Lil of This/Lil of That

A lil different from my usual style of picture excitement....here's today's musings...I'm a lil overwhelmed to work.

After my furry of blogging last week, where I caught you up to date on all the pictures I had and all the last big steps of the building process things have certainly slowed down in all the ways that are important. There was a gas delay that held up the "ready to occupy" but that's been turned over to my lender and now I am simply waiting for the paperwork to push through the system. For those of you who have done this before and say ..."what's taking so long" ...I have only this to say: The lending industry is wary of the economy. The hoops are bigger, and the wait is longer. I've been told to cool my jets...so I'm trying. For me it has been extremely hard to wait for these last two weeks where nothing "notable" is happening. I'm not a patient person. I like things in my timeline!!! I've attempted to hold my lender to my timeline for my convince...however that hasn't happened quite as nicely as I'd like. My preferred closing would be Thursday or Friday - with a move in date of Saturday the 8th. Good thing I'm used to disappointments.

My biggest hurry is that I want to move in as soon as possible - however if I dont get moved in on the 8th then I'll likely not get moved in until the 19th or shortly thereafter...due to a pre-planned pack trip that I will be embarking on come the 11th. Yeah I have the life...new house that I cant move into, but heck...at least I wont be working! This years pack trip again takes us to territory unknown and never traveled by Sissy or Myself. I was asleep during most of the "plan" so all I can tell you at this point is we are heading in the direction of Yellowstone - but I'm sure we will be on the outskirts of the park as my old man stays away from people at all costs. I've been warned that we will be riding 20 miles a day - for three or four days. I may end up being ate by a bear....cause I don't imagine I'll be able to last that long. Insert good book here. ;)In preparation for this trip Pops brought Miss Daisy down for me to ride and attempt to get used to the saddle. I've certainly not ridden enough to justify being in the saddle for 80 miles! But I have enjoyed having a horse close by. I've certainly gotten rusty in the saddle.

For summer we've kept a very busy somewhat heavy workload. One partner has been really searching for new clients, and most all of them have ended up on my desk before too long. Its been a different summer than I'm used to but I've really like the added workload so you'll not hear me complain. Unless you bring up that one partner that yes, I still hate. He's a tool. However, somewhere along the line there has been an imaginary line drawn between the two of us and he no longer makes direct contact with me at all. Which works well for me. I still loath the contact I have to make with him, but it has certainly not been as bad as it used to be.

Living at Sissy's has been just the adventure I figured it would be. Full of ups and downs and this and that's. Its been fun, and yet I'm glad that its coming to an end. It was very nice of Sissy and Brett to let me live with them. My favorite moment was about week two when Brett walked past my room and gave me a "if your going to live under my roof your going to keep a clean room - so get in there and clean it." This got so many laughs that there has been a string of "if your going to live under my roof" jokes since. Its been fun to laugh with (or at) Brett for the last month! I long for the days that home is just a short 15 minutes away instead of at least an hour depending on traffic. Commuting together has been hit and miss; Sissy's rode with me at least half the days we'd planned on but her schedule is not the typical 8 to 5 and mine is 0r should be.

I do feel like I'm in a parallel universe where I'm still me but everything around me is different. It has been hard to keep in touch with the people I'm used to seeing while living in farrrr west, however I hope to remedy that just as soon as I get settled into the new place. August is always my burnout month and this August seems to be more so than normal. I miss my Augusts of old! But until my whirlwind dies down I just want to thank all of you who are supporting and getting excited for me, both near and far; it means a lot to have good people backing me. Love you all!

I'm off to direct my landscapers as to where I want my flower beds!!! Yeah I will have a lawn by end of today....thats worth missing the Cagle Concert!

Enjoy'n the Ride

It does not escape my notice that I've neglected my blog. It's too early to suggest that I've been too busy with tax season. Its too late to blame the holidays. Its pathetic to use the age old excuse of "i've been under the weather."

So I'll simply leave you with this tid bit until I dare to share: I'm off living life, instead of hiding in and writting about what could or should have been. I may come back to the ole blog at some point but dont count on me for awhile.

In the meantime...Life Aint Always Beautiful, But its a Beautiful Ride...Enjoy It! I AM.

Risk-Less

Because I live in a Black and White world I am not much of a risk taker. I can count the risks I’ve taken in my life. I seldom walk into situations where the outcome is unknown. There are rare occasions that I have had a lapse in judgment but to my knowledge I do not engage in risks. I like to know that I can control the situations that I place myself in. Not to the degree of Neurotic Obsessive Compulsive, but control nevertheless.

