My new favorite website

FreakingNews has all sorts of fun Photoshopped stuff. Check out these Neckless Celebrities:









They also have political gender change pics:



And all sorts of fun stuff:

Tag . . . you're it!

Wendy tagged me again. But hey guess what!!! This time she isn't the only one who reads my blog, so I actually have other people to tag! Hooray!

FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES-I love shoes, especially dressy ones, but I've decided to just embrace my homeless look, so I'm going with my ratty old tennis shoes.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION- Read more.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW- "Labyrinth" by Elisa. Oddly enough this is the same song I was listening to when I filled out that email survey thing earlier today.

IF YOU HAD $200 TO SPEND ON YOURSELF WHAT WOULD IT BE- Books, books and more books. I would have said fun stuff from Sephora, but $200 wouldn't go very far there.

RANDOM THOUGHT- My eyeball won't stop itching.

FAVORITE PLACE TO GO IN THE CITY YOU LIVE IN- home

THE BOOK YOU ARE READING - I always have several going at the same time. "God Wants a Powerful People" by Sheri L. Dew, "Whitethorn Woods" by Maeve Binchy, "Introduction to Rhetorical Theory" by Gerard A. Hauser (it's as exciting as it sounds!), "The Path of Practice: A Woman's Book of Ayurvedic Healing" by Bri Maya Tiwari, and the BoM.

I tag Traci, Lorri and Rebecca.

Elizabeth's Bakery & Tea Shop

For great British food, you have to try Elizabeth's Bakery & Tea Shop. It's on 6th South and 7th East in Salt Lake. Lorri and I went there the other day for breakfast. I had quiche, crumpets and hot chocolate. She had a beef and onion pie thingy and a soda ('cause she wouldn't be Lorri without a soda, no matter what time of day!). Next door to the Tea Shop is a great store called London Market. They have all sorts of fun stuff, but I'll save that for another post. Here are some pics:



The Cadbury's hot chocolate was some of the best I've ever had.



Lorri's soda and my appropriate breakfast beverage. :)



They had all sorts of yummy food on display.




Lorri is really enjoying the beefiness of her beef pie!



I love quiche!



And crumpets! But not so much pictures of me eating!

Another Grandma find

I found this when I was going through more of my Grandma Brown's things. I love the sound of a "trousseau tea."

Take that!

I came across this clip while I was looking for my favorite movie scenes. It isn't one of my favorite movie scenes, but it might be making it on the list soon. If I don't get in to the school I applied to, this is what I'm going to say to them. Warning: there is a swear! (I'm trying to keep in mind the different people who read this!) I also have to add that Christopher Guest is a genius.

Another movie moment

Hopefully this doesn't post twice. Blogger is having some issues. Or maybe it's my lack of skills. Anyway . . . I love Matthew McConaughey in "Dazed and Confused", and especially in this moment. You have to see this movie. If you're a non R-rated movie watcher like myself as of late, make sure you catch if next time it's on t.v. It also has an awesome soundtrack full of great 70's music.

Shun the non-believer! Shun!

My friend, Cathy, introduced me to the wonder that is Charlie the Unicorn a year ago and I thought I would share the joy and joyness with the rest of you. I've found that you either think it's the stupidest thing you've ever seen or the funniest thing you've ever seen. I hope you enjoy it. Last year for Cathy's birthday we baked her a Candy Mountain cake. It was magnificent.

Part Four, Kinda

O.k., so this isn't from a movie, but t.v. is close enough. This is from "My So-Called Life" which is probably the greatest one season show ever. Seriously. If you have never watched this show, you have to go get it. They just re-released it on DVD with new special features. Other than this scene and pretty much any with Jordan Catalano aka Jared Leto, my favorite moment of the show was in the very first episode where Angela aka Claire Danes is sitting at the dining room table eating dinner with her family and talks about how lately she can't even look at her mother without wanting to stab her repeatedly. That's pretty much how I felt at the time too. (Love ya, Mom!) But anyway, this scene is the best scene of the whole series. I can't even explain it to you if you're a loser and haven't seen it. Go rent/buy it. Once again, the music makes the scene. Are you noticing a theme here?

Part Three

No list of favorite movie moments could possibly be complete without this clip from "Say Anything." "In Your Eyes" is now and will forever be my favorite song because of this moment. Thank you, Lloyd Dobler and Cameron Crowe.

Favorite Movie Moments Part 2

Of all the different versions of Pride and Prejudice, this is my favorite version of this particular scene. I love that they keep getting closer and closer like they're going in for a kiss.

