7.30.2011

because they are great.

i have a confession. it's not the juicy kind of confession. just a simple confession. here it goes...

growing up, i had issues with cold cereal. i didn't love cereal, but i would eat it because it's what we had for breakfast. and when i did eat it, there were rules to how i ate my cereal. and when i say there were rules, really it was just one rule...don't pour the milk too early. the grossest thing to me in all the world is soggy cereal...soggy food, in general. so gross. i discovered early on that there are certain cereals that withstand the addition of milk much better than others. and so i adapted and would eat those cereals that were less susceptible to the milk and sogginess. it was hard being a kid.

because of this aversion to soggy cereal, i steered right clear of all cereals that were of the flake variety. this included raisin bran, corn flakes, wheaties and frosted flakes.  and to be honest, it never bothered me. and i never really tried to overcome the aversion. as i became an adult, i would occasionally try a bowl of raisin bran here or there, but never really fully embraced raisin bran.

my issue with sogginess still exists today, but i am better able to deal with the aversion. i pull soggy bread off of sandwiches. i won't eat a soggy bowl of cereal and i won't make a big deal about it. bread bowls are of grossest thing ever invented. i just won't eat something on my plate if i feel the soggy factor is too great. it's not a big deal. and for the most part, i don't think anyone really knows how gross i think soggy food is...and that's okay.

well, here is the confession...i've overcome my aversion to flake cereals...flosted flakes to be specific. and now, i am a little (read a lot) obsessed with frosted flakes. i love frosted flakes. and it makes me sad that i missed out on the greatness of frosted flakes all these years.

one day at work i was hungry and the only thing that we had was a bag of frosted flakes. i decided to eat them. and i was in love. almost everyday since then, i have had a bowl of frosted flakes at work. and yesterday, i even went and bought my own box of frosted flakes to have at home...for my days off of work.

tony the tiger is not a liar...

frosted flakes...they're grrrrreat.

do you love frosted flakes?
does soggy food gross you out?


that's all.


7.28.2011

fill in the blank.

how about this...a day early. you sure are lucky. happy friday. have a super weekend. and remember me...at work...working with the delinquents. don't be sad...i signed up for it.


play along here.

1. my favorite color is  ...well, it changes. i know that's not right, but it is what it is. growing up, i loved purple. but i don't love purple anymore. i'm not sure i had a favorite color in high school/college. i really, really like green. mostly the kelly/grass variety of greens. i also like brown. but lately, i have been in love with grey. all things grey. decor, weddings, clothes...grey is my "it" color right now. but, like i said, that will change.  

2. my travel destination of choice is  not a specific location. i used to joke that my friend's parent's ranch used to be my favorite vacation destination...and it is...but i also love to travel to where my family is. my last family vacation to southern cali was amazing. and i love going to see my parents in vegas. last year, my vacation to portland was good times. and phoenix, despite it being bloody hot, is pretty nice. and hopefully i will be traveling to seattle, too. and i will continue to make a plethora of trips to the salt lake valley. i like to vacation with the fam, so wherever they are, there i go. it's easiest that way.  

3. my favorite food is  mexican food. i love a good taco. the corn tortilla kind. they are my favoritest. but generally, give me mexican and i'm good.  

4. my happy place is  anywhere with my family. i don't think an explanation is necessary.  

5. my favorite saying is  "remember, you are not raising an inconvenience. you are raising a human being." (kittie frantz). i work in youth corrections and it is always shocking to me...although, maybe it shouldn't be...how many parents act completely inconvenienced by their children. the children they raised...the children that learned from their examples. it will never stop surprising me because it is so irrational to me that parents act that way.  

6. my dirty little secret is  that i don't think i have dirty little secrets. i have secrets. but i don't consider them dirty. i mean, i don't need everyone to know everything about me...right? right. but a secret that i don't openly share is that i'm pretty excited for the new season of jersey shore. stop judging me.  

