When life gives you lemons...

THROW THEM AGAINST A BRICK WALL.

Trust me. It will make you feel better.

And the post I'm about to write will make you feel SO much better about your own life.

THE TOP FIVE REASONS I CANNOT WAIT FOR 2008 TO BE OVER!!!!!!!!

Starting with the most recent.

5. I lost my job today. That's right. Fired. For NO apparent reason. Oh yeah, except that my boss said "You're heart just isn't in it." Anyone who knows me can argue that point. I don't think my boss knew how many nights I lay awake wondering what I could do better. Wondering what more I could do to help my clients. No, instead she fires me, after implementing a new service plan tracking system that I invented. That's right. Thanks for the new form you made up. Now give me your badge. But...this IS the state. And for the first year of employment, your boss can technically fire you just because they feel like it. But is that ethical? You can BET that I'm working with HR to get my answers. This girl does not go down without a fight, as bruised and broken as she may end up. It will be worth it just to have some closure.

4. I lost so many special people in my life. Most of all my amazing brother in law Sean. I miss him SO much. It breaks my heart every day to know that he isn't going to be at the next family function. That Thanksgiving and Christmas this year will be missing one of the most special members of this family. Christmas definitely won't be the same. Not only that but my sweet Grandma Boulter died this year too. I miss her terribly, also. She was such a special lady, much too good for this world.

3. The economy SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do I need to expound on this? Or are we all in agreement that something is horribly wrong?!?!?!? Ok yeah. I know that it's not going to magically get better over night on December 31, but a girl can dream, right?

2. When it's 2009, I will only be 2 years away from my Masters. Not 2 1/2. Yeah, that's a stretch. But it's something I am VERY excited about! That will just make me that much closer to being a school counselor!! Yay!

1. My other sister will finally be marrying her fiance in 2009. Finally. Stop living in sin and get married already! Sheesh! Although because of my job loss, Scott and I won't be able to attend the wedding IN CANCUN, so 2009 is going to suck a little bit too....maybe I should have just left this one off.

Okay so I have a LOT more than five reasons. This originally started as a top ten list, but I shortened it for anyone who might actually read it. I really never thought I would know heart ache like I have felt this year. And so many different kinds - from the sorrow of losing a loved one, to the pain of being let go from a job and put back into financial crisis, to the anguish of seeing everyone you know have babies of their own and knowing that it won't be a likely possibility for me.

Despite all the negativity, though, I can't help but make mention of my lifelines - my incredible husband, who always makes me his number one priority and lifts my spirits when I am crushed into pieces, and my amazing family - my sister Amy, who is by FAR the world's best sister. She has made me feel so much better about my life on so many different occasions, all the while losing her amazing husband and having to raise her son on her own. She's one outstanding human being. My parents are pretty freaking awesome also. They always know the right things to say and just when to say them.

Life is full of crap. We wade through it, usually barefoot, for most of our lives. We're handed more lemons than we can hold. Which is why I say screw lemonade - throw those lemons as hard as you can against that brick wall. Watch them smash into pieces. You WILL feel better. Life is tough. But who ever said learning was easy?

Nature: The World's Cure for Bad Moods!

Last weekend, Scottie and I went up to Midway to spend some time with my sister, my nephew and my parents. That morning before we left, everything that could go wrong did, and I was in the WORST mood. Then we got to Midway where I had a meeting for school that went, well, okay. But I was already frustrated. And it just got worse. Everything was just making me mad. I hate being mad. So when Amy suggested that we all go out to the golf course and feed the ducks, I decided that things could only get better. And they did.

First we went to the golf course, where there is a HUGE pond filled with ducks. And one goose. We fed them some old hot dog buns and laughed at them as they fought over the bread. It really started to make me feel better.

The ducks!

Next we decided to go to the hot springs, because we haven't been there for years, and Scottie and our nephew had never seen them. We luckily remembered where they were, and we hiked down the muddy hill to nature's hot tub! I used to love going to the hot springs when I was in high school, and I was so happy to hear that the city had cleaned them up and made them a nicer place to visit! We didn't get in, of course, because we didn't have swimming suits or anything, but Amy put her feet in and we put our hands in.