Favorite Movie Moments

Since I watch movies all day, I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite movie moments. This scene is the end of "Wicker Park." The song totally makes the moment. You will never again be able to hear this song without thinking of this movie.

BYU Update

There is no update. I'm going to end up with an ulcer by the time they get around to making a decision. And technically, it's only been a day. They didn't officially log my application as being complete until yesterday. I'm going to end up crazy and with an ulcer.

Idina Menzel

I love me some Idina Menzel. Her new song, I Stand, kinda irritates me though. I loved it at first, but then two lines started to get on my nerves. See the lyrics below. The two lines are "I hope for a hero to save me." and "I don't try and change the world; But what will you make of me?" Why do you need a hero to save you? Save yourself. The whole song is about what you stand for and what you believe in, but then you hope for a hero to save you? Um . . . how about you be the strong woman that you are and just do it yourself instead of waiting and hoping for someone else to do it for you. Then the part about "what will you make of me?" I don't know if I'm just not understanding the lyric correctly, but life shouldn't be about what the world or other people make of us, it should be about what we make of ourselves. And I don't know about the rest of you, but if I can change the world, you best be believing I'm going to do it. Why would you not? Think of all the lives you can change and all the good you can do if you're not sitting around waiting for a hero to save you!

"I Stand"

When you ask me, who I am:
What is my vision? And do I have a plan?
Where is my strength? Have I nothing to say?
I hear the words in my head, but I push them away.

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

And I don't know
What tomorrow brings
The road less traveled
Will it set us free?
Cause we are taking it slow,
These tiny legacies.
I don't try and change the world;
But what will you make of me?

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

With the slightest of breezes
We fall just like leaves
As the rain washes us from the ground
We forget who we are
We can't see in the dark
And we quickly get lost in the crowd

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

I have a new church calling

I have been called to serve in the Primary and I want them to take it back. I finally got the manual tonight and found out who my class is. They split the five year-olds, and I have the boys. This isn't why I don't want the calling though. I may have grown up in the Church, but I'm just rebuilding my life within it. I'm trying to meet people in the ward and build a support network down here in Orem. I'm actually enjoying going to Sunday School and Relief Society and making friends with sisters in the ward, and now I've been banished to the Primary. Or at least that's what it feels like. I know what's going to happen though. I'm going to get there on Sunday and look at all those cute little kids and feel completely horrible that I thought for even one second about not wanting the calling. Kids can melt even the grinchiest of hearts like mine!

So Cupcake Part Two

My boss forced me against my will to go get cupcakes for our team meeting today, so I got to try the lemon flavor! It was pure deliciousness! It's my new favorite. We arrived at an awkward time though. They were doing the ribbon cutting and the Holladay City Commerce something or another people were there, along with Carole Mikita and her camera peeps. I don't know if it'll be on the news tonight, but if you look closely, you might just see me lurking in the background, trying to coerce the frosting lady into selling me some cupcakes even though she didn't know how to use the cash register. I'll be the one with the t-shirt, hoodie and ponytail!

Can you say bitter?

I've been in kind of a bad mood lately, mostly due to factors related to my age and single status. I think I'm over it now, but yesterday I was watching the movie "Bed of Roses" and at the end, where normally I would think "Awwww, that's tender!" I found myself instead thinking "I hope you both get gonorrhea."

It's a miracle!

That's right, a miracle! I went to work today and looked like an adult! My hair was did and I wore a presentable ensemble, including jewelry! Now this may not seem like much of an accomplishment to most people, but I get up at 5 am to make it to work in Salt Lake by 7. Keep in mind that getting up at 5 allows me exactly enough time to put my hair in a ponytail, throw on a t-shirt, hoodie and dress pants. The dress pants are so that I look like I'm wearing business attire and the president of my bank can't get mad at me. But yeah, pretty much every day-a ponytail, t-shirt and a hoodie. They are semi-dressy t-shirts though. So now let's go back to the fact that I didn't look like a bag lady today, and I'm pretty sure that it was a miracle. I have no idea why I am devoting a whole blog entry to this. I was just so proud of myself. It's kind of sad that I'm so amazed at how nice it feels to not go through the day feeling so scummy. In fact, here's a happy face picture for you. Notice the nicely straightened hair. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a picture of my normal homeless look for you to compare the difference.