As a kid I never did anything that could have been considered risky. I’m sure I caused my parents a bit of grief from time to time, but for the most part I don’t remember any wild shenanigans. I never snuck out of my parents house. I never went toilet papering or egging. I was never around drugs or alcohol, nor did I ever partake. I WAS the ringleader of what we used to call “the treatment” in elementary school where we would “freeze” out any girl we didn’t like by not looking at her and not talking to her. NOT my proudest moment, and certainly NOT my mom’s proudest moment…she threatened to send me to home school at “the whites” with the strangest kids I’d been around…I straightened up.

I DID attempt to “date” before I was sixteen and got away with it if you count going to the movie with friends then sitting by my “boyfriend” when I got there “dating.” I also succeeded in dating one of my brother’s friends; while he was a senior and I was a sophomore …whoa I remember how “bad” I thought I was then...M. Bevan, what a character he used to be! I spent my fair share of time in detention because of him for sure. Any trouble I remember getting myself into in high school always centered around the fact that I was a bit too boy crazy as a teenager.

I stuck a metal object into a light socket when I was about 6…does that count as a risk, curiosity, or pure stupidity…I’m not sure. I used to drive at breakneck speeds everywhere I went, which was risky, but as a teenager I did not realize that I was actually “risking” anything, I was just COOL...with the worlds highest insurance payment and ticked off parents.

My second year of college I moved to the most Ghetto apartment with a girl, Cati, I hardly knew; that WAS risky. These three months were the darkest months of my life, a look right into hell. I was not on the top of my game at all. My closest friends had just moved away and I was recovering from a shattered heart, alone. I was afraid to go in or out of my apartment...believe me, the surrounding area really was THAT BAD. During this three month period of time I foolishly “dated” a guy who looked too good to be true and was, Mr. McGrath truly became a “risk” that I had to change my number and address to avoid. Needless to say the change of address was pending anyway.

I fell head over heels blindly into love; Twice. Now obviously this was and is a risk that not even I can avoid. Not then, not presently and not in the future. Love is a tricky thing, one that I can tell you I’ve not worked out all the “risks” and to my mothers dismay that may be one of the many reasons I’m still very much single. However, Love, as unknown and GREY as it is, it is something that I do not shy away from. One risk I am willing to rush into headlong, usually to my demise.

I’ve never bought anything on credit that I didn’t have a plan to pay off; ahead of schedule. I started out on a career path my junior year of high school and I’ve never deviated. Yes, at the simple age of 16 I knew I wanted to be an accountant. I don’t participate in activities that could physically hurt me; I’ve never broken a bone in my body. I don’t participate in games that have the potential to make me look foolish or out of control. I drive, I don’t ride with others.

I don’t talk to strangers. I meet new people yes, but I let them talk. Most people are more than happy to tell you their lives story. If you listen long enough they are no longer strangers when you finally mention something about yourself. I know more about the people around me than they know about me. My life is not a locked book, but until I’m comfortable with a person it might as well be.

I weigh the pros and cons. I look at the whole picture. I see the different situations that could cause an upheaval and I accept them before I engage. I can’t think of a single situation, relationships aside, that I’ve taken upon myself that I was unaware of the most likely outcome. I control the situations that I engage in and therefore alleviate most risks.

The point of this diatribe (finally, I know): I have recently found myself in a situation that is beyond my control. I am at the whim of another. I recently realized: I AM AN EMPLOYEE.

When The Captain took back the power and merged our firm with two others I went along for the ride, grudgingly but willingly. The Captain depends on me, more than HE knows; I couldn’t leave him, I’m far too loyal for that. Surely it was better than branching out on my own and starting fresh somewhere else. I have a good working relationship with 1/3 of the clients of the newly merged firm. There are SOOO many unknowns in a whole new job; why not stay with the old, yet somewhat revamped job? There were bound to be risks involved, but at face value: there would be less risks.

Now I’m staring into the face of a whole different kind of risk. I am not very happy at my job and I’m considering a HUGE upheaval of my life. The pros at this moment are far out weighing the cons of uprooting and starting something somewhere new. For one, tax season is just around the corner. I love tax season. I could do without some of the long hours, but the work is good – really good. So in light of the fact that I like the work why would I change? For this reason alone: I do not like nor respect one of the partners. This makes for a very awkward work environment and not some place I want to be. Why should I work for someone that I can’t respect? Why indeed.

Knowing the risks involved with branching out to a new job in a horrible economic market, I’ve decided for right now, that I’ll stay and see if I can overcome what could possibly only be a personality conflict. I will focus only on the decent aspect of being an employee and when that fails then I’ll attempt to figure out a riskless move to make. Plain Jane that I am.

