Garretson

Flower

2011-06-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

A Cookie Travesty

2011-03-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Long have nasty Girl Scouts held sway over the cookie lovers of our great country. Accosting innocent victims and charging a heinous $3.50 per box to fund their nefarious deeds and buy badges for their sashes.

I did my time as a Junior in Girl Scouts, and even graduated to whatever the blue sash level is. And it was pretty darn fun. I learned how to crochet and take care of animals, and the troop took me on my first skiing trip. And let me say, selling cookies was far more fun than selling calendars like we did one year. So I am totally for supporting Girl Scouts!

As everyone with any taste knows, Samoas are the Queen of Girl Scout cookies. I seem to end up losing cash to their siren call every year, and then suffering through the drought of cookies after....

Enter new Keebler Coconut Dream cookies. Basically Samoas for half the price all year long. Despite wanting to support girls and all that, how can you resist the deal AND the deliciousness?

So Ben and I did a side-by-side taste test this evening.

(Coconut Dream cookie on top, Samoa on bottom)

Our Results:

I was expecting a full-blown win from the Keebler Elves, but Ben and I both immediately agreed that the Samoas still had them beat. The Samoas feature more chocolate (dark, which I totally approve of) and more caramel. The Coconut Dream cookies had less chocolate and caramel, and about the same coconut. The cookie insides were too dry and crumbly and left me wanting.

Winner: Girl Scout Somoas - I guess we will be supporting those little gals, nefarious chicanery or no, a little longer.

And another...

2010-12-25T19:32:00.001-08:00

Things That Make Me Laugh

2010-09-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

And neither Ben or I had cavities!

A Poor Girl's Shopping Spree

2010-09-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

I found a new website that I absolutely love! I'm pretty terrible at picking out outfits. I tend to only look at sales racks, and when I buy clothes it's just one thing at a time. I never imagine the whole ensemble, so I mostly end up with jeans and t-shirts.

Well, I will still be wearing jeans and t-shirts, but in a fun imaginary land that is Polyvore you get to make whole outfits. They are all heinously expensive and probably would still be out of my budget even if I found cheap look-alike versions. But it's fun to put stuff together. It's almost like I'm getting an unlimited shopping spree. And it gives us outfit challenged girls a chance to feel fashionable. Here's my first creation!

Work by witskee1 featuring a silk blouse

Lingerie blouse
99 GBP - karenmillen.com
Silk blouse »

Tropical Wool Trumpet Skirt
$108 - anntaylor.com
Wool skirt »

Brian Atwood Harrison chain leather pumps
$1,050 - net-a-porter.com
High heels pumps »

Anthracite Crumpled Metallic
$695 - mulberry.com
Metallic handbags »

MONTSE ESTEVE Ring
1.550 EUR - colette.fr
Multi colored ring »

Louis Mariette Pearl-embellished hairband
$490 - net-a-porter.com
Louis Mariette hair accessories »

Imma Marketer!

2010-09-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Apogee MQ-200 Aquarium PAR Meter Video Review - Captive Aquatics: The Freshwater, Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Blog

Muahahahahahha.

The Whitney in this article... ME!

2010-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Knowing what we know and living as we are supposed to live, there really is no place, no excuse, for pessimism and despair..."

"I promise you in the name of the Lord whose servant I am that God will always protect and care for his people. We will have our difficulties the way every generation and people have had difficulties. But with the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have every hope and promise and reassurance. The Lord has power over His saints and will always prepare places of peace, defense, and safety for His people. When we have faith in God we can hope for a better world - for us personally and for all mankind."

~ President Howard W. Hunter

Bad Kitty

2010-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I just got home for lunch to find evidence of what Maggie has been doing to entertain herself while I'm gone.

2 1/2 pairs of socks full of kitty claw marks. Scratch that (pun intended). 3 1/2 pairs. She just brought down another pair.
Half-eaten Shopko bag. We'll be feeling that one later...
Laundry room door pried open - probably source of some of the socks.
Kitchen cupboard open. She knows well that this is out-of-kitty-limits, but she leaves her tell-tail (pun) signs when she sneaks in.
Dresser drawers open, cat napped-in and raided for socks.

I'm not even searching that hard and I can already see all kinds of kitty naughtiness. We'll save looking over everything else after work I guess.

I have writers block

2010-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Coupon-ing

2010-07-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

Every girl has to have a blog about phenomenon of coupon-ing.

Here is mine.

Cupcakes!!

2010-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of fun little stores popping up around Logan these last couple months. And it's always good to try to support local business. Especially when they sell delicious foodstuffs like...

CUPCAKES!

Temptation Cupcake just opened shop on the corner of 1000 N Main. It's a cute little store with big comfy couches to sit and chat.

The cupcakes are beautiful and delicious. Given, anyone can make a cupcake, but it is a fun little novelty to go out and snack on something pretty and frivolous.

Price-wise one cupcake was about $2.50, and you could get them by the half-dozen and dozen as well. There are also coffee beverages available. Plus, the owner served me and she was a sweetheart.

So, sure, anyone can make a cupcake for cheap, but going to a cutesy shop with your girlfriends and swapping stories over some fancy desserts and warm, creamy beverages is worth paying a little extra for.

These are the two cakes I tried. There were tons of other beautiful ones there too. The one on the left is a mint chocolate, and the one on the right is a chocolate ganache.

Visit the Temptation Cupcake blog here.

JC Penny

2010-06-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ben and I went clothes shopping yesterday and got Ben some work/nerd clothes so he can fit in with the other engineers at his internship this summer. Even though I tease, actually his new duds are pretty cute! He's like a little jcrew model only with a pocket protector.

He just interrupted my typing to show me a widget on his android phone that is a clock in binary code. It was called the geeky clock app. Or something like that.

Anyways I would post pics of his clothes, but I didn't take any.

I did luck out though, because Maggie has been bugging me all day to play with her with her string toy, but now she has found a spider and is chasing that instead.

So yay for me and for my ramblings. And my Ben and my cat. And clothes and that poor spider.

Death

2010-06-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

One summer's eve during my high school years Taryn and I were up late in the night goofing off as we were wont to do. So it was one or two in the morning and the home phone rings. Neither of us are fond of phone answering (yes, that has been my job for the last year), so of course we want to see the caller ID before we answer. We grab the phone, and right there on the screen is the caller...

DEATH.

I am not kidding. It said that Death was calling. So naturally we giggle hysterically, generally freak out, and don't answer. I mean it's Death. I have nothing to say to Death. And if he really needs me he can leave a voice-mail. Am I right?

I am right. I am always right.

So's anyway, I was poopin' around looking at wedding pictures the other day and I realized that someone uninvited totally crashed our wedding....

DEATH.

And again I am not kidding. But this time I have photographic evidence.

Okay, so try to ignore Nate and someone else (maybe LaShel?) raising their arms all crazy at each other. Also try to look past my shining beauty (I know it can be a challenge).

This is the ~~Where's Waldo~~ where's the Grim Reaper part.

Aaaaannnnd....

Voila. Highlighted in red for your viewing pleasure.

Nobody mysteriously died after my wedding, which is a definite plus. But Ben and I were as sick as dogs. And there was some scary turbulence on our plane ride to our honeymoon destination. But all-in-all I think things are going okay with the whole Whitney-Death relationship.

But I'm still not going to answer his phone calls.

Sleepy Poo Face

2010-06-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am reading a motivational book that I can't remember the name of that talks about how a good way to get past writers block is to let yourself write badly. I also read an article somewhere that said if you want to be an awesome blogger don't post a post until it's really good.

So there are some opinions for you.

Lots of changes happening around here. I think that stuff is going to work out okay. It always takes me a while to realize that though.