So Cupcake

A great new shop, So Cupcake, just opened by my place of employment. Technically, the grand opening isn't until tomorrow, but we've already been there three times. They specialize in . . . you guessed it, cupcakes! They have mini and regular sized, and as a favor to my numerous blog readers, I have taken it upon myself to try almost all of the different flavors. I love the cinnamon and sugar, red velvet, blueberry and carrot cake flavors. The strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter are good too, and I haven't tried the lemon or brownie cake yet. Lemon is Cathy's favorite so we keep going back hoping to get that flavor but we keep missing it. We have been assured that they will have lemon tomorrow though. So if you happen to be in the the area tomorrow (39th South and Highland), make sure you stop by-they'll be giving out free mini cupcakes to celebrate their opening.







Cathy without a lemon cupcake.

And finally

This is pretty much how the weekend felt . . .

. . . like a whirlwind passing me by. It went by way too fast. And yes, that is Ashley, and that is the speed she moves at pretty much all the time!

More fun with Ashley

I spent forever trying to get a good picture of Ashley. She either wouldn't hold still or wouldn't smile nicely.













Then she wanted to take silly pictures.





There was another one that was a close up of her nostril, but I thought I would spare you.

Weekend with the nieces

Without fail, I always forget to take pictures until the very last day that the girls are here, and then I just take a few because I'll be mad at myself if I don't.

Sariah, all bundled up to go outside



The toy box was immediately dumped out all over the living room floor when they got here.



This is a horrible picture, but if it only had sound, you would die laughing. Ashley was trying on new clothes, and when she takes her clothes off, she runs around screaming "It's a naked baby! It's a naked baby!"



Mmmm . . . Cheerios are delicious!



And just for fun, a nasty string of spit hanging from Darcy's mouth. Make sure you click to make it bigger!

Pizzeria Seven Twelve

Last week I went to Pizzeria Seven Twelve with the fam. Since we had never been there before, we decided to try several different things:

Braised beef shortribs, with anson mills polenta and horseradish cream. I realize that appetizers are supposed to be small, but this was basically one shortrib on a bed of polenta. It was really yummy though. This was probably my favorite dish so it would have been really nice if we had been able to have had more than one bite each.

Another appetizer (or maybe it was a salad) that isn't on their online menu, but had sweet potatoes, pecans, and greens (or as I like to call them, weeds). This one was really good too. I highly recommend it. This might actually be the first salad on the menu, with the squash, but I don't think so.

Roasted beets, house made ricotta, endive, walnuts, tarragon. Mmmm, beets. I had never in my life had beets until I went to Vegas a month and a half ago, but now I love them. They taste like dirt, but in a good way.

There was another salad too that doesn't appear to be on the online menu. It had blue cheese in it I think. It was good too. It had weeds in it also. Maybe I'm confused about the salads and what is and is not on the menu. Oh well. I would venture to say that you could pick anything on the menu and it would probably be tasty.

Pizza with roasted fennel, house made sausage and mozzarella. Very tasty, but its deliciousness was slightly dampered by Mark remarking that the roasted fennel looked like dead bugs.

Pizza with speck, soppressata, garlic and mozzarella. I think we all liked this pizza the best. Speck is a kind of prosciutto, and sopressatta is salami type sausage.

So, all the food was delicious, but I think Mark was a little disappointed because he was expecting more of a typical pizza place, and this was a fancy schmancy pizza place with ingredients we had never heard of. He may have been happier staying home with a frozen Totino's. Also, other than the pizzas, the portion sizes are really small. Don't think that you can order just a salad and have that be your meal. Actually, maybe you're a size two and you can actually do that. If so, good for you and I hope you choke on a mouthful of beets!

It's finished

The BYU application is complete and out of my hands. Well, actually, all I had to do was turn in an Ecclesiastical Endorsement, but it's done, and almost a full two weeks before the deadline! Usually I turn things in the day before or the day of. Despite what people say, I still don't think they're going to let me back in, but I'll let everyone know what happens. Or I won't say anything and you'll know it was a big, fat rejection!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The girls will be here tomorrow! I can't wait!

Christmas 1982

I love this picture because really, what says Christmas like a facemask and a bottle of liquor? Wendy, were your Christmases with Grandpa Brown anything like this?

He can fly!

Mark went to a costume dance tonight and dressed up as Peter Pan.



Doesn't he have great legs!!!



This was my favorite pose but it turned out kinda blurry.

We were tough

They were "special spirits"

On my drive home from work today (which, by the way, seems to be getting longer and longer), I was reminiscing about the Singles Ward I attended before I moved back to Orem. I thought I would share two special memories with you.


1. A guy who we'll call Creepy J, cornered me in the hallway and used what may be the greatest LDS pick-up line ever: "Have you met President Monson? 'Cause I have." I thought I was special, but apparently he uses that line on all the girls.