7. something friends might say about me is that i  ...uhhh...i have no idea. maybe you should ask my friends.  

what is your happy place?
do you have dirty little secrets?

that's all.

lost art.

you wanna know what i miss? i will tell you. i miss mail. paper mail. mail that is delivered by a mailman. to your mailbox. mail that is not bills. or junk. just good old fashioned letters from friends or family sent via the united states postal service. mail.

and i didn't even realize i missed mail until today. i pretty much only get junk mail, bills and magazines, so today i was surprised by a lovely, little green envelope in my mailbox.

i wasn't super surprised to receive this little green envelope, but it was unexpected. but only unexpected because we live in a time where the art of handwritten correspondence is lost.

the little green envelope contained a lovely thank you note from a dear and darling friend. and this friend could have just as easily written an email and said the same thing. even a text, to be honest. and i would have known that she was sincerely thankful...because she is a lovely, genuine, thankful person. but getting the little green envelope with the thank you note meant even more than i can fully express.

taking the time to find a card, hand write a message, put it in an envelope, address the envelope (with two addresses...the to and return), put a stamp on it and find a box to drop it takes a little doing. and so, the fact that this friend did this makes my heart smile.

this simple act of sending a thank you card made me so happy. and it made me think...would the world be a different place if we all received little green envelopes in the mail on a more regular basis? maybe. maybe not. but i like to think yes.

and so today i had a thought...i'm going to start sending real mail. via the united states postal service. again.

you see, i used to send mail all the time. i have a huge box full of stationary and cards. but i haven't had use for said box in recent years. until now. if you want real mail, let me know...send me your address...i'll send you something. promise. and maybe, i'll send you something when you least expect it.

and it will make your heart smile.

do you send hand-written correspondence?
when did you last receive real mail?


that's all.

7.24.2011

some photos.

i realize it's been awhile since i've shared some photos, so this is going to be a photo heavy post...as in all photos.

i mentioned previously, my camera did not go on vacation with me. speaking of my camera...i found out that it is not worth it to fix it...i am in the market for a new camera...blah. i wish i could afford what i really, really wanted. anyway, because the camera didn't make it on vacation, the only photography equipment i had was my phone. and i think it takes great photos, i just forgot to take many. on the last day, i took a bunch of photos and now i will share them with you.

some of the fam on the train with the kiddies. i passed. as did laurie.

malcolm and lillie waiting for a ride.
along with some lady that clearly was looking at me...but i can't prove it.

logan having his umpteenth breakdown of the day.
he is an emotional kid. sometimes funny...sometimes not.

the three musketeers.
i love that these three love each other so much.
and i love watching their relationships evolve as they get older.

all seven of the grandkids that were with us.
they are so stinking cute...everyone of them.
my favorite is adam holding taylor.
and interestingly enough, this is only half of the grandkids.

there were snails all over the place where we stayed.
kaylie was on a mission to save a couple.

and all the kids wanted in.

she saved them from the sidewalk and moved them to the garden area.
where they couldn't get stepped on.

kristen and lillie.
lillie was being a little grouchy, but it was early...and the last day.
to be expected.

i love the randomness of this picture.
grandpa holding taylor, grandma, kaylie and malcolm.
what a fam.

my dad insisted that i take a picture of him grilling.
he is funny.

my dad said i should count to three and then take a picture.
this is what he pulled at three.
what a silly guy.

my mom's face is my favorite in this picture.
like a giggly school girl.

and a regular picture of the 'rents.

malcolm wanted his picture taken.
but he insisted that i take it while he was doing this.
whatevs, buddy.
he's still cute.

this is the view up the canyon from our patio.
i get why people love southern cali now.
it's so pretty.

this is the view from our back patio towards the ocean.
it was pretty cloudy on our last day there.
mostly it was sunny, though.

and this is the view across the canyon...with the ginormous houses.

another view out to the ocean.
even with the clouds, it was pretty fantastic.

a fancy picture of the main buildings at the resort...i was just sitting in the car.
just taking pictures.

like this one...bored in the back seat.
i also like to point out that my dad likes to cheat and park in handicap parking using my brother's placard when there isn't any parking available.
i guess that is the benefit.

and finally...happy lillie.
this was at my parent's house...nearly half way home.

anyway...that was the family vay-cay almost two months ago.
better late than never.

that's all.

random.

a couple of weeks ago, when i was at my sister's house, we were getting ready to watch so you think you can dance and my niece, lillie, was dancing for us. somehow we started talking about my sister, laurie, and how she teaches dance lessons. and so lillie started talking about laurie, too. i couldn't help but record it...and i love the transition of subjects half way through. love this girl...so, so much.