Farmers Market & Mr Whitney Mortensen

2010-05-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I had the noble idea that I was going to donate a little bit to a charity every time I got paid. I even really did it for a couple of months. So I am now on the sympathy mailing list. I have gotten stationary and cards, note pads, and a lot, lot, lot of address labels. They want me to donate to their causes, but instead I just feel guilty and collect their paper products.

So far Habitat for Humanity takes the cake. They are a great charity, and everyone should totally donate money to them. But this is what they sent me.

Mr. Whitney Mortensen. The letter accompanying the labels even had a story about a home built for a great girl named Whitney. GIRL. It flashes me back to all kinds of times when I've somehow been mistaken for a male. Or at least the crazy cowboy last summer that asked me if I was ever mistaken for a man. AND on top of that, it's totally a rip off of Winnie the Pooh. Oh well. What can you do?

And Ben and I went to the farmers market in Merlin Olsen Park on Saturday. It was my first time and I loved it! It was a pretty day and there were fun things and fun people. I got a magnet and a cookie. (AND the lady I bought the magnet from donates half of it to the Humane Society. That's right. I am a philanthropist.)

The Shame of Defeat

2010-04-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today Ben and I....

didn't clean the sink at Angie's.

But we tried.

Exhibit A: The Sink

According to our waitress it is one gallon of ice cream and three and a half pounds with all the toppings. You can pick three toppings. That was our downfall. We chose fudge, Oreos and Reese's. The Reese's was just a solid ball of greasy, wax chocolate. Here were the end results...

Exhibit B: The Shame

This picture actually makes it look like we got further than we did. The sink is still about half full and hidden in the sludge is the dreaded Reese's.

So we got to a point where we had to decide whether to struggle on to triumph or to stop and not throw up. We had to call it. And we left Angie's in shame.

But we have a battle plan for next time. I want a "I cleaned the sink at Angie's" bumper sticker. And I will get it.

Illegal Contraband

2010-04-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ben and I usually follow the rules. We're pretty mature and upstanding and all that.

But we did a bad thing.

But it's also so FUN!!We adopted a cat! Meet Maggie.

ISN'T SHE JUST SO ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????

We adopted her from the Cache Humane Society a couple of Saturdays ago. We've been wanting a pet for a long, long, long time. We went into the open cat kennel and she just came up and started loving on Ben. She's a very friendly kitty, is a HUGE attention hog, is very frisky and playful, and can have a little bit of a bratty attitude. But mostly she is a sweetheart. She sleeps on my head almost every night.

It was sad to hear at the Humane Society that they don't spay or neuter cats right off because most of them don't get adopted. There were lots of other pretty, sweet kittens there that didn't get to find a family. According to the information at the Humane Society in Utah alone 16 adoptable animals are put down every day.

I didn't have the heart to look at the puppies. With their big eyes and their waggy tails....

Now that's what I call a dog sled!

2010-04-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Growing Old Together

2010-03-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is Ben and me when we get old.

Interviews of Horror!!

2010-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

For one as young as I, you would think I haven't had a lot of experience with job interviews. Let alone any crazy interviews. But I have had a couple doozeys in my day and I will share.

I went to the office at the appointed time. It was a small building with only a couple of rooms. I walk in on another kid being interviewed. The interviewer told me that I had come at the wrong time. Nope, he just didn't schedule me. After the kid left, my interview was about how that kid had a master's degree and the interviewer would be hiring him. I sent him a thank you note anyway. He responded with one sentence saying I hadn't gotten the job. Uh, duh?

This one was my bad. I was actually LATE for an interview. I'm responsible, right?? I actually did want this job, it was a student job on campus. Aaaaand I couldn't find anywhere to park. Classic. So I ended up RUNNING across campus and still being a little late. Didn't get the job, but did get a cool tour of the giant robot arm that stacks books.

I called to set up an interview and the guy wanted to see me the same day. So I quickly prepare. When I walk into the office the interviewer is completely confused and doesn't know why I'm there. After I explain he tells me that he just hired someone an hour ago.

In the middle of winter and during a GIANT SNOWSTORM. It was an interview I had to drive about an hour to get to. I got stuck a few times in the parking lot. In my fancy interview clothes. And some old guys had to push me out. Then I go to meet the interviewer. Turns out he is in the middle of a convention. He interviewed me during the convention lunch. So there we were. Him eating. Me watching and answering questions. And two strangers listening in that had the poor luck to sit next to us. Just a little awkward.

So, there are some of my adventures so far in the big wide working world. And hopefully there are many more in my future to add to my tales.

Talkin on the Turlet

2010-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

I think in theory most people think that people on cell phones are annoying. But I think in practice most people use cell phones in the same annoying way. I know that when I see someone cruising around on a cellphone in a car, or yacking loudly on the bus, etc, etc, I think they are annoying. Yet I have done lots of those things myself.

But one thing that just crosses the line.

The toilet.
But not just any toilet. I will neither confirm or deny that people have talked to me or I have talked to others while on the potty. I would (while not admitting any guilt) accept talking on the john in the privacy of your home.

But I am against cell phone conversations in public restrooms. If I choose to talk over the sound of my own piddles that's one thing. But I think it's an invasion of privacy for someone in the stall next to me to be broadcasting the sound of my business all over tarnation.

And, honestly, I had never really had an experience like that until I worked at Qwest. While I've been warming the porcelain there I have heard business deals struck, fights with significant others, calls to schools and many more.

There is one girl in particular that is a repeat offender. I know that we only get two 15 minute breaks in a day, but I promise it's enough to go to the bathroom and THEN call someone. This girl is ALWAYS on her cellphone. And usually she's in the stall next to me on her cell phone.

REALLY. IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?!?!

Good Old Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am having problems with my N key on my keyboard. I think there is a crumb wedged under it. Because that's how I like to roll. I'm cool like that.

So my sweetie-pie husband treated me to Valentine's day with a lot of homemade goodness. And a lot of chocolate.

First Benjamin welcomed me after work with locally-made Bluebird chocolates. I look forward to these chocolates all year long. These chocolates are the best gourmet chocolates I have ever had. One of the things that makes them so good is that they are fresh. The chocolate isn't waxy at all. You can taste the quality of the ingredients - I really can't look at other "fancy" chocolates the same way now that I have had Bluebird chocolates.

Then Ben made me a delicious meal of chicken and mushrooms. The color isn't that great in the picture but the taste was incredibly delicious. And it came out of a healthy food cook book. So it was even nutritious.

And then we both worked together and made homemade truffles. And they are THE BEST. It was a super-simple receipie, but is not going to be used much in this household or I will swell to the size of an elephant. First we made the insides with one block of cream cheese and 1 box (minus 11 cookies) of crushed Oreo's mixed together and rolled into balls. Then we melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and dipped the balls into the chocolate and let them dry on wax paper. THEY ARE SO DANG GOOD. I can't even describe the tastiness of these truffels.

Anyway, basically Ben is a good boy and I love him more than truffles!

Books Books Books

2010-02-09T20:18:00.001-08:00

So, just to brush up on some of my web marketing skills I've added Google Analytics to all of my blogs to track my stats. And an amazing phenomenon has occurred. My most visited blog of all time is WARNING - This Blog Contains a Butt. People from all over the world have viewed this one blog. So therefore I am thinking of changing this blog to be derriere themed. All things relating to the buttocks. Fame and fortune will soon follow.

Something I've been excited about lately is BookCrossing.com. It's kind of the same idea as Where's George, only instead of tracking where your bills go it is a travelling library. Heavens knows I love books - even more than tooshie-themed blogs. Basically you read a book, tag it, and leave it somewhere for someone else to read.

I've already released two books into the 'wild'. They kind of dissapeared into nothingness, but I am still pretty excited about the program. I can get rid of book clutter for a higher purpose! So y'all if you see a book lying around looking lost - take a look at it because it might be looking for a home!

