Note to Self...

I've been a crazy woman lately. I don't know why I've been so anxious about getting things done on time every day. There isn't a giant stop watch. No one is bugging me to finish my projects. All I can say is, "Anxiety be gone!" I will apply this image's advice. If you find yourself frantically running around a lot, I hope you take the time to breathe & refocus.

The Finding Time Dilemma

I always have time for Disneyland!

As a full-time working mother, I am learning that time is very fleeting. Dillon is already 8-months-old. How did that happen so fast? He's moving & grooving & loves to learn about the world (his concentration face is my favorite). Lily likes to keep up with me & Dillon & go to the park for our daily walks. Outside is her favorite place. Brian continues to work hard & find time to study & go to school. I'm grateful he's working on his master's. It should be a major asset to his future career endeavors. I'm still getting up at o'dark thirty & somehow managing the household duties while chasing the kids around.

I'm finding the dilemma comes when I don't have time for my side projects. Exercising, reading, crafting & indexing have fallen by the wayside. What's the best way to fit all of this in? Any suggestions?

Nap time always overrules any projects on my list. Sleep is what keeps me going. Without it, Mrs. Cranky shows up & that's not good for anyone. I even coax Dillon to sleep longer on the days when my brain needs a bit more rest. And yes, this is entirely selfish of me, but I love cuddle-time in our recliner. Best part of my day.

At least it looks like my priorities are still in order. That's a relief! Now to just sneak in a few extras without burning out entirely.

What Happened to Spring?

I think it's officially time to break down, pack the car, and head to the beach! I'm done with this stuff. I have 2 new pairs of capris that have not been thoroughly broken into yet, but I have nowhere to go! Sad. I guess this weather does make my pathophysiology & pharmacology class easier to focus on. If the weather were nice, I'd be outta here with Lily in tow. (Last Friday we escaped on an afternoon excursion. The fresh air was exhilarating!)

Until the Easter Bunny brings us some good weather, this is the general feeling around our house.

Head Scratchers...

First off, I hate making decisions. It is not fun for me. I overanalyze everything until I'm more confused than when I started.

Right now, we have a few big decisions to make. To us, timing is everything. We like things to happen in order; it just makes sense. We got married, bought a condo, & brought home a puppy. Order. This past week, one thing I thought I could control (my job) kind of threw me for a loop. I've made the decision to stick with my plan to get certified even though I don't know what the future will bring for me. I've gotten this far in my schooling & plan to finish up. It will be a good backup if I ever need it in the future. It helps to be specialized in something.

So I guess I just learned another life lesson. No matter how much we plan, things will always try to thwart said plans. It is necessary to have enough faith that things will happen the way they should. We aren't really in control of everything anyway. And really, I don't want to be. I'm glad God is in charge.

Heebie Jeebies...

Why are some creatures on this earth so disgusting? Check out this guy, for instance. Gives me the chills. As I was getting ready this morning to go out, I heard Lily licking her chops while she was laying by our bedroom door. I found this odd since it was way past breakfast. So I turn around and see that she spit out something black & plasticky looking. I picked it up & set it in my palm while I looked around at whatever was now missing a piece. After searching around Lily's kennel for a minute, I put the black thing on our table. I decided it didn't look so plasticky looking after all. I poked it with a pencil. Definitely a SPIDER! EWWW! Goosebumps & chills were immediately activated. I hate them! I can squish them with my shoe but cleaning them up is not my calling in life. Sick!

Signs of Spring...

1. Walking 2 miles WITHOUT a coat! Woohoo!
2. The grass is peeking out from under the snow.
3. Blue skies after random snow storms.
4. Dogs are out walking their owners again.
5. March Madness brackets are almost here. Yay! (Should I really trust BYU to get somewhere this year? They've burned me in the past. Plus they're battling injuries right now.)
6. Beautiful flowers. (Not technically from outside, but aren't they gorgeous? From my valentine...)

Bring It On, 2011!

Hooray for the holidays & hooray for the new year! We had a fabulous Christmas with our families & friends. It was hard to head back to work this week.

We had some rough patches in 2010, but we powered through. I am looking forward to 2011 & am excited about the goals we made. Hopefully, we see good things come to fruition. Here's to a happy & healthy new year!

Have You Seen Me?

Yes, that's right. We are missing our doorstop. I went to take a nap yesterday and hoped that Lily would be mellow and lie down with me. I remember hearing her trying to get the doorstop out of the bottom of the door, but then I fell asleep. Much to my dismay, I woke up to find it gone. Immediately, I began searching the house EVERYWHERE! Under, over, around, through, etc. Nothing was unturned. I even looked in Lily's favorite place, the bathtub. NO LUCK! Then I had a sneaking, horrible thought, "Did Lily eat this thing or swallow it?" I think it would be too large to swallow, and there were no little scraps of plastic around either. So...maybe a ghost came and snatched it up. Unsolved mystery...