for those of you that don't know...taylor is lillie's littlest girl cousin (for now). and she is a wild child, always on the go...so when lillie says that she helps her get up and watches where she goes...that's what we all do with taylor...on the go, constantly. so funny.

that's all.

we have cats.

my work is located kind of in the middle of nowhere. there are a couple of businesses near by and even a couple of homes, but for the most part we are surrounded by fields. occasionally we see cats, but they mostly leave us alone. and by us, i mean the facility. in reality, the animal we see the most are mice. and they are gross. but that all changed a couple of weeks ago.

one day when i got to work, my co-worker was telling me about a cat that showed up at our back door and started whining. my co-worker promptly opened the door and the cat snuggled right up to him. this cat desired some human affection. it has been determined since this cat's arrival that it was kindly dropped off. the cat was way too friendly and clean to not have been someone's cat. this made us all a little sad for the cat and so we fed it. you know what happens when you feed a cat? it comes back. and it stays. and generally, i think we are okay with it. we have had to set some ground rules...the cat can't come inside anymore. it is officially an outdoor cat. because we have mice and the cat needs to learn how to kill the mice. don't you think? that's what i thought.

it is actually pretty funny to have a cat. the kids that are here long term take to caring for the cat and they make sure that it gets fed everyday and sometimes they need that kind of responsibility in their life. plus, it spices things up for them.

this last week i was at a training, so i wasn't around the facility. when i got back to work at the facility, i was surprised that the cat was still there. i really didn't think the cat really would stick around. and i was even more surprised to find out we have another cat. yep. we now have two cats. or rather, we have a cat and a darling smoky grey kitty. it is my favorite. i don't love the cat, but i might love the kitty. the best is that the cat an the kitty really aren't friends. but they tolerate each other. it makes me wonder how the kitty got here.

i'm aware this is pointless, not exciting information, but i'm at work and i'm bored and i need to blog more so i shared. get over it.

i'll keep you posted on the facility pets. too bad i don't have pictures to share...no cameras allowed.

do you like cats?
do you want our cats?


that's all.

7.23.2011

suspended.

on friday i went grocery shopping. it is my least favorite thing to do. but this particular trip was deemed the best grocery shopping trip ever after i caught a glimpse of this:


i know it is hard to tell in the photo so let me explain...this is a man and a woman. i'm assuming they are married. they seemed married. which makes the matching dickies, blue t-shirts and black suspenders adorable. and amazing. yes, they have matching outfits. matching. i couldn't even stop smiling because it was so awesome. i'm sad i couldn't get a better picture of the suspenders, but i was being way too obvious, so i had to stop. before i died laughing.

i'm not sure why they had matching outfits. i couldn't quite grasp why the woman had suspenders...or, quite frankly, why she was wearing exactly what her husband was wearing. the only thing i could think the whole time i watched them was whose idea it was to match.

what do you think about matching suspenders?
whose idea do you think it was?
do you want to tell the story?


that's all.

fill in the blank.

yep, i did it again. i waited until after friday to post this friday post. what ya gonna do. it's been a crazy week with work. i had a training wednesday, thursday and friday that threw off my whole schedule. it was a great training and i didn't want to gauge my eyes out the whole time. that is the test of a good training. plus, i found the information valuable. it was a domestic violence training, so i'm all about it now. just so you know. i'm now at work and i work tomorrow and then off until three on thursday...can't wait. i'm going to spend some time with the sister/fam for the week. don't be jealous. anyway...enjoy. and have a happy 24th. go mormons.

play along here...it doesn't matter if it's not friday.

1. one of my happiest moments ever was  probably when my oldest nephew was born...it was so exciting to have a new member of the family. i have subsequently felt the same with the birth of each of my nieces and nephews. they are so great and we are lucky to have them all in our family...that they make up our family.  

2. summer is wedding season and weddings are  a lot of work. and they can be beautiful and festive and fun. but still, a lot of work. that's why i'm not a wedding planner.  

3. this summer  has been quite enjoyable. i've loved having vacations and spending time with my family. and i always love not having my second job. i love that i have time to do what i want to do when i want to do it. and there is more of that to come...road trip to vegas in a month. love a good road trip and this one will rock.  