What's Up??

2010-01-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

So I don't think I've observed or done anything blogworthy lately. Pretty much same-old, same-old. So my life lately is:

Playing with my family history website.
Feeling like I should blog or do something creative - but not doing it because I have no motivation.
Working.
Thinking about working and having it suck away all my leftover energy.
Not exercising, not cleaning my house, and generally not doing anything constructive.

So there you go. Once anything in my life becomes even remotely exciting I will blog again.

Maybe.

It is a lot of work...

Morbid Curiosity

2010-01-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Ben and I are watching the tryouts for American Idol. It's the only the time we watch American Idol. I don't know what our fascination is with seeing people get up in front of the world and having their dreams crushed. It's really awful when you think about it. It does make me feel bad when I think about it... but yet I watch.

Alex got American Idol on the Wii for Christmas and we played the holy heck out if it. It was fun - I could actually handle it on easy level. But I am no singer. And Simon let me know it.

{Okay, from when I started writing this to when I finished there was a whole lot of people crying. And the judges laughed at a sweet, dorky, county boy. They LAUGHED! I mean how mean can you get? So now I feel guilty. Dangit.}

Healthy Eating

2010-01-11T17:50:00.001-08:00

I am glad that I eat such healthy foods. Heck, I'm not even trying!! While putting around and getting snacks for myself I noticed two lovely things:

My Diet Coke box tells me how healthy I am being. Hydration is a very important part of being healthy and drinking a Coke or two a day is a great way to stay hydrated.
My birthday cake ice cream box says that I am doing a great job with my nutrition. My eating of ice cream is a great source of dairy.

So, there you go. I am healthy. And since I've been eating so well I think I might just make myself some chocolate chip cookies for dinner. I mean, grain is a big part of the pyramid and cocoa has anti-oxidants that stop all those terrible free radicals. I feel myself getting more in shape from just thinking about it.

Tired

2010-01-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am pooped and can't think of anything fun to write, but I haven't written for forever, so I'm just going to babble until I get going again.

Ben and I are fighting over a 7Up and watching the news. A story about The Simpsons 450th show.

I'm even having a hard time babbling.

Uh Oh

2009-12-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

There is some quote from some person saying something about treating people nice. Especially people "under" you. I would quote it here, but I am lazy.

One of my friends at work got a phone call from an irate customer. She was yelling at him and being mean.

When he accessed her account he discovered that he had gone to high school together and were actually friends.

No need to say - she was very embarrassed and apologetic. He laughed about it, but I would have lost a lot of respect for her. When she is anonymous and as long as people she thinks are important don't know, she can be as uncivil and as rude as she wants. She doesn't care about the faceless, nameless kid answering the phone. But once she knows that she's going to be accountable and people she knows may find out about her behavior- then she's sorry and nice.

Moral of the story is - be nice to people, no matter if you think you'll never see them again. Your actions toward the littlest people show a lot about who you are. And you never know who is watching.

Owl City

2009-12-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

I wish that I had used my insomnia in high school to create something as cool as the music Adam Young wrote for his band Owl City. I love the creative, fanciful lyrics and the music is different and enjoyable. Young began writing the music in the basement of his parents house because he couldn't sleep. I pretty much sleep like a rock now - through church, school, and even while talking.

The music makes me remember what it's like to be the only one awake, in the quiet of the night, looking out at the empty, silent streets- with the pavement still wet from a warm rainstorm. It makes me think of the night time magic where I am pretty sure I could fly around over the town and dance invisible in the moonlight.

That was kind of dorky. But here's a video!

Owl City - Fireflies from Carolina Alvim on Vimeo.

Gratitude

2009-11-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

"Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a
universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become
spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our
hearts with their messages of God's love. This grateful awareness
heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate
gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around
us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence."

~ Bonnie D. Parkin

"Gratitude: A Path to Happiness," Ensign, May 2007, 35

{Photo by Januartha}

HTC Hero

2009-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

I got a new phone this week! I've always told myself that I'm the kind of girl that just wants a phone that calls people and that I don't need anything fancy. That feeling has been lost- never, ever, ever to return. I am now too spoiled.

It was the synergy of having a brother-in-law working for Sprint and having a geek husband. I think it would embarrass them if I had a basic phone.

So my new, pricey prize is the HTC Hero. It's the best phone I've had yet! It's an Android phone, meaning its OS and applications are open source (aka mostly free). And it's made by Google. I have a crush on Google. And it has a 5 mega pixel camera! I have a crush on that too!

About 75% of the applications are free so I already have games and music and all kinds of awesome things to distract me. Some of my favorites so far are Sudoku, Pandora, Google Stars, Wattpad, ShopSavvy and the Sound Grenade.

The touch screen on this phone is nice. It has a really solid feel to it and it doesn't seem to lag. I'm still getting used to texting, like most touch screens sloppy fingers mess things up pretty quick.

And always a great thing about a phone is that it calls people. It does this very well. Easy to dial, good sound, good speaker, the works.

So this phone has the frills and the basics and I love it. The next big test - that I hope more than anything I can avoid - is the pretty much inevitable drop. Because I'm clumsy and air-headed and dang good at dropping things.

Zombies

2009-10-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Word is that zombies are the new vampire.

I'm not sure about that. But I did read this book. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith fills in all the blanks with the undead. This book was crammed with action. However, along with the action there was a lot of brain-eating, and beheading.

Original Elizabeth has a brutal tongue; Zombie Elizabeth has a penchant for ripping out the still-beating hearts of her enemies. It's an interesting read, and Seth adds in a lot of different aspects to make it more than just a Austen tag-along. He adds a smattering of Oriental culture and some of his own social commentary- Charlotte Lucas becomes a zombie while no one but Elizabeth notices.

This book is not for the queasy. Within the first few chapters there is some brain spattering. One thing I especially enjoyed were the discussion questions at the back. Not sure if Seth wrote these or someone else, but they're great. My favorites:

7. Does Mrs. Bennett have a single redeeming quality?

9. Is Lady Catherine's objection to Elizabeth (as a bride for her nephew) merely a matter of Elizabeth's inferior wealth and rank? Or could there be another explanation? Could she be intimidated by Elizabeth's fighting skills? Is she herself secretly in love with Darcy? Or is she she bitter about the shortcomings of her own daughter.

Funny book, but definitely gory and irreverent. Definitely not for an Austen purist.

I love Thursday

2009-10-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

My new favorite night of the week is Comedy Thursday on NBC. A collection of great, funny, wonderful shows that make a full night of viewing pleasure.

30 Rock - When I first heard of this show I was mad just because the name sounds a lot like 3rd Rock from the Sun. But it is excellent and Ben and I have watched every episode. Because we're cool like that. Liz Lemon is my hero.

Parks & Recreation - We watched the season last year. It was slow and not as funny as we expected. This season has definitely taken off, and April the creepy intern is the greatest. Sometimes the show does get a little racy though.

Community - This is my new favorite. It has been awesome from the beginning. The story is about a bunch of people going to a community college. I love it for so many reasons. The main character is Jeff, but they do a great job following other people's stories and developing their characters. My current favorite character is Abed. He is delightfully weird.

The Office - I wasn't as in love with this show last season as I have been. Dwight was mean and there was just too much drama. So far this season is a little more light-hearted and funny.

So pretty much I am incommunicado on Thursday nights. If you need me you will find me as a potato on my couch.

Too Many Phonebooks

2009-09-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ever since the toe-stubbing and the puter breaking I have not had much blogging motivation. But I did finally download the photos from our camping trip with the Nelson family up Emigration Canyon. Some of these are cute and I do love to share.

My Puter!

2009-09-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Benjamin and some smelly Dell guy fixed my laptop, so now I'm back in business! It was broken for a while but now I'm okay. I loved Ben's story about the guy telling jokes, trailing off before saying the punch line, and then snorting at how imaginarliy funny he was. Nerds are great.