2. We did an activity called Girlfriend/Boyfriend for Five Weeks. Basically you were matched up with someone and you went out once a week for five weeks and then played a game at the end to see who got to know each other the best. I was paired up with The Aviator. Where do I even begin? He picked me up forty-five minutes late, immediately looked me up and down and realized I was not his normal type (skinny and blond). We went to meet another couple to play Frisbee Golf and I have driven with many crappy drivers in my life, but never have I feared for my life as I did with him. We were weaving in and out of traffic on the freeway, going abnormal speeds, etc. I was seriously holding on for dear life. During this time, the conversation went something like this:

(Picture his lines being said in a suave, soap opera-y way. Not that they were actually said this way, but it makes it more fun.)

Him: Did you sing in your high school choir?
Me: Nope.
Him: Well I did.

Him: Do you play any sports?
Me: Nope. (In my head I was laughing and thinking what a funny joke that was!)
Him: Well I play soccer for my college.

Him: Have you ever been to Ireland?
Me: Nope.
Him: Well I have.

Him: Have you ever been to Australia?
Me: Nope.
Him: Well I have.

Him: Have you ever hied to Kolob?
Me: Nope.
Him: Well I have.

O.k., well maybe not that last one, but you get my point. So we get to the Frisbee Golf place and pretty much I suck. Fortunately, so does the other girl, so The Aviator and his BFF play ahead and we're left behind. She was actually really nice. The BFF was too. It was just The Aviator who wasn't. So after what felt like fifty-six hours of stupid Frisbee Golf which, by the way, is not a sport (sorry, Cathy), we went to dinner. Dinner was better because I could talk to the other two, although The Aviator did have to throw in all the other places he's been to, and all the Broadway plays he's seen, and how he regularly wrestles with alligators. Dinner ends and as we recklessly sped out of the parking lot, there was apparently a cop behind us. I did not actually see the cop as I was too distracted by the fact that The Aviator looked over at me and said, and I quote, "Do you mind if I run from the cops?" And he did. Needless to say the rest of the drive home was a bit awkward. When we finally got back to my place he started opening his car door to walk me to the front door, but I just said bye and hopped out as fast as I could. We never spoke again.

I should probably mention that I call him The Aviator because he is currently in flight school. A bonus of flight school is that apparently you can tell which direction clouds are coming from and what the chances are of them pouring rain on your game of Frisbee Golf.

An explanation

I just wanted to explain why I included New Kids on the Block on my gratitude list. I'm realizing after the fact that it sounds kind of weird. It's because my cousin, Erin, and I were huge NKOTB (yes, I did just use the abbreviation!) fans back in the day, and when I wrote the gratitude list, we had been emailing about how there is supposedly a reunion in the works. So I don't actually sit around listening to their music anymore, but the thought of a reunion tour makes me happy. I never got to see them when they were popular, so you better believe I will be there this time around with an I heart Jordan t-shirt and everything! I wonder if I could fashion some sort of faux rattail like all the guys used to have. Hmmm . . .

Oh, and while we're on the subject (since we probably never ever will be again), my mom was going through all our movies, and you'll never guess what she found . . . my New Kids "Step By Step" video. Ahhhh . . . the memories are just flooding back!

Because I know you care . . .

Here are a couple pictures from when I was 5 (1986) and I was sent to a YMCA day camp called Kimball Camp. I went there several years, and if I recall correctly, we did sing Kumbaya. I think the look on my face in the first picture perfectly sums up my opinion of camp in general. Also, you may not be able to tell, but I'm wearing open-toed, white jelly shoes with white socks. I'm not sure if this is because I dressed myself that day, or if my mom fell victim to the 80s whilst choosing my ensemble.

The Hinckley Challenge

I found a great website, The Hinckley Challenge, that challenges you to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days in honor of President Hinckley's 97 years. Technically the challenge started on February 4 and ends May 10, but I think the website actually offers reading tracking all the time for free. You just go in each day and put in how much you've read and it makes you your own little graph. So . . . even though you may be starting late like I am, I still think it's a great idea to to re-read the Book of Mormon in honor of President Hinckley. I'm pretty sure if he could choose one thing that each of us would do to remember him, that would be it.

I needed a picture

There were too many posts without pictures, so I thought I'd throw this in. This is from Christmas 1988. We were all pretty stylin' back then!



It doesn't go much bigger than this-sorry.

