Just Julie

Ummmmmm.....

2010-11-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so I know I just did the profile post thing yesterday, but this one had to be added. I'm hoping you don't need me to tell you what is wrong with this guy, mainly because I don't even know where to start.

UTBIGMAN

Draper UT, USA

Male

45 years old

6' 4" tall

Few Extra Pounds

No hair - Brown eyes

Caucasian

Average looking

College (education)

Divorced

Has 4 children, lives with 0

Sometimes attends church

A little about me...

IF

THE OLDER I GET THE MORE I REALIZE LOYALTY, TRUST , AND HONESTY DON'T MEAN JACK S--T. I DONT KNOW MUCH BUT I KNOW I REALLY DONT LIKE THESE MESSAGES BACK AND FORTH. I WISH THERE WAS A FORUM FOR GET TOGETHERS. I WANT TO SEE PEOPLE LOL

SOME OF THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE IN A WOMAN.

NOT BARBIE SIZE 12 TO 16 USUALLY

WOULD LIKE MESSAGES TO BE TO THE POINT (SAY IF YOUR INTERSTED OR NOT) AND MORE THAN ONE LINE.

IF TALKING ON THE PHONE IS MOVING TOO FAST, GET A LIFE AND MOVE ON.

VOICE MEANS A TON TO ME (YOURS MAYBE THE ONE I HAVE TO HERE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE LOL)

YOU MUST HAVE A BRAIN AND USE IT

WELL MAINTAINED (HAIR, NAILS, NO CLOWN MAKE UP)

SWEET

CURVY(THE CURVIER THE BETTER, HOUR GLASS WITH A WAIST)

VERY CLEAN (ITS AMAZING I HAVE TO ADD THIS ONE LOL)

I DONT CARE IF YOU LIKE WHATS ON THE "INSIDE" NOW, I WANT YOU TO BE ATTRACTED TO THE "OUTSIDE" AS MUCH (IF YOUR NOT THATS OK SOMEONE WILL)

I DONT WANT YOUNG KIDS (TEENS OK)

MUST SMELL GOOD

I DONT KISS ON THE FIRST DATE

How I feel about the Church...

I LOVE IT EVEN IF I AM NOT THE MOST ACTIVE. MY RELIGION IS PERFECT, I AM NOT.

What I do for fun...

ABOUT ME

I AM TOLD I LOOK BETTER IN PERSON(HOW BAD DO I LOOK ON HERE? LOL)

I WANT TO BE DESIRED

I USUALLY UNDERSTAND THE COMPLICATED FEELINGS IN PEOPLE

I WAS CLASS CLOWN (AND STILL AM)

I HAVE BEEN CALLED METRO SEXUAL ( LOL A BAD ASS LIKE ME?)

I AM VERY ORGANIZED

I AM THE GUY THAT MY FRIENDS CALL WHEN THEY NEED SOMETHING OR IN TROUBLE

I LOVE TO PLAY (MY FAVORITE TOY IS MY PARTNER)

I LIKE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN IN THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSNESS.

I AM SANTA CLAUS IN THE WINTER.

I HAVE 4 CHILDREN AND THEY ALL LIVE OUT OF STATE.

BUILT RACE CARS FOR A LIVING.

NOT A RED NECK AT ALL.

I LOVE GETTING UP AND ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING.

I AM VERY COMPETATIVE.

I CAN FIX ALMOST ANYTHING.

I HAVE 42 PAIRS OF SIZE 15 AND 16 SHOES, AND MOST OF THEM ARE DRESS SHOES. LOL

I ALWAYS SMELL GOOD.

I KNOW I AM A BIG GUY

I USED TO BE THE CAR DOCTOR ON KSL

I HAD A RACING RADIO SHOW ON 1280 THE ZONE

IF YOU READ THIS FAR AND YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE THEN TELL ME I DONT READ MINDS LOL

ATV, CAMPING, SUNDAY DRIVES, NASCAR, HOT RODS,

COACHING, GARAGE SALES, MOVIES, CLOTHES SHOPPING, SHOES, TRIVIA, COMEDY, POKER, BOWLING, FOOTBALL, UFC, MMA, DUNES, 4X4, REPAIRS, FIXING THINGS, SPENDING TIME WITH MY MATE

Back by popular demand.....

2010-11-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

You guys all asked for more, so here they are...

CACONVERT2000

Anaheim CA, USA

A little about me...

Well I tried, bombed out, ladies hope you find your man...

How I feel about the Church...

I want to have a temple marriage...

What I do for fun...

I am a lot of fun...

Um, so yeah. He tired, bombed out, hopes you find your man. But his last log on was yesterday.

TALLGUYJGG

Richmond UT, USA

A little about me...

*MOVING TO MURRAY*

I am not sure that these sites work. I have no faith in internet "dating." I feel like I am a piece of meat on display for the choosing. Anyways... its worth a try i guess.

Why is it that one of the most desired emotions is also one of the most painful? Why is it that we long for love, but when we lose it, it hurts to the core of your soul? It's hard to find someone to love, especially someone with your same values. Where can you find them? Where? How do you know that they are the one? The one who will love you above all else save one; GOD. I am still looking and hope to find her.

I truely believe that best friends also make the best couples. You have to best friends in order to get through the things that life throws at you. this way you can survive as a couple.

I am tall, dark, and well i will let you decide the rest.

I am very passionate and enjoy time just staring into the woman i loves eyes. I am very affectionate and need that in my life as well. I am also very honest to the point of getting myself in trouble. There is more to me than can be put in here.

How I feel about the Church...

I love the church. i was inactive for a long time and made many mistakes, but I have been going back to the church since the begining of the year, and i am so glad i returned to the church. It has helped me turn my life around and become a better person. My goal? To become temple worthy by the end of the year. I want to accomplished this goal so I can be married and sealed in the temple. I will not sacrifice the church nor its priciples for anyone, and I do mean anyone. Now that it is back in my life, it is the shining star, the warm sunlight, the happiness that had left me for so long. I wont give it up again. That is how I feel about the church.

What I do for fun...

I love movies, camping, hiking, playing with my dogs, shooting pool, bowling, games and more. If you want to know more, just ask! Look forward to talking with you!

I don't even know what he is doing on a dating site. Seriously. Seeing as he has no inetrest in "dating". (I'm not quoting, I'm practicing scratching out your eyes).

DARRELLPATTON

SaintLouis MO, USA

A little about me...

I will tell you later - send me a message.

How I feel about the Church...

What I do for fun...

Send me a message.

This guy keeps sending me flirts. Can you see why I don't respond to him?

PAPPAPLUMP81

Mesa AZ, USA

A little about me...

I am looking for a girlfriend any takers?

I am a very out going person. I love to hang out with friends and family and make them happy. I have had only 1 girl friend and we went out for about 2yrs. She passed away in '04. I need to start dating so "Let the dating start."

How I feel about the Church...

I love this church, and love being a member of this church. I have a testimony of this Gospel that will never die. I have heard and have been through to much to ever let my testimony just slip away.

What I do for fun...

I love to hang out with friends and make them happy. I love playing video games, swimming, and playing

Huh.

Could have been better could have been worse four day weekend

2010-09-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

So, Labor Day Weekend. Three days off, right? Woo hoo!! Or maybe not so much. I actually ended up with a four day weekend, but don't get all excited yet. I had a endoscopy scheduled for 11:30 Friday morning. I've had one before and it wasn't that bad. This time I was having a Bravo pH Monitor implanted in my esophagus. It's supposed to be a relatively painless procedure where they go into the esophagus through the throat and implant a 30 mm metal capsule to the lining of the esophagus.

This capsule measures the acid production for 48 hours and transmits to a pager size (maybe a circa 1985 pager, it more like a camera) device that is worn on your waistband or belt much like how many guys wear their phones.

The procedure really was simple. After the procedure was much rougher than I expected. My throat was understandably sore. What I wasn't expecting was how much it hurt to swallow. I felt every single thing that went past that little capsule like I was swallowing fire. I thought I might actually cry when I was trying to eat dinner (a nice bowl of soft, easy to swallow mashed potatoes with cheese courtesy of Becky). Needless to say, the pain never went away. I'm not sure if it actually got a little better of it I just got used to it, but either way it became tolerable. The capsule and the monitor were programmed to talk to each other for 48 hours and I had to write down when I started eating, what I ate and what time I was finished for anything that went in my mouth other than water. I also had to record the times of when I laid down and sat up. That was a pain that first day considering how drugged up I was. The device turned itself off when it was supposed to and as of Tuesday night when I dropped the monitor off at the hospital the capsule hadn't detached yet. They tell me that is normal, that it can take up to two weeks. It may be gone now since I can swallow somewhat painlessly. Hopefully when we get the results back in about two weeks we will learn enough to know what is causing and how to treat my near constant nausea.

Saturday was Becky's birthday and we threw her a party. Because we decided to BBQ, it rained. Luckily it stopped raining by the time the party rolled around so it all went well. I'll let her post about that (since she has the pictures and all)

Monday, I went with Becky to take her daughter out for her 12th birthday. It's actually this weekend, but since everyone had the day off it seemed like a good time to do it. We started our getting pedicures. This is when I got what I am just referring to as the Traumatic Pedicure Injury. The lady doing mine was using a longer than usual pumice stone on my right heel. The ended up pumicing my leg. I told her what she was doing and that it hurt and I thought she understood me since she stopped. A few minutes later she noticed my leg was bleeding and she asked when that happened. REALLY? She then proceeded to spray it with rubbing alcohol (Becky would like to point out that this, in fact, makes it spraying alcohol) which was quite unpleasant. When it was still bleeding after that she used liquid styptic on it. Even more unpleasant. I had a picture of my leg from the next day but I must have deleted it. If I can find it I'll add it on.

After pedicures we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It was okay, the usual over priced touristy deal. Then we went to the Seattle Art Museum. That part was great. It was the last day of their Kurt Cobain exhibit. I was just the right age in the right area when Nirvana was huge so this fascinated me. It was really a great exhibit. The rest of the museum was great, but that was the highlight for me.

And here is where the real fun begins. Becky and I headed to Crossroads to pick up the pottery we had painted the week before. We decided to run into JoAnn's first so she could pick up some fabric she needed. On the way in I slipped on the wet pavement in the parking lot. I didn't fall or anything, just lost my balance for a second, caught myself and went on walking. However, in the catch myself process the toes of my left foot went over the top of my flip flops (still on from the morning's pedicure) and hit the ground hard. It hurt, but I figured it was just a stubbed toe. While we were looking at fabric about 15 minutes later I mentioned to Becky that my foot really hurt. I look down and see bruising and something that is hard to explain, so I'll just show you.

In case you couldn't tell from the picture, it is broken. Not where you think though. That lump on the bottom is just fluid and swelling. The breaks (that;s right, two of them) are right below the bruising. I didn't actually get it looked at until Tuesday evening, so I may have caused more damage in the 24 hours that I walked around on it. I personally think this is a little much for a broken toe, but the dotcor was very adamant about keeping my foot stable and not moving the toes at all.

Yep, it goes all the way to my knee. That round thing toward the top? Do you remember Reebok Pumps? It's sort of like that. I can control the air pressure. And I know I'm white, but am i really that white???

Anyway, there you have it. My could have been better could have been worse four day weekend.

Huh?

2010-04-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

From:
Block this User
Block from seeing your profile and from contacting you

To: MISSJULIE75

Subject: Hello Beautiful

Date: 2010-04-26 / 05:53 AM

Wow, you're so pretty and going through your profile, I found somethings that says we have in common, I have seen sunsets, sunrises, blue oceans, deep seas, lush forests, dense jungles, but nothing - not even these - could compare to the beauty that I see in you. I'm a beautiful hearted guy, who's in search of his soulmate and intends to find it here on this site, because I've heard alot of success stories. I would love to correspond with you and see if we could work something out. Once again I must say God worked over time creating you. Lets keep intouch with private addresses or yahoo IM... and my private contact is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com

Ummmmm....NONE of those things he mentions as "somethings that says we have in common" are mentioned on my profile. And one of his pictures is captioned as "myself and my son". I hate people who try to sound more intelligent than they are.

Happy Stuff

2010-02-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we did a things that make me happy list. So here we go...

I have been watching the PBS mini-series of Emma for the last few days and I LOVE it. You can already buy it at Costco, btw. Mr. Knightly is my new Mr. Darcy.

Katie and I have tickets to see Annie on Saturday. It has been my favorite since I was little. My dad took me to see it when I was about seven and I have loved it ever since.

We're seeing Annie at 2:00 and then we're going to head to Pacific Place to play, um, I mean shop. We are going to one of my favorites places there...

I have been entertained by a few other things lately. Like say, my Kindle in it's snazzy red leather case.

And the last season of LOST has begun. It makes my brain hurt. In the good way.

Oh, this entry from Kelly's blog almost killed me. Best cake ever made.

And as always, my favorite thing made me happy today. I'm not ashamed of my addiction...

For Kelly...