Note to Myself

2009-08-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Whitney,

You are a smart, funny, beautiful girl and gosh darn it people like you!

Love,
Me

{Photo by kristina k. dymond}

Nooooooo

2009-08-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just stubbed my toe. I was going to post stuff about our camping trip but now I can't because my toe hurts.

This is not my toe. This toe has a smile where my toe definitely has a frown. Or a wince. Or little "x"'s on its eyes because it's dead. This happy toe is by Grodden on Deviant Art.

Nasty, Yet Wonderful

2009-08-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite channels is Discovery Health. Where else do you get to see things like this incredible polycystic kidney? How weird is that? I love the ER shows where you get to see all kinds of impalings, the Mystery Diagnosis show with weird diseases you could never imagine, and of course Dr. G sawing skulls and clipping ribs with tree pruning shears.

And, Discovery Health is a hypochondriacs dream. Now the diseases I'm pretty sure I'm dying from are more creative and grotesque than ever.

The only shows I'm not wild about are the baby shows. I'm lacking any maternal instinct I guess. Deliver Me and I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant...? Meh. But weird looking babies on the documentaries? Excellent entertainment.

Huh

2009-08-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm still pretty brain dead. All of my smart, motivated, clever goo has leaked out of me and is now jiggling on the floor like a pile of fake vomit.

Ben and I are currently watching House. Even though neither of us likes it. We can't find the remote.

One thing I've learned working in a call center is that if you're nice you get better help. I think that a lot of people think if they are bossy and angry and threaten that they'll scare us into giving them things. They don't realize that we really, really, really don't care if you tell the news or the government or the CEO that we are the worst. Most of us are working to support our families and pay the bills like everyone else. If you're nice to me I try harder to help you because I like you. If you're cranky I'll put you on hold for as long as possible.

I feel brain dead

2009-08-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

The Wild Side

2009-06-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have always had the natural inclination toward safety, carefulness, and all things prudent. I've never broken a bone, gotten a speeding ticket, or lost money in a bet. But down deep inside me I have a wild child wanting to come out.

I don't like thinking about people I love riding motorcycles. They're really, really dangerous.

But the other day I was on a straight, wide, empty road driving home and this awesome looking girl zoomed by on her bullet bike. She was dressed way cute, had pretty long hair hanging out from under her pink helmet, and she was driving like a lunatic. I was pushing the five-ish over the speed limit that I rarely exceed and she weaved right past me and then another car. If I had had someone in the car with me I would have acted disapproving, but as it was I wanted to stalk her and eventually be friends.

I don't know really if we would have been friends. Usually I like to position myself as being the wildest in my group. That way everyone is a good example, right? Anyway, I am Whitney. I am the only girl in the whole of Honolulu that took a helmet when renting scooters. I wore it AND close toed shoes.

{Okay, right here imagine a picture of me in a dorky, dirty black helmet on a moped, grinning cheesily, and looking sunburnt. (I was going to scan it and put it in but I couldn't find it.)}

mmmm... dinner

2009-06-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

2009-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. Pretty much because I don't do anything blog-worthy. Tonight we had our training graduation party for our Qwest training team. Out of 22 people we had 6 graduating. But I guess that just meant more cake for us.

I got a bike for my birthday and it has already given me a bruise to be proud of. I'm staying off big streets right now. My biking skills are a little rusty.

Qwest made the top ten customer service hall of shame on an article on MSN the other day. I was going to write about what I would do to try to make it better if I was my boss. But then Ben pointed out that I still work there and shouldn't be blogging about anything risque. And by risque I mean anything pertaining to Qwest at all.

I've started to spend a lot of time in cemeteries taking pictures. Sounds weird, eh? I started a little account on findagrave.com and have been taking photos of headstones for family history junkies and people making online memorials. I have a couple ancestors who currently don't have headstones. If I had some $$$ I'd probably buy them each a nice tall rock with RIP at the top.

Healing Touch

2009-05-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

No grief is so great, no pain so profound, no burden so unbearable that is beyond His healing touch.

~ Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

{Photo by Shockmotion}

Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo

2009-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

A Good Day... And Why I Should Never Have Kids

2009-04-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of mornings ago I was backing my car out of the parking stall and I heard a huge bang. Sick, awful feeling in my stomach, I stopped the car and ran around to see what I hit.

What I saw made me cheesily happy the rest of the day.

A neighbor kid's ball. How great is that? Little twerps will stop leaving their junk all over now!

Probably not really, but it proves that I should never be trusted with kids.

My Favorite

2009-04-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite channel to watch. Sure it doesn't get new programming... ever.

But how can you see this an not feel great about yourself?

Yay! The 61.5 Orbital Location!

I am the greatest. Ever.

2009-04-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is the trophy I won for a day at work. For being relatively awesome at my job. Relatively awesome as in the way you have to run faster than the other guy when a bear is chasing you. If that made any sense at all.

We've been on the phone selling for three weeks now. And one day I sold more than the other kids. So I got this cool trophy to put in my cubicle with a fancy prancy guy and a guy in a skirt with a sword. Very fitting.

Creatures

2009-04-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

What animal would I be if I - yes, me- were an animal?

I have pondered this question and because I am the way I am I can't really make a decision.

I would love to be a creepy, but oh-so-adorable Aye-Aye lemur. This critter features a long bony finger for fishing food out of trees. How cool is that? And this little cutie is also nocturnal, which I can definitely relate to!

Another favorite of mine is the common dog. I would be an excellent dog. I would be expected, and therefore forgiven, for smelling bad. I don't have that now and I want it. A dog me would get to eat whatever and poop wherever. No wonder dogs are happy all the time! And, in a good world, I would get food and pampering from my humans. That's the life.

And a new development in my animal repertoire is the dirty, scabby, detestable crow. Crows can eat all kinds of stuff, they can fly, and they are actually kind of smart sometimes. Crows are happy to be the stinky bird that not even other birds like. The crow is like the pirate of the bird world. They get to steal, plunder, beat up other birds, and pretty much get to stick it to the man every day. And they get to be called a murder of crows. Cool.

What animal do you think I would be? What animal would you be?

Units of Force

2009-03-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

It's funny how special I feel when I get to pull over to the side of the road for emergency vehicles.

Sure, I feel bad and worry for the person in the emergency.

It's just that pulling over makes me part of the action. I'm doing my civil duty and totally helping save someone's life.

{Photo from failblog.org}

Reckless Abandonment

2009-03-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Lee's yesterday night to buy nosh food and it was a loverly spring evening. I, being a fan, stayed in my car to listen to the end of a Simon & Garfunkel song on the oldies station.

Next to Lee's there is the usual strip of stores. I was sitting, rocking out, and watching some guy carry his white, fluffy dog along the sidewalk toward the grocery store.

Suddenly he opened the door to a business, shoved the dog inside and took off running.

Yeah... I don't know either. A new spin on leaving the baby on the doorstep I guess.

The Spirit of Service

2009-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

And so ends my first week at work. I'm still not sure what I think of it. Some times it's so much fun I'm surprised I'm getting paid, and sometimes I want to knock my head on my desk until I pass out and don't have to be there anymore.

Some fun things are that Kristie, my future sister-in-law, is in training in another class so we get to see each other. They have Guitar Hero out for people to play at breaks and I'm getting pretty darn good at it. They give us free hot chocolate and feed us a lot. My trainer is really cool. And, at least they claim, that you can make good money on commissions when you are out on the phones. It's nice to get out of the house and meet new people. And, of course, it is always nice to get a paycheck.

Dead People

2009-03-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today Ben drove me to SLC. We had to go pretty early and I didn't want to be lonesome so I made a deal with him that I would talk to him all the way and not sleep like I have a tendency to do.