Crazy 8's (jane-ified)

I should be working, but it’s Friday after 4 and it has CERTAINLY lost its appeal. So I thought I’d do something else. This is the second time in so many months that I’ve noticed being “tagged” on Laycee and Ben’s Blog. So I decided to participate. Don’t hold your breath it will likely be a once in a lifetime endeavor for me. Here goes:

8 TV Shows I watch. This one is easy, have you seen my I Heart DVR list? In order of importance here they are:

1. Greys Anatomy
2. Gossip Girls
3. NCIS
4. Private Practice
5. Lipstick Jungle
6. Criminal Minds
7. House
8. 24

8 Things I did yesterday. Good thing yesterday was somewhat interesting.

1. Arrived at work ½ hour early and stunned all those who give me a hard time about NOT being a morning person. I was even awake and alert and I might have even laughed. This was a big moment folks, big. Huge.
2. Met with clients and reviewed their problematic financials.
3. Fixed the problematic financials. (boring for some, a good day’s work for me)
4. Ditched work a ½ hour early. I am NOT a slacker, refer to item 1, I at least came in early so I COULD leave early.
5. Raced through rush hour traffic to West No Where to my Sissy’s house. Surprisingly rush hour traffic was not bad and I made the Trek in 48 minutes and some change.
6. Helped Sissy make dinner, did my FREE laundry, ate dinner with Sissy and Brett, made some sticky caramel popcorn, and settled in on the couch.
7. Watched comeback Cassel lead my Patriots to a last minute tie game. For those of you who didn’t have the chance to see this game I’m sorry. Yes, the Pats struggled in the first half and the Jets ran all over them. However they came back with a vengeance in the second half and made all sorts of statements about being a CONTENDER in this league with or without their great players who have been sidelined by injury. I will swear to my dying breath that there was NO hold on Vrable at the goal line and that was the decision in this game. Sure the Pats lost in overtime. And a loss is a loss, I can pony up to that. However they played one heck of a second half.
8. Packed all my belongings into my car and drove home angry to very loud music replaying the WHOLE game in my head.

8 Places I love to eat:

1. Café Rio: Pork Salad, heaven.
2. Olive Garden: Chicken Alfredo
3. PF Changs: Great Wall of Chocolate!!!
4. My Mom’s Kitchen: Greatest Home Cookin’
5. Lorena’s: Great little Mexican place in Bountiful
6. Chilli’s: Chips and Queso Baby
7. Quizzno’s: Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich
8. Village Inn: Strawberry Crepes and Hot Chocolate

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. House with a yard, garden, and front porch
2. Nintendo Wii
3. A Big Raise and/or Happiness in My Job
4. Two weeks in the Tropics
5. The NFL Network
6. A Full Sized Bed
7. Patriots Tickets in the Playoffs
8. Black Pearls

8 Fears I have:

1. Letting Down My Parents
2. Being Single Forever
3. Being Stranded on the Side of the Road
4. Losing Loved Ones
5. Heights
6. Change
7. The Unknown
8. Missing an Opportunity Out of Fear

8 Joys I have:

1. A Sure Knowledge of the Gospel
2. Amazing Parents who are Great Examples
3. My Boys and the Twins
4. Life Long Friendships
5. Being Debt Free
6. The Innocence of Children
7. Spending Time w/ Family
8. Having a Secret

8 Obsessions I have:

1. New England Patriots Football
2. Tom Brady
3. Novels
4. Mark Rothko Paintings
5. Photography
6. Abstract Art
7. Chocolate
8. Scottish Bag Pipes

8 Surprising Facts about me:

1. I read A LOT
2. I Hate Social Settings
3. I Morph into Whatever Setting I Set My Mind To
4. I Love to Drive Alone
5. I like to be in charge BEHIND the scenes
6. I Need to be Needed, But I don’t Like to Need
7. I Don’t Give Up on The Impossible
8. I’m a Hopeless Romantic, and yet a Realist…Odd I know.

Wow folks...if ever you wanted a look into my world...you just got it. I hope this fulfills my duties to "open up more" and "participate in Internet lists." I'm exhausted...this took forever! I'll not be tagging innocent others but if your so inclined...please participate!

Have at me...

I'm guilty yet again of blog neglect...I have various topics that are rumbling in my mind that deserve a post of their own. However, for some reason I'm completely incapable of putting my thoughts into an orderly fashion in order to get them across the way I want to. Lately I've attempted to climb into my own head and I've not been willing to share the things I've found in my quest. What is it about the Blog audience that stunts my process? Is it that I need a clearer grasp of the written word? Or is it that I'm afraid too much will be read into any one thing I say? Or perhaps it is that not enough will be read into what I am trying to get across? Then there is the balance issue: Do i complain too much? Am I boring readers with football stats? Do I talk incessantly about work; its mind numbing for me, why should it be for others? Am I worried about my varied audience and am I fearful of how they will interpret the musings? Do I censor too much my true thoughts? Am I leaving large gaps in journaling out my life? Does what I have to say have any importance and or relief for others? Would someone feel as if they had a better understanding for who and what I am by reading my blog? The answers to these questions I suppose are for the reader alone to decide. I personally hope to one day achieve proper balance in my posts, but for now if there is a topic you'd like for me to address feel free to leave it in the comments section and I'll attempt to do justice to it; otherwise your stuck with the sparse and varing musings of the wench.

