided to try the assymetrical thing" and she said "oh. thats cool. hey wait, one side is longer than the other!" so ive found since i had this cut that assymetrical is apparantely not a commonly understood term. anywho, today i actually pulled out the ol curling iron and had a grand time with it and a headband. yesterday i had "russian day" when i rat my bangs a little and pull em straight back and pin back the sides and wear big earrings and tight pants and i suck in all day. its awesome. ya. i love hair and id be lying if i said i hadnt seriously considered going to beauty school in my spare time and becoming a hairstylist. and yes, i actually researched the cost to put extensions in, all the way down my back. i was absolutely going to do it. but its 2 grand. so i think ill hold off on that one.

8. i never get sick. almost never. and im grateful for that blessing of good health, but come on! i never get to use my sick days at work cuz i cant bring myself to call in fake sick to work. i have used two sick days in my three years here (i broke like a 6 year non sick streak with that), and they dont continue accruing past 10 days! ya its very crappy. ya i know, by posting this im just asking for it. a big ol nasty virus of some sort. yikes. and this tag has officially taken me 4 different sessions over a week to complete. wow.
and ummm....guess im breaking the rules cuz i dont know enough bloggers to tag them. the few i know are the ones who tagged me. so sorry, guess this thing dies with me.

nursing home moments or my "second post"

2008-07-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

so...having gotten the "first post" intro out of the way, theres a bit of pressure as to what topic to delve into for my "second post". well i have been "tagged" (apparentely this is some fun blogging game) by a person who will remain nameless. do not fret, nameless person, i will certainly address this "tagging" issue and post my 8 tidbits, but i just cant do it tonight. my eyes are burning like the dickens cuz i need to take my contacts out and i want to talk about my favorite little nursing home right now. so i just wanted to share a few of my favorite moments from work lately. one of my favorite ladies confirmed something i have always felt and didnt know how to put into words. she wheeled herself down to the beauty shop, which didnt open for another 45 minutes, and was just sitting outside waiting. i asked her if we could go work until it opened and she agreed but really wanted to be there when the beautician got there because "you just dont feel like a person until you get your hair done". it made me chuckle and quite frankly i have to agree. then as we began working and reviewing some things from prior sessions, (ie: her injury- a fractured tailbone, etc) she says "dont break your butt. its terrible". good to know. the other day i was walkin past a lady and saw an hilarious interaction. she was just sitting at her door, watching people go by. totally content. then a worker stops and asks her why shes not wearing her oxygen. she states plainly, of course, that the "cord is too short and doesnt reach....and i want to watch the people go by". THIS WOMAN CHOOSES PEOPLE WATCHING OVER OXYGEN!! ok so if that doesnt make you wanna go visit and cheer up some old folks, well,...you are a horrible person. hahaha. today, the crowning moment was the visit from the llama. oh yes my friends, a llama. Rojo the llama actually. best behaved llama ive ever encountered. he just walked around the circle where all the folks were and they laughed and petted him and just loved it. it was adorable. llamas in the nursing home- whod have thought? anywho, i enjoy my job a great deal. and now i must go take out my contacts before i go blind or something. stay tuned for my "tagged" responses. oh man you guys are so excited for that.

My "First Post"

2008-06-19T23:57:00.001-07:00

Is that what everyone puts for the title of their first post? its reasonable i suppose. well, ya'll, ive not done myspace or facebook or any of those other high faluting (10points for whomever can tell me how to spell faluting. i dont feel like opening another window and going to my favorite dictionary site right now) internet friend site thingys. (k lds linkup doesnt count, right? cuz its like, a mormon thing) but i was chatting with my sister in law and i thought, "what the heck. why not just start your own dang blog?!" so here i am folks. and be forewarned that my typing has evolved over the years into what you see here: minimal puncuation and capitalization. i just never type professional stuff anymore and i rather prefer the lower case. so if you have ocd about that, i suggest not reading my blog. well, this has been a thrilling first blog post experience. i hope you will come back and visit again soon. ill try to put up something interesting.