2010-02-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

So today at church I announced to Kelly that I was officially blog-stalking her. Is it stalking if you confess? Anyway, she said she would have to read up on me now as well and I explained to her that nothing was happening in my life that was blog-worthy and she absolutely didn't believe me. She, of course, was right. There is nothing going on in my life that I am willing to share on my blog, so instead you will now get more online dating profiles that will make all you married people out there just a little bit more thankful for your spouse. Keep in mind that I just copy and paste, the horrid spelling errors are not mine :)

LLOYD63 - I have seen his pictures, he looks just like he sounds.
A little about me...

ibrot up my 2 kids alone they are uot on ther way looking of the right lady

How I feel about the Church...
the church is a rock for me

What I do for fun...
work with my dogs,fish,ride my moterbike,injoy myfriends,like to go dancing,walk on the beach at sun down.

BIGBOYBABYBLUES - I'm hoping that the "g" on his keyboard is broken. You all know how I feel about not using full words, right? Not to mention my feeling about "lol".
A little about me...

im open and honest...out spoken and straight shooter...if you ever lie to me, i will bail on you immediately!!!iam financially secure and you should want to be as well by thinkin and plannin ahead...iam however happy go lucky and i want to always be this way, so only limited drama...lol

How I feel about the Church...
iam lookin for someone of sound mind..lol..stable in their career...ready to be with someone...no games!!!!!

What I do for fun...
i love horses and anythin to do with them...i workout regular..fav restraunt is olive garden,longhorns...like 70s, 80s rock best and country...

BAMBAMDADDO - I'm not sure where to even start on this one. Screen name? The fact that he is so obviously not Mormon? Not sure where he got lost when he signed up for ldsplanet.com. Oh, and why is he e-screaming at me?
A little about me...

HELLO TO ALL BEAUTIFUL LADIES.MY NAME IS CHRIS.I'M A NEWBIE SO PLEASE BE GENTLE LOL.ANYWAYS IM WHAT YOU CALL ONE OF THE LAST GOOD MEN OUT THERE........SERIOUSLY THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS,A ENDANGERED SPECIES GET THE PICTURE?I DON'T SMOKE,NO DRAMA,NO GAMES,EMPLOYED,DRUG AND DISEASE FREE MAY I SAY ANYMORE????

How I feel about the Church...
WHAT IM LOOKING FOR IN MATE IS HONESTY,FAITHFULNESS,CAN COOK(I CAN COOK)OPEN MINDED,SPONTANEUS,CLASSY BUT SHE GOTTA HAVE THAT FREAKY FREAKY SIDE FOR HER MAN ONLY.AND SHE HAVE TO BE FUNNY AND SOMEONE WITH GOOD CONVO.I MEAN WERE NOT MIND READERS RIGHT???....OVERALL ONE HECK OF A WOMAN BECAUSE IM ONE HECK OF A MAN.AND DON'T ASK FOR ANYTHING I'M NOT WILLING TO GIVE.

What I do for fun...
WELL LET ME START BY TELLING YOU ABOUT WHAT I DON'T DO....I DONT DO CLUBS,I LOVE CONCERTS,FESTIVAL,PLAYS,CHURCH YES YA'LL CHURCH LOL,NICE RESTAURANTS,MOVIES,ZOO,ANYWHERE THAT DOESNT KILL ME.

I always save the best for last....
MOTTICE - Again, why is he e-screaming at me? Maybe he learned it in the hood? I'm thinking he may never want to mention to a woman ever again that he sees her as an investment. I'm just saying...Maybe I'll type him and ask.
A little about me...

Im a barber, I resides in Baton Rouge, I love to entertain new company and hope to have a family on day..... .. I KNOW.. I'M THE REALEST MORMON ALIVE SERIOUSLY..LOL.. I'M NOT LOOKIN FOR A GIRLFRIEND ( IT'S COOL ), TO OLD, DID THAT. LOOKIN FOR A LIFELONG INVESTMENT( PLEASE DON'T BE CRAZY ).LOL.. I'M WILD, CRAZY( FUNNY, SAY ANYTHING ),HOOD( NOT TOO GANGSTER, SOMEONE YOU CAN TAKE HOME TO MOMMY, AND SHE DON'T HAVE TO HIDE HER PURSE ),AND MOST OF ALL CARING.. FOR FROM A PUSH OVER( NOT A PUNKA&! YOU NOW WHAT i MEAN ) LOL. IF YOU AIN'T RACIST AND VOTED FOR OBAMA HOLLA..LOL LOVE TO TALK.. seriouly I DON'T SEE COLOR.. SO HOLLA... AIGHT!!!

How I feel about the Church...
IT'S THE ONE AND TRUE CHURCH. MY MOM AND SISTERS AND MYSELF ARE MEMBERS. I,VE BEEN ATTENDING SINCE I WAS 2. PASSED SACRIMENT,GRAD FROM SEMINARY, STAKE TEMPLE TRIPS, BAP. FOR THE DEAD,CHURCH DANCES ( SOME ARE LAME ).THAT'S IT. TEXT ME IF U WANT TO KNOW MORE.

What I do for fun...
THE MOVIES (STUPID, FUNNY, GANGSTA,ETC..),I'M NOT OUTDOORS DUE TO ALL THE BUGS HERE. I LOVE COMPANY THO, JUST TALKIN SOME SERIOUS TOPICS. I GOT A WIERD SENSE OF HUMOR, I CAN MAKE ALMOST EVERYONE FELL GOOD AND LAUGH, THAT'S ONE OF MY GIFTS.I GO TO CONCERTS LIKE RAP WELL ALL OF THEME IS RAP...LOL I LISTEN TO COLDPLAY, NICLEBACK ( I'M LYING ) BUT YOY KNOW I HAD 2 LISTENING TO 'EM..LOL ANYTHING ELSE TYPE ME

Oh, and and in other less crazy news, Katie and I got a fishy this week, his name is Tony and he's super cute. Here is a picture of him helping Katie work on a puzzle Friday night.

Grandma's Birthday

2009-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

My grandmother turned 90 on August 13th and we partied like crazy. OK, as crazy as you can party with a 90 year old. The night of her birthday we went to her favorite restaurant, Mandarin Gate, at Oak Tree Plaza in Seattle. Her younger brother and sister were both in town for the occasion. By the way, when I say "younger", I mean they are 84 and 80. But about my grandma, when my mom left I was only five years old. My dad had a job where he had to work crazy hours (he had to be there at 4 AM) and I lived with my grandparents for three and half years. What I'm trying to say is that my grandma is the first mother figure that I remember. Anyway, happy birthday Grandma!

Grandma at the restaurant

Me and my Uncle Jeffy

Uncle Jeffy and Aunt Darlene

Auntie Shirley (Grandma's sister) and my daddy

Aunt Melinda and Uncle Arnold (Grandma's brother)

On Saturday we had big party and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Melinda's house in Kent.

Grandma's cake

Grandma and her neighbor for 40 years, Carolyn

Uncle Jeff, Martha (Carolyn's daughter) and my dad

Grandma blowing our her candles

My grandma is the co-founder of a group call Garfield Golden Grads. It is a group for those who graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle more than 50 years ago (she's the class on 1937!!). This is a small group of members who were there.

Not my usual, but nice...

2009-08-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

So this one is not from ldsplanet.com, but it is a good one. This came from a friend who's office sends out an email to introduce new team members. This is the new team member's own blurb about himself. Are you ready? Make sure you don't have any liquids in your mouth, I would hate for you to choke. Oh, and any spelling errors are his, not mine.

Hullo! *offers a paw to shake*

So what do I do for fun? Well, I co-administrate forums where we talk about Klingons, the bumpy headed aliens on Star Trek, and how they would actually work in terms of Biology, Sociology, Linguistincs and whatever geeky academic stuff we can manage to bring to bear. I also run a group in Second Life for Star Trek collaborative creative writing (though we just call it roleplaying), in an alternate universe where everyone is an anthropomorphic talking animal, like you might see in a Disney cartoon. Anthropomorphics is fun because your chose of what animal to make your character helps to communicate their personality in an interesting way people don't always think about. Sometimes I dress in funny costumes go out either to a university parking lot and challenge people to games of rock, paper, scissors, or into the forest and hit people with sticks, though they people I do that with prefer to call that "Live action roleplaying".

This may not have come from my usual source, but I'm almost 100% positive he is one dating site or another, like maybe iliveinmymomsbasement.com.

Is he serious?

2009-06-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I believe he is. Another gem from ldsplanet.com found by my friend Kellie. I'm not going to add any of my own commentary to this, because, well, it speaks for itself. Thanks, Kellie!

Male
37 years old
5' 9" tall
Average build
Light Brown hair - Blue eyes
Caucasian
Good looking
College (education)
Sales (occupation)
Divorced
Has 3 children, lives with 3
Regularly attends church
Temple Recommend

A little about me...
Hi! Flirts are OK AFTER u know me. Due to my past experience in marriage, online dating, & amount of flirts/msgs/chat invites, make sure u wanna contact me. Please read

NON-NEGOTIABLE
Desire for & pro-active in healthy, nutritious lifestyle for yourself & your kids
Currently active in church
Healthy self-esteem
Knowledgeable & pro-active in your basic house duties
Aware of importance of & pro-active in being physically attractive to your husband
Currently live in USA
Financially responsible
No debilitating emotional/social disorders
Young-at-heart, but worldly wise
Aware of & pro-active in role as wife & mother

SOMEWHAT NEGOTIABLE
Bi-Lingual
Have 1 child(no more than 2, possibly none)
Church member 1yr minimum
Be of foreign descent(or non-caucasian)
Not older than me
Enjoy cooking
Temple-worthy
Have basic, normal lifestyle, but always ready for spontaneity (unplanned wknd trip)
Know value of & enjoy wearing good scent/fragrance

PREFERENCES
Long hair
Sense of style, classic preferred, but understand that I don't think we MUST be the same in everything
Musical or other creative/artistic talent
Sense of humor, prefer dry humor
Like to entertain, have parties, etc.
Like vintage/classic music or movies

How I feel about the Church...
Only member in my family, but that's OK....I'll just make my own BIG happy Mormon family! wink wink But naturally I have testimony of the Gospel and have always been active since joining in 1995 and I love the Church. I've had several callings, the most enlightening was Stake Clerk for almost 2 years. Currently a Sunday School substitute.

Anyhoo, about the "A little about me" section, I ran out of characters and had to edit alot, keep it to the point. It makes me seem hardcore and cold, but I'm actually very casual and fun! No, really. I used all 1250 characters and had to leave out my dry, witty commentary.
I will post more info soon. In all honesty, I am more easy-going than the "A little about me" section leads you to believe, but if you've made it this far, then you probably don't really have a problem with "A little about me" section anyway! haha
Also, I invite differences, to a point. Everyone is different and all relationships are a bit of give and take, but 2 people must have some basic foundational similarities. But for example, about my preferences, if you nailed everything in my NON-NEGOTIABLE section, then my other PREFERENCES become nearly null and void. hehe See? I'm not so bad! haha
Send me a msg, K? =)

What I do for fun...
Within church standards there's pretty much nothing I would not do if the opportunity arises! I believe in atleast being physically active, fit, and eat "good for ya" foods, and I drink lotsa water. Read "Nutripoints" by Dr. Roy Vartabedian. But I know when to indulge.

I don't follow any sports/teams, etc. but like to play sports and keep my kids active/motivated. I am a musician but never lived the "musician" lifestyle. I play piano(like Jerry Lee Lewis) and sing(like Harry Connick Jr) but I am eclectic. I also enjoy playing banjo, guitar, etc.

Now actual "about me" fun facts.
LOVES:
Playing with my kids
Teaching my kids
Cashews
Dark chocolate
Avocado/guacamole
Hush puppies(the shoes r OK too)
Seafood in general
Kiwis
Magnolia trees, evergreens
Harry Connick Jr
Frank Sinatra
Mel Torme
Gypsy Kings
Django Reinhardt
Stephane Grappelli
Jerry Lee Lewis
Los Lobos
Old-school jazz
Beat poetry
Chopin
Tschaikovsky
Vince Guaraldi(Charlie Brown music)
Play tennis
Growing interest in soccer
SOBE Nirvana
Cooking, trying new foods
Spicey foods
Vanilla rice milk
Blue and Green
Photography
Moosetracks ice cream
I'm a human spell-checker
I LOVE word-play
Currently writing children's book
For more info ask!

The short list

2009-05-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my short list of things I love about my new mansion(pictures to follow once I'm actually unpacked)

I had the blinds in my living room open until just a few minutes ago without worrying that everyone was watching me. I'm not paranoid, I was on the ground floor on a main walkway at my old apartment.

Actual cupboard and counter space in the kitchen. I don't have to keep food and dishes in the linen closet anymore (officially named the lantry). I do have one more huge box labeled kitchen and that makes me a little nervous, but I think my linen closet will remain safe.

I have been doing random loads of laundry all weekend long. And I don't have to watch the clock and then go drag it all across the parking lot when its done. As a matter of fact, I left a load in the washer overnight and then put it in the dryer this morning on my way out the door to go to church. Because I could.

I'm sitting on the couch right now and the TV is not in my face. It's a good ten feet away from me all the way across my mansiony living room.