This picture makes me laugh. We were both looking at the camera but as I pushed the button, we turned, and this is what was captured!


So steamy!!

On the way back to Amy's house, she decided to take a drive up Memorial Hill. A couple years ago, they totally redid Memorial Hill and made it a beautiful tribute to the soldiers from Wasatch County that have fought for our country in the various wars. They've installed wonderful plaques and a Final Salute statue. It's really a very special place.


The flags on top of the monument


One of the MANY lists of soldiers from Wasatch County that have fought in the wars

Flags!

The main plaque

Final Salute

My attempt at taking a panoramic picture of the views from Memorial Hill

After visiting these wonderful places, I couldn't be in a bad mood anymore. We finished the night by playing Apples to Apples and having brownies and ice cream! I started to wonder why I hadn't spent more time visiting these places while I lived in Midway, but I'm glad I live close enough to visit them again soon!

Lucky Seven

Heather tagged me. So here it is: the Lucky Seven post!!

Seven things I can do:
1. I can sing, and I LOVE to. I miss the days when I used to sing all the time for people - whether in choir or church- now I only sing for my husband and myself...the steering wheel is my biggest fan!
2. I can BS my way through any class. Except math. I am really good at writing an A paper in a couple hours - for example I have a 5 page paper due tomorrow before 6 that I haven't started!!
3. I can sit and listen to people talk about their issues for hours. It's not the easiest thing to do, but I don't mind it so much.
4. I can move my ears, flare my nostrils, make my tongue into a clover, and move each of my eyebrows one at a time! My face is kinda freaky...
5. I can play the piano by ear - I'm not so great at reading notes. It's a lot easier for me to learn a song by hearing it rather than reading the sheet music. Yesterday I learned to play Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park and Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade. But I rarely play in front of anyone but my family.
6. I can pop my right shoulder in and out of the socket at any given moment, thanks to a track injury when I was 14!
7. I can discuss my religion with just about anyone! I have studied the LDS religion so in depth, and I am more than happy to answer even the most outrageous of questions!

Seven things I cannot do:
1. I can't stick with any diet I try. I've never been able to. If I want to lose weight, I have to exercise longer than the day is long. The only time I've ever lost a lot of weight is when I rode a bike for 20 miles a day in the Wisconsin heat.
2. I can't run. Literally. I can't.
3. I can't remember a lot of things. I have a horrible memory. People get frustrated when they try to reminisce with me, because most of the time I just sit there with a blank stare until I say, "Yeah, I don't remember that. Are you sure I was there?"
4. I can't stand to have my fingernails or toenails painted. Drives me insane
5. I can't chew gum without getting sick.
6. Speaking of getting sick, I can't handle Novocain. I ALWAYS throw up on my dentist. He hates me.
7. I can't sew. If you could see my slacks that I'm wearing, it would be painfully obvious. From the hem sewn with white thread (yeah, the pants are black), to the seam in the back that is totally crooked, it's just sad. I know, I should just buy new ones....

Seven things that attracted me to my husband:
1. How ridiculously funny he is. I can never stay mad at him, because he always finds a way to make me laugh.
2. His beautiful, red, spiky hair. I always said I'd never date a redhead, but now I can't imagine it being any other way. His hair is awesome.
3. His work ethic. He has worked so hard for our little family. He will work long hours at a hard job and then work overtime just to make sure we'll make it. It's such an admirable quality.
4. His spirituality. He has the most amazing testimony of the gospel. He has such a love and admiration for Jesus Christ, and he is always reminding me to write the tithing check. He can quote any given scripture on demand, and when he sings the hymns at church, his sweet little voice singing his praises just makes me smile and tear up. He is SO amazing.
5. He is the most sincere person I have ever met. Every day he tells me I'm beautiful, and he means it. I still don't think he knows just how much that means to me.
6. He honors his mother. I don't share this with a lot of people, but I always knew I'd recognize the man I was supposed to marry from the way he treats his mother. The day I met his family for the first time, I knew I'd marry him. He has such a respect and love for his family - he'd drop everything he was doing if one of them needed his help.
7. The way we think so much alike! We have very similar ways of thinking, and from the beginning of our relationship we could always tell what the other is thinking from just a look. And we also have similar senses of humor - on our honeymoon we began talking in an accent just outside of Vegas and didn't stop until we reached Provo - and we thought it was SO funny. Anyone listening to any of our conversations would just think we were totally insane, but we just "get" each other, if you know what I mean.