Thought of the day

"Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good and worthwhile things. Believe in the nature within you, the divine nature, that you are in very deed a son or daughter of the living God. There is something of divinity within you, something that stands high and tall and noble. Get above the dirt and the filth of the earth and walk on a higher plane with your heads up, believing in yourselves and in your capacity to act for good in the world and make a difference."

Gordon B. Hinckley
"Stand a Little Taller"

My two cents worth: It is really, really hard sometimes to be above the dirt and filth of the earth and walk on a higher plane. I tend to let things get to me WAY too easily and become bitter, cynical, sarcastic, gossipy, rude, vicious, and basically just not a nice person. This is definitely something I am trying to work on. I want people to be better for having known me, not just think yeah, she was pretty funny, but also kinda mean sometimes. I'm trying really, really hard to watch my sarcasm and not to make jokes so much at the expense of other people. It really just isn't helpful. Actually, negativity in general just is not helpful at all. I'm going to try my hardest to be more positive and uplifting.

an iTunes education

Most people have iPods, but very few of those people are aware of all of the great things that are available through the iTunes store for free. If you go to Podcasts you can download all sorts of great stuff like foreign language lessons, news radio, pop culture info, etc. I did a couple of searches for "LDS" and "Mormon" and found some great sites like LDS Women's Book Review, The Ensign (just the articles each month read aloud), and LDS Voices. It's really nice to be able to listen to gospel-centered literature, music and discussions at work. I've gotten some really great book ideas from LDS Women's Book Review. They also have a website with book suggestions, but half of the fun is listening to the ladies chit chat.

There is also another section called iTunes U, which has class lectures, speeches, etc., from many different universities all over the country. The other day I listened to "Title IX at 35: A Conversation with Billie Jean King," which was a great forum recorded at Stanford. Some other ones I've downloaded but haven't listened to yet are "The Heart of Nonviolence: A Conversation With the Dalai Lama," "Iraqi Women's Ordeal Under Occupation," and "Poetry and Peace," with Maxine Hong Kingston.

Seeing as how iTunes has exorbitant prices for everything else, I would highly recommend that you take advantage of all of the great free stuff that they offer.

I couldn't not share this . . .

I've been going through old papers that my grandparents saved, and I came across this letter that my grandpa, Clark Brown, wrote to my grandma, Ellen Walker Brown. It's dated February 12, 1972. My dad said this was shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in April 1973.


Dear Ellen,
It has been a long time since I wrote you a letter. May I take the occasion of this Valentine Day to express my thoughts to you?
Perhaps you will recall that it was on another Valentine Day twenty-six years ago when you were living in Provo that I sent you those first red roses.
Much has transpired during the intervening years. There were those few carefree, happy days when we were first together in Long Beach. There was that December night when I watched the stars dancing in your eyes after you accepted the ring from me. There was the joyful day when you and I knelt across the altar in the Salt Lake Temple and pledged ourselves to each other for time and all eternity. And, of all the brides there, you were the loveliest, the most wonderful.
Then followed those years of struggle when we labored together to establish our home. I had little money and it pained me that I could not give you the nice things I would have liked you to have. But, through it all, we loved each other; and I could not have been happier, for all my world revolved about you.
And then came the children to make our little world complete. How proud I've been of them and how grateful that you are their mother!
As I have watched couples whom we know, and seen many of their marriages falter, I have come to realize, Ellen, what a rare and wonderful thing your love has been.
You have always been kind, gentle, helpful, understanding, patient, forgiving, faithful and true. Your love has been new and fresh each day. You have kissed away the dark hours and calmed my troubled mind.
You have sustained me in all I have undertaken and have ever sought to push me onward and upward to good things. You have made me a better man. You have strengthened my determination to so live that we may be together always.
You have ever been willing to sacrifice your own desires for others, to go out of your way to make others happy.
Your love has been like the gold of the sunlight, the matchless colors of the flowers, the melody of a lovely song, the deep, silent beauty of a precious gem-a steadfast, noble love.
You have been everything for which I have yearned. You belong to my heart, now and forever.
And so, my beloved, on this Valentine Day, I salute you and pray that for you "the morning breaks and the shadows flee away."

Yours always,
Clark


I still can't read this letter without getting teary-eyed. Once again, I am reminded how wonderful it is that we can be together for eternity, and not just for this lifetime. None of us grandkids ever got to meet our Grandma. Shane, the oldest grandchild in the family, was born I think just a few months after she died. I still get teary-eyed every time I think about meeting her some day. I'm pretty sure there won't ever be a time when this doesn't happen. Maybe it seems weird to some people that I love and feel so close to someone whom I've never met, but I really do feel my ancestors around me all the time. I know they're on the other side cheering me on, and I'm sure I did the same for them when they were here.