I have a craft room. OK, most people would call it a dining room, but not me. It's not unpacked or anything, but it will soon be a craft room. I do have a new (to me) table thought so if you want to come over for dinner, I'll clear it off and we can eat there, as long as you're alone. I only have two chairs.

I have a storage closet on the deck. It's little, but all my totes full of holiday stuff and some other random stuff is in there with room to spare.

When the cable guy was here yesterday he programed my remote so I can control the TV with it as well. As in power and volume. I know it has nothing to do with the mansion, but it makes me happy.

The walk in closet in the bedroom clearly belongs in this mansion. I'm not done unpacking my clothes yet, but they love their new huge home as well.

And last, but certainly not least, the bedroom. Yesterday afternoon Nikki and Erin were watching a movie and I was so tired that I was loopy. Nikki suggested I go lay down for a little while before going to meet my visiting teachers to clean the old apartment. I walked into my bedroom, closed the door, and took a nap. Nikki came and knocked and door to wake me up when it was time to go. Can't so much do that in a studio, can you?

And one other random happiness moment. The New Moon trailer was released today.

Because I promised LeeAnn

2009-05-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

My favoritest ex-roommate LeeAnn has pointed out to me that my blog is in serious need of an update. As usual, she is right. However, I'm pretty sure my life is dull so I have had to struggle to come up with a topic. I've been sitting here in my teeny tiny living room watching the cinematic masterpiece My Fake Fiance (I love ABC Family Channel movies) and I was thinking about how I will not miss my lack of space. And there you have it...

THINGS I WILL NOT MISS ABOUT MY LITTLE TINY STUDIO APARTMENT

It's a studio. I never knew how much I liked doors and walls until I didn't have them.

The laundry room. It might be nice being able to do all of my laundry at one time, but I still have to drag it all over there once I finally remember to get quarters.

Cat on a leash. This is a person, a place and a thing. The person would be the super creepy guy across the hall who ties his cat up on a leash on his patio. The place would be the spot where Erin texts me from whenever she comes to pick me up. As in I get a text that just says "cat on a leash". I never have to wonder where she is. The thing is obvious. It's the cat that is on the leash. Did I mention that Mr. Car on a Leash randomly yells and screams obscenities. He's fun.

My upstairs neighbor. Pretty sure there is a step aerobics class up there every evening. And when he smokes it smells like I have been sneaking cigarettes in my living room. I promise, I haven't.

Nice but weird girl with the dog next door. Her name is Laurel and she is nice, but so odd. I got home one day last week and parked next to her car. I almost had a heart attack when something in it moved. She had the seat all the way down and was asleep in her car. It was 5:15. PM. Was she too tired to make it the additional 50 feet to her door? That and her too big for a studio apartment dog jumps on me. We know I feel about that, right? If I wanted to pay with a dog I would get one of my own.

Living right across from the pool. What part of pool closes at 10:00 and the gate is locked do people miss? All I'm saying is if you have to climb over a fence to get in that just maybe you shouldn't be there. If by some insane chance you missed this hint you should at least be quiet while you are drunkenly swimming in the middle of the night.

Having no room for anything. Speaks for itself, right?

Stay tuned for the follow up entry in two weeks entitled WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW APARTMENT. It will include pictures.

2009-04-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Shannon made this comment on my scary post about the quality of men on dating sites. For anyone interested, here is the article she mentioned.

And now my Visiting Teaching is done for the month...

2009-03-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

And we have a WINNER

2009-03-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have posted before about some of the, um, interesting profiles I find on singles web sites. Here is another charmer from ldsplanet.com. Ladies - I can hook you up if you are interested...he lives in Spokane.

A little about me...
I am shy a first but when you get to know me I am funny and romantic. I love Eastern Indian Food and kitty katz. I enjoy music from around the world. Money and material things are not important to me and I would rather live off the land in a rural setting. I am very conservative politically and religiously and feel it is a man's duty to provide for his family and a woman's duty to tend to the house and children. This doesn't mean I wont help wherever I am asked when I return from work. I prefer a woman that keeps her hair longer and believes dressing in dresses or skirts is preferable to jeans and a t-shirt. You can generally find me in a collared shirt and blue jeans. My life hasn't been perfect and is full of big and little mistakes along the path. The woman I end up with will have to be forgiving and understand that no matter what a messed up path a person has trod previously in their life, that Jesus can change anyone.

How I feel about the Church...
I was raised in the LDS church, but am no longer a member. The reason I have chosen to look for a wife on LDS sites is because I KNOW the Book of Mormon is the true word of God and wouldn't think for a minute of marrying someone or having children by someone who doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon also. I respect the leaders of the LDS church and the local leaders I grew up under. I currently attend a non-LDS Book of Mormon believing church in my area, and am considering my options as far as ministry. I attend my Mom's LDS Ward once a month to honor her.

What I do for fun...
There are so many things I would like to do, I just feel stupid doing them alone and want someone to enjoy them with. I want to explore the great outdoors, go camping, hiking, biking, etc... I want to become the most amazing non-professional Indian food cook around.

Report a Concern

Report a Concern
To uphold the quality of LDSPlanet.com please let us know if you have seen anything inappropriate or in violation of our site terms and conditions. Your concern is taken very seriously and may require a few days to investigate thoroughly. Thank you.

OK - so anyone other than me feel like reporting a concern on this one? I'm not sure where to even start. How about at "I love Eastern Indian Food and kitty katz." WHAT? Kitty Katz? Please tell me that has nothing to do with his Eatern Indian food. Or maybe it would better if it does because the other option is that he is refering to a cat like a nine year old girl would. Do you suppose he would dot the i with a heart there?

How about this part? "I am very conservative politically and religiously and feel it is a man's duty to provide for his family and a woman's duty to tend to the house and children. This doesn't mean I wont help wherever I am asked when I return from work. I prefer a woman that keeps her hair longer and believes dressing in dresses or skirts is preferable to jeans and a t-shirt." I think anyone who knows me can imagine what I have to say about this. It's not very nice, so I
am going to keep it to myself for now.

And my personal favorite part? "I was raised in the LDS church, but am no longer a member." Translation? I was excommunicated for being a PIG.

Why am I still single you ask? Because, unfortunately this lovely man is NOT one of a kind.

Google Reader Rocks My World

2009-02-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks Becky for showing me yours in action. And thanks Shannon (and your sister) for the step by step instructions. For anyone else who wants the tutorial, click here.

Flower and Garden Show

2009-02-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

I went to the Seattle Flower and Garden Show today. When I mentioned this to my friend April, she and her husband pointed out my well known distaste for dirt and all things dirt related. I would like to point out that I in no way came away from today's outing dirty, and possibly now believe there are valid reasons to play in soil out there. Some of these gardens were simply breathtaking. My not so fantastic photographic skills don't do them justice, but here are some pictures from today anyway.

Should I Join?

2009-02-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

Many have said I need this. Who knew it was real?

I'm so a thief today

2009-01-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

I stole this picture from my friend Shannon's blog, but I heart it lots. I'm a few days late with it, but it's been a really crazy week.

YAY!!!!

2009-01-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

Just bought this at Target. I guess you don't have to ask what I'll be watching until this arrives on Friday...

But not tomorrow night because this is on...

Our baby is so not a baby anymore

2009-01-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

I was my dad's only and very spoiled child until I was 10. That is when he and my step mom got married and I got an instant sister then (that would be the other Julie). When I was 12 my sister Lauren was born and if you think little girls go all gaga over baby sisters, you should see what happens to a preteen. She was like my very own life size doll except she fought me when I tried to make her hair all pretty. Anyway, my teeny tiny baby sister turned 21 last Wednesday. 21!!! I think I know how parents feel now, my baby grew up.

Me, Julie and Lauren

Julien and Julie hiding from me.

Dad, Kristi and Lauren

The cake. That thing weighed like 10 pounds, seriously.

My new favorite thing

2009-01-17T01:00:00.001-08:00

Did you know these even exist? They might be the best food ever made.

Wait, I can do better...

2009-01-14T00:04:00.000-08:00

So i just told my old friend Matt that I totally pimped his blog on my own today and then realized that I more of mentioned it in a huge long list of stuff and things. So here, in case you got bored and sick of stuff about me before here is the shameless plug for a friend again...

21. I heart Facebook. I have found so many old friends there. Speaking of, read my friend Matt's blog, I just added it to the list on the side or you can click here. I have known him since we were six and he has gone from being the goofball kid I fondly remember to being inspirational and entertaining at the same time. Sadly, the two all too often don't go together.

75 things, and some other stuff

2009-01-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know I have been missing for a while. I think I just have nothing really interesting going on my life worth telling you all about. Oh, a friend's nutball wife has been harassing me via email, that's fun. Ask me about it, I'll tell you all about how nutters she is. Other than that, it's pretty calm around here lately. I joined a gym today, that's new. So, since I think I'm pretty dull right now, we're going to take another stab at stuff you may know about me. It seems to be going around Facebook right now, but instead of torturing people there, I'll do it here for you instead. Oh, and I added all sorts of new blog links. Check them out, OK?

75 things you may not know about me...
1. I eat in sections. And not just in the kind of cute little way. We're talking the I wish all plates were sectioned kind of obsessive crazy way.

2. I collect Coke stuff. As in Coca Cola.

3. I also collect Monopoly games. I got Pink Monopoly for Christmas (thanks Katie). I have all sorts of other ones too, but not a plain old Monopoly. Weird, right?

4. I HATE party games. As in Charades and Pictionary. I heart trivia games though. I have two different Scene It games and six Trivial Pursuits. And I love anyone else who wants to play these games with me.

5. I have six brothers and sisters but I don't have the same mom and dad as of any of them.

6. I'm a little obsessive about Twilight. OK, a lot.

7. I just completely re-did my living room. It's super cute.

8. I super love Bath and Body Works. I could spend hundreds of dollars there easily and on a very regular basis. Go in and try their new Irresistible Apple. Yummy.

9. I'm freaked out by potlucks. Spaghetti, fried chicken and potato salad do not belong together as a meal.

10. I think tomatoes are vile, unless they are in the form of ketchup and then I think it is a food group.

11. I feel the same way about peanuts and peanut butter.

12. I read a lot. I mean really a lot. Lots and lots of books.

13. I love nasty gross medical shows on Discovery Health. I'm fascinated by surgery shows but can't watch them make the initial incision. These shows are probably why I was so freakishly afraid of having surgery last year.

14. Speaking of, I have no gall bladder. Anymore.

15. I love movies. I love seeing movies in the theater. I love seeing them at home too. I have all the movie channels, that's a lot of movies at my fingertips.

16. I love the smell of laundry. More specifically, my laundry. It's the purple Downy, I don't even know the name of the scent but I love it. My uncle thinks it's smells like grape bubble gum, I disagree.

17.My bestest friend ever just moved back to the states are living in Bahrain for the last 2+ years.

18. I have wwwwaaaaaayyyyy too much crafty stuff. I don't use 90% of it.

19. I like CSI in all three cities but I love New York the most.

20. I have a major celebrity crush on Donnie Wahlberg. Again.

21. I heart Facebook. I have found so many old friends there. Speaking of, read my friend Matt's blog, I just added it to the list on the side or you can click here. I have known him since we were six and he has gone from being the goofball kid I fondly remember to being inspitational and entertianing at the same time. Sadly, the two all too often don't go together.

22. Both of my dad's grandfathers were named Julius and one of his grandmothers was named Juliette. Where did I get my name? Hmmmm....

23. To make it worse, I have a sister named Julie. OK, step sister. Her mom married my dad. And even worse than that, she named her son Julien.

24. Once I really get crafting with all that stuff I buy and never use, I make super cute things.

25. I want to learn how to quilt.

26. I am so excited that I only have a week to go before Lost is back on.

27. I'm totally addicted to Diet Coke, and I'm perfectly OK with that.

28. And chap stick. My lips must be coated in layers of lip balm at all times. I like Bert's Bees the best. And Cherry Carmex. Oh, and Lip Smackers makes a Coke flavored one now.

29. My toenails must be painted all times, including all winter long.

30. My mom went nuts with kitchen appliances as gifts this year. If you need something mixed or processed, grilled, pressed or griddled (is that a word?) or to have any cookies pressed, let me know.

31. I don't get British comedy. Or maybe I do and just don't think it's funny.

32. I like creepy TV, like Criminal Minds and Bones.

33. I watch too much TV. Good thing I just joined a gym, huh?

34. I order to not miss what's on TV while I'm at the gym I believe that the DVR is the best invention ever.

35. I like Barry Manilow. I'm not ashamed.

36. I still own eleven Cabbage Patch Kids. As a matter of fact, one of them is new. I love them, still.

37. I like hockey. I like hockey even more when there is blood on the ice.

38. I can't fall asleep unless the radio is on. I had trouble sleeping as a kid and it was a suggestion my doctor made to my grandma when I was about six. I doubt she ever dreamed that I would still be doing it.

39. My dad's family is Russian Jews and my mom's is Irish Catholic. I know, right?

40. I have a new found love of Willow Tree figurines.

41. I do NOT feel the same way about Precious Moments and Snowbabies. They are just creepy. Especially Snowbabies. They are just wrong.