...

"The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire."

-John N. Mitchell

Yes, That's Tom being taken off the field in Week One with a serious knee injury.

The Pats will struggle to find a groove this year with out My Main Man. But Cassel has been preparing forever and he held his own when Tom went down, hopefully he finds the Patriot Magic.

However, if for some reason Cassel can't pull it off, there are always other QB's to turn to. None of course as good as Brady, but The Team has the weapons and Belichick will have something up his sleeve, just wait.

In Bill I Trust. Get well Tom, Football needs you.

Sick or Just Tired?

What to do...

The last two day's I've been one step away from calling in sick to work. Am I sick? Well I'm exhausted...does that count? I really don't know what my deal is...I genuinely think I could sleep for three days with how tired I am.

So yesterday I had two client appointments scheduled, so I dragged my tired self to the shower and I arrived to work on time...I performed like a trained monkey during one client meeting, and I sat and smiled through another. I ho hummed through the in between stuff and I even managed to get a bit of work done. Go Me!

However today is a different story. I sluggishly hit the snooze button more times than I can count. I finally made it into work...only a half hour late. I sat and talked with the partners for an hour and a half, I've taken some calls, I've even cut a few checks. However beyond that I cant bring myself to do any real work. To my credit every time I try I hit a wall that would be harder to climb over than just wait till next week to finish. I'm tired and I'm burned out and I wanna sleep.

So am I sick? Maybe. But how do you call in sick to work on a Friday before a holiday? Ya don't. And how do you leave early on a Friday before a holiday with out everyone assuming your just a slacker trying to break free early? I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Grrrr....I hate this sluggish feeling that I have...I've not been able to shake my morning crankiness and I really want a cozy blanket and a pillow. Mostly I just wanna shut my eyes.

Weekend Plans: Nope, not catch up on my ZZZZ's but "Help Sissy Clean and Move." Exciting.

...

Albert Schweitzer - "Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now - always."

My Hero...My Dad

It's not everyday that you get a wake up call that makes you sit up and take notice of the things around you that could be gone tomorrow. Last month our family had one of those moments. We are very blessed to still have our Pops around. He survived an accident that would have crushed a different man...but my old man is too stubborn to go before his time. Thank Heavens.

Pops is really a one of a kind man he's tough as nails and stubborn as a bull. He's had his share of accidents and nothing seems to phase him. He was a bull rider as a "kid" and he's been kicked and stepped on and broken in more places than he can likely count. He's had is nose ripped off, and I broke it once too! He's had is heart crushed beneath a bull. He has been beat over the head in a robbery. He's tackled anything life throws at him.

He's Invincible, He's my Hero, He's my Dad.

My Old Man owns a Auto Body Shop and he has worked there his whole life, as my Grandpa owned it before he did. He's had minor accidents here and there. But last month he was (in his words) "squashed under a bus." Now no one should have survived such a squashing let alone walk away with only "minor" injuries. Pop has a broken collar bone and a few broken ribs, but all in all he's fine; scary fine. There were a number things that just worked to spare his life and I'm not foolish enough to believe that this was just another day.

I know that my Pops was preserved cause it wasn't his time to go. Thanks to the 16 year old kid he has working for him he wasn't under the bus very long. Forrest, the rescue team, jacked up the bus and pulled the old man out. Pops is of course overdoing everything since the accident; however, because he was in such great shape before he's been able to keep up with most of his work. It really is a miracle that his injuries were not greater.

An accident of this magnitude makes me realize that we may not all be quite as invincible as we think and that we should really make the MOST of what we have now and live in a way that we will not regret later. I am so thankful for the family that I have and the great examples they are to me. I will never again take for granted that I have two loving parents who are in good health (for the most part). I love my Pops more than anything and sadly measure every man I meet by him...I think I may be doomed to be alone forever! ;)

Sweet green feather boa added by my niece to make Grandpa feel better.

Is It Wrong...

...to want Brett to have STAYED a Packer
...to want a 6 hour work day (9-3 sounds SOOO good to me)
...to believe in The Impossible
...to continue to pay rent when the alternative is no play money
...to want a HOT bath on a 100 degree day
...to wish that the Boss's son would self combust with all his hot air
...to want to live on the East Coast so I can watch GOOD sports teams
...to go on vacation with TONS of work left on me desk
...to wish for air conditiong in my apartment

I Long For...

a really good book to read in the sunshine.

a day with sunshine would also be nice.

a beach full of people to watch and not have to talk to.

a nice long ride to the top of a majestic mountain on my horse.

a phone call from my favorite Idaho obsession.

a child to play with in the park and a nice ride on a swing.

a day with nothing to think about and nothing to do.

a chance to actually blog about the things rolling in my mind.