4. my summer food of choice has been  berries and salad. i can't get enough strawberries. i've also been loving cherries. l-o-v-i-n-g them. too bad they are so expensive at the grocery store...i need to find a good produce stand/farmer's market.  

5. my summer uniform has been  the same as the rest of the year...dress codes rock. well, minus jackets, sweaters and hoodies.  

6. if i could spend the entire summer in one location i would choose  anywhere fun. southern cali wouldn't be a bad place. maybe a mountain lake. somewhere with family. i'm game for whatevs.  

7. my summer anthem is  a song that changes every summer. i don't have just one anthem. usually, i pick a song that has something to do with something that i've done. but this year, it is still yet to be determined. it might end up being an avett brothers song. or a tfdi song. or a milk carton kids song. i guess we will see what song is the anthem of this summer when it is over.  

how's your summer?
do you have a summer anthem?

that's all.

7.18.2011

can't lose.

i love the tv series friday night lights. last friday, nbc aired the final episode of fnl. i'm not sure why this show didn't catch on, but it didn't. but those that did watch it loved it. i loved it. love it. today, i read an article about the lessons and virtues taught by this show and i couldn't have agreed more. it has been a long time since there has been a show that taught family values and responsibility and being a good person, regardless of what life hands you. this show was remarkable in that way. i will definitely miss it. but rest assured, i will always watch old episodes...texas forever. clear eyes, full hearts...

and then there is this video...for when i need to be encouraged...


did you watch friday night lights?
were you a fan?


that's all.

7.17.2011

fill in the blank.

it's true...i'm aware it is sunday. but sunday is fun-day and i had fun doing this. so there.


you can play along here.

1. i am a (morning, evening, middle of the day)  night  person.  and mostly i hate it. i wish i was a morning person, but i'm not. and not matter how hard i train myself, i just can't do it. it is the most difficult thing for me to do. even if i go to bed early, i can't force myself out of bed anytime before nine am. it is a little bit ridiculous. but i have been especially working on it as of late.  

2. my favorite pandora stations are  generally obscure, independent artist stations. a lot of times, i find new artists when i listen to pandora. once, a friend at work was listening to a latin station and we heard this really fantastic song and so we looked up the artist and it turns out, they are one of my favorite bands. i have no clue what they sing about, but i love their sound.  

3. three of my must-have songs for a road trip playlist are  (one) born to run by springsteen. (two) on the road again by willie nelson. (three) born to be wild by steppenwolf. that was the easiest time i have ever had picking any songs for anything. these really must be must-haves. funny.  

4. my favorite pattern is  i don't think that i have ever consciously thought about my favorite pattern. i like subtle patterns, mostly. i do like stripes a lot. and checks. and gingham. i don't like floral. they are too grandma-y. i know that isn't nice, but it's true.  

5. my favorite perfume is (or was)  yohji by yohji yamamoto. when i lived in boston, my roommate had it and every chance i got i borrowed it. it was so different. it was musky, but fresh. weird, i know. i loved it. and they don't make it anymore. it makes me sad. i can't even fully remember how it smells, i just know i was in love with it.  

6. rules are  pretty important, for the most part. i work in an industry where i am regularly promoting the importance of rules and enforcing the set rules we have in our facility. i work with a segment of the population that struggles with rule following. i don't have a hard time following rules, but when i was younger, i was the person that liked to be the example of what not to do. thankfully, i am not that now. but it makes it easier to work with the kids i work with, that is for sure.  

7. my most overused phrase or punctuation is  clearly. i use that word all the time. i have started to use variations such as apparently, evidently or obviously. it is obnoxious. i'm sure the people around me are annoyed. i got so annoyed with clearly, i had to seek other words...but now they are annoying. but i just. can't. stop. and i use way too many ellipses...but it's okay...i generally use them correctly...i think.  

what is your go-to phrase?
and favorite road trip songs?

that's all.

thirty days: day thirty.

