Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

It is amazing what chocolate, sleep, and good friends can do to lift the spirits. The situation hasn't changed, but I know now that I'm not in this fight alone. There are still a few real people in this world and I'm so grateful for them (you know who you are). Now onto better days and new adventures. Speaking of new adventures, I finally decided what I'm going to do with my life. Drum roll please... I'm going to be a flight attendant! I know you all must think I'm crazy, but airplanes have been a huge part of my life, plus can you think of anyone better prepared for the job than an amusement park employee? Exactly. Plus I get to travel. Yay! Now I just have to work on my Spanish. The goal is to be working or at least in training by my 20th birthday. As for school, I'm thinking either night school or online classes. I'm not really cut out for school. Those of you who know me well are nodding your heads right now. So what's the plan? Work and save. And someday I hope to make it to California. I know that seems cliche, but we all have to dream about something. Here's to better times and bigger dreams.
So I watched this movie the other day. It's called "Unstoppable." It's about a train that is unmanned and going full power into oncoming traffic. I don't have much to say about it besides that Denzel Washington is my hero. That's all.
How often does your car stop working? Well, I'm guessing whatever that number is, my car can beat it. This week my car didn't start about 3 times, its brakes malfunctioned, it ran out of oil AND it ran out of engine coolant (at least according to the flashing red light on my dash). The last two would seem to be my fault except that I checked the oil just last week (it was fine) and the engine coolant was full. Hmm... I'm thinking maybe a car should be on my list of things to save for. 

"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"

I am officially a lame blogger. But don't blame me, blame Robot Unicorn Attack. It's an extremely addicting game. Other reasons for not posting? Crazy busy life. But no worries, that's going to change soon. I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. I'm refusing to use it. Also, don't be surprised if I don't text you back. Here's where you're wondering what the heck is going on. I'd like to say the answer is simple, but it's not. All I know is that recently my life has been spinning out of control. It finally came to a crashing halt today (which I won't get into). We'll just say my life has more or less gone to hell and I need to take a minute to put it right. We all live in this world surrounded by technology and social media. To put it simply, everyone is fake these days. Fake smiles, fake friends, etc. I'm not saying I'm not guilty. I am. That's my problem. We create this image of what we want people to think we are and we lose sight of who we really are. Example: I'm not a germ-a-phobe. So what? Well, most of my friends think I am. It's because that's what I choose to let them believe. Yeah, I think little kids are germy (which is gross, but I'm pretty sure most people would agree with me) and I don't share food (backwash, saliva= nasty), but that's not that unusual. The point is, this isn't who I am. And something needs to change. Thus, no Facebook for a while. But for my Facebook friends reading this, I do have one suggestion: play "Robot Unicorn Attack." It's only the best game ever. SO addicting. Well, this week did have some adventures. Most of them took place at my friend's house where we played games and made treats. Other adventures include Denny's, a mailbox, and speed dating. That's right. My singles ward combined with a couple other wards and we did speed dating. Holy weird. I'm thinking I won't do that again. Ever. Let's just say people are weird. That about sums it up. We went to Denny's the other evening after taking two hours to decide where to eat and discovering that everywhere else was closed by that point. The best part was definitely the chocolate chip pancakes. Yes, I'm mildly obsessed with them. Can I help it that they're amazing? Anyways... Wednesday there was a crazy snow storm that came out of nowhere. My friend/neighbor was turning onto my street and lost traction, sliding right into my mailbox. Goodbye mailbox! It was pretty much exciting and kind of funny. Good times. Do you ever hear a song and think that's exactly how you're feeling at that moment? Let's just say that Jack Johnson is mega pro like that. His songs always, always correspond to my life. Gotta love it. Happy Singles Awareness week friends.