...but mostly...

I Long For APRIL 15th!

Musings of Sir Jack

I hope we all have at least one friend that we can be apart from for a duration of time and then have an opportunity to re-connect as if you hadn't missed a beat. I had such an encounter just this week. I found it to be a the highlight of my week (yes, sometimes I am just that lame). My reconnection came via the ole phone lines of course and though I'm sometimes horrible at returning calls and just plain never answer when it rings I am glad that this friend persisted in the attempts to contact me.

There are some bonds that bridge the gap of time and cover all changes. Jack and I have a bond like that. Really there is no one I love more than the fun loving, teasing, tinkering, pain in the behind, quality friend than Sir Charles Benson Tippetts aka JACK. I never doubted for a minute that time and distance would change our easy friendship which got me off the hook during his mission; I seldom wrote and he seldom complained. It got him off the hook when he moved to the armpit of Wyoming and decided to get married instead of vacationing with me in the Caribbean. Real friendship forgives you not showing up to said wedding due to a timing conflict.

Just because we have a solid friendship doesn't mean we always have. I still remember a time when Jack sat atop his garage and shot his dang bee bee gun at me as I went out to feed the horses. Thankfully for me he was a really bad shot and I don't think he even got close to hitting me. His story is that he wasn't trying but I'm sticking with the horrible shot scenario. He was trying...we don't call him Jack because he is sugar an spice and all things nice...

Jack always used to get a kick out of driving me to the edge and listening to me scream. Now I'm no chicken but I am scared to death of heights and flying into the unknown; Jack's the opposite. He liked to live life as fast as he could on his pieced together contraptions. There are few people (like maybe 3) that I'd trust completely to take me on some foreign trail at top speed. I think this may have been one of Jack's favorite pastimes...riding hell bent on some motorized vehicle be it a sled or a bike and listening to me cuss and scream at him. We went often and we always had one hell of a good time.

I think I will always harbor bad feelings towards him for getting better grades than me in Junior English; when I wrote his damn papers for him! Perhaps its not his fault that the teacher preferred boys over girls. I will never forgive him for moving so far away after we had finally learned to tolerate each other as neighbors. All that aside we had some really great times together.

Jack has always been able to make me laugh and bring genuine happiness to me even if he is the world's biggest pest. Ha. I remember after one wrestling match that he had just won he came over and sat by me still literally drenched in sweat; his and some other dirty boys, and he proceeded to hug me and coat me in as much sweat as he possibly could all the while grinning like a school boy and barely noticing that I was trying to rid myself of him. He was the ultimate pest in high school, but I love him nevertheless.

The list of pranks that he pulled or attempted to pull really are endless but all in all we were the best of friends from about the 8th grade on. I still consider him truly one of the few people I would never want to go without. Life has certainly led us both onto different paths and we've missed a lot of each others lives but talking with him last night was as if we had just seen each other. It was so nice to re-connect and remember and laugh at all the old times and attempt to catch up on the current times. It was nice to have someone check up on me and listen to my wants and desires and attempt to understand.

I hope it is not another six months before we talk again and another two years till we cross shadows on the ground. Hopefully we will see more of each other, and soon...even if it does mean some traveling for both or one of us. I miss ya Jack, what I wouldn't give for a big ole Goat HUG. I send out my love and my congratulations on the upcoming baby! Heaven help us...the world does not need more tinkering Tippetts boys...well on second thought, the good far out weighs the bad...I am hoping for a healthy baby boy!!!

Sleeping it Off...

I've been trying to keep my posts to commentaries on the great things in life which is why I've yet to post such things as a Family Vaction to the Grand Canyon, The Outcome of the Super Bowl, and the Changes at Work; but rest assured...my motto in life is to divulge all things honestly and so they are about to come out. However not just this moment...please stay tuned.

For now I'm just going to complain; pure and basic. I ache. From the top of my head to the soles of my feet. Yesterday I woke with the begginings of a cold and because I've finally dug myself out from under all the work in my cupboard of an office I stayed in bed today. Is it just me or does the calling in sick thing really suck? Not because you get to stay in bed but because you have to wake up enough to make the call? Today, I didn't call. Nope. I just simply rolled over and silenced my phone and went back to sleep. To my credit I did email the secretary and my boss when I woke up, but they knew I was coming down with something...why must I distrubt my "well needed sleep" just to make an akward phone call. Those calls ARE akward are they not? I've worked with The Captain for 7 years and still I find those calls to be akward in nature.

There is neither a good time to be sick or to take time off during tax season, however I hope that I can kick this cold in the butt today and clear my head enough to make it into the office tomorrow. So wish me luck as I sleep the day away...

