List of 99

It's been a very, VERY long time since I've blogged, but I'm thinking it's something I want to start up again. In the mean time, here's a list I stole from my friend's blog. 99 things, and italicized are the things I've done. I was kind of surprised by how many there are!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (MAY 2011!!!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I think)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (it happened once...)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - For the record, I was rehired three days later... it's a long story.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (again, I'm pretty sure I did, but I was too young to remember)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating?
88. Had the chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - Coming soon...
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

So... tired...

I went over to my tan truck to get my bag out and there were two guys leaning against the truck smoking. Fabulous I though to myself. I unlocked the truck, grabbed my bag, locked it back up and started to walk away. "Do you think you could, um, not smoke leaning against my truck?" I said as I turned to face the two guys. "No, I don't think we can do that," the blond one said.
"Seriously, get away from my car."
"Seriously, get over it."
This infuriated me. I must have been having a bad day, and this confrontation made me snap. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and started to dial 9-1-1, but the blond smoker had his phone out too while the brunette just stood there.
"I'd like to report a small child choking," the creep said as I heard the dispatcher from my phone ask for the emergency information.
"The guy I'm standing next to is reporting a small child choking, and he's lying. He's also threatening me," I told the woman I was talking to, although I had a feeling she wasn't going to be any help.
As I tried to explain my situation, the blond guy jumped into a white minivan (which I could only guess was his mother's) and started to speed toward me. I jumped out of the way, and he sped out of the parking lot with his friend in a blue minivan following close behind him.
Even with the two of them gone, I still didn't feel right about the situation. Uneasily, I went to my first class.
Class hadn't started yet, but spectators who had seen the incident in the parking lot were wildly talking about what they had just seen. A friend of mine came over, put his arm around me, and kissed me on the top of my head.
"That was kinda freaky," he said as he picked up the bag he had set down a moment ago. "Guess what, though. I'm recording in your booth today."
Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about and I was a little distracted, so all I could mutter back was, "cool."
He left, and everyone in my class took their seats, avoiding the desks close to me. I should have known this was a sign of what was to come, but I thought nothing of it.
Just after class had started, I saw a dog sitting just outside the open door, staring at me.
The dog seemed massive, a rottweiler doberman pincher mix, foaming at the mouth. I hadn't noticed a dog with the two men in the parking lot, but I was sure it belonged to them.
Everyone else in the room looked to see what I was staring at just as the dog started moving closer to me.
"Just talk to it, try to calm it down," my brother said quietly over the hushed crowd and dog's growls.
"Lucy, it's ok. You don't need to hurt anyone," I said to the beast. I don't know how I knew the dog's name, it just came to me.
As she inched closer, scowling, I laid my hand on her head to try and calm her. As I did this, I noticed the two men had slit her throat. It was a clean cut, and she wasn't bleeding. I knew they had done this as a message to me. If she couldn't finish me off, they would come back and do the job themselves.
Lucy kept eyeing me, intent do to what she was sent here to do. I put both hands on her head behind her ears to try and show her I didn't want to hurt her, hoping she would return the favor.
I could see she wasn't going to give up on her mission, so I carefully placed my leg in a position that when she lunged for me I could knock her away. I was sure she wouldn't be a match for me from this position. I've been going to the gym so much lately, and my legs are really strong I thought to myself.
Without much time to react, Lucy jumped toward me, teeth bared. I placed my foot in the hollow of her stomach, and her face fell just short of mine. She was so close at this point I could see directly into the hole in her neck. Her vocal chords vibrated as she whimpered from my blow.
It was then I remembered the others in the room. Why aren't they coming to help me?
As I stared at the dog, wondering when she would regain her strength to strike again, my brother ran over and poured hot liquid down her throat through the open hole.
"This will put her to sleep," he said as he held up a box of Theraflu.
I thought it was strange, but the dog started to doze so I was thankful... very, very thankful.
Just before the dog fell asleep she looked inside of her and said,"I'm sorry, my babies."
I looked into the body of the now lifeless dog and watched as three puppies whimpered and died.
It was horrible that such a creature and her little babies had to die, but I was very relieved. I had survived the attack, for now. I knew the men from the parking lot would find out I was still alive and finish the job the dog was sent to do. But, for now, I was safe.