42. I'm terrified of car washes. Sad, huh?

43. I am so not a dog person. I just don't like them.

44. I spent almost five years thinking I was lactose intolerant. I had my gall bladder removed and can now eat dairy with no problem.

45. I love the musical Wicked but despise the book. So if you have read the book and don't want to see the show based on how vile and nasty the book is, try to block the icky book from your brain. The play is fantastic and doesn't make you feel like you need to repent after seeing it.

46. I was in an ice rink for the first time when I was three days old. Evidently Tom's practice or game or whatever was really important.

47. I actually liked high school. A lot.

48. I love Mexican, Thai and Indian food.

49. Disneyland makes me incredibly happy.

50. I had to stop watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition because of the uncontrollable crying that happened each week. It had become emotionally overwhelming. I miss Ty and I know he misses me too!

51. I come from a LONG line of confrontation avoiders. My dad emails me when he's mad at me. I'm sure my grandma would do the same if she had any concept of how email works.

52. I love Jane Austen. The BBC Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of the movies but Persuasion in my favorite of her books.

53. I have recently developed a love of audiobooks. I listen to them at work.

54. I don't eat veal because of my dad's explanation of it to me YEARS ago. I have been horrified of it since that day and I was maybe seven at the time.

55. I was raised by my dad. It's more common now, but pretty much unheard of 25 years ago. He's the best daddy ever.

56. I'm not a huge fan of my mom's, I'm a little on the bitter side. She's trying really hard right now to at least be my friend so I'm trying really hard to be nice to her. Baby steps, right?

57. I'm also trying to go to more of the single adult and mid single activities at church but I find most of them horrifying.

58. I have learned this past year that faith and fear cannot coexist and I try to remember that when my anxiety tries to take over my life.

59. I hate that all of a sudden I even have anxiety. I think I have gone crazy sometimes, like when I have anxiety about being anxious. I worry that I might someday turn into my grandma. She had anxiety attacks before they were "in".

60. I really miss my grandpa. He died nine years ago and in some ways if feels like it was yesterday but sometimes it seems like it was forever ago.

61. I like sappy movies that make me cry. My favorites in that category are Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias. I cry EVERY TIME.

62. My niece is a model, she does a lot of local runway and print work.

63. My dad's family were part of the Jewish pioneers of the Northwest. They were founders of the Seattle Jewish community in the 1890's. I have a book about it and there are some great stories in it.

64. Thanks to Becky I have become extremely annoyed by people why say stuff like PIN Number and ATM Machine. Could you repeat yourself anymore?

65. I started Kindergarten when I was four, because of the being brilliant and all.

66. If my arms get cold I think I might freeze to death but cold legs don't bother me.

67. I am irrationally afraid of elevators. My dad says it goes way back to when I was a baby and not old or aware enough to have learned to be afraid of them yet. Yet I was and still am.

68. My friend Dani is a leukemia survivor and because of her I am a frequent platelet donor and you should be too. Cancer patients survive their treatments because of platelets. You can learn more here

69. I rarely make it to bed as early as I would like to. Like say now, it's almost 11:3O already.

70. I love all musicals, except for Cats. I mean really, they are CATS singing about T.S. Elliott's poetry. Who thought that was a good idea?

71. I recently went through the Temple and don't even have the words to describe it or the feelings I have there. You should do it too.

72. I text a lot. Like a lot a lot.

73. I deal with prisons on a daily basis. Someone has to.

74. I cannot keep a plant alive. Not even if my own like depended on it. It's just cruel to give me one, cruel to the plant not me.

75. I can't believe I came up with 75 things. I'm actually a little sick of me right now so if you made it this far you get a gold star!!

It's OK to be jealous, again.

2008-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is what I did last night...

I saw Celtic Thunder! You can find their concert on PBS, check them out. You can't help but love them.

Christmas tag

2008-11-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I wrap. Depends on how much time I have. I like the way wrapped looks, but sometimes I'm too lazy/busy to do it.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. Real. I had a fake a few years ago and it made me sad :(

3. When do you put up the tree? Second week of December-ish.

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after the 1st of the year.

5. Do you like egg nog? Yep, but I rarely drink it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I got this awesome Casio keyboard that had a CD ROM and it lead you through playing the songs. The keys lit up so you could follow along. I think I was 9.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad. He never wants anything and complains if he thinks we spent too much money on him.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Lauren.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? More than one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmmm....I can't really come up with anything. My family is full of great gift givers.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas or Miracle on 34th Street. It is 34th Street, right?

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The truth? Mid December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope. Ask me the same question about birthday presents.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Not the jello crap my mom makes that has mayo in it. Yeah, mayo. Um, just about anything my brother Steven makes. Anyone who was at my birthday party knows he is good cook ;)

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, but white only. I cannot stand colored lights!!!

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. OK, by home I mean my mom's in Lynnwood, my dad's in Issaquah and my grandma's in Poulsbo.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Well, duh.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. I think the angels are all kind of creepy.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? I do Christmas Eve at my mom's a Christmas at my dad's, so both. As kids we always begged my dad to let us open one on Christmas Eve and he always gave in. But just one per kid.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Never ending Christmas music. There is too such thing as too much of a good thing.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My tree has a Coke theme the last few years. I know, shocking for me, right? No? Ok, you're right.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Chinese. We're pretty traditional. I prefer turkey over ham. Steven and I are doing prime rib for Christmas Eve this year. No idea what dad's plan for Christmas is yet.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I super want the Pink Monopoly game from Toys R Us. Oh, and Rent is coming over the summer, with original Broadway cast members.

26. Who I tag: Hmmmm....Kellie, Shannon and April (stop laughing at me, April!!!)

It's OK to be jealous

2008-11-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

So today is my friend Katie's birthday and I got her the very best present ever. OK, I'll admit it, it's for me too. So here it is...

That's right, we're seeing New Kids on the Block on November 22nd. I know, you're jealous. And that's OK.

Too lazy to scan it

2008-10-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you (like my dad!!!) who don't see the resemblance between me and my mini me, I have gone all high tech and taken a picture of a picture of me. This is me at 4 years old in my school picture from kindergarten (yeah, I was in kindergarten at 4, I'm brilliant and all), and sorry about the low quality here:

And here (I'll figure out the side by side thing some day) is my new mini me:

So what do you think? My dad is next to blind right?

My very own mini me

2008-10-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

Meet Shelba Estela (I know, they are so running out of names, right?). She is my 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kid that Nikki and Erin got me for my birthday. I heart her. And her lame name.

Back on my good list

2008-10-26T02:24:00.000-07:00

So my mom is back on my good list for now and this why.

Yeah, that's right, I can bought with a Kitchenaid. Totally and completely. I even had lunch with her afterwards and watched a movie at her house. I know, I'm easy.
Anyway, happy early birthday to me.

I need a babysitter

2008-10-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

OK, I know you don't get it seeing as I don't have kids and Mr. Fishy does amazingly well on his own. Anyway, my friend April needs a babysitter for these three adorable kids while we are the temple on November 1st from about 3:30 to 8:00 or 8:30. Oh, here are the fantastic kids....

So since I need April to go to the temple with me, that means that I need a babysitter too, see? Anyway, the kids are 3, 5 and 8 and are super duper polite and fun. April is willing to drop them at someone's house or pick up a babysitter and take them to her hotel in Bellevue.

Why am I posting this here you ask? Well, as previously mentioned I have no kids and my fish is self sufficient so I don't so much have the in on good babysitters. And, no pressure for me, but April trusts my judgement on this one and gave me the go ahead to make the arrangements. So, if anyone is available that night or knows of someone who may be willing to help us out(like say one of the YW) please let me know. Oh, and that reminds me, what is the going rate for babysitters? We have no idea, again because of my lack of need for a babysitter and April has been living out of the country for over two years. OK, I'm babbling now so I'll be done. Love you all lots.

I swear, I really do read all the time...

2008-10-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

It looks like I have read more "classics" than I thought.

The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.

Here’s what you are supposed to do:
*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read.
*Star the books we LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling*
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (like from cover to cover? not there yet)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky(I have no idea what my crime was, but the punishment was reading this book)
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (read half)
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen*
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen*
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen*
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett*
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Serioulsy?

2008-10-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

I found this article on Comcast today. All I'm saying is I would be afraid to stand next to the SENATOR because of the lightening and all. That and if I lived in Omaha I know who I wouldn't voting for.

Suit against God thrown out over lack of address

Wed Oct 15, 3:09 PM EDT
A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God.

He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

"The court itself acknowledges the existence of God," Chambers said Wednesday. "A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience."

Therefore, Chambers said, "Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn't decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians.

There's Only One October

2008-10-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I stole that line from Major League Baseball last year...but they are right. Anyway, it is October and that means Birthday Bowling Extravaganza time. Kellie and I are doing the bowling thing again for our birthdays on October 18th. The plan is dinner at Red Robin in Overlake at 7:00 and bowling at 9:00 at Sun Villa Lanes (below the temple). Let me know if you want the evite and I'll send it to you.

April's Visit

2008-10-02T19:42:00.001-07:00

I cry every time

2008-09-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I believe I have mentioned before that Rent is my favorite musical ever. I know it's not family friendly or anything, and this may be the cheesiest thing I have ever said, but this story seriously changed my life. Although it is tragically sad and beyond heartbreaking the message is inspiring. The tag line from the show is "No Day But Today" and the whole idea is living each day to the fullest. A roommate of mine once referred to the show as the "AIDS Infested Musical", and really, she was right. But despite that, or possibly in light of, it is an amazing story of friendship and love that made me reevaluate all of my relationships, both friendships and family, and taught me to not take anything, and more importantly anyone for granted.

Rent recently ended a twelve year run on Broadway, much to my disappointment as I would have loved to see it there. The final performance was recorded and shown in movie theaters over this last weekend. It was amazing to see it in it's own theater as it played in the same place for it's entire run. I have seen it here in Seattle but it just wasn't the same as seeing it at The Nederlander, even if it was on film. Seeing it again made me weep, as always. And it also has made me think of all of those relationships that I don't want to take for granted. I'm assuming most people reading this are friends of mine, right? So all of you...I love you and thank you for being a part of my life.

My boyfriend Adam

2008-09-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

So, tonight I sat in the freezing cold rain to see my boyfriend, Adam Levine. We went to the White River Amphitheater (yeah, as in outdoors) to seen Maroon 5 and Counting Crows. I have never been a Counting Crows fan and have really never seen why women think the lead singer is hot, but I get it now. I have no idea what his name though, I'll have to Google it later. Anyway, I get it but he doesn't even come close to my Adam (wait, I think his name might be Adam too).

Anyway, best things heard there tonight (gotta love a show with a beer garden, right?)...while Nikki and I were in line to get food we hear a girl behind us tell her friends that she hopes they are OK with naked driving because there is no way she is driving an hour half home in soaking wet clothes. Nikki and I get this as we are soaked to the bone as well and the show hasn't even started yet. Not a minute later the same girl announces that she's sorry because she is the one who brought the rain on because she skipped church to come to this show (at least I didn't skip. I went to church THEN the show. Which is worse?) Anyway, that's just funny. Naked driver skipped church and brought on the rain. Oh, and then on the way out I make a bathroom stop. Some girl is frantically asking if anyone has a spare tampon. So we've all been there right? Where you would sell your soul/give your first born if some kind stranger will give you a tampon. So I dig in my purse and hand her one and I seriously thought she might kiss me and then she made it super awesome by asking me if I was sure it was OK. I mean, you don't like need this right or anything right? Um, no, we're all good sweetie. Anyway, I'm just babbling now and I'm super tired so I need to go get to bed, I just had to warm up enough that the shivering and teeth chattering stopped. Yes, I was that cold and wet. But here's another shot of Adam for you.

And my totally random thought for the night. I recently got a new couch and it is micro fiber, so it's all soft and cuddly like. My old couch was pleather (that's fake leather, as in plastic/leather for those not in the know)so it was not good when you were already freezing. Not so with the micro fiber. I'm sitting here on the couch wrapped up in my down blanket and am seriously considering just sleeping right here.

My Twilight Weekend!!

2008-09-15T21:48:00.001-07:00

Bad Blogger

2008-09-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

I am a horribly bad blogger lately! It may be because my life is fairly boring lately. I guess we can do a list of things that made me happy over the last week or so. Then you can get more out of me next week after my geeky trip to Forks. So here it goes...the happy list:

A guy totally flirted with me on Friday. He hasn't had any follow through AT ALL since then (which does not make me happy) but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt right right now.

I keep seeing commercials for the new TV season of my shows. OK, so really I'm talking about Grey's Anatomy and it's starts two weeks from tonight!!! Pushing Daisies is the night before.

The small of freshly washed laundry. I don't so much like DOING the laundry, but I love the smell!

The previously mentioned upcoming trip to Forks. Why are we going you ask? Duh, Saturday is Bella's birthday. Where else would we go for that?