Phew! Sorry about the two emotional posts-it's just been one of those days!

P.S. I can't figure out how to properly indent/separate the paragraphs on this post. I've tried putting lines in between the paragraphs indenting, and using spaces, but nothing stays once I publish the post. Grrr.

Better late than never

I'm a little late with my President Hinckley post, but I guess it's taken me a little while to gather all my thoughts together. I have to say that I am so very, very happy for him. I can't even begin to imagine how joyful his reunion with Marjorie was. It's so sad to think of people who don't believe in life after death. I can't imagine being with my family for only this life.

President Hinckley holds a special place in my heart, not just because he has been the Prophet longer than anyone else in my lifetime, but because when I first started thinking about coming back to the Church, I read his biography. There have been few times that I have felt the Spirit so strongly as when I was reading that book. It was exactly what I needed to read at exactly the right time. For most people contemplating membership in the Church, they probably feel the Spirit most when they read the Book of Mormon, but I was a little different. I had grown up in the Church and pretty much knew it was true, but I just didn't know if I wanted to be a part of it. I struggled a lot with whether I would ever be good enough, how the Church could be perfect but the people so imperfect, whether I was being judged, etc., etc. Reading about President Hinckley and his family gave me hope and made me feel loved. It made me feel like everything would turn out o.k. and that I'm not perfect, but I'm not expected to be yet. I'm just expected to keep trying and keep taking the next step in the right direction.

I had better be honest, though-it was about another year after reading his biography that I actually did start going back to church on a semi-regular basis, which was a little over a year ago from today. Considering what I've been through the last six or seven years, it's weird for me to say this, but this past year has been one of the hardest years of my life. Every step of the way though, whether it was in General Conference, or the Ensign, or an old talk on BYU TV, President Hinckley was there with me, saying exactly what I needed to hear in order to either take the next right step, or more likely, get myself back on track and where I needed to be. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today spiritually if it were not for President Hinckley and his example. Words cannot express how grateful I am for him and how selfishly sad I am that he is gone.

I love President Monson too, though, and I'm praying for him because I'm sure he's overwhelmed with the huge shoes he has to fill. I think he's up to the task. I'll bet he has lots of stories, even gospel stories, we haven't even heard yet!

Gratitude List

I've been sick lately and feeling pretty crappy, which always brings me down. To combat the pity party, I like to do a gratitude list every day. I usually stop when I'm feeling better, but I really should just keep going. It's kind of like praying-it's easy to remember to pray when things aren't going well, but it isn't always easy to remember when things are good. So anyway, I thought I would share today's gratitude list with everyone (meaning the two or three of you who read my blog!). Most, if not all of the things on my lists are little things, since they're the easiest things to overlook.

1. Comfortable pillows that support your head and neck just right.
2. Good conditioner
3. Refrigerated water
4. Tennis shoes
5. Fun, colorful socks
6. New Kids on the Block (don't hate, participate!)
7. Clearance sales at Old Navy
8. Siblings who I actually enjoy spending time with.
9. Aveeno lotion
10. Sweats
11. Going to bed early
12. Nephi and his goodly parents
13. Inspiring music
14. Fun post-its and notepads
15. Hair bands that wrap around my pony tail a perfect four times. (a little OCD coming out!)
16. Quiet
17. Books
18. Friends I know I can always count on.
19. Big purses to hold all the stuff I think I can't live without.
20. Perfume
21. Amanda Bynes
22. Waking up before my alarm goes off
23. Pretty eyeshadow
24. Children in general
25. Email forwards
26. Good pizza
27. Modern medicine
28. Good examples
29. Genealogy
30. Knowing the truth
31. Keeping in touch with old friends
32. Seeing the blogs of people who I went to high school with, but was not friends with, and being happy that they're happy, instead of bitter because they were popular and I wasn't.
33. Being an adult
34. Wheat
35. Having President Hinckley be the prophet for most of my growing up years.
36. People who use their talents
37. Museums
38. Clean clothes
39. Green olives stuffed with anchovies
40. Old photographs
41. Dwight from "The Office"
42. Closed-toed shoes in the winter so I don't have to paint my toenails
43. PBS
44. Being able to put on my make-up in five minutes or less
45. Older Disney movies
46. Calendars with pretty pictures
47. Laura Ingalls Wilder
48. Dental floss
49. Colored pencils
50. 100 Calorie Packs of Cheetos Asteroids

My favorite pancakes

This is my new favorite breakfast food. Considering the healthiness factor, I think you will be amazed at how much better than plain pancakes they are. It's also a great food storage recipe.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

1 c. wheat
1 c. milk
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil

Toss it all together in the blender and blend for five minutes.