(day thirty): whatever tickles your fancy.
follow along here.

updated: i added photos that my dear friend, adriane, took. i didn't bother because mostly, my phone pictures from a distance don't turn out, but ade's iphone is much better.

last sunday, a friend and i went to see the avett brothers play in slc at the gallivan center. it is an outdoor venue in downtown salt lake. i was pretty stoked about the show. i love the avett brothers and was super excited to see them live...duh.

what i wasn't excited about was that it was raining...if i didn't love the avett bros so much, i would have totally bagged it...oh and the ticket was a lot more than i normally spend on shows, so i couldn't justify bagging it. i bought a rain poncho on the way. ade and i sucked it up and went. and i'm so glad we did...for so many reasons.

first: i love going to shows with ade...for lots of reasons. the fact that we both love music is key. and we like to observe the crowd and commentate. when we got to the venue, we found this little spot way off to the side with a decent view of the stage and a fantastic view of the crowd.

the band...love them.
two: crowd watching is one of my most favorite things to do. and this crowd did not disappoint. i don't even know where to start. just know that there was rain and beer and apparently, that his a premium mix.  i told ade she had to blog about the best crowd member...photo included...i'll let you know when she does. you will love it.

see...excellent view of the crowd and stage.
some prime crowd watching...we saw things we didn't want to see...kinda like this.
but this wasn't the worst.
iii: the avett brothers were absolutely fantastic and amazing and everything i hoped they would be. if you don't know who they are you are completely missing out. here is my most favorite song...the best lyrics are at 2:27. (if you want, you can link to this little playlist of my favorite songs...i did have to stop myself before i added every video of every song. i just love them. you can also go to cmt.com and watch the unplugged they did there...here is the link.)



four: uh...people...there is a cello player in the band. and he rocks the cello. seriously, rocks it. and when i say he rocks it, i mean that he has that thing strapped to him and he jumps around and rocks. and he rocks it so hard it almost feels/seems like he is a huge fan of the band versus in the band. so awesome. he is a must see part of the band...for reals.

fifthly: yes, it rained while we were there. it rained while we waited for the opening band. it rained during the opening band. it rained while we waited for the avett brothers. and then, miraculously, a few songs into their set, the rain stopped. and so it was worth it to sit through the rain cause the part we wanted to see most didn't get rained on.

don't mind the crazy face...i just wanted to point out the poncho and rain.
finally: going to shows with adriane (and bob) means that we get to go and eat after. it might be my favorite part of going to shows with them. we usually end up somewhere dive-like or somewhere we wouldn't normally go except it's late at night and nothing else is open. when we go and eat is when we get to hang out and talk about everything else, besides the music. i always look forward to that part. and this particular night did not disappoint.

if you ever get a chance, you must see the avett brothers. and the gallivan center is a really fun venue...even when it rains. i can't wait for next month...two huge shows coming up (the milk carton kids in both slc and logan and jay nash and tfdi in vegas). it's gonna be a blasty-blast.

have you been to any good shows lately?
do you know and/or like the avett brothers?


btw...this thirty day this is done, done, done.

that's all.

7.16.2011

thirty days: day twenty-nine.

(day twenty-nine): hopes, dreams and plans for the next three-hundred-sixty-five days.
follow along here.

you know how this goes...totally not write about what the prompt says...you are used to it by now.

have you heard about planking?
the lying down game (also known as planking or face downs) is an activity, popular in various parts of the world, consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. the hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game. players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play. the location should also be as public as possible, and as many people as possible should be involved.
it seems ridiculous...there are facebook pages and youtube videos (this video is pretty funny at the end...watch it). it is a crazy little craze...with all kinds of websites. i don't get it....

...but, i wanna start doing it. just kidding.

seriously, just kidding.

have you heard of this?
are you going to start doing this?


that's all.

thirty days: day twenty-eight.