Anyways we were about twenty minutes from our destination and we were talking, even though I was pretty sleepy. Ben was saying something about trucks. I - mid conversation- fell asleep. I remember what I was saying, I remember what I was thinking, it even made sense.

Sadly, however, I am crazy. We were talking about trucks, right? Here is my amazing insight into the world.

Whitney: "Yeah, those SUV's. All they do is tear up the road and drop dead people all over."

Ben: "WHAT???"

Whitney: "Did I just say something about dead people?"

All I have to do is master the sleep-talking and I'll never have to stay awake at work ever again.

Type Title Here

2009-03-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

So, the last few months- maybe even the last year- I've been growing my hair long. I'm thinking that it might be fun to try a short hair style for a while. I really like this haircut that Elliot has in an earlier season of Scrubs. My hair isn't thick or voluminous in any way and I rarely take time to fix it. Do you think it's worth a shot? Should I keep it long?

I'm thankful...

2009-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

for my trip home to visit my family.
for my new job.
that spring is coming.
that Ben is such a cute boy.
that I have great friends and family.

Oh, So Many Career Choices...

2009-02-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

These are honest to goodness jobs I have found while job hunting. No joke.

Technical Genius (I applied for this one!)
Roustabout Foreman (This just sounds funny.)
Bell Ringer
Eligibility Specialist (Is this like a matchmaker?)
Timekeeper
Doughmaster
Stabber (I hear they make good money.)
Wound Technician (Cleans up after the stabber does his job.)

Fail Blog

2009-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Pretty Dress

2009-02-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is the actress, Taraji Henson, that played Benjamin Button's adoptive mom on that Benjamin Button show. I think that the only thing I liked about the movie was her character. I can't remember what she says exactly, but when she finds ugly, baby Button, she takes him in and loves him. She says that everyone is a child of God.

Yay for her character and yay for her pretty dress, clutch, hair, and necklace.

Yay!

2009-02-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

I got my diploma in the mail! Who0pee! Half of me was thinking it wouldn't come and I really wasn't done with school. Now it's official.

Valentine's Part II

2009-02-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

*singing* ... I could have ate all night! I could have ate all night, and still had room for more!

I was planning on writing this blog. Hence the Part I and Part II thing. But then Ben, who rarely reads blogs, read mine and was jealous that my other valentine got an honorable mention when he got nothing.

So let me recap, no that would take to long. Let me sum up. I had an excellent Valentine's Day. Ben brought me breakfast in bed; cute heart shaped french toasts with red jam on top. If I hadn't been such a ravenous beast I would have thought to take a picture before I inhaled them. What can you do?

Handsome also gave me the traditional red roses and pound of dark Bluebird chocolates. Yum.... And then we went on a Valentine's trip to the temple. That's always a great date. Very peaceful and beautiful.

Then we went to Lee's bought a bunch of stuff and made chicken-mango quesadillas. Yum, Yum, Yum.... The mangos were a pain in the behind, but the food ended up so tasty. The lime we put in it gave it a light, sunny, tropical flavor. A nice experience in the middle of February.

Chicken-Mango Quesadillas

2 cups cooked chicken, cut in strips
2 ripe mangos, diced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
2 cups grated Jack cheese
Lime Juice to taste
6 flour tortillas
6 tsp. cooking oil

Combine first 7 ingredients. Use the cooking oil while heating the quesadillas.

Valentine's Part I

2009-02-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been helping at an elementary school here in Logan for a couple of weeks now. Sherrie got me going on it and it's been pretty fun! We work with a couple classes of kindergartners and teach them ABC's in small groups.

I have three different groups and they're awesome! And all (well most) of the little kids think I'm cool. I'm "Miss Whitney" and they get excited and wave to me whenever they see me.

And I even got a valentine!

There is nothing like being "extra special".

One Word Survey

2009-02-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

1. Where is your cell phone?
mystery?

2. Your significant other?
Benjamin

3. Your hair?
loosing

4. Your mother?
wonderful

5. Your father?
tough

6. Your favorite thing?
sleep

7. Your dream last night?
scary

8. Your favorite drink?
diet

9. Your dream/goal?
happiness

10. What room you are in?
other

11. Your hobby?
reading

12. Your fear?
snowmen

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
happy

14. Where were you last night?
apartment

16. Muffins?
poppy

17. Wish list item?
job

18. Where you grew up?
Baker

19. Last thing you did?
typed

20. What are you wearing?
frumpy

21. Your TV?
downstairs

22. Your pets?
distant

23. Friends?
family

24. Your life?
life

25. Your mood?
wobbling

26. Missing some one?
sanity

27. Car?
dirty

28. Something you're not wearing?
contacts

29. Your favorite store?
books

30. Your favorite color?
purple

33. When is the last time you laughed?
forgot

34. Last time you cried?
forgot

35. Who will resend this?
where?

36. One place that I go to over and over?
Facebook

37. One person who emails me regularly?
Mom

38. My favorite place to eat?
everywhere

39. Why you participated in this survey?
procrastinating

40. What are you doing tonight?
nothing

Up On The Rooftop...

2009-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't really had nightmares since I was little. And mostly my nightmares centered around the velociraptors from Jurassic Park. They were the (relatively) little fast ones that were really smart and could find you wherever you hid. T-Rex is still awesome, but if you can just hold still and he'll not know you're there... that's just not very scary.

The last few weeks, however, I have dreamt many scary things. And not just going to class naked dreams. I've learned to embrace those. No, these have some omnipresent, nameless horror. Gives me the jibbles.

I have done some serious introspection to discover the cause of these fears. I beleive it all leads back to this:

This fiend is lurking on top of the Student Center on campus right now just waiting for an unsuspecting victim. So be careful, my friends, be careful.

A Christmas Miracle

2009-01-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a disgruntled picture of me in front of our first Christmas tree. And that is the only Christmas picture we had this year. This is because Ben and I are dorks and were way too excited about our presents to bother taking pictures. Either that or the camera ran out of batteries. Christmas was a long time ago; it's hard to remember these things.

I'm Peevish

2009-01-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

Why in the world would Shopko not sell Coke products? Do they hate me? They must. All I wanted was to nosh on some Jr. Mints and some Diet Dr. Pepper to chase away my woes. And all I got was a spoonful of probably salmonella infected peanut butter for my troubles.

Yes, I occasionally eat spoonfuls of peanut butter.

Oh, and not having anything to do is driving me insane. Not in the way you would think, that I'd do anything to get out of the house. Sure I get all depressed and cagey being inside all day, but for some reason this makes me even more hermitish. I guess I get so used to not seeing or being seen it freaks me out to be with people who have lives and reasons for personal hygiene. Which I am lacking right now.

And this is all Shopko's fault. Curse them. Curse them all to Heck.

The Forbidden Kingdom

2009-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

I've always loved Jackie Chan movies. My freshman year some of the older kids in Seminary would throw Jackie Chan movie parties and it was awesome. I think Forbidden Kingdom will be one of my favorites, along with Shanghai Noon.

The Forbidden Kingdom is has really pretty shots, my Dad especially goes bonkers over the cherry orchard. I've never appreciated Jet Li, but he's great in this movie. He does an excellent Monkey King and he does humor well. I love all the jokes, and Jackie Chan with dreads and being a drunk is always good fun.

And the girls in the movie are awesome. The White Witch is my favorite and Sparrow is pretty cool too.

A Pooo-Peeee!

2009-01-14T13:07:00.001-08:00

This is our nasty new puppy that we haven't named yet. She is spoiled rotten and oh-so-cute. I told everybody I was going to Baker to see my family.... but by family I mean this puppy. I'm putting up a vote for a name. It means nothing, really, since nobody will listen to what it says anyway. If anyone has name ideas vote or post them below!!