Hellos and Goodbyes

First off, I apologize for disappearing. Turns out I actually did have strep. My thanks go out to the popcorn-eating doctor from last week. But hey, at least that $25 was worth it! So I decided to take a break and chill. It turned out to be a good thing because my room got cleaned! I redecorated and it just looks all sorts of pretty now. The best part? I finally packed up those creepy glass dolls. You know what I’m talking about? They’ve got those eyes that just stare at you ALL the time! Creepy… Another benefit of being sick was having my good friend, Timmy, bring me cookies. Thanks sooo much!!! He is officially on the top of my favorites list. There was a sad part to this week, though (besides being sick). Kelsie (mentioned multiple times in previous posts because she’s awesome!!) bid us farewell and relocated herself to Texas. We had a little going away shindig at a sushi place on Tuesday. Definitely one of the coolest restaurants I’ve been to. Naturally it’s Asian, which is cool in and of itself. But the coolest part is definitely the seating arrangement. At first glance, it looks like you are sitting on the floor right next to your food. In actuality, the table is in kind of a hole in the ground. So you are sitting on the floor, but you still have a place to put your feet! Isn’t it neat?! You can’t truly understand how supremely awesome it is until you experience it. Oh! Also important to note: yours truly tried octopus. Surprisingly (or not), it was delicious! I approve. I’m not a big fish fan, but it worked for me.

On Wednesday I received a buddy that’s going to be with me for a while. Confused? It’s called a commitment bracelet. Here’s how it works: You make a goal and then you melt the ends of a rope together so it fits around your wrist without sliding off. The only way to take it off is to cut it, so you can’t cut it until you complete your goal. It’s actually a way neat idea (thanks Kyle Johnson). So what’s my goal? Drum roll please…. I’m going to run a half marathon! Lofty goal, I know. But totally achievable (hopefully). The best part? I’m up to a whole mile and a half! Only 12-ish to go. Um… Yeah. I’m thinking it might be a year or so before that happens. Baby steps, baby steps.

Have you ever seen someone after several years and suddenly found yourself thinking, “What the heck?! This person is WEIRD!!” Well, that happened to me. I went to lunch with my parents’ friends this weekend. They are old enough to be my grandparents, potentially even greats. I’m talking ancient. The last time I saw these people, I was just a kidling. Literally all I remember is that the old man gave me candy every Sunday at church. Well, what a surprise it was to see a funky old man with more jewelry on than I even own. This guy is like 80 something! I guess there’s nothing wrong with being an individual. Unless you’re in China. But they were actually a really cute old couple. John (the old guy) was clearly in love with Florence (his wife). The affection was apparent in his little flirtations throughout the luncheon. Weird to think these people have lived less than five minutes away for the past six years and I never knew. Huh.

Which brings us to today. Glorious, glorious day. It was SO warm today! For those of you in Utah, you know what I mean. Be-au-tiful! Can we please just skip to summer now? Or late spring? Please? Mmm sunshine! LOVE it! Today is also glorious because it’s Lissi Jo’s birthday!!! Happy birthday!!! She is officially legal. The big two one. Aka 21. If you didn’t figure that out. And what birthday is complete without funfetti cake? Birthday wishes also go out to my cousin, Tangerine. Also legal, but in a voting way. She turned 18 on Friday. Happy Birthday Chandra Lou!! Well that completes it. I hope you are satisfied. 

Things Forgotten

It was pointed out to me that I somehow forgot to mention some key events from Saturday's adventure. So here they are, the rest of them. Saturday, we had dinner at the Pizza Factory. If any of you have been there, then you know exactly how delicious it is. Of course, you can't go without ordering the bread twists. So good!! Although, there was one item that was absolutely disgusting. Along with my friends and for the first time in my life, I tried some nasty, tastes-like-dirt beets. Never again. Yuck, I can't even think about them.
The next thing I forgot to mention is something from our Ross adventure. I don't think I mentioned Ross earlier, but that was also part of Saturday. We went to Ross and I found this fantastic, vibrant, lime green pillow. It was so cool! I wanted to buy it, but not having a job can have an impact on spending. But just remember that it was awesome and I wish to death that I had bought it.
And we can't forget to talk about my mad awesome Wii skills. We played Mario Kart on the Wii and I kinda, sorta might have gotten 12th place. Was it 12th? If it wasn't, then it was pretty close to it. I think I need to practice.
As far as family goes, my little brother, the BMX kid, was (surprise!) riding his bike and he somehow managed to break his wrist. The best part is that he has it all on video. But it's not gruesome in the least. He was attempting a 360 off a four-step and the force of the landing broke his wrist. I couldn't even tell when I watched it the first time. And this is why we create battle wound stories.
Last, but certainly not least, are the YouTube videos. After the yummy pancake breakfast, we watch video after video after video on YouTube. Most memorable were Baby Monkey (going backwards on a pig), Banana Phone, and Evil Strawberry. My personal favorite is the last one. Just watch it and you'll understand.
Well, that's it. The things I forgot. There's probably some other ones in there, but those are the ones I was specifically told that I neglected to mention. Have a great morning everyone!