Have I mentioned the flirter? Seriously, I was having the worst day ever and he fixed it. Obviously enough so that I'm still talking about it even it without the follow through I was kind of expecting. And by kind of expecting I mean he asked for my number and said he would call me. Has he? No. I've talked to him, but never outside of work hours (no we don't work together, exactly).

OK, that's it for now. I need to get some work done seeing as I am at work and all. I just wanted to let you know I was still alive. I'll take all sorts of pictures at First Beach and all those good places.

This is going to get complicated

2008-08-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have a FANTASTIC story to tell, but it's a little complicated. It's only fair if I give you a cast of players first.

Me: Duh, that's me
Dad: Self Explanatory
OJ: My step-sister who's name is also Julie. OJ stands for Other Julie. It does not necessarily refer to her (or to me), but to whichever of us is not currently being spoken to. In this case, it is her.
Aunt Lynne: OJ's aunt. It is her dad's sister, no relation to me at all.
Amy: Lynne's daughter who is the same age as me.
Amy's Ex-Husband: Again, self explanatory, but my dad couldn't remember his name.
Cain: Amy and Ex-Husband's kid

OK, story time. I'll just recreate the conversation my dad and I had over the phone last night:

Me: Hello?

Dad: Hey Kiddo (yeah, he always calls me that). So you have talked to OJ in the last week or so?

Me: I don't think so. Why, what's up?

Dad: Do you remember her Aunt Lynne?

Me: Yeah.

Dad: How about Lynn's daughter Amy?

Me: Uh, yeah. We used to hang out all the time when we lived in California.

Dad: Oh, that's right. I forgot you two were friends.

Me: Was that it? Do I remember Lynne and Amy? Or is there more?

Dad: (laughing) Oh, there is more.

Me: Are you going to tell me, or am I guessing?

Dad: So, evidently Amy and her husband got a divorce a while ago and they are now having a custody battle over Cain. He has since remarried. Do you want to guess who he is married to?

Me: (unfortunately my mind works this way) SHUT UP!!!!!!

Dad: (again laughing) You caught on faster than I did. Nice job.

OK, so there was more but this is the end of the good stuff. And for those of you who didn't catch on as fast as me...Amy's ex is now married to AUNT LYNNE!!!! For reals. So any of you who think you have a messed up family just think of this story and remind yourself that you are so well adjusted compared to this and you will never even come close. Hopefully. And if you do come close, you probably shouldn't tell me about it because I'll just blog it. Sorry, but it's just funny.

I'm glad I don't live in Phoneix

2008-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Or wait, maybe it would be awesome. This invite is courtesy of my former (and favorite) roommate LeeAnn, who does now live in Phoenix. I have detected certain things that are wrong with this dance, but I'm open to hearing what you all think it wrong.

Join Us Every 3rd Friday 8:00 pm – 12:30 am 2008: August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21, December 19

new "UNDERAGE" wristbands for those under 50 who wish to dance only with 30 & 40 year-olds

8:00 pm Let the Games Begin
8:00 pm West Coast Swing Dance Instruction by Mike Farnsworth
9:00 pm Opening Prayer and Dancing with DJ Stan the Man
12:30 am Closing Prayer and Last Dance

$4.00All Single Adults age 31 and older

6265 North 82nd Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85250 (McDonald/Hayden)Mountain Shadows WardProfessional
Dress – Business Casual

For Information or to Volunteer Contact:Dennis Dugan: 480-994-0221, 480-593-1891 cell, DODugan@yahoo.comMaxanne: LDSsasa@yahoo.com

Directions: From the AZ-101 take exit #45 - McDonald Drive, drive West one mile, turn North at 82nd Street. The chapel is a 1/3 mile North on the East side of the Street across from Saguaro High School.

Map and Driving directions:https://secure.lds.org/units/home/0,9781,600-1-7-88056,00.html

Stephenie and Justin

2008-08-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to the Breaking Dawn Concert Series at Benaroya Hall with Stephenie Meyer and Justin Furfenfeld from Blue October and it was AMAZING. It opened with Justin singing a few of Blue October songs and then there was a question and answer period where Stephanie answered questions she had hand picked. I'm not sure when the questions were submitted, but they were all from local people. Then Stephenie and Justin sat down together and talked about how much they love each other. She thinks it makes her cool that she gets to tour with a rockstar and he thinks that first of all, Stephenie is the true rockstar, and second it's even more amazing that he is on a book tour. She explained a bit about her playlists for the books and how when she hears a song, or even just a band, she can hear one of her charaters through the music. In case you were wondering, Blue October is mainly Edward but a little bit of Jacob too.

Needless to say, I have a new celebrity crush. I have always liked Blue October, but now I super love Justin. His acoustic version of Hate Me was beautiful.

it's not even 9:00 yet!!!

2008-08-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Phone call #1:
Customer: Is Wendy there please? (That's my boss and the owner of the company, I don't let most people actually talk to her because they have super easy simple questions that just plain don't require the OWNER of the company)

Me: I'm sorry, Wendy is not in the office today, how can I help you? (Not even a lie, she is in California)

Customer: Oh. (Really long pause) Um, so do you have someone who can help me with a billing question? (Seriously? No, we don't do that here. If you have a question, too bad. Of course we do Einstein)

Me: That would be me, how can I help you. (FYI, I am ALL departments. Billing, customer service, price quotes...)

Customer: Can you connect me to them? (huh?)

Me: I am that person.

Customer: Oh, there should have been sales tax on my invoice but there isn't. Can you ask billing to fix that? (Seriously, I'm not clever enough to make this stuff up)

Me: Yeah, that would be me. (As I JUST told you) Can I get your invoice number and your sales tax amount? (I'm good, but not that good, you have to help me out just a little)

Customer: There was no sales tax, that's why I was calling billing. (Yeah, she still doesn't get that I am billing)

Me: I understand that, but in order for me to charge you tax I need to know what your tax percentage is.

Customer: Oh, it's 7.75%. So you'll pass all of this onto billing?

Me: Yes, I will. I will have billing fax you a revised copy. (Pick your battles Julie, it's sill early today)

Phone Call #2
Customer: Hi Julie. I got the price quote you emailed and I have a few questions. (Bonus points for understanding it came from me)

Me: OK, what can I help you with?

Customer: So I see you gave us an each price, but do these come packaged as well?

Me: Ummmmm....do you mean are they individually packaged or just in cases in general? I gave you the case counts on the price quote.

Customer: Yeah, I mean are these items boxed?

Me: Yeah, that's the case count I gave you.

Customer: So this isn't just all lose?

Me: No.
What you need to know here is this was a HUGE price quote. For instance, the quantity of toothbrushes was 72,000 pieces alone. She was asking if all 72,000 of them just came packaged on their own, or were they in a case. SERIOUSLY????? Yeah, we just toss them in a pile and send it to you. YES IT"S IN A BOX IDIOT and if you had read the price quote you would see it said "Security Toothbrushes, 720/CS" right on it.

I think today might be a really long day if this keeps up.

Really?

2008-08-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

I got this email from "Bank of America" this morning at work. We do use B of A here, but we don't do anything online, my boss doesn't trust online banking. It's her money, so we do it her way, right? Anyway, I get this email this morning that at first I found interesting because we don't have an online account set up at all. Then I get to the date we need to respond by. Really? Seriously, all Spammers/Scammers out there, check your dates before you sent out your crap email. You're not even good at your criminal activities, no wonder you don't have a real job.

Dear Valued Customer :
We recently have determined that different computers have logged in your Bank of America Online Banking account, and multiple password failures were present before the logons. We now need you to re-confirm your account information to us. If this is not completed by April 11, 2007, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely, as it may have been used for fraudulent purposes. We thank you for your cooperation in this manner. In order to confirm your Online Bank records, we may require some specific information from you.
To restore your account, please Sign in to Online Banking.
thank you for using Bank Of America Online Service.

Because you are my friends...

2008-07-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

1. When you are sad -- I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on mountain dew.
2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.
4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.
5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.
6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.
7. When you are sick -- Stay away from me until you are well.
Again. I don't want whatever the heck you have.
8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsiness!
9. This is my oath... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask;
'because you are my friend'.

Some thoughts for the day

2008-07-28T23:07:00.001-07:00

First of all, my last post? The one about my favorite person in the whole wide world? Yeah, he has been downgraded. I hunted down this fantastic birthday present for him and he has already announced that he's not going to like it and I haven't even sent it yet. As a matter of fact I am now never going to send it because jackasses don't deserve birthday presents (sorry, I guess the blog is rated PG13 for language today). Anyway, I have allowed myself to be hurt by him yet again. I don't know why it surprises me but he still finds new and clever ways to break my heart on a daily basis. I know, you're wondering why he is still around. If you find an answer to that let me know because I have no freaking idea right now.

Thought number two: when a girl is cranky because of a jackass boy what is the standard cure? Dinner out with the girls that ends with ice cream. Sounds like a plan, right? Except I have no idea what makes me think I can eat dairy. I know I can't, I can handle about two bites and that's it. Did I stop at two bites today? Yeano.

And last...I'm going to see Mama Mia again tomorrow night. Yay! And there will be no lame guys or dairy products involved to mess with me.

Happy Birthday...

2008-07-26T01:01:00.000-07:00

So today is my very favorite person on this whole big planet's birthday. I'm pretty sure he is the one true of my life but we're both too stupid to do anything about it so we continue living separate lives 2,400 miles apart from each other. Or maybe that's because we are actually smarter than I give us credit for, sometimes I forget which one is true. Anyway, happy birthday my sunshine...(good thing he doesn't read this or I would be in so much trouble for that picture).

Why I am afraid of online dating...

2008-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I copied and pasted this from LDSplanet.com, so this is this guy's profile word for word (spelling and grammar errors and all). And no, I didn't send him a message.

A little about me...Hello everyone! Let me start by scarying you off with Scriptures. I am a Priest of the order of Melchizedek. I do not spend my strength on women, nor my vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for priest and kings to drink wine, not for rulers of time and eternity to crave beer, Lest they drink and forget what the Lord decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights to be prayed for. I do not Give beer to those who are perishing, nor wine to those who are in anguish; I Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. I Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

How I feel about the Church...I am a convert. Teacher/Ward Missionary. I saw Paradise after my endowment, so dont ask me if the Church is true Because I know it is true.A wife of noble character I seek She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

What I do for fun...My first and famous hobby is listerning to the Tabernacle choir and the scriptures. I love it and can't get enough of it. I listern to it in the morning, while driving and while working on the job. My second hobby is my job. Technology changes very fast so I keep mastering one thing after another and to prove to myself that I have a mastery of something, I get a certification in it. By the end of 2008, I will be the one of the world higest IT certified Engineer with at lease 15 Major certifications internationally recongnized.On the fun side, I love the beaches in California, I love fine dinning and I make fun and laugh a lot, I love Photography and travel. I have travel 10 countries and wish to travel to 100 in the next 7 years. One more thing, I am a gifted poet. I have never read a poetry book but I have my poems in Anthonologies world wide. And last but not least, I like to hug, Kiss and touch my wife to be.One more thing, if you dont like smart, intelligent and geeky people, please dont flirt with me because my whole family is a bunch of Geeks. God gave us intelligence in all its fullness.

Some people are brilliant

2008-07-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

I just heard a "news" story on the radio about a new trend in Israel. Evidently the new thing there is to rent an ATM (you can RENT them?) for your wedding reception. Yeah, as in "oh look, an ATM. Even though I already bought you a lovely gravy boat I think I'll get you some cash too". Do you suppose that works? Do they put on the invite that the bride groom are registered nowhere, just bring your debit card? It seems a bit tacky to me, really. Yet brilliant.

And Becky...I thought of you when they were talking about it on the radio. They kept saying ATM machine and all I heard in my head each time was "automated teller machine machine". Thanks for that.

Sometimes I share too much...

2008-07-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

and I almost always think too much. And when I think too much I don't sleep enough, like right now. So here's my deal...I'm just really sad lately. I'm sad that I don't have what I thought I would at this point in my life and sometimes that sadness can be overwhelming. Not to mention annoying. It's annoying because I know exactly what I want, I just can't figure out how to get it. I get close, but it never happens and I guess I'm just feeling really discouraged right now. I'm not sure if it helped or hurt to realize this week that it's not just me. I'm not the only one who isn't happy with what I have, as a matter of fact there are so many out there who have what I would do just about anything to have and they aren't happy with it. I would trade my freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want in a heartbeat for the whole husband and kids deal. So to recap, I am in super whiney cry baby mode right now, and by right now I mean this whole week. I'm trying really hard to be thankful for what I do have, but sometimes it's just hard.

Twilight Masquerade

2008-07-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

I know some of you out there are as obsessive as I am and will love this...

Breaking Dawn is available on August 2nd, and when I say August 2nd, I mean midnight. The Woodinville Barnes and Noble is having a Twilight Masquerade from 8:00 - 12:00. There will be a costume contest, arts and crafts and, most important...a whole lot of Twilight dorks like us (OK, me). It is very similar to the Harry Potter events they always did. In order to get your book that night you really should pre-order it. You can do that in the store, or you can do it online. If you don't you have to wait until all the people who did pre-order to get theirs first. Anyway, my friends and I will be there, let me know if you want to come too. It's always lots of fun.