Here are some things we've thought of so far:

Sydney
Stella
Dorkus
Butterscotch
Tiki
May
Pansy
Carter
Lily
Scout
Gretchen
Macy
Chloe
Kate
Piddles

The puppy is a she, but we can't name her anything too girly because Dad will be laughed at when he takes her bird hunting.

I Learned Me Up Real Good

2008-12-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

I graduated last Saturday! It was a really great day and a good way to celebrate the last four years of my life. It is sad to be done and really exciting at the same time.

We woke up to a mighty blizzard, the first one of the winter. All the grads met in the field house and lined up and then we marched to Pomp and Circumstance through the snow to the spectrum. Ben is so dedicated that he waited out in the snow and walked along with me to take these pictures. He was a little soggy.

I saw Dad and Taryn while I was walking and Sherrin and Alex took pictures as we were entering the spectrum through a tunnel. Alex, being the twerp that she is, could help but drop a snowball down on people. It landed dead-center on a guys cap. I apologized but he just looked confused.

We went down the tunnel and all of our professors lined the walls and clapped for us as we walked by. And they handed out tissues for mascara and runny noses. Pretty darn smart, eh? Guess they're doctors.

It was a small graduation, being in the winter, and all the colleges were together. Noelle Cockett spoke, which is funny because I worked for her (no way she knows me, but I've booked flights and hotel rooms for her). Her speech was cute and funny. Then President Albrecht spoke. He was a lot more serious and mentioned the economic problems and how there will be disappointments in life. He said that the important thing is to handle hard times with grace. That's a really cool thing. It reminds me of the Lion King, when Sarabi is being made fun of by the nasty hyenas and she just holds her head up high. Everything relates to Lion King.

They called my name and I got my degree and it felt great to have so many people I love clap for me. My family has helped and supported me through so much of my time here. Thank you all so much. It's amazing to feel so surrounded by love. Thank you.

Afterward Sherrin and Mom and Taryn organized a fun party at a church. They got me balloons and the cutest cake ever, and Ben got me flowers. It was fun to see every one and get to spend time talking.

If anyone has any pictures they took I'd be much obliged if they would email them to me. Thanks!

Congrats!

2008-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

Congratulations on your engagement, Jacob and Kristie! We are all excited to have Kristie in the family!

My Cute New Laptop

2008-12-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

My graduation gift from my sweet Benjamin was a Cyber Monday, beautiful, plum Dell laptop. And because my boy is a computer genius he has optimized it to perfection. Now I am surfing and applying for jobs in luxury on the bean bag.

Sure we could have been responsible and bought a couch. It is always odd to have a member of the bishopric sitting on a large puffy bean bag and everyone else on kitchen and lawn chairs. But hey, if you can get away with a milk crate entertainment center and inherited bean bags, why not?

Now I feel extra smart plucking away at my keyboard and using my free wireless internet. It's good to be spoiled.

Lamps

2008-12-18T11:09:00.001-08:00

Ok, I have tons of stuff I want to post about. But I'm lazy, so here is the greatest thing ever:

Ben and I were browsing through Shopko, when we saw this. A high-centered elk lamp. Bless its heart. It was probably trying to be majestic but those rocks got in the way.

And this is how sad he is:

Shift Happens

2008-12-09T19:29:00.001-08:00

It's crazy how often random things just pop out of the jumble of existence just in time to confirm some previous happening. Did that even make sense? Does it even matter?

Anyhoo, Mom and I were talking the other day and she had an epiphany. We were talking about problems in public education, and how pretty much China is kicking our backside in the smartness department. Then she said something to the effect of if they only taught genius Chinese kids there would still be more of them than all the kids, of ALL levels of intelligence, in America. So our whole population is competing with their top performers plus the all of the average Joes.

Then I was randomly surfing yon internet and this blog led me to this video. Which was quite educational. Be warned that it does have majorly cheesy music, and some of its predictions of the future remind me of a book I found in my high school's library that said we would all drive flying cars by the year 2000.....

But, remember readers, some of this information can be used to make us look smarter in our next conversation.

Think Before You Speak?

2008-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

My very last HR class was just about to start. I love that HR class.... Anyway, I was half chatting with my neighbors half reading news on my sweet phone.

Then I saw a man walking by in the hallway carrying a large, black gun.

Of course, as any logical person would do, I giggled and said, "That man has a gun."

As you can imagine chaos ensued.

The moral of the story? Think before you speak.

The guy with the gun was actually some goof-ball dressed up like a rich, old-Western rancher probably heading to give some educational presentation in the classroom next to us.

Hence me giggling and not hitting the floor.

Those nearby were a little peeved once I explained myself. You can't really blame them I guess.

The Secret Millionaire

2008-12-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! Cool show! Ben and I watched The Secret Millionaire tonight on Fox. They get these multi-millionaires to go and live in poor neighborhoods and see what it's like to be super-poor. Then they get to find people who need their help and give money to them.

There were two episodes in a row but the first one was the awesomest. You can watch them online here.

And a sneak peek to whet your appetite.

Hate & Love

2008-12-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

Some things I used to hate but now I love:

reading
tomatoes
the concept of matrimony
shrimp
drinking water
talking to people
algebra

When I was pondering this last night I had a lot more ideas in my head. But I forgot them. Oh well.

UGH

2008-11-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

I sometimes feel like blogging is the equivalent of talking to yourself. This morning Ben found a jug of canola oil in the fridge. I just like to keep my oils fresh.

So I was watching some crazy movie on TV. OK, it was the last ten minutes of some crazy movie on TV. There were crazy computer monsters that were digital but could suck people into an evil abyss, and they could sneak through your cell phone to attack you.

So in a I Am Legend-esc ending all the survivors live in some camp in the woods. Crappy ending. Now, if these people watched any other sci-fi (or I guess real science) shows they would think about exploding an electromagnetic bomb over the evil computer empire and those bad guys would be toast. Toast I say.

Now I am watching a marathon of murder mystery shows on Oxygen. Yes, I got up, got ready for school, and then plopped on the bean bag to watch creepy tv shows.

What is this world coming to?

2008-11-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A man faces a domestic battery charge after allegedly hitting his girlfriend with a sandwich as she was driving on Interstate 95 on Friday. Police said the 19-year-old man became angry and hit the woman in the arm and face with a sandwich, knocking her glasses off.
The victim nearly lost control of the car because she couldn't see the road and the man then allegedly ripped off the rear-view mirror and used it to shatter the windshield.
The man was freed on $7,500 bail.
Police haven't said what type of sandwich was involved.

The Associated Press Nov. 18, 2008

This is for you, Ben

2008-11-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Love you!

Activity 2 - Cultivating Optimism

2008-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Why Does Optimistic Thinking Boost Happiness:

If you’re optimistic about the future – for example, you’re confident that you’ll be able to achieve your lifelong goals – you will invest effort into reaching those goals. You will make more goals and more difficult goals.
Optimistic thinking enhances happiness because it prompts us to engage in active and effective coping. You accept the situation and try to make it better.
Optimistic thinking promotes positive moods, vitality, and high morale. You will feel in control of your destiny.

How to Practice Optimism:

Best Possible Selves Diary – Sit in a quiet place, and take thirty minutes to think about you having achieved your goals. Do it as long and as often as you like.
Goals and Sub-goals Diary – Identify long-term goals and break them into sub-goals. If one path doesn’t work than consider other possibilities to achieve your goals.
Identify Barrier Thoughts – Identify automatic pessimistic thoughts and try to replace them with a more favorable point of view. Ask yourself: What else could this situation or experience mean? Can anything good come from it? Does it present any opportunities for me? What lessons can I learn and apply to the future? Did I develop any strengths as a result?