This is the dream that woke me up just after 4 this morning after having gone to bed around 12:30. I was so freaked, I couldn't get back to sleep. Let's hope there isn't a sequel and I can get some restful sleep tonight!

So... it's been a while :)

Ok, so it's been since the end of September since I blogged last... oops! I told myself that once I graduated and had more time I would blog more but that hasn't happened. I'm redeeming myself now!

After I graduated in May I couldn't find a job to save my soul! I looked all the time, but never got anywhere. My sister, Joann, and her family lived with us for a while during the summer while they hunted for a new house, so my life wasn't totally boring. I did have a photo job here and there, too, which I loved. Those jobs definitely save me as far as money goes! You can see most of the pictures on my other blog, stare at them, gawk over them, fall in love with them, etc. :) just kidding...

In August, I was getting really fed up with not having employment. I had an interview with Sherwood Hills in the Sardine Canyon, but nothing ever came of that. I'm really happy that I didn't get that job, though. It wouldn't have been a good job for me. In the middle of August, when Sherry and I were on our way up to Boise to see Gandalf (YAYAH!) I got two, got that, TWO calls for two different interviews the next day. I went to my first interview with GroupLink and felt really good about it. The interview went really well and it just felt like a good environment. The second interview, which I had to race to get to, was for a chiropractic office. It was a group interview and really not a great position. I kept praying that I would get the job at GroupLink, and about a week later they called and offered me the position! I was so, so, SO happy! I was literally jumping up and down for hours! I couldn't start until after I came back from Phoenix for Dan and Dalena's open house, so my official first day was August 31st.

I've been working as a technical writer for almost three months. The people I work with are great... mostly guys which accounts for considerably less drama - not no drama, but less. My desk is next to a huge window which looks out at the Bountiful temple and it's beautiful! After six months, I'll have benefits including health insurance so that's awesome, too.

Working in Bountiful has been good but the commute is really crappy. I'm looking into moving to the Layton/Kaysville area with an awesome girl from my ward. She works further south, as well, and it would be great for both of us.

I'm really super excited (if you can't tell) about all these changes. This weekend I'm going to brave the Black Friday crowds and see if I can't get some awesome deals on necessities for my new place (whenever it presents itself). CAN'T WAIT!!!

Crazy

So, just a quick story...
Today, for lunch, a co-worker and I went to the local Albertson's to get something quick for lunch and so I could get some water. Our water cooler is starting to taste nasty and I really needed the good stuff, but that's beside the point. We were walking out of the store when a guy sitting in his car yelled to us about all the stuff we had. After we set our loads in the car, he yelled to us to come over. I didn't dare, but Jay walked right over. The guy started talking about how Albertson's was recently bought out by another chain and the name would change soon. Then he started talking about another store that was in the same situation just down the road. He was telling us about how "NiQuil in the regular stores is like nine bucks, but right now you can get it there for a buck-fifty, and that's great cuz I got this cold I'm tryin' to get rid of..." Wow, then he asked how long we had been married... uh, seeing as how I just met the guy a month ago, it couldn't have been long! He told us that we should go over to that other store and get some "high-end perfume... you know, the stuff that's normally sixty bucks... you can get it there for about $10." Jay kept telling him that we just worked together, but he was pretty adamant in telling us about these great deals. Finally, we told him we had to get back to the office (yeah, office... I'll write that up later). The whole way back, Jay was making fun of him. It was hilarious. People can be so nuts!

It's about time!