Some People's Kids...

2008-07-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

So TaNicka posted earlier this week about loud, annoying people in restaurants. I have a better one. Loud, annoying kids at Mariners games. I went to LDS night with my friend Katie last night and for some reason, the tickets we bought online were like a section away from everyone else. It was very odd. We did like our seats though. We were in the fist row of the section so there was no one in our way. There was a family seating a few rows behind us with kids that I would say were all under 12, I couldn't say for certain since I never turned around for fear of saying things that are not kind to say in the LDS section. Anyway, maybe mid-way through the game we start to notice how unnaturally loud these kids were, and that their parents didn't seem to care. I'll give them that it was a baseball game, you don't need to sit there quietly and all, but this was so the opposite end of the spectrum. They were so loud. This kids voice was like nails on blackboard for me. And when I say "loud" I don't mean they were speaking in their outside voices. I mean everything was YELLED and it was all lame. He was singing songs that weren't being played and yelling out names of people who weren't playing. I know that his dad was sitting right next to him because annoying kid was talking to him in between driving Katie and I crazy. I know I don't have kids or anything, but when I do I promise you won't want to smack them upside the head when I take them out in public. I like you all that much. You're welcome.

I did it!

2008-06-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

OK, I didn't die camping, I in fact survived AND had fun. We even stayed last night too. I have a few bug bites, a big bruise on my knee and I'm a little bit sunburned, but I had fun. I think I may be ready for real camping soon....

Camping...kind of

2008-06-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I am so not a camper. It's dirty, either way too hot or way too cold, there are bugs and other creatures, and did I mention dirty? The only time I ever camped really was Girls Camp. My friends and I have been talking about going camping forever, we just never do it. However, tonight we are camping. Kind of. There are tents and sleeping involved, but it's at Nikki and Erin's parents house. No, not in their house, not even in the backyard. We're going out to the field and setting up there. I'm pretty sure this is being considered a trial run to see if they can actually take me wanywhere for real camping or if they just need to leave me at home next time. Check back in tomorrow and I'll let you know if I survived it.

It is Monday, right?

2008-06-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

I got to work this morning and had no messages on my voice mail and 11 emails, that number is normally closer to 40 on a Monday morning. I have had under 10 customers call me all day long and I just went to get something for lunch and downtown Woodinville is like a ghost town. OK, maybe that part was an exaggeration, but I would say there were about half the people that are normally out and about on a Monday afternoon. To top it all off I only have 2 UPS orders to ship out today and nothing to go out LTL. Weird. And next week is the holiday...

The whole (not so sad) story

2008-06-18T00:18:00.000-07:00

At Enrichment tonight (where we learned that me, the queen of crafts, is afraid of sewing machines and TERRIFIED of sergers) I mentioned something about the wedding dress hanging up in my closet that I can't bring myself to part with and there was some interest in the story being that. No, I have never been married. I came within about five weeks of getting married though. It was in the spring of 2004 and I was coming off a pretty severe heartbreak. When I say "pretty severe" I mean I had to be medicated and thought there was no way I would ever be OK ever again. Needless to say, when there was suddenly this guy who was very actively pursuing me and showering me with attention, I ate it up. I was starved for affection and, let's face it, attention, and I found someone more than willing to give me both. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was sitting in a booth at The Outback with his parents choosing a date and being in awe over their gift of a honeymoon cruise. I didn't even remember actually being asked to marry him. It's only fair to mention here that the previously mentioned heart breaker announced he was getting married right before all of this as well.

I guess that was in either late April or early May. As the summer progressed, getting closer and closer to August 21st (the day that worked best for his parents, no one cared what I wanted) the more I began to doubt if I was doing the right thing. I had a dress, I had bridesmaids who had dresses. There were plans for flowers and centerpieces had been purchased. We even had bubbles for the reception. Invitations were made, addressed and even mailed. And then one day while fighting my parents over stupid details my dad told me (and this is an exact quote) "you are extremely unpleasant right now". Of course I go my closest friend, who will always tell me the truth, if I want to hear or or not, and tell her that i cannot believe what my dad said to me. Instead of the expected agreement over the injustice of it I got nothing. She just looked at me and said "yeah, he's right". So we had a little talk about that and what was making me so nasty and I left that conversation knowing for certain what had been in the not so far corner of my mind for weeks. I did not want to do this. There was a lot of reasons why. The big ones were that there were some pretty major things that both he and his family decided I didn't need to know that once I found out I didn't so much agree with them. It's not like it was just him lying to me, he was being backed up most of his family. Imagine that as future in laws, scary huh?

So here's my major epiphany. I thought it was OK for me to get married because the previously mentioned heart breaker was. It was more of I thought I HAD to because he was. Not my most shining moment, really. Because I am the good daughter that I am, at this point I was more afraid to tell my parents than him. After all, my parents had put a lot of time, effort and money into this endeavor. So once I talked to my dad, who had to reassure me countless times that money should not be a part of my decision making process, I knew I was done. My family is not really known from it's confrontational skills I proved that I am carrying this legacy on by calling my fiance and calling of out wedding over the phone. I know, I'm awesome. What happened after that isn't really important. It's sufficient to say it was kind of ugly there for a while but I was so relieved that it was over. And for all of you out there who have planned a wedding, you know how much work goes into it. Well, just as much work goes into UNplanning a wedding. My parents were great, they did almost of all it. My job was having these cute little cards made up announcing that they wedding was off and getting them mailed out. Super fun, but again, I was just so relieved.

So back to what started this, I have this beautiful dress hanging up in my closet. I have not been able to bring myself to part with it. It's not a reminder of what could have been or anything, I just really love the dress and hope to use it someday. And more important, this isn't a sad story at all. OK, it is a little bit, but it ended well. At least for me...

I've been really busy

2008-06-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

My boss has been out of town all of this month so I have been very busy work. It has been brought to my attention that I haven't been blogging much and while I don't have time to actually update you all on my life (it's not like anything is actually happening anyway), I have decided to pass something along to all of you that I got from my sister in law that entertained me. So here you go...

INTERESTING STUFF

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. -------------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S . Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wa sn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.' ___________________________________________________________________________________________________It It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'
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M any years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice
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At least 75% of people who read t his will try to lick their elbow!
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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pwe or of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

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YOU K NOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don 't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Phantom Pain

2008-06-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

So when I had my gallbladder removed I had millions (OK, maybe five) people tell me that I would have phantom pains. You know, like people who have had a limb amputated and still feel pain where the limb used to be? I thought they were crazy. I was wrong. I figured it has been four months so I'm good to go, right? Wrong. Right now, at this very moment, I have this stabbing pain in my abdomen where my stupid gallbladder used to be. At least the nausea doesn't come back with it, I would be having a total and complete breakdown right now if it did.

Things That Made Me Happy Today (OK, this week)

2008-06-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Things That Made Me Happy Today used to be a regular occurance on my blog on myspace. I seem to have stopped lately, and seeing as I have been cranky and actually kind of unpleasant I'm thinking maybe I need to get back to what maes me happy. Sounds like a plan, huh?

Celtic Thunder
Have you sen these guys? Their concert is on PBS (channels 9 and 12) all the time. They are five guys from Ireland and Scotland and they are amazing. It is impossible to be cranky watching their concert. Wait, let me be more specific. It is impossible to be cranky while they are singing. When the annoying people who want you to send money in to support public broadcasting are on then you can get cranky.

Virus Buster
Also known as "Hand Held Video Game Crack". This is a game in the Daily Training section of Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS. It's a Tetris style game and all time ceases to exist while you are playing it.

Flamingos at the Zoo
I'm not sure why these made me so happy, but they did. And FYI...they stand on one leg to keep the other warm.

NCIS
I never watched this before the writer's strike. Now I can't stop. Mark Harmon is still pretty.

Taylor Swift
Again, don't know why, but it makes me happy.

The Host (by Stephenie Meyers)
This is Stephenie's first book for adults. It was not as instantly all-encompassing as the Twilight series, but it's still good.

And just for fun...here is a picture of me and my sisters and my step mom on Mother's Day. Just because we're cute.

Made me cry...

2008-05-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers
This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses
The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we’ll take our chances
Because God’s stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all Gods children
Crept out the back door
And its hard to love, there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it’s much, much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time
These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here
So you scream from behind your door
Say what’s mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much but I’ll take my chances
Because God’s stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can’t come back
Because he has no children to come back for
Its hard to love there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say its much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

Why I Heart This Weekend

2008-05-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

So first of all I need to start by saying I had my stimulus check deposited into my account on Friday. Being the good citizen that I am, I did, of course, do my civic duty and went out and stimulated the economy. Katie and I started out at Costco on Friday night and I only bought a book there. Don't you hate it when you have money you want to spend and can't find anything to buy? So then we went on to Target and Kohls were I was a genius clearance shopper. Between the two stores I bought two pairs of jeans, a short sleeved sweater, a t-shirt and some other useless stuff for under $70.00. I'm amazing, huh? Then we did the necessary middle of the night Wal Mart trip. Nothing exciting happened there except for this really cute pair of brown flip flops with blue stripey ribbon straps. Since we had hit about 1:00 AM by this time we called it quits for the night.

So of course I had to start all over again on Saturday. I won't go as far as to say it was Saturday morning, but more like maybe....3:30. Nikki and Erin came and got me and we had to stop and eat first. Then we went to Stupid Prices in Kenmore, which other people seem to like, but I think it's dirty and yucky. Sometimes I find something good there, but I don't really have the patience to look for the "treasures". Then we headed out the Outlet Mall on Marysville where the real fun started. I got all sorts of stuff there but we'll skip over 90% of it because it's just not that exciting. The best part of the day? Yeah, that would be the Coach store where I got a black bad and matching wristlet for a ridiculously small amount money....for Coach. My new Coach bad and I love each other lots.

Then we hit Target (yes, again. There is no such thing as too much Target). We went to the one Erin works at in Smokey Point so we got to listen to a gazillion people dressed in red and khaki ask her why she was there on her day off. Anyway, I got the shiny red Nintendo DS I have had my eye on. I got Brain Age 2, Risk/Battleship/Clue and Super Mario Brothers to go with it. And again, some not exciting stuff like shampoo. We also hit up the Winco on the way home, which for some reason is always entertaining to us. So that was my fun for Saturday.

So then we get to today. I got up, played Sudoku on my DS, went to church. You know the regular Sunday action. Then this evening we had a little meeting fir single adults in the ward. The bishop wanted to get as many together as possible to talk about stuff, like do we feel left out? Do we want separate activities for ourselves or to just blend in (FYI, I want to blend in, I don't want to be "that single girl")? It was nice to have a meeting of the minds on this topic. I think it's an issue in all family wards, but it gets ignored. It was also nice to hear what other people thought about it. I found most of us all think the same.

But here is the best part of the weekend. I was talking to some of the girls in the parking lot afterwards. These are two girls that I grew up with in the ward. One is just a few years younger than me so we knew each other pretty well, the other was much younger so i don't know her very well. Anyway, none of this is my point. Both of these girls' mothers were my leaders in Young Women's at one point growing up. I was telling them how weird it was being a single adult in the ward I grew up in because of the fact that I feel like my old leaders are looking at me and thinking they know they taught me better (I know, I'm nutty). Anyway, so then Carrie says to me, "My mom is so proud of you and the person you have become." For realsies, I almost cried. I know everyone goes through phases where you wonder about your whole life and if you are really are doing OK (you all do wonder about that, right? It's not just me? Please say yes.) It was really nice to hear that right now seeing as I am constantly in that "Am I OK" mode lately. Especially from someone who has known me most of my life and that I have so much respect for. So there you have it...that is why I heart this weekend.

I'm sorry...what?

2008-04-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Because I'm a big dork, I get a word of the day from dictionary.com. Here is today's word....

Word of the Day for Tuesday, April 29, 2008
gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:
1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.
2. Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

Soooooo....to sum things up here a gimcrack has just be defined as being a gewgaw. That's clear, right? It would have been even more awesome if they had went with just gewgaw as the definition.

And just an FYI...my spellcheck actually knew both words.

I try to be the best...

2008-04-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was always taught to do the very best I can possibly do at whatever it is I endeavor to do. And in that spirit I am returning six used toner cartridges to HP to be recycled today. Seeing as I go through one every two to three weeks I would have to say that this is some top rate procrastination. Go Me!!

Fair Warning

2008-04-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

So I had an appointment with my bishop last night. While I am there he tells me he wants me to start looking into some topics that interest me or that really mean something to me and write some "practice talks". I know he doesn't want me to speak right now, I have been having some issues and we both know I'm not ready for that yet. But really, that is what I would call some super fair warning there.

It has me kind of panicking at the thought of it though. Even though knowing it's an abstract in the future kind of deal it freaks me out. I have somehow worked it so i have not spoken in sacrament since I was in high school. I'm 32 now, so you do the math. I guess I have always known i can't continue this streak forever, but I'm still in the clear for now. Wish me luck.