“Optimism is not about providing a recipe for self-deception. The world can be a horrible, cruel place, and at the same time it can be wonderful and abundant. These are both truths. There is not a halfway point; there is only choosing which truth to put in your personal foreground.” ~ Lee Ross

From The How of Happiness by Sonia Lyubomirsky

Musings on Hair

2008-11-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hair. I don't know why but I couldn't sleep last night because I kept on thinking about it. I have a phobia of hair that's not attached to my head. Like after I shower and there is a clump of loose hair on the drain. I clean it out and feel queasy every time. I used to have a roommate who would pull her dark, thick drain-hair out of the drain and stick it on the side of the bathtub. It would sit there, slowly running back into the tub as shower water knocked it back into the drain again.

I've always had issues with the hair on top of my head too. I am continually looking for that cute new hair cut that will naturally fall into place every morning and complement my face shape perfectly. I have never found it, and I probably never will. Good hair will come when I get out of bed early and learn how to fix it, I suppose.

And I always wonder how those hair models get such lusty, shiny, thick hair. Why can't I have that by simply buying their shampoo? I never buy shampoo because I need it; it is always for the secret ingredient that will give me fancy commercial hair.

Now, I am in love with my hair color. It hasn't always been the case. When I was little I was convinced I was blonde; that's how warped Barbie dolls made me. But know I'm proud of my hair. Except for the creeping grays. I found my first the night that Ben took my on our first date. It must be his fault.

Last night, as I was musing about hair, I'm not sure why but I started thinking about my dog's hair. She died a few months ago. And a few weeks ago Mom said something about cleaning up dog hair in the house. Eventually every trace of her yellow coat will be gone. It has always been annoying and gross to have her shedding. But now that I don't have her anymore I am nostalgic for having her hair on my black clothes.

Activity 1 - Expressing Gratitude

2008-11-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

I am reading The How of Happiness by Sonia Lyubomirsky. The author has twelve different habits people can develop to become more happy. She only uses things that have been scientifically proven to help people be more happy over a long period of time. She recommends finding 3 or 4 techniques that seem easy to achieve and working on them. Then you wont get discouraged and can work toward more challenging techniques.

I'm going to be posting some things here as I'm reading the book just for the heck of it. Enjoy.

Eight Ways that Gratitude Boosts Happiness:

Grateful thinking promotes the savoring of positive life experiences.
Expressing gratitude bolsters self-worth and self-esteem.
Gratitude helps people cope with stress and trauma.
Expression of gratitude encourages moral behavior.
Gratitude can help build social bonds.
Expressing gratitude tends to inhibit invidious comparisons with others.
The practice of gratitude is incompatible with negative emotions and may actually diminish or deter such feelings as anger, bitterness, and greed.
Gratitude slows the adaption to positive life experiences.

How to Practice Gratitude:

Gratitude Journal – Write five things you are thankful for once a week. You can write more if you want, but don’t make it a chore.
Paths to Gratitude – You can express gratitude in various ways, like out loud to others, or acknowledging one ungrateful thought a day and substituting it with a positive one.
Keep the Strategy Fresh – Keep changing how you express gratitude so it doesn’t become a chore.
Express Gratitude Directly to Another – Express gratitude directly by phone, letter, or face-to-face to another person.

Regrets

2008-11-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Do you ever decide on something and then regret it later? I think I have a chronic disease of doing this. I'll be absolutely positive about a decision I make and then the next day I feel exactly the opposite. Nothing has changed but me.

I hate second guessing my decisions because then I'm always wrong. No matter what I've chosen, I should have done something else. It makes it hard to feel sure about anything. It cripples me.

Right now, I am really regretting a decision I just made. Nothing big or life-changing or anything worrisome. If I was reading this in someone else's blog I'd probably worry about them. Like they just committed a hit and run or had a wild, steamy affair, etc., etc. Definitely nothing like that. It's kind of dorky I'm even worrying about it right now. Things usually turn out all right in the end.

Not a Fun Blog. Sorry.

2008-11-06T20:49:00.001-08:00

Ben and I are taking a Modern Middle East class at school together. Right now we're studying the Gulf War. We watched this movie, The Hidden Wars in the Middle East, in class. It is probably a little biased. But it is still awful to see how the US has acted in the Middle East in the past. I really hope things get better though. I think that Arab and Muslim lives are just as important as American lives. Call me a terrorist...

Anyway, there is a lot of stuff in this documentary that raised my hackles, but I'm choosing this blog to vent on the use of depleted uranium weapons. The movie says that the United States and the United Nation used these weapons in the Gulf war. The International Coalition to ban Uranium Weapons says that:

DU was used on a large scale by the US and the UK in the Gulf War in 1991, then in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, and again in the war in Iraq by the US and the UK in 2003.

At least 17 countries are thought to have weapon systems containing DU in their arsenals. These include: UK, US, France, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Kuwait, Pakistan, Thailand, China, India and Taiwan. Many of them were sold DU ammunition by the US while others, including France, Russia, Pakistan and India are thought to have developed it independently.
http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/151.html

The depleted uranium weapons are attractive for military use for a few reasons. The metal can pierce through any other metal, which is ideal for warfare today. And it also makes it easier for governments get rid of some of their nuclear waste. The depleted uranium bullets are toxic and, according to the movie, they take 4.5 billion years to lose the radioactivity.

The horrible part about it is that it poisons the soldiers that use it and then it stays where it is shot-for 4.5 billion years-poisoning the people there! We all know that radioactive stuff is bad, that it causes cancer and all kinds of other awful stuff.

I can't believe that we would treat our soldiers that way. And other countries. At least land mines explode once and are gone. These weapons just keep killing people forever.

Yum, Yum Good

2008-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

My mom bought this for me because I was cold and covered in horse poo. She's pretty cool.

Yippee!!!

2008-11-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

My Cruel Heart Aches

2008-11-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

I think that almost every normal college student has trouble picking a major. So much pressure. You want to make the big bucks, but you want to do something you love. You want to help people and change the world - without taking physics. You want people to "ooooo" when you say what your studying, but you don't want to "ooooo" when it's time to study.

I am definitely a flip-flopper of majors. I started my freshmen year as a chemistry major with a strong draw toward psychology. Then came a chem class where I averaged a D on every test (but so did the rest of the class because I ended up with a B). Then I was leaning toward family and human development (maybe I'd be a marriage counselor?). Then I moved into the accounting program (washed out of that one with a C in 2010).

Blessings from Heaven. I found marketing and love it. It is interesting, challenging and will hopefully earn me some cold hard cash.

But if I could go to school forever I would still be torn by other majors. Lets see... now this is in order. At least at this very moment. You know how hard it is to decide!

Anthropology
History
Literature
Family and Human Development
Art
Psychology
Pre-Med (what the heck! Might as well)

2008-11-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

A - Age: Twenty Two

B - Band listening to right now: I am really, really, really liking White Stripes, but pretty much I'm just obsessed with Seven Nation Army.

C - Career future: I want to be a marketer.

D - Dad’s name: Rex

E - Easiest person to talk to: my mom.

F - Favorite type of shoe: Flip-Flops, even though I stub my toe and break my toenail.

G – Grapes or Grapefruit: Grapefruit, never used to like it. I guess I'm growing up...

H – Hometown: Baker City

I – Instrumental talent: I can play about 3 songs on the piano, but it psyches me out if people try to sing along.

J – Juice of choice: pomegranate juice.

K – Koala Bear or Panda Bear: Panda bears although I like polar bears better.

L - Longest car ride ever: Not long in miles/time, but it was a night shortly after I got my driving permit at 15. I was driving on the treacherous tawiliger curves and Tanner was vomiting and had diarrhea. I was speeding for my life, but had to screech to a halt for roadside fun.

M – Middle name: Garretson. Goes back to Quakers settling Pennsylvania.