Seven things I most often say:
1. "Dillweed" Anyone who does something really dumb or lame is an automatic dillweed in my book.
2. "Are you freaking kidding me??" It's my phrase of choice when I'm mad.
3. "Check this out -it's highlarious!" I tend to come across a lot of funny stuff...and if something is really funny, it's not just hilarious. it's HIGHlarious. I'm pretty sure I picked that one up in college.
4. "True dat" I don't know how or why, but it just happened.
5. "I love you" I say it every day to my husband and my mama
6. "Seriously." I say it all the time. Seriously.
7. "Ridiculous." Ridiculous = stupid. I don't really like the word stupid. So ridiculous took it's place.

Seven celebrity admirations:
1. Jennifer Aniston. I know as a person she's kinda lame, but I love her on Friends. And I think she's absolutely gorgeous.
2. Tom Hanks. He's such a genius. And he's so family friendly! And SO versatile!
3. Ewan McGregor. Because he can sing and he's HOT! haha
4. Rivers Cuomo - he puts on an awesome show and I've never heard a Weezer song I didn't like.
5. William Peterson. Okay it's really Gil Grissom that I find amazing. But William Peterson plays him. So he makes the list.
6. Rachel McAdams. Because I want to be her.
7. Stephenie Meyer. Cliche, I know. But I really think she's very talented.

Seven favorite foods:
1. Cheeseburgers
2. Cheesecake
3. Salad with Blue Cheese
4. Smarties (not really food, but ya know).
5. French Toast
6. Turkey Bacon sandwich from Gourmandise Bakery
7. Brats!!

Seven people I tag:
1. April (which means you HAVE TO DO IT!!! )
2. Allison
3. Celena
4. Schuyler
5. Trisha
6. Allie
7. Nancy

More Halloween Fun!

Since Scottie had to work a double shift of Halloween, I was asked to go to Park City with my sister, her fiance and some of her friends. My main reason for going was to be the designated driver, but really I didn't have much else to do and I thought it might be kind of fun. So I dressed up as a punk rock chick (ya know, my alter ego), and off we went to Park City!

We first went to a bar called the Side Car. There was a live band playing that really wasn't very good, and there weren't very many people there. So we went across the street to The Spur, where the band The Clumsy Lovers were playing. They call their music "Raging Celtic Bluegrass Rock" and that seems to be pretty fitting. They played high energy music, covers of popular rock songs, and added fiddles and other bluegrass instruments to the mix. All in all they were pretty good. You can check out their website at http://www.clumsylovers.com/ to hear some of their music.

We danced, laughed, and everyone (except me and my other sister) drank enough to make themselves very entertaining to those of us not inebriated. Anne was dressed as a bug, Amy was a fairy, Chad and his brother Scott were Motorcross racers from Jamaica, and everyone else was dressed for the occasion. It really was fun. I wished that Scottie had been there with me, because he always makes everything more fun.

Now I am recovering from all the dancing and laughing, and resting my sore muscles. I think next year I'll dress up a little better and make a better night of it. And I'll make sure Scottie can come, too.

Here are some photos for your entertainment.

The Spur - located on Main Street in Park City

The Clumsy Lovers

Of course Bella and Margarite dressed up for the occasion!

Anne, Kirsten, Michelle and Celeste (at least I think those are their names...)

Scott E., Anne, Chad

Before the makeup

And after...