Lots of good stuff

2008-04-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Nikki and I both skipped out of work a little early today and went shopping. Neither of us really needed anything, but it's not like that has ever stopped us. We went to Target where the shower curtain I have been eying was on clearance. Not just any clearance, we're talking 75% off making it a whopping $2.49.

So then they had super cute matching towels for $0.74 each. And I think the washcloths were like $1.98 for either a 5 or 6 pack. Whatever is was, it was super cheap!

So then we hit Costco where I found the 10th Anniversary edition of Pride and Prejudice. I have been really wanting to get it seeing as an old roommate lent mine out and I never got it back.

We followed that with dinner at Mi Tierra, so it was a good evening.

More than you ever wanted to know

2008-04-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

OK, so I saw this on someone else's blog, and since I live to steal from other blogs, here you go...

45 Things You May Not Know About Me

1. I love the smell of fresh laundry
2. I hate tomatoes but love ketchup.
3. I can't fall asleep without having the radio on.
4. My mom left when I was very young and I was raised primarily by my dad and grandma.
5. I have 3 sisters and 3 brothers but none of us have the same mom and dad.
6. I only have 3 first cousins.
7. I have lived in the Seattle area my whole life except for 18 months in California in the 5th and 6th grade.
8. I have a sister named Julie (my dad married her mom, so she's my step sister)
9. I collect Coke things (as in Coca Cola, not the other stuff)
10. I have 4 tattoos (really, ask and you can see them).
11. I still like Barbies, they're just more expensive than they used to be.
12. I hate all nuts, they're yucky.
13. I like creepy TV shows (Criminal Minds, CSI, Cold Case).
14. I have seen High School Musical and High School Musical 2...and yep, no kids.
15. I have 5 different Monopoly games.
16. I have to read People Magazine every week or I feel lost.
17. I can relate almost anything in life to an episode of Friends.
18. I came within 5 weeks of getting married 4 years ago (got out of it just in time!)
19. I'm super excited that baseball season just started!!
20. I have a current obsession with grilled cheese sandwiches.
21. As cheesy as this sounds...the musical Rent changed my life, you need to see it. OK, it's a little on the dirty side, but still. If you can't see it live at least see the movie.
22. I buy a gazillion dollars worth of scrapbooking stuff but rarely actually scrapbook.
23. I have a Crayola problem...I see it I buy it. I have more crayons than households with 6 kids.
24. I have the same problem with flip flops. I have probably 15 pairs and it will get worse when summer hits.
25. I love trivia games.
26. I like watching the Discovery Health Chanel but sometimes it does gross me out.
27. I'm always reading multiple books at the same time.
28. I've never been further east than Salt Lake City...sad, huh?
29. I like sad movies. Why? No idea.
30. My best friend has lived in Bahrain for almost 2 years and I haven't bothered to make it there to see her and now she is leaving soon so I'll never make it there.
31. I love lilies, my daddy just got me an Easter Lily...it smells soooo good.
32. I love anything Jane Austen wrote, especially Persuasion.
33. I aplhabetize everything. Books. Movies. CDs.
34. I'm going to Alpacapalooza this weekend. Jealous much?
35. I'm so confused by Lost but have to watch it every week.
36. I sleep with 6 pillows and each one of them has to be in just the right spot or I'm not happy.
37. Valencia Orange from Williams Sonoma is the best scent ever in the history of all candles.
38. I think Wicked is one of the best musicals ever but the book is bad. Don't read it.
39. I love to cook, but don't normally bother for just me.
40. I'm on a hunt for white dishes with a red trim (to match all my Coke stuff) but I can't find any. It's starting to make me cranky.
41. My current favorite books are the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. And in case you're curious, I'm totally on Team Jacob.
42. I truly think Disneyland might be the happiest place on earth.
43. I am a firm believer in Craft Therapy. There is no problem in this world that a good craft project can't cure. Except for having a non-functional gallbaldder. You need surgery for that. Crafts can get you out of the post surgery funk though.
44. Some of my best friends are people I have known since jr high and high school.
45. I didn't think I could come up with 45 things about myself but I did it!!!

OK, now it's your turn.

Seriously?

2008-03-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

So I have been doing some major avoidance of medical bills for the last three months. I just now finally went through and matched up all of my insurance statements with the bills and I'm just a little in shock right now. My part of everything I had done in the month of January is $2,171.85. Can you imagine what that would be without insurance? I don't even want to think about that. I guess when you consider all I had done it could be a lot worse. That includes an endoscopy (the camera down the throat), and CT scan with radioactive contrast, a night in the ER for fluids, a HIDA scan (again done in the nuclear medicine department) that measured the functionality of my gallbladder and then the actual gallbladder removal. It's amazing how many different departments can charge you for the same procedure. For the surgery I have a bill from the hospital that includes the OR time, recovery room time, pharmacy and all sorts of other fun stuff. Then there are bills from the surgeon and anthesthologist and then there is one from pathology. Each of the different procedures are similar. I think the theory behind it all is now that I'm not sick anymore they have to find someway to torture me still so they are going to see how badly they can confuse me. And for any of you out there who have some sort of mystery illness like I did watch out for all the tests...especially anything that has to be done in the nuclear medicine department, It's another word for super expensive. I have done the research for you.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can admit it, I am a crier. I cry at movies, TV shows, books, commercials, when a boy breaks my heart and sometimes just because. One thing that doesn't make me cry is church. Other people cry their way through it on a weekly basis, but me, the cry baby, rarely shed a tear. Until today. And I saved it all for the practice hymn before Sunday School. And here is what made me cry (so you can do it too now)...

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives who once was dead.
He lives, my everliving Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in times of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind wise heav'nly friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while he lives I'll sing.
He lives, my Prophet, Priest and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath.
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to his name.
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!
He lives! All glory to his name.
He lives, my Savior still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Letting Go

2008-03-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have some very obvious issues (and people) I need to let go of in order to move on with my life. I have needed some help in doing this and I wanted to share something I got from my therapist today on letting go.

To let go doesn't mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off, it's the realization that I can't control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to effect their own outcomes.

To let go is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but to search out my shortcomings and to correct them.

To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and to cherish the moment.

To let go is not criticize and regulate anyone, but to try and become whatever dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more.

Yay me!!!

2008-03-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

So I did the whole eating thing on Friday night, or at least attempted it. Then on Saturday I went to Kellie's and she made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner (yes, that was her looking for something I would eat) and I ate a sandwich and then half of another one. I didn't manage any soup, but I was able to handle soup the whole time I was sick so I wasn't too excited about it. And then today I had a french bread pizza. It had 20 grams of fat in it, so it was my test, and it was just fine. I have found that I have felt hungry about once a day for the last few days, so I go with it. I'm still doing an Ensure a day and I choke down fruit at least once a day too. What I have really noticed this weekend is that I'm not as afraid to eat, and I think deep down inside that was my issue. I was scared to death of eating before I had surgery because I had been so sick for months and all food just made it worse. I'm working on training my brain now that it's OK to eat because I'm not sick anymore. Eating out Friday night was huge as well the pizza today. I'm losing a lot of the fear and anxiety and there is nothing bad about that.

On the subject of fear...I have been reading Faith, The Essence of True Religion by President Hinckley and there is a whole chapter on fear and how it is not of God. President Hinckley described fear as the antithesis of faith. When I was reading that I realized that not only is my fear of eating irrational, but it is hurting me spiritually as well as mentally and physically. That realization doesn't make the fear any less real, but it was a new perspective. I'm not sure how much of my progress over the weekend was from this realization, or how much of it is from the emotion releasing exercises my psychotherapist and I are working on or even how much of it is just from simple physical healing, but there was certainly progress.

Guess what I did tonight?

2008-03-08T01:11:00.000-08:00

I went out to dinner with the girls. In Monroe. Monroe is so not close to home. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't hungry, but I ate. OK, I ate a teeny tiny bit, but I ate and it didn't make cry. And even better, it didn't make me sick (at least not yet and it's been over an hour). I know, we all knew it wouldn't but my brain and my body don't talk to each other anymore. Anyway, it was a small victory for me.

It's just hard right now

2008-03-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of you have noticed that I'm just not myself lately. I've just been having a really rough time for the last month or so and I can't even really pinpoint what my problem is. I think there is just so much going on in my head that I just can't deal with it right now. I'm really struggling and everything is a battle for me, and I hate it. I'm really not the crying whiner I have been recently and I hate that too. So hopefully soon I can figure out what my problem is so I can be again. I finally gave in and I have an appointment with a psychiatric nurse practitioner on Thursday. It makes me feel better than saying I'm see a shrink, yet it's so close. Put that together with my weekly chats with the Bishop and I should be like new soon, right? My Bishop has been great and has really helped me a lot but I'm just beyond his realm right now. I'm finally getting over the ultimate laziness of not being able to use capital letters, that's a start...but anyway, I'll be fine once I figure this stuff out.

too much

2008-03-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

does anyone else ever just feel like their emotions are taking over their lives?

over sensitive? maybe...

2008-03-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

so probably half of the people who i have talked to about my food problems tell me that they wish they had my problem and that they had no interest in food and no appetite. no, you don't. i wouldn't wish this on anyone. i feel like i have lost all control in my life. eating has become a chore for me, it's one more thing i HAVE to do. i actually cry when i know i have to eat, and that is not something anyone out there should be hoping for. i know that no one means any harm in their statements, but it almost makes it even harder for me. it's like why am i complaining when people out there wish they had my problem? i know i'm a little on the over sensitive side here, but it's driving me nuts!

yep, i'm a little nutty

2008-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

so i saw a nurse practitioner at eastside gastroenterology today. what we decided was there is nothing physically wrong with me, which is good. however, that means i have some weird little (or huge) issues in my head. we are thinking that i'm just afraid of food right now. i don't really get it, because i have acknowledged it, i know i'm ok and should be able to eat, but i can't. see? issues. the stuff with raul doesn't help, and if anyone wants to volunteer to pay my medical bills, that works for me. anyway, i'll be ok once i can get over my own head.

is it all in my head?

2008-02-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

so here is the deal. i think the whole not eating thing is all in my head. i was so sick whenever i ate for so long that i'm afraid to eat now. that is ridiculous seeing as nothing really makes me sick anymore. but i can't get it out of my head. i was at a meeting for next month's enrichment and i was offered a cookie and i said i don't do dessert yet. i was offered a sprite, but i don't do bubbles. we were talking about dinner for enrichment and all i was thinking is that i can't eat any of what we are talking about. i bet not one of those things would make me sick, but my brain thinks it will. so in a nutshell, i've lost my mind.

my appointment with the new gastroenterologist is tomorrow morning so i guess i'll let you all know what she has to say tomorrow night.

stuff about me

2008-02-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

i know i just blogged...but i saw this on charis's blog so now you all get to know more about me...

TEN YEARS AGO!
1. living with monica in redmond
2. going to university 2nd ward
3. spent lost of time with the gang
4. worked at bartell's
5. drove a crappy car

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED!
1. seattle, wa
2. mountain view, ca
3. redmond, wa
4. bothell, wa
5. kirkland, wa

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST!
1. pay the power bill ;-)
2. see new doctor next week about my stomach
3. read "faith, the essence of true religion"
4. clean the bathroom
5. vacuum...it's getting yucky in here!