Meet Austin

This is Austin the Altima; The Love of My Life
July 2005 took me to the Nissan dealership in search for a college graduation present for myself. I succeeded. I walked out two hours or so later the proud owner of a beautiful silver Altima. I do not post this because I have a lack of interesting things to write about, but because she is now mine. All mine. 2.5 years of back breaking payments and a thoughtful boss who has helped me avoid taxes by applying my bonus to my loan balance has given me the freedom and security of a paid off car.

This to many of you may sound a lot like boasting, sorry about that, its certainly not my intent. I only post this to express my intense happiness at paying off my beauty. I love this car, I think I love her more everyday. I fell in love with her from the great marketing when she first arrived on the market. You may remember the commercials: a large checkout scanner brings car after car across repeating "four door sedan, four door sedan...beep! beep! beep! (lights flashing all around a beautiful beast of a car) THE NEW NISSAN ALTIMA." I knew then, without driving her that she was the car for me.

I did the responsible thing of driving various cars, saving the Altima for last, and I took along the family; yes the whole family...we do things to the extreme in this family. Anyway, I'm sure it wasn't Dad's favorite, but the Altima had me won over before I ever drove her. I took her off the lot that day; with only about 200 miles on her when I drove her off the lot.

Ms Austin and I have had our moments; on the eve of her one year birthday she was side swipped by a 15 year old girl in a parking lot. To my good fortune said 15 year had her responsible mother riding shotgun and I had an opportunity to meet a woman who owns a van covered in dents an dings and harry potter stickers. What self respecting adult puts stickers on the side of a van? No offense to the Potter fans of the world, but can you say TACKY? I didn't have my finest hour when she approached me with the following comment; "we may have sort of bumped your car." I think my reaction was justified given the warning that she gave me. Sort of bumped was the worlds biggest understatement. Both doors and the rear quarter panel had to be repaired.

I was sick. Really sick. My baby was ruined. To make matters worse a week later while driving the wrecked car to Star Valley a hub cap came flying off of an oncoming van and sliced, yes sliced the front bumper straight down the middle. EKKK!!! And they say that crap happens in three's; not three day's later a rock chip broke my windshield. It was a very bad month; very bad indeed.

But I learned a valuable lesson; a car, even my car, my baby; is only a car. It was repaired and she's mostly as good as new. I'll be honest and say that I left the chip in my window to remind me that it was only a car; an object and she could be flawed. It took me a while to relax and learn, but everything has a lesson if you look for it.

Best feature: The Heated Leather Seats.

So flawed or not, she is mine and I love her.

Let'r Snow...

Its true, I'm a Star Valley Girl who loves the snow, on occasion. Nothing excites me quite like a good ole pounding of snow. Even if I did end up on my arse in it this morning! Yes, there was no one to witness it but one snow shoveler who didn't even look up and I'm telling on myself. You see I have these fabulous boots that have zero traction but keep me warm and are stylish enough to get away with at work or in the snow. So there I was, doing the responsible thing of brushing my WHOLE car off, because I was taught correctly and because I can't believe that people try to drive with snow blowing into their windshields...anyway off the soap box, on with the story. The horrific street parking leaves a lot to be desired at my house, really bad curbs and I knew I was going down before I went...I was attempting to walk round the front of my car to the low side...and I got caught in a lovely slide. Not only did I land smack on my arse, but the slide didn't stop there, I went all they way down, my skirt being a bit slick landed me flat on my back. Now who am I to cuss the 8 inches of snow that padded my fall? Nope, I am thanking my lucky stars that it was a padded sliding slope. However, the headache that plagued me all weekend is now joined by a kink in the back. But hey, the outlook is for the good so here is: I WAS GRACEFUL! (and I only used one curse word!), I was also on time to work, and I'm mostly dry! Here's to the Snow!!!

In A Nut Shell...

Here are 30 things that you may or may not know about me!!!

1. I shower in the dark 7 minutes start to finish...almost always...with only the glow of the nightlight to rouse me.


2. I name inadamant objects: Larry the Laptop, Austin the Altima, Buttons the Bear...etc.


3. I have a thing about purses, me not being so girly and all I don't usually love accessorising. However, I can always appreciate a great purse.


4. I am attempting to be an artist. I hope to one day paint a picture worthy of hanging on a wall. I have always had a love for photography I want to one day sell my photographs.


5. I like to be needed, I often think of myself as an enabler because of this.


6. I like routine. I follow the exact same patterns week after week. Creature of Habit.


7. I hate taking risks, due to the habit thing, and I hate change.


8. I long to play the drums with real talent instead of just me banging away.


9. I would rather have one quality friend to depend on that a variety of acquaintances. I have however been blessed with deep bonded friendships to a variety of great people and I am so grateful for each influence.


10. I still cling to hope that the man that swept me off my feet when I was 18 will reappear in my life and marry me. However after 8 years my realistic mind tells me this will not likely happen.