(day ): this year, in great detail.
follow along here.

year in great detail is not happening. it would bore you to tears and i don't want to do it. and since i have already failed this thirty day thing, i am going to write what i want. and apparently, i'll write when i want to, too.

in the last couple of months, i was introduced to a new website, pinterest. it's by invite, so i requested my invite and some time later (i don't remember how long it took because, quite frankly, i didn't care) i received my official invitation to join pinterest. i signed up, looked around and promptly started ignoring it. several friends also joined and i would look at what they were doing, but i just didn't get it. i thought it was great for real crafters, or designers, or event planners...i didn't see the relevance for me.

and then it happened...i figured it out. you see, i am a list maker/book marker...i highlight books...i tear pages out of magazines because i know i will need that tidbit of information or recipe or that beautiful picture in the near future...i bookmark websites...i email myself links to websites...all stuff i don't want to forget or that i like/love or that i think i will need. my list making was getting out of control...to the point where i wasn't even sure what i had lists of anymore. then one day, i was puttering through some stuff on pinterest and an angel chorus sang from above and light was shed...i figured pinterest out. instead of making lists, i now have a place to just "pin" up what i don't want to forget. genius.

and wouldn't you know...there is a new problem...i can't get enough. i can't pin enough. i can't like enough. i have to stop myself. it's a little ridiculous, but i am in love. love, love, love. if you want to scroll through what i like and/or love, you can check it out here...if you need an invite, let me know...i will invite everyone...because i am in love with pinterest. and you will be, too.

are you a list maker?
do you bookmark websites?
if you answered yes to the above, pinterest is for you...promise.


that's all.

thirty days: day twenty-seven.

(day twenty-seven): this month, in great detail.
follow along here.

if a detailed account of my week is out...for sure, i'm not detailing my month. again, i'm abandoning the prompt. it'll be okay. it's my blog and i get to make the rules.

at the beginning of june, i went on vacation with the fam (plus a friend) to southern california. on the first day we went to the beach. i was sure that i sufficiently applied sunscreen. i burned myself...horribly burned myself...ridiculously burned myself. it was so bad, it was comical. so stupid. i mean, i generally can burn, but i have never been burned where it hurt as badly as that burn hurt. it took about two weeks to heal fully, but i think there is still some tenderness/sensitivity where the burn was. (i can't even fully talk about it because it was so dramatic and so many things happened to make it worse and more ridiculous...another day.)

last saturday, i went to a friend's son's rugby game. i wasn't outside for very long. maybe an hour and a half. i fried my face and arms. fried. not nearly as bad as i did at the beach...but it was a significant burn for not being outside very long.

i have determined that one: i am going to have to wear sunscreen all the time. and sunscreen doesn't smell good. so dumb. two: something might be wrong with me. has anyone heard of people becoming more sensitive to the sun? maybe its my meds. three: i'm going to stop taking meds. just kidding.

but seriously, i am afraid of the sun now. big, bad, mean sun. stupid sun.

i promise to keep you posted on any further sunburns.

are you sensitive to the sun?
what kind of sunscreen do you wear?
are you a daily sunscreen wearer?


that's all.

7.08.2011

fill in the blank.

i realize that i have been a complete slacker. but it's summer. duh. i have lots of things i want to post about, so get set...there are posts coming your way. and i'll finish my thirty day challenge, too. i'm sure you are wondering about that. maybe even losing sleep over it...so now you can sleep peacefully tonight.

oh and btw...i'm totally weirded out by the new blogger layout/look. anyone else?



1. my plans this summer include  lots of lounging. some late nights. outside activities. the fair. maybe a rodeo or two. only one job. maybe a road trip to vegas...because who doesn't love desert summer heat? the possibilities are endless.  

2. the best summer i ever had was  ...well, it's a toss up. almost every summer of my adult life has been fantastic, but there are three that stick out. the first is the summer after i graduated. for so many reasons, that summer was amazing. the second is the summer of 1997...i worked on the fuel dock at lake powell. so many great memories and i met some fantastic people. and the third is the summer of 2005. it was a summer filled with adventures and rodeos and great people and friends. but, like i said, i can't remember a summer that wasn't great in some way or another.  

3. summer is  hot. and carefree. and fun.  

4. my favorite summer food is  watermelon. i didn't even have to think about that. i love watermelon. also, my mom used to make this zucchini, onion and corn dish that tastes like summer to me...i love that, too.  

5. the best way to quench a summer thirst is with  water. boring, i know, but it is true. cold water is the greatest on a sweaty, summer day.  

6. my summer uniform consists of  the same thing that the rest of the year consists of...jeans and tees. boring.  

7. the best thing about summer is  that it is easy and carefree. sorta. there is something about summer that brings out the best in everyone. i love it.  

what do you love about summer?
any great summer memories?

that's all.