I had a light bulb go on today... I realized that the reason I haven't posted for a while (other than my exciting trip to Boise) because I felt like since I didn't have a job I didn't have anything worth writing about. Since I graduated I've done nothing but Body Jam, take a few pictures, and look for a job. I was getting so irritated from not having any interest or interviews from anyone that it was affecting my whole life. I've been really frustrated for a really long time and every little thing that went wrong just added fuel to the fire. A little while ago, I finally got an interview with a resort in Sardine Canyon, but after the interview I didn't hear anything back from them... not even a phone call or email saying they "went another way"! I was a little bummed because that had been my only interview since graduation.
Last week, after the Gandalf Extravaganza, I had a really great interview with a technical support company called Group Link based in Bountiful. Everything went really well and they seemed pretty impressed with my resume. Yesterday, I got a call from them asking for some references and examples of my writing and other projects from school. I sent them this morning and got a job offer from them this afternoon!
Seriously, I have been praying so hard for so long that I would find a JOB, any job! And now I've found one that will actually utilize what I learned in school and that will allow me to grow in my abilities. It's so amazing how things can come out of nowhere. I have until Friday to accept the offer and I'm still praying that all the kinks can get worked out so I can become part of the team and FINALLY have a job... and a way to pay the bills!
Thanks to everyone that has supported me and prayed for me these past few months. It's definitely paid off!!!

AWESOME!!!

Ok, I know it's been pretty much FOREVER since I've posted, ever after I promised to update on what's been going on. I'm just at the point in my life right now where every day is the same. I've graduated which is pretty exciting. It would be more exciting if I could find a job. However, not having a job has allowed me to do some pretty AWESOME things, one in particular that I will be writing about in this post.
I have been teaching Body Jam since January and I absolutely love it! Going to the gym gives me something to look forward to every day when nothing else is going on. I love getting each new release, working my booty off to learn it, and teaching it to the people who actually COME to my class. The feeling I get when I'm teaching is amazing. I love hearing people let go and get crazy because I know they are having as much fun as I am AND getting a wicked awesome workout.
Last week was kinda rough. I had had a rotten day to begin with, but then when I went to my Jam class, not one person showed up. It is so frustrating when I drive all the way to Layton for nothing. I was very upset. But yesterday, that all changed.
Part of why I love Jam so much is because of the creators who love it possibly more than I do. Yesterday, around 10 in the morning Sherry (my teaching partner) and I drove four hours to Boise, ID. There is a reason for this insanity, I assure you. Last year, the Boise Gold's gym participated in a program called "Dance 4 Life" where they raised money for AIDS awareness (I think). They won the competition... and their prize was to have the Director and Choreographer of Body Jam come teach a master class at their gym.
As soon as we heard about his visit, we made plans to attend the class. The drive was totally worth it! We got there early, ate a small dinner, went to the gym, got ready, and waited for about an hour for the class to start.
As soon as Gandalf entered the room, the energy was completely different! We were so stoked and so excited! He started teaching the class (with his awesome New Zealand accent) and it was amazing. The microphone went out about half way through the class, but he still did an amazing job. The routine was off the hook and, even though I was dying, I had a BLAST! Afterward, he stuck around for pictures and Sherry and I got to get a picture with him and just the two of us.

I don't know how to put it so everyone will understand how huge this was for us! I guess you could say it's like a starving, aspiring singer meeting their favorite singer in person. It was so... AWESOME! I have been giddy ever since, and you can probably see why. He was really cool, too. We got to talk to him a bit after all the picture-takin'. He told us about his cute wife (who is also an instructor) and their new cute little baby. It was so cool to see how down to earth he is.
After the class, we went and changed and drove home that night (I had to get back for an interview in the morning) but we were so wired that the natural high kept us up and safe. It was a totally AWESOME day!!! Thanks to Sherry for telling me about it and going up with me!
AWESOME!!!!!

P.S. My class tonight had about 26 people... it ROCKED!

It's been a while!

I realize it has been a very, very long time since I last posted and a lot has happened in my life since then. I'm not going to go into details right now. I'll most likely do each event in it's own detailed post (hopefully with pictures!) and catch up that way. Just be aware that very soon, in the near future, everyone will know where I've been the last couple of months!

Tagged by... Me!

I just visited my friend's website, and she had this fabulous "tag" on her blog. I love it because it is a "tag yourself if you want to be tagged" so no pressure for anyone who doesn't want to do it!! How great is that?!So here are the rules: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!!So there you have it! If you want me to make something for you...hmm, what could it be? A new toilet paper dispenser? just leave me a message.