11. I take leisure baths, usually accompanied by a great book and a candle, still no lights.


12. I plan to build my dream house one day and the bathroom will be AMAZING. It is my favorite room in the house.


13. I fear disappointing the people I love most.


14. I fell off a rope in second or third grade and blacked both my eyes and possibly broke my nose, however my nose carries no effects so it probably wasn't broken. Lucky for me, it was about a week before school pictures! YIKES.


15. I am uncoordinated. My mom convinced my Pops to buy a trampoline when I was little to help me build some coordination. Seems as a child I used to trip on rocks and tree limbs. (I do not remember any of this...therefore I say its not really true.)


16. I love a good chick flick that will jerk the tears. My favorite tear jerk movie moment (don't judge...) was on Armageddon when Bruce (the dad) says goodbye to Liv Tyler (the daughter) and she admits that when she said she didn't want to be like him she lied, because she is like him, and every good thing inside of her comes from him. I've seen this about a hundred and seven times, and yet, I still cry.


17. I take song lyrics very seriously. I get this from my dad, for years I have heard him use song lyrics to express himself on deeper levels and it's a habit I've picked up.


18. I want to learn ballroom dancing. (This was a desire long before the TV dance craze.)


19. I have OCD tendencies, I like things neat, orderly and precise. However if you've ever seen my bedroom you'd never guess. My office portrays my inner self far better than my house does. I think this means that I need to adjust my home life, I just never make the time to organize my home the way I do my office.


20. I hate being alone. There are moments for alone time; good book, drive in a car, shopping expeditions. However, for anything else I hate being alone.


21. I am a touchy feely person. I love to be touched. I think touching is healthy. That said, creepy people should not touch me, some people aren't allowed into the bubble.


22. I typically work best under duress. I like the feeling of a pressure cooker, as long as I know I'll get out eventually I can handle most stress. However, long term stress, such as I have now, grates on me and makes me very irritable and anxious.


23. I have an absolute realistic fear of dieing in a car accident. I have graphic dreams of my own death and while driving I sometimes have strange flashes of myself driving over the edge of the road. (Does this say something about my irrational mindset? Bet you'll think twice about driving with me from now on!)


24. My Dad is my Hero; If I could deal with life half as well as he does then I would consider myself a success, I always know how to put life back into perspective: Call Dad.


25. My Mom is my Role Model; She is constantly thinking of and helping others. My mother is the model of Charity and Service. I long to be like her in this way and in many others.


26. I used to want to be a English teacher, but soon decided that I can't stand teenagers. However, I will always idealize my toughest teacher and mentor Tracy Hughes.


27. I have no desire to live abroad, I'd like to travel abroad with someone who has been there before and can show me the sights, but I have no desire to ever live outside the US.


28. I categorize my life into pieces. I seldom show all faucets of my personalities to everyone I know. There aren't many people I am comfortable enough with to have them know me completely. Because of this, I fear mixing my friends.


29. I am currently very discontent with my life as it is, however due to the fact that I hate change I am fighting an inner battle trying to distinguish what it is that I want most and how to go about accomplishing it and implementing the changes that will make me more content.


30. I have a sure knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that I have a Father in Heaven who knows and loves me. He is mindful of my needs and he is teaching me patience through my trials. I am grateful for my knowledge of His existence and his love for me.

I hope you've all learned something about me that you didn't know before this post. It was far harder to write than I thought it would be...Does this post make up for the fact that I've almost completly given up on bloggin? I hope so.

Why Do We Do The Things We Do?

Why do we do the things that we do? I don't know about you, but I can say that about 88% of the things I do are done out of loyalty. We all know this, but Wikipedia tells us that loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause. Check. The philosopher Josiah Royce said that loyalty was the supreme moral good, and that one's devotion to an object mattered more than the merits of the object itself. Loyalty is a great quality to have and in my case it has kept me out of trouble more often than not.

One Such Example: Growing up in a small town one has to learn to entertain themselves. Considering the options are the lone run down movie theater that should be condemned and only shows one movie each week, and the lone bowling ally with crooked lanes and patrons are likely to die of second hand smoke inhalation at any moment. Beyond that you are forced to use your imagination and create your own FUN. Which in the case of far too many Star Valley kids the list goes like this: drinking, having sex, drinking, egging, drinking, and driving really fast. I knew that if I was ever caught at a weekend party my dad would be disappointed in me and therefore, I never went. I realize this may not be believable for some, but I never attended one single drunken party. I had plenty of friends who went, but I stayed away on the weekends; not because I was worried about my weakness I could have likely went and never engaged but because I was worried about what my parents would think of my being there. I stayed loyal to their hope that I be good, and I was. The only vice I had growing up was the driving too fast. And I caught all sorts of hell for that, in high school and out, it came back to bite me in the butt when I tried to get car insurance on my own. Needless to say, I seldom speed anymore. (10 over is not speeding...for the record)

Why am I taking you on this random path of loyalty? Because today while I scrubbed 30 year old file cabinets free of dust I began to wonder if I was an accountant or a maid. And the answer is this: I work for a small firm who is undergoing major change and I am deathly loyal to the cause, therefore I am scrubbing cabinets, moving files, and sneezing up a storm. I am allergic to dust, see the dedication? My head hurts and my throat tickles, thankfully I'm done with the cleaning for the week. Monday afternoon I have some poor suckers lined up to haul out the old cabinets. Yep, all empty; it was not fun, easy, or quick, but its done.

I realize that I could stubbornly not engage in the cleaning of the office, but if you know the men I work with you'd know that it'd never get done. So, I've rode my broom all week trying to get a little cooperation from those who work here and I've loyally taken on more and more responsibilities that are not really in the job description of an in house accountant. I do the things I do out of loyalty to the people I care about most. Why do you do the things you do? What's your motivation?

Female Friends

The Pros and Cons of having female friends - the short list.
(This list may only apply to ME and my past and present encounters with female friends; this is not to generalize all females.)

First the Pros:
They understand when you just want to think like a girl.
They understand that occasionally its ok to make no sense.
They can cry with you, laugh with you, and clean with you.
They are inherently more soft hearted and caring.
They can talk about problems without having to give you a solution.
They know what looks good or is in style.
They enjoy a really great chick flick or a good musical.
They understand PMS and heartbreak.
They are socially acceptable to keep after they are married.

And now the Cons:
They usually don't understand football.
They will drop you for a man in a heartbeat.
They expect you to be around when the he turns out to be a jerk.
They go through the bridezilla phase of life.
They will cancel at the last minute, no follow through.
They take forever to get ready to go out.
They are always late, for everything.
They are judgemental and catty.
They walk all over each other to get what they want.

This is just my short rant about females. It's strange to me that at this point in my life I have far more female friends than I have male friends. My whole life I have continually surrounded myself with men because, I've found that they are more simple. I enjoy almost everything about the male mind and would usually rather spend my time with my guy friends. But since I've married off most, but not all, of my guy friends I've had to learn to not only hold onto but make new female friends.

Now I've prided myself over the years by being able to maintain relationships with my male friends after they are married. But it's very difficult once they are married. As per normal wives take priority and many wives are not fond of their husbands having female friends. From my vast experience I've found that there are all kinds of wives; those who are extremely jealous and insecure, those who are very secure and who couldn't care less, and those who I've grown to love. But this isn't about all my favorite men. This blog is supposed to be about this new adventure life has taken me on. I never thought it possible.

I suppose the flood gates were open in March of 2006 when I was called to be the Relief Society President and I was forced to meet and care about the sisters in the 40th ward. I dont know how to do something half way...with me it's all or nothing; so scared as crap, I jumped in headlong. And to my utter surprise I found some great and hopefully everlasting friendships. This is not to say that I hadn't already found amazing women that were reliable and dependable and life long friends. I have always had Emily, since birth actually. Sissy will always be my number one female, my confidant, my closest friend ever. My teenage years brought me Robyn, and even though time and distance has separated us I think we will always be close. College gave me Angela and some of the greatest roommate moments ever, not to mention she is the package deal with the greatest husband ever. I've had tons of roommates (I think 27 last I counted) and many of them have had an impact (some better than others) but I really learned to appreicate what women could bring to the table in the year I served them.

So now that this "short rant" is no longer short, I shall end with my thanks to the amazing friends I've gained in the past year. You know who you are and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to branch out of my "comfort zone" and become friends with some really amazing women. This one's for you Steph....if you'd only learn to love football you'd be perfect.

Welcoming Fall!!!

It might be too much to ask for me to blog during this point in the year. I'm hungry. Hungry for football. Therefore, in any downtime at work (self created downtime) I read, I don't blog. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer. So alas, I have a great adventure to share, but it shall wait till I find the ambition to log it for my readers. For now I will simply give you a list of the reason's I love this time of year.

I HEART FALL

1) Football Season Begins
2) 55- 75 Degree Weather
3) The Leaves Turn Colors
4) Life Settles Into A Routine
5) Great TV Premiers

I not only feel it in the air, but in my bones; September is a Wonderful month.

Back by Demand

Hello everyone, summer is ringing to a close. I've no set exciting plans for the future therefore it is time to set back into a routine. Now some of you might find this a bit odd that I've taken a break from blogging during the three months of what can really be determined the months of adventure and fun. But that's me. I live, I don't really rehash. Well that's only kind of true. Either way. I'm intending a blog comeback. So be prepared. And by prepared, if you've followed along with me in the past you know you should expect me to blog for oh about a month or two weeks, catch you up on all you've missed, and then disappear. Again. But perhaps I'll stick with it from now on. Perhaps. Only time will tell. Anyway...I'm back by demand, even if its not popular demand.