N - Number of jobs you’ve had: 4, Health Department, Tech Department, WRDC, USU Bookstore (of evil).

O- OCD traits: I have to sort the change in my mom's van into the little change holders.

P - Phobia[s]: Earwigs.

Q - Quote: I have a lot. I can't decide right now.

R - Reason to smile: Benjamin and my graduation in December.

S - Song you sang last: Super Trooper by Abba

T - Time you wake up: It's supposed to be at 7:45 but ends up being 8:30

U - Unknown fact about me: I'm addicted to video games and dorky cartoons.

V - Vegetable you hate: I like all vegetables now, but I used to hate tomatoes.

W - Worst habit: Not being nice to myself.

X - X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, and my legs.

Y - Yummiest food my belly likes: Salsa, brownies, and pretty much everything.

Z - Zodiac sign: Gemini

If you actually read all this give yourself a pat on the back from me.

I have been banished

2008-11-02T18:15:00.001-08:00

This is my new bed. Due to a week and a half of coughing all through the night, Ben has banished me to a bean bag. But since he is nice, and he does kind of like me, I get to put my bag at the foot of the bed! Sitting uppish on the bean bag makes me not cough as much. It's actually a lot more comfortable than the bed, so I might just not go back.

WARNING - This Blog Contains a Butt

2008-10-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Ben and I paid $40.50 for the privilege of seeing this. Careful, it's a little graphic.

No we weren't at some crazy Japenese Chip-n-Dale. What you might or might not have just seen is a fundosi, a traditional Japenese thong. I mean loin cloth.

For reals though, Ben and I are once again in that art class that everyone in Logan knows about because it sends hoards of uncultured students out on the town to learn about art.

Thursday was definitely a good one. We got to see TaikoProject. Taiko is traditional drum playing. Like this:

It was the coolest performance we've been to this semester. I have a thing for percussion. It was really great dramatic music and the players were definite show people. They danced around the drums, weaving around each other, and still made awesome music.

They weren't in their thongs the whole time; they actually had a lot of cool costume changes. And they played this HUGE drum that shook the whole building.

So, despite a little - lot - of nekkid bum action, it was a great event.

Lucky Country Licorice

2008-10-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Two ideas for spreading some goodness in the world:

Find a cause you believe in and donate. Even if it's 10 bucks. I donated to:I'll admit, the commercial with all the homeless dogs that plays over and over on Animal Planet got to me.

And a suggestion for teenagers and (ahem) college students that still feel the need to trick-or-treat. Do a charity trick-or-treat. I heard a suggestion about asking for canned food for the food bank, or UNICEF has been trick-or-treating for change since the 1950's. Why not enjoy the spirit of Halloween by traveling door to door begging for handouts. Even if you've grown up.

Salsa is Life

2008-10-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

My most favorite and wonderful snack to eat in the world is salsa. I love it alone or with cream cheese or in some kind of glorious Mexican dish.

So, I bought some fancy salsa at Lee's Marketplace this Friday when I was on a junk food and movie run. The salsa has all kinds of interesting flavors. I bought pineapple, but I was very tempted by the cranberry and raspberry. The salsa is made by a local company Windmill Farms Grain & Garden. And it's important to support local companies!

So if you live in Logan and are looking for a salsa adventure go to Lee's. And invite me.

LDS and Environment Ethics

2008-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

One of the guys that I work with is on the committee that hosts Bioneers at Utah State every year. It's a cool organization that is focused on sustainability and both in the environment and in social aspects of our life.

Anyway Jim, the guy I work with, hosted a panel at the tabernacle last week where LDS leaders and students talked about the church's teachings regarding environmental ethics.

The Mormon Environmental Ethic is composed by Jesse Walker, a student at USU. Here is the paper below. It's definitely worth thinking about. I personally think that hunting and fishing for food is ok, and that it's ok to eat animals, just do it without being cavalier. God gave us this earth and just like the rest of His gifts we need to treat it with respect.

The Mormon Environmental Ethic
Jesse Walker, jessew@biology.usu.edu

“Our doctrine is enormously progressive as it relates to the environment, but our cultural interpretation has not followed suit. Our theology has not translated politically into a powerful environmental ethic. Some hope is found, however, that the Mormon public is increasingly sensitive to things environmental.”
--Wayne Owens, former UT Congressman (LDS)

Scriptural References (by topic): accessible online at http://scriptures.lds.org/
Stewardship: Genesis 1:26-28; Proverbs 12:10; 1 Nephi 17:36; D&C 104:13-18*; 136:27; Moses 2:26,28

Resource Use: 2 Nephi 20:19; 24:7-8; Jacob 2:12-14; Ether 10:22-28; D&C 38:17-19, 39; 49:18-21*; 59:16-21*; 104:17*; 136:27
Wilderness: Genesis 2:8; Exodus 19:3,11,18; Deut. 8:2-3; Matt. 4:1; 1 Nephi 17:4; 18:3; Enos 1:3; Ether 3:1; D&C 5:14; 33:5; 109:73; 128:20; JS-H 1:14-20; 1:68-73
* = highly relevant

General References:
BOOKS:
Kindness to Animals and Caring for the Earth – Stratton, Richard (see his website at kindnesstoanimals.org)
New Genesis: A Mormon Reader on Land and Community – Williams, Smart, and Smith, eds. (cheap—used on Amazon)
Stewardship and the Creation: LDS Perspectives on the Environment – Handley, Ball, and Peck, eds.
The Holy Place: Why Caring for the Earth and Being Kind to Animals Matters– Kelson, Aaron (hard to find)
Greater Light: The Creation and the Potential of Man—Kelson, Aaron (available only at lulu.com)
Animals and the Church—Jones, Gerald (info at deseretbook.com)

ARTICLES:
Adler, G. 1991. “Earth—A Gift of Gladness” Ensign, Jul 1991, p. 27
Brehm, J. and Eisenhauer, B. 2006. Environmental Concern in the Mormon Culture Region. Society and Natural Resources 19:393-410.
Foltz, R. 2000. Mormon Values and the Utah Environment. Worldviews 4:1-19 (and comments on the article in 5:223-231)
Gowans M. and P. Cafaro. 2003. A Latter-Day Saint Environmental Ethic. Environmental Ethics 25:375-394.
Handley, G. 2001. The Environmental Ethics of Mormon Belief. BYU Studies 40(2):187-211.
Hunter, L. and M. Toney. 2005. Religion and attitudes toward the environment: a comparison of Mormons and the general U.S. population. The Social Science Journal 42:25-38.
Nielsen, M. 2004. “The Wonder of the Creation” Ensign, March 2004, p. 60-65

Quotes:
Joseph Smith:
The Prophet Joseph, during Zion's Camp, prevented the brethren from killing three rattlesnakes, saying, "Leave them alone. Don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose its venom, while the servants of God possess the same dispositions, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless before the brute creation and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the suckling child can play with the serpent in safety." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg.71

Brigham Young:
“Not one particle of all that comprises this vast creation of God is our own. Everything we have has been bestowed upon us for our action, to see what we would do with it-whether we would use it for eternal life and exaltation or for eternal death and degradation.” --Journal of Discourses 8:67
“The very object of our existence here is to handle the temporal elements of this world and subdue the earth, multiplying those organisms of plants and animals God has designed shall dwell upon it. When we have learned to live according to the full value of the life we now possess, we are prepared for further advancement in the scale of eternal progression-for a more glorious and exalted sphere.” Journal of Discourses 9:168
“Never let anything go to waste. Be prudent, save everything, and what you get more than you can take care of yourselves, ask your neighbors to help you” Journal of
Discourses, 1:250

Lorenzo Snow:
“Killing for sport is wrong.” Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 188

Joseph F. Smith:
“It is not only wicked to destroy them [innocent little birds