Those are the official directions. When I make them, though, I never have buttermilk, so I use regular milk with a little lemon juice. I also add a banana (I'm told applesauce is good too), and take out half the oil and use flaxseed meal. Also, I normally am all about scraping the last of things from the bowl, but in this case, don't use the last little bit at the bottom of the blender. I did this last week and the last pancake was basically chunks of wheat held together with a little bit of pancake. Not so tasty.

My little Lizzie-kins

Little Miss Lizzie likes to hop up on my bed and lie with her head on my pillow. She won't do this when I'm in the room though. She waits until I leave, but I leave the the light on and the door open so she knows I'm coming back, then she jumps up there. When I walk back in and see her there, she looks at me with delight and wags her tail furiously as though she has just performed an amazing trick. This picture is after the furious tail wagging, and now she's just looking at me like I need to leave her the heck alone. And before you ask . . . yes, my bed is always unmade like that and yes, having a dog in your bed is unsanitary. Get over it. I also feel compelled to point out the fact that there are three different pillowcases in use here.

Now you gotta cut loose, footloose!

Here's Mark all dressed up for a masquerade dance at his school last weekend. Those are my mom's white trouser socks.

Interesting . . .

I am currently reading "The Coming of the Lord" by Gerald N. Lund. In it he quotes Charles W. Penrose from the September 19, 1859 edition of "The Millennial Star." Referring to the Second Coming, he writes, "new diseases will silently eat their ghastly way through the ranks of the wicked; the earth, soaked with gore and defiled with the filthiness of her inhabitants, will begin to withhold her fruits in their season; the waves of the sea will heave themselves beyond their bounds . . ." Hmmm . . . this brings to mine such things as the bird flu, the tsunami, and the fact that there is no wheat seed crop for this year because it failed last year. It's always interesting to read things like this and see that it's actually happening.

This better work . . .

I bought this teeth whitening kit . . .

and I'm starting it tonight. I have great hopes for it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ashley the photographer

Here are a couple pictures that Ashley took when I was down there a couple weeks ago. My dad would be so proud of her skillz!

Traci and Carson

This is a picture of my friend, Traci, and her baby boy, Carson. My trip to Vegas earlier this month was to go to the baby blessing. Traci and I were roommates in the dorms our Freshmen year, and then a couple years later we lived together again. Traci has seen my yucky side (remember when the power went out and you guys were all singing in the next room?) and is still friends with me!!! She also rescued me when I rolled over in bed and popped something in my neck. Our rooms shared a wall, so I had to pound on the wall really early in the morning to wake her up because I couldn't get up by myself. The second time we were roommates she was studying for the LSAT and I was just not going to class, so we would watch TLC all day. I have many fond memories of "A Baby Story," "A Wedding Story," and I think "A Dating Story." Ahh . . . good times skipping class and watching t.v.!

My Halloween costume for next year

What/who does this remind you of?

Apparently Clay Aiken is going to be in Spamalot on Broadway. His hair and costume remind me of someone/something, but I don't know what. Any thoughts? A leprechaun, perhaps? A refined, dignified leprechaun, though. Actually, it kind of looks like one of those cardboard cut-outs you stand behind with just your head poking out of the top, and maybe there's a twelve year-old girl standing behind this one.

Ashley likes gum

Since Traci gave me grief today about not updating my blog (despite the fact that she hasn't updated hers since New Year's), here's a post for you. Ashley likes gum. She likes it a lot. She's really good about not swallowing it and spitting it out in the garbage when she's done. Well, most of the time. It did mysteriously disappear once when we were shopping. I never did figure out what happened to it. She must've accidentally swallowed it or something.

Christian Slater

Another movie I have watched recently . . . "Bed of Roses." Does anyone remember back in the day when he was totally hot? He always played the damaged, quiet guy. He was great, but yet always underestimated. Here are my top Christian Slater movies, in no particular order. O.k., really they're the only ones I can remember that he was in. I'm sure there are lots more though.

1. Bed of Roses
2. Heathers
3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
4. Pump Up the Volume
5. That one movie with Marisa Tomei where he had a baboon heart.
6. Ummm . . . that one movie where he was a cop or something. Kuffs, I think?