I ENJOY!
1. reading
2. cross stitching
3. scrapbooking
4. shopping
5. anything crafty

TWO BAD HABITS!
1. i rush into things
2. i trust people too much

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME!
1. i have to have the radio on while falling asleep because the quiet is waaaaaaayyyy too loud.
2. i can't stand tomatoes or peanuts but i love ketchup and peanut butter
3. i like gossip girl...for realsies
4. i hate all reality tv except for american idol (i'm watching it now)
5. i have 3 brothers and 3 sisters but none of them have the same mom AND dad as me

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD!
1. fabric/craft store
2. telemarketing (for about a month)
3. receptionist
4. admin
5. cashier

So now is the time to tag others.. WHOEVER WANTS TO :-)

better day

2008-02-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

so i'm like a whole new person from my last blog on tuesday. i have decided my bishop is like a miracle worker. i saw him on tuesday night and again tonight and i seriously feel 100 times better than i did. i know i did some of the work too, but he is a genius.

i did something big this week. i told raul that we had to be done. i have regretted it since the second i did it, but at the same time i know it's for the best. i would like nothing better than for him to be all mine and have us live happily ever after but it's been two years already. if it was going to happen, it would have already, right? yeah, that's what i think too, despite the fact that i spent most of today asking him if we could pretend like yesterday never happened. i'm actually kind of proud of him for telling me no, but it hurt when he told me he thought i would have been happier today seeing as i did something i have been wanting to do. what? like i have been wanting to not have him in my world? i'm going to assume that;s the hurt talking. anyway, deep down inside i think i'm ok with it being over, no matter what i say in moments of weakness.

i'm having a bad day

2008-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

why? no idea. i haven't been eating since the surgery and i think it's starting to take it's toll on me. i'm such a crier lately and i don't even need anything to set me off. breathing is enough to do it for me right now. anyway, i'll be ok, i'm just nutty.

huh

2008-02-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

so it's almost like i have nothing to say that's not medical. how sad is that? maybe it's just there is not much going on at all because i'm just waiting to feel normal again. I actually feel pretty good most of the time, except for the no appetite deal. i have lost 20 pounds in four weeks. great end results, bad methods. i'm on an antibiotic right now to get rid of what we think is a bacterial overgrowth in my stomach and that, in theory, should bring back my appetite. see, look? i turned it into something medical again. sorry...

my last medical related blog

2008-02-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

i so dig this whole not having a gallbladder action (turns out it's all one word). i haven't been sick even once since the night before the surgery. i had my one week follow up appointment with my surgeon this afternoon and he says i'm good to go. there were no gallstones (also one word according to the pathology report), just chronic cholecystitis - which is a really big word for inflammed gallbladder (all one word). i have no restrictions physically or diet wise except to watch my fat intake as that is a lot of what the gallbladder (all one word) did. as far as the surgical incisions the new theory on them is if it hurts, don't do it. nice huh? anyway, i have eaten three meals two days in a row now so there goes my fast track weight loss. i had lost 18 pounds over the last three weeks, but i don't suggest anyone try my method, it sucked.

so there you have it...my last medical blog. i guess i need to start thinking if other topics for you all to read.

not so bad

2008-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

so this whole surgery thing hasn't been too bad. it's not great fun or anything, but it's not as bad as i thought it would be. i'm really sore and still can't eat much, but i can already tell i feel better. i'll update you all more later.

so we're on

2008-01-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

i wasn't really expecting this to happen this fast, but yeah, i'm having surgery at 10:45 tomorrow morning. i guess i'll update you all later!

ok, so get this

2008-01-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

seeing as i have been miserable for weeks i decided to call the surgeon's office and see if they had cancellations due to the snow. they didn't today, but they have one for tomorrow. so i'm going in at 3:30 tomorrow. that's not the crazy part...this is. the receptionist then tells me they do gall bladders on wednesdays (yeah, wednesday is gall bladder day) so if they find it is bad enough they may want to take it out the next day. for realsies, as in less than 24 hours later. in a way i think that would be great, but i also think it is waaaaaayyyyyyy too soon. yet i don't want to wait another week either. it kinda sucks either way for me, huh?

yep, it's the gall bladder

2008-01-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

so it looks like mine is functioning at a whopping 7%. go me! i have an appointment with a surgeon on wednesday morning at 9:00 so i guess i'll update you all then and hopefully soon this can be about something other than my health. like there's a guy at church who makes me giggle. we'll get to him when i'm feeling better!

gall baldder?

2008-01-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

so i never meant for this blog to be all about my medical calamities, yet it seems to be just that. i was all happy with the diagnosis of gastroparesis at first, i was going to wait for the meds to kick in. then came tuesday night. i was out with nikki and erin and i really just wasn't feeling well. i got home, tried to go to sleep but it just kept getting worse and worse. the nausea was horrible and i think it just works to say that i just didn't feel right. it was almost cartoon like...like if i moved my hand it fanned out. so i did the logical thing once the overwhelming shaking started and drove myself to the ER. i know, i'm brilliant. so i get there, feeling like an idiot because i was there for a bad tummy. turns out i didn't need to feel dumb, i was very dehydrated. after two bags of fluids and some fantastic anti-nausea they sent me home with my daddy and an prescription sedative to help me sleep.

then yesterday i went into my GI and she starts poking around and it suddenly worried about my gall bladder. she decides she wants to have a functionality test done on my gall bladder. nuclear medicine at evergreen just happened to have an opening for 9:30 this morning so i took it. the test consisted if injecting me with a nuclear enhanced (aka radioactive) fatty protein and we watched it go through my liver and then gall bladder. what should have happened was that the gall bladder would swell up, contract and start to empty. what did happen was my gall bladder swelled up, end of story. so, it looks like we found the real problem. i guess i'll keep y'all updated from here...

realizations

2008-01-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

ok, so i just realized something, and yes, i know how whiny this sounds. but no matter how many times i tell people i'm ok, i'm just not. i had my heart torn into little shreds last year and i'm not really recovering all that quickly. i fake like i have, i even flirt like crazy with a certain boy in texas and try and make myself believe that he could be the one to make it all better. maybe he is, but i would have to be ok enough to let him, right? oh, and he would have to be less of an assface right now. anyway, i think being sick is making me whiny. not to mention the fact that the previously mentioned heart breaker has recently started emailing me thinking it's all good now that i need to hear about how he just moved from arizona to florida with his freaking girlfriend. yeah, that would be the same one that i overlapped with. i know, right? insane...

lazy stomach

2008-01-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

i would like to start by saying how mad i am that i'm even awake right now!!! i went to bed at 9:30 feeling really good but exhausted from being up all night last night. i woke up about 20 minutes ago feeling horrible AGAIN!!! i got about three hours of sleep in before i woke up, but it's just not going to cut it and it's not like i can call in sick again.

anyway, i had my appointment with my GI today. what she originally thought was a tumor and then downgraded to a bulge is actually my spleen. it isn't where it belongs so it is pressing against my stomach creating the bulge. this is not what is making me sick though. that would be a lazy stomach. what they found in my CT was a whole bunch of water in my stomach. i thought "well duh, you made me drink a ton of it first". evidently i thought wrong, yes, the did force feed me a ton of water but none of it should have been in my stomach still 10-15 minutes later, it should have just flushes it's way through. if this is happening with water it is obviously happening with food as well and that is what is making me feel so horribly sick, like i do right now.

so what do we do? we treat it four times a day with drugs that will make my stomach contract. she said to give it 10-14 days for the full effect to kick in, but i'm not sure i can wait that long, i'm just too tired!

2008-01-16T01:56:00.001-08:00

what a tease

2008-01-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

so yesterday i get a call from my general practitioner's office telling me they received a copy of my abdominal CT and that it's all clear. i was at work and was pretty busy so i just said thanks and was done. it was a little weird that the call came from my GP's office, but i knew they were being cc'd with the results. anyway, once things slowed down at work i was thinking about the call. how could it have come back all clear? the reason i was there to begin with was because my gastroscopy showed a mass in my stomach. hello? how is a CT with a mass in the stomach "all clear"? it was too late to do anything about it at the time though. so when i got home there was a message on my voice mail from my GI's office saying the got my CT results back and they were "concerned" about something on it and i needed to call to make an appointment but that it wasn't urgent. so i call this morning. yeah, nothing urgent but can you come in tomorrow morning? how about at noon, does that work for you? is this what we call not urgent? i mean really, she's a specialist, they book two months in advance most of the time. i'm trying to go on the don't panic until i have to theory, but it's hard when i'm sitting here so nauseous that i have to be completely upright again. for anyone who is keeping track, this is twice that it's been this bad in the last five days. i'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that i was finally starting to feel like myself and did crazy stuff like eat solid food today. stupid me.

let's see...in other news i colored my hair today. it's all dark again, my grandmother will be thrilled. i was sick of the upkeep of the highlights. sure, it was only 2-3 hours every few months, but it was also $100 or more each time and it looked funny after a month or so especially if i straightened it. so now it's all super dark brown again. anything else? um, katie, kellie and erin and i are hitting up portland this weekend. we're leaving after work friday night and going to the portland mid-singles dance that night. kellie and erin both have to be back in seattle early saturday afternoon so they are leaving first thing saturday morning but katie and i are going to hang in portland all day, probably chill with ryan. and i think that's about it.

side note...david letterman is reading off his own bucket list and he would like to start an alpaca farm before he dies. don't get it? ask kellie. alpacapalooza or bust!!!

biopsies were negative

2008-01-11T04:24:00.000-08:00

so that sounds like it should be all good, right? in theory it is. my doctor also has downgraded the mass to a "bulge" in the muscle lining of my stomach. she still has no idea what it is and seeing as I'm up right now (it's almost 4:30 am) i am obviously still having nasty reflux issues. because of that i need to have a ct scan next week so we can attempt to figure out exactly what we are dealing with. when i say we, i mean her. all i know is my tummy hurts and not even the anti-nausea pills she prescribed for me are making it better tonight and i want it to go away. i was so tempted to call my daddy an hour or so ago to see if he could make it better for me ;-) i took mercy on the poor man though and let him sleep instead.

not fun...

2008-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

OK, so we're about 12 hours post gastroscopy. It was not fun, at all. First they had trouble starting the IV, as usual. We were good to go after attempt number two and then they numbed my throat and started the sedation and I don't really remember much of the next 30 minutes or so. I remember hearing them talking and I remember hearing my doctor (at least I think it was her) saying that she found something. Don't freak out yet, it's not THAT bad. Anyway, next thing I know I'm in recovery and in hideous amounts of horrible, debilitating pain. And I'm really not being all that dramatic. They evidently blew air into my stomach and as logic would assume, it hurt horribly bad. It's better now, but not gone. They let me go about an hour and three shots of pain killers later.

OK, back to the found something. There is a "fatty tumor" somewhere in between my lower esophagus and upper stomach. They biopsied it along with two other random places that honestly, I wasn't paying attention to where there were. So they are not concerned enough to have rushed the biopsy results on the tumor thingy, so I'm not too worried about that aspect of it. Of course now I'm freaked out because I know it has to come out. It is what is causing my reflux and my reflux is what is causing my nausea. So in a way I can't wait for it to come out, I just don't really want to think about how that will happen yet. I have an appointment with the GI on Thursday and we will talk about doing a CT scan and what to do from there. See? I told you it wasn't fun.

i don't want to eat a camera

2008-01-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

so in about 8 hours i get to have a camera shoved down my throat and i am so not excited about it. i'm more freaked out just by the thought of something going down my throat like that than what they might find. oh, got to go get a drink of water, i only have 5 minutes until i'm cut off from all food and liquid! ok, all better. didn't want to miss my window there. anyway, that's it, that's all i have for tonight. just wanted to complain...

Crazy week

2007-12-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

This week has been insane. First of all, my step mom has been in the hospital since Saturday. What's wrong? No one knows. She was sick all last week and they thought she had the flu. She even went and saw her doctor and they gave her a shot for nasuea and sent her home. By Saturday she still couldn't eat and was getting dizzy. My dad took her to the emergency room where her blood pressure was 67/37. Yeah, somehow she was awake and coherent with that. How? No one knows. Anyway, they really have no idea what is wrong with her. They have done all sorts of tests and came up with some weird cultures and until the have identified them or they react to antibiotics they are keeping her there. Fun, huh? She feels better, massive amounts of IV fluids brought her pressures back up, and she can eat again. Her boggest propblem now is that she is bored out of her mind seeing and she has been quaratined for four days now. We can go see her but we have to put on gowns and gloves. If you leave the room for any reason when you are there you have to redo the whole process each time. The only time she gets to leave the room is when she goes for tests. She's pretty bummed to day because she missed my nephew's birthday party tonight, but my dad took lots of pictures. There was this little girl there who looks so much like my sister did when she was little that it was eerie!!

Let's see, what else is new? As usual I have done next to no Christmas shopping yet. I feel as thought just maybe I do better under pressure, so I put it off as long as possible. Oh, and my big triumph was Steven and I convinced my mom to let us do Chinese food for Christmas Eve. Yay us! The rest of my week is pretty busy...Kellie and I are taking her boys to Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square tomorrow (I think) I have an appointment with my bishop on Thursday and then I thing Friday and Saturday are dedicated to actual Christmas shopping. We're doing Christmas Eve Eve (yes, there are supposed to be two Eves there) at Julie and Steve's. Then I'm doing the previously mentioned Chinese Christmas Eve dinner and then off to Poulsbo for Christmas. See? Crazy week.

Because I promised...

2007-12-09T01:29:00.000-08:00

So since I made such a big deal about how I redid the blog and all, I figured I should probably actually blog every now and then. The only problem is that not a lot is happening. Let's see...I bought a really cute pair of black boots on this web site Nikki found and then i was soooooo mad because the heel broke the second time I wore them. I arranged for an exchange and that was all sorts of frustration, so I was reminded of why i generally do my shopping live and in person. What else....oh this was the weekend of ward Christmas parties. Mine was last night and i made Katie come with me because I'm still a little afraid of going to family events like that all by myself. Not to mention the fact that I'm just getting back into the whole church thing overall. I guess I'm just a little intimidated with all of it right now. I know it's stupid, but I just am. It was actually pretty fun. The kids were all so cute when Santa showed up. Once little girl was so freaked out by him that she may have been scarred for life. I'm sure if she were mine I wouldn't have found it so entertaining, but she's not, so I did. Because I made Katie go to my party last night I had to go to hers tonight. I now remember why I chose not to go to a singles ward anymore. The party was nice, but I felt SO OLD!!! And I'm not, really. Anyway, that was my weekend so far. Oh, and Katie and I went and saw Fred Claus after the party. It was so funny! And surprising clean for a movie with Vince Vaughn in it.

Yes, I changed it AGAIN

2007-11-29T21:54:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know it's hard to keep up with me when I keep changing my blog, so I promise I'll stop after this. I figured it was a good time for a new blog seeing as I decided it's time for major changes in my life. I know no one cares about the details, but today is the start of the new me (again). So stay tuned...