Epic Weekend

Wow. What a weekend for the books (in this case, blog). Between fights, food, and friends, there was almost always something going on. Not to mention the Super Bowl! But.. We won’t talk about that. Let’s just say that my team didn’t do so well. How to proceed with this? So much information, such short attention spans.

Friday- “Fans Gone Wild” We went to Jordan’s hockey game on Friday to watch the rival game. If I remember right, we were ahead the whole time and not too much happened. Sigh, boredom. Until the last 2.5 seconds. I was just chillin, thinking everything was pretty much done when BAM! Fight breaks out on the ice. Our guy punched their guy (he totally deserved it, just FYI) and broke his nose. It could have been just another fight, but naturally the audience had to get involved. I was kind of just laughing because what’s a hockey game without a fight, right? Well, this guy looks over and catches my eye and starts freaking out at me. To sum up his lengthy rant, basically he said, “You’re all losers. How can you cheer on a team like that? Your team plays dirty!” Of course, these were much more animated and extremely repetitive. You could probably break a record if you counted how many times the word “loser” was said during his little spiel. I really wanted to ask him for a picture for my blog, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I would have died of laughter. Mine is only one of a few different encounters which ensued as a result of the fight. The would-be epic fight would definitely have to be Kyle’s. I’m pretty sure most of you know him, but for the few who don’t, Kyle recently had an experience and, for the purposes of this blog, we’ll just say that we need to be more careful around his head than most. Anyways, one of the hockey players from the other team was being a mega jerk to some girls in the stands and it incensed Kyle. Words were exchanged, followed by gestures. Tempers flared and the player wanted to settle it physically. Of course, none of us would let Kyle put his head in swinging range, so the player went on his way and we all went to meet Jordan out in the lobby. We did actually see the player (who had some serious issues if you ask me), but his boyish taunts had nothing to back them up. It was kind of funny to entertain the idea of Kyle getting in a fight, though. I can only imagine the headlines the next day: Friends of Brain-Injured Man Jailed for Coming to His Defense. Good times.

Saturday- “Breakfast of Champions” What a better way to spend the weekend than eating chocolate chip pancakes with friends? And they were quite delicious, if I do say so myself. They were a perfect start to a fantastic day. Afternoon found us exploring a nearby hiking trail and snapping some scenic shots. Of course, the best part would probably have to be when a cute dog jumped up on me with his muddy/horse-poop covered paws. Yummy! Just what I was missing in my life. More adventures were found on Antelope Island amidst an appetizing rotten-egg scent. Even Tim decided to be rebellious and rode the buffalo. Yes, a real buffalo. He lasted 3 whole minutes! …Just kidding guys. Don’t go all animal rights advocate on me. The buffalo I’m referring to is one of those ceramic (?) ones they have all over Utah. The sign says “Do Not Touch,” so naturally Tim wanted to ride it. The little shoulder devil won that conversation and presto! Tim has a picture on the forbidden buffalo. Later on, we watched “The Prestige.” Question: How many of you figured it out before the end? I won’t spoil it, but I’ll just say that the first time I watched that, my head hurt from trying to figure it out. The second time just solidified the fact that it’s an amazing movie. Haven’t seen it? Take a trip to Redbox and watch it. Then watch it again, because you probably missed something.

So that was an interesting week. I can only imagine how I’m going to top it this week!

Bucket List

Oh my heck. I walked outside this morning and almost went back inside. It was SO COLD! Can I just say I hate winter? A lot. With passion. It’s right up there with the color pink. Now that that’s out of the way…

Funny statement of the day comes from my little brother. We were talking about how “I love juice” sounds like “I love Jews.” Don’t take this wrong or racist or whatever. I love all people, ask anyone. But my little brother’s response to the latter statement was “No, I don’t.” So naturally I asked, “Why’s that?” His response, “They killed that guy.” Me, “…Jesus?” Logan, “Yeah, him.” What are they teaching kids these days??