Wendy-do you remember how we watched "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and I was scared to go to sleep because I thought the crazy witch lady would pop out from behind the couch? That was way back when it was fun to try to stay up all night and watch movies. I don't last much past 10ish these days, and that's only on weekends. Weeknights I'm out by 9, but that's just 'cause I get up at 5. I have to have my eight hours or I'm a nasty, horrible person. More so than usual.

Blog stalking

I've added more blogs to the lists of people I blog stalk. I hope people don't think it's creepy, but you know what-if you don't want people looking at your blog, you should probably not have a blog, seeing as how the internet is made for people to look at it and gasp! is a public domain. If you don't want people looking, write in a journal or something. I wonder if I have a blog stalker. Probably not, but maybe if I wish for it hard enough, I will someday! :)

Oh, and I also added a list of my favorite websites.

Vegas, baby

I'm going to Vegas tomorrow to see my brother's family and go to a friend's baby blessing. I'm totally excited . . . to go to Sephora. And see my nieces. I really hope everyone out there has discovered Sephora and enjoys it as much as I do. I plan on purchasing the following:

Philosophy Melon Daquiri 3-in-1 stuff I want some other scents too, but I don't know which ones yet. Melon Daquiri is the best ever, though. I first tried it in 2004, and I've been addicted to it ever since.

Diorshow Mascara They actually have a brown color, instead of black-brown, which just looks like black.

I also want a new perfume. I really need a refill on my Vera Wang, but I think I want something new and exciting instead. I have no idea what, though. I need suggestions.

I realize that probably no one really cares what I buy at Sephora, but if you know me at all, you know I enjoy beauty products and like to possess lots of them. They make me happy.

I'm flying back on Thursday, and I'm sure I will have lots of pictures to post then. I hope I will. In reality though, I probably won't even get the camera out until the very last day when I realize I haven't taken any pictures yet.

Another list. I like lists

Here are some movies I've watched lately, because that's pretty much what I do all day at work. Nice, huh! Some of these are new, some are oldies but goodies.

"Waitress"
Cute movie, but kind of anti-climactic.

"Return to Peyton Place"
I love old movies that were totally scandalous at the time. I actually found this DVD at FYE for like five bucks. I love the used movie section at FYE. I keep wanting to call it EFY though.

"Labyrinth"
Great movie. We used to quote it in high school.

"The Bourne Ultimatum"
Love, love, love these movies. Time flies when I watch them and I get tons of work done because I'm so into the movie. They best be making a fourth one.

"Stardust"
I watched this on my iPod (like all the others), and it was o.k., but I want to watch it on a regular sized screen because I think I missed a lot. It looked like it would be pretty cool if you could really look at it.

"The Rescuers"
Another FYE find, although not used. I was so excited. I loved this movie growing up, but I haven't seen it in years. I totally teared up in several places. I had forgotten how traumatic the old Disney movies can be. Seriously, like when Medusa tells Penny she'll never be adopted because no one will want her . . . totally cried. They would never put that in a Disney movie now.

"Darby O'Gill and the Little People"
I love it when all the leprechauns do their little dance. It's hilarious. I really want "The Gnome-Mobile" but it's always sold out.

So yeah, that's some of what I've been watching the last little bit. Kind of sad, really.

There . . . are you happy now?

So apparently the one person who actually reads my blog would like me to actually update it. Wendy, your wish is my command. One of my New Year's Goals (I don't like the word resolutions, it sounds serious, like you actually have to do it), is to read more. I have a habit of buying lots and lots of books, but then never actually reading them. Since the last few weeks have blurred together and I don't know what I read in 2007 versus 2008, here's a list of books I've read recently:

"Digging to America" by Anne Tyler
Babies being adopted from Korea by American and Iranian families.

"Dead Sleep" by Greg Iles
A basic suspense novel. I've read several of his books, and they've all been very entertaining. They would make great beach or airplane books.

"The Dark Queen" by Susan Carroll
To quote the back of the book, it is "A fabulous, feminist fantasy." It was pretty good.

"Hard Row" by Margaret Maron
She's one of my favorite authors. She has two series, and then a few not related books. This one is from the Judge Knott series-mysteries set in North Carolina. These books always make me want to eat Southern food. Mmmmmm.

"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert
Everyone has probably already read this, but I'm a little behind. If you haven't read it though, you really must. It was very inspiring, but mostly in that it made me want some gelato and pasta.

"T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton
Another one of my favorite authors. Not exactly great literature, but to be honest, most of the time I would rather just be entertained. This one wasn't quite as good as some of her others.