Catch the next post: The Real Adventures of All-Star Camp 2010...coming soon!

Clean House = Smiles!

When it's nasty & cloudy out, it's time to do chores! They aren't really my fave, but I always feel better when they are DONE. And really, who doesn't love to have a clean house where one is able to have a free space to relax/think/dance/play soccer with Lily/sing Kelly Clarkson songs/read a good book/make some new jewelry? That's the perfect Friday for me. 

7 Random Things Tag...Finally Finished!!!

1. Me & a helmet
Sara and I had so much fun when we were roommates. This one got the most laughs. One night, we were up late (usual) & probably loopy. I grabbed Sara's bike helmet and put it on. I walked out of the room, down the hallway. All of a sudden, zoom! I ran by our bedroom door with my head angled back as if I were speeding down the freeway. Sara almost died laughing.

2. Trash bags
I loved girl's camp. When it was my 5th year, I was a "leader" to the new beehives. I was supposed to show them the ropes. It was really wet & rainy that week. Much to my dismay, I hadn't packed a poncho for our hike. Well, my dad always taught me to have a garbage bag around just in case. I did have that. I got creative and converted that into my rain poncho. Just stuck my arms and head out of the bottom seam. Not fashionable, but I stayed dry. Laughter ensued.

3. NSYNC featuring Tam
My college ward was having a talent show. I had found my "Darren's Dance Grooves" video in some of my stuff & thought, "Why not get a group together & learn one of these dances?" I coerced my friends & neighbors to join in. I think about 10 of us learned the entire dance to NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye". We even had coordinated our formation on stage. Pretty cool, right? I thought we looked like pros. Lots of fun & cheers from the audience.

4. Brian & baseball (ouch!)
One of our favorite pastimes used to be playing baseball @ Brian's park. It was just the two of us. We'd grab a ball & glove for me. Brian would get the bat. (I know; this can only end in tears.) I would pitch from home base so when Brian whacked the ball, I wouldn't have to run around the whole field. Good idea? Not really. Way too many bruises. Not too good at the duck & move action. You think I'd learn.

5. Gymnast hopes
When I was younger, I loved to watch gymnastics on tv. I thought they were awesome. Flipping & twisting in the air; so cool! But I kept growing too tall. Plus, I am very uncoordinated. Just ask Brian. I can barely walk & hate to Rollerblade. I CAN'T STOP! HOW DO YOU STOP THESE THINGS? Freaks me out, big time.

6. The Little Mermaid
Love it. Most people I know don't like Ariel. But I loved her when that movie came out. Diane & I had matching t-shirts with Ariel on the front. We probably watched that movie everyday when we bought it. When we went swimming, we liked to pretend to be "merpeople." For some reason, Daniel was always the shark. Go figure!

7. Food sorter
Mostly candies like M&Ms, Dots. I have to sort them by color & count. I eat them evenly so the food doesn't feel badly. That's not weird, right?

You Are Reggae Music

You're laid back, friendly, and even a bit of a bum at times. For you, life is too short to spend your time angry at the world. But while you don't take life too seriously, you're deeper than people realize. You're very reflective, and a few key topics (like social justice and love) are very important to you.

What Kind of Music Are You?

New 'Do...

So...I decided since summer is around the corner, it was time for a hair cut. Some might say that it is quite a drastic change. But I really like it. It turned out better than expected, especially now that I'm skinnier. (Insert smile here.) It's always a little scary to change your hair, but you never know what you'll get until you take the chance. Thanks to my awesome hair stylist who always knows what will look good!

Sunburn Sally (the tune "Mustang Sally" was in my head this morning)...

Remind me to never go out at high noon without sunblock again!

At least, I have my trusty aloe vera gel today. And I work in a dungeon so I don't have to go out and see people if I don't want to.
Brian and I had a fun Saturday. We went to the Utah football game. (But we were not smart about sunblock. I should know better...I am Snow White after all!) The Utes whomped Colorado State 49-16. They are now 8-0. Yay! In the BCS standings, they are #11. It would be nice if they made it to a BCS bowl game again, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet. They play at New Mexico on November 1. Then their big test is at home against TCU on November 6. Eek!

We went to the Pie in West Jordan with Sara and Jon that night. It is always yummy! I love the chicken alfredo pizza and cheese sticks. We then headed over to the Crazy Corn Maze. We did a little too well at getting out. You are supposed to find all the numbered posts and answer T/F questions. We did #1 and #2, but we ended up at #7 somehow. So we were going backwards a lot. Eventually, we found them all. We're just too good at this maze thing! Later, we watched "Iron Man" and played with all the dogs at the Wyatt's house. We love dogs!

On Sunday, we had FHE at Paul and Marja's house. Yummy food and fun family is a good combination. I tried out a new dessert, caramel apple bars. I think they turned out pretty well. Unfortunately for Brian, I was up at 7:30 am chopping up apples in the processor. Sorry, babe!

I guess I better get to work. I think it's also time for another slather of aloe vera! My face is on fire!

The Plateau...

Let me first say that losing weight is really hard. It is especially hard for people like me who don't like to exercise. I'd rather be doing almost anything else! But I continue on because I know I need to get healthy. My sister introduced me to caloriecount.about.com so I can keep track of my food intake and my activity burn. I have been somewhat successful and lost 20 pounds so far. Yay, me! I still have plenty left to go. But right now, I am stuck. That darn scale hasn't budged even a little bit! (This cartoon applies very nicely, don't you think?) I guess it's time to change up my routine and hope that helps. Wish me luck!

California Dreamin'....

Over the last few nights, I keep dreaming that Brian and I are in Disneyland with different family members. Do you think this may be a sign that I'm suffering from Disney deprivation? I think so. We did finally plan our trip for next year, so that is exciting. I can't believe it's been two years since we've gone. No wonder I keep dreaming I'm there!

Life is good. I just got 100% on another exam today. I am now to the comprehensive tests on my anatomy unit. Not my favorite! And I'm one of those who has to memorize over and over again. It's very tedious, but as long as I keep doing well, it's worth it.

I am counting down the days until we leave for Kansas. I am excited! We leave on the 27th and get back on Labor Day. It will be great fun hanging out with the Blankenship clan. Plus, Brian gets to finally meet all the extended family and experience hot, humid weather! (Fun, huh?) We're flying into Kansas City and getting a rental car. We'll probably drive down to K.C. Masterpiece. We've been craving steak and ribs! Then we'll trek over to Topeka and Silver Lake. I can't wait!

Well, I better get ready for the day and head out to Wal-Mart. Grocery day; hooray!

Rain, Rain; Go Away...

This has been a very wet year so far. I don't think we'll be in a drought crisis! It is still raining! I know water is good and we need it, but I'm ready for warmth and sunshine. Anyone else agree?

Nothing much is going on with us right now. Same old, same old. We get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch "Wheel of Fortune" and maybe "Jeopardy," and usually go to bed pretty early. We joke that we act like old folks already. We can't help it! For some reason, we are tired people.

Tonight the Celtics and Lakers are playing in Boston. That should be an interesting matchup. Personally, I don't really care about this one. I hate the Lakers, so I hope the Celtics pull out a championship. But on the other hand, the Celtics lead the NBA with the most championships. And the city of Boston has been kicking butt in sports (i.e., Red Sox and Patriots (I was so happy to see them lose the Super Bowl this year!!!)). I like to see different teams win, and I usually root for the underdog. It's more exciting to me. As long as Kobe gets shut down, I will be a happy camper!

You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Boom, Baby!

If anyone can guess what movie that is from, you are today's winner! (Your hint is: Disney movie.)

I'm using this title to set up my embarrassing story. From the sound of it, you can probably guess something blew up or someone fell down. The latter is true. I came home yesterday and went to the mailbox. I retrieved our mail and was carrying a few other things inside with me. I was wearing my black pants with the wide cuffs (one of them needs to be sewn as it drags on the ground all the time). As I was walking toward the stairwell, my foot gets caught in my cuff. I went flying face-first towards the ground. I didn't catch myself very well. All the contents of mail, purse, etc. came crashing around me. I tried to get up with my dignity intact, and I was lucky that it appeared no one had seen me in all my gracelessness. Scrambling, I collected all my stuff and headed home. I got inside and assessed the damage. I had 2 knuckles bleeding on my left hand. My wedding ring has a bent prong, which I'm fixing today. I scraped my left wrist and bruised my right palm. I had road burn on my chest and face. Luckily, that doesn't show anymore. My left knee is nicely bruised and swollen. What a state of affairs! How I manage to survive everyday is beyond me. So sad...

Since I haven't posted anything lately, I thought this would be a good story to share. And please, don't feel too badly for me. I am doing fine now and hope that my jeans and tennis shoes work a little better for me today.

Spring is here!

In honor of spring's arrival, I give you bright flowers! The Gallardo was awesome, but it was time for a change. Brian says I like to change things up a lot. I do! It's fun for me.

The weekend was very good. I didn't get my chores done, though. So...I got to work very early in order to leave early. Chores, cooking, exercising, and schoolwork all await my arrival. I'll have to fit in a new episode of Bones, too. We love that show! Have a great day, everyone!

Woo Hoo!

I just took a test and got 100%! So far, so good. I am excited about this transcription thing so far. I think it will be an excellent career move for me. I can't wait to work from home and make my own hours. It will be awesome! (About this pic: I typed in the words "woo hoo" into Google and looked up pics. Of course, the first picture I see is Homer Simpson. Who doesn't love that guy?)