So, I’ve been thinking. What’s the deal with this whole growing up business? People expect us to decide what career to go into right off the bat. It all sounds great and all, but I have no idea what I want to do with my life! As I was thinking about all this, I started thinking about other ambitions I have in life. That’s when I realized. I have no idea what I want to do with my life! I know, I know. I already said that. But it’s true! I’ve never really sat down and wrote out a list of goals to accomplish during my lifetime. I don’t have a bucket list. Lame!! So, I’ve decided to change that. Starting today, I’m creating a bucket list. Here it is:

• Run a 1/2 marathon
• Go in a hot air balloon
• See Niagara Falls
• Learn how to drive stick shift
• Sit in a Ferrari 
• Sleep on the roof of a house (a flat roof..angled might not turn out so well..)
• Write a book (with pictures!)
• Be quoted by someone
• Pet a shark
• Swim with a manatee
• Work at Disneyland
• Build a tree house
• Attend a Super Bowl
• Watch the 6 hour version of "Pride and Prejudice"
• Drive from coast to coast 
• Go to at least one concert
• Go on a safari! 
• Complete everything on this Bucket List!

Oh yes. Those are some high aspirations. I had to think about that for a whole ten minutes! Speaking of thinking and deciding, have you ever noticed that it takes people forever to decide on something? Example: My friends and I were trying to decide where to go for a bite of food before a hockey game. After 33 posts on facebook, we still didn't have a place set. That's waaay too many for a simple "where should we eat?" Here's one more goal for my life (in general, not just for the bucket list): Make an executive decision! All it takes is one person to say "I'm doing this and that's all there is to it" and suddenly you have a plan. No mess, no fuss, just a decision. This coming from me, the queen of indecisiveness, I know. But that's why we call them goals. They are something to aspire to. 

A Journey to TC

Today is February 3. There really isn’t much significance to that fact, except that some happy person somewhere is one year older and wiser today. Why am I mentioning this? No reason. I just like how it sounds. February 3^rd. It just kind of rolls off the tongue. You’re saying it aloud right now, aren’t you? Thought so.

In other much more exciting news, I went on an adventure today. It’s called “A Journey to TC.” TC is the cool person’s way of saying Tanner Clinic. It allows you to be vague and hip at the same time. Oh wait, hip isn’t the word anymore. How about this- it allows you to be legit. Yep, that’s what kids are saying these days. Now that we’re all “in the now,” let’s move on. So I drove to the TC for my very first independent doctor’s appointment. That’s right. Mom wasn’t there. In the words of my friend, “Ooh hot..” (If that doesn’t make sense to you, well, too bad.) So I go to the TC and they point me to where I need to go. When I got there, I had to sign some papers. Ooh no. Oh no. This is the beginning. If I fill out paperwork now, I will have to keep doing it for the rest of my life! Am I ready for that kind of pressure? That responsibility??? Ok, so here’s a question for you: Why in the heck are they having us fill out this paperwork anyways? I go to the doctor because I don’t feel good. I don’t want to think. That’s what I’m paying them to do. And here they are handing me a pile of things to read and sign. The print isn’t even big! Gosh. How rude. ;) Moving on. I went to the little exam room and was chillin, doing the whole temperature, throat culture thing. I had a bitty fever, whatever.  The nurse left and told me the doctor would be around in five minutes. Have you ever wondered what in the heck takes them that long? I have to be on time to my appointment, but then I have to wait for them?? Lame. Well, I have my own theory about the infamous waiting period. You see, there’s actually a hidden camera that’s streamed to a TV in the break room. The doctor and nurses like to hang back there and watch all the weird things people do when left alone in a doctor’s office. I bet they even have popcorn. Of course, they like to sell the best tapes on the DBM (Doctor’s Black Market.) But it’s just a theory.. Maybe…

Long story short, strep test came back negative, so it’s all good. It’s “legit.” Happiest news of my life. My first thought was, “I’m alive!” The prognosis is good, I’m going to live. Hallelujah! I just can’t kiss anyone in the next little bit (doctor’s advice). Oh dang. I had SO many plans. [Insert the rolling of eyes and sarcastic tone here]. So there it is. My little bit of a trip. For some reason I am now inexplicably happy. Something about finding out that I won’t be banned from public for a week just brings joy to my life.  
Oh! And to make things even better, it's sunny outside today! I can actually see a glimmer of hope that we'll experience spring in Utah... Haha! Oh man, good one. 
One last thing. Happy Birthday (yesterday) Kelsie!! Legal at last (: OH! And her picture is finally up on that blog as previously mentioned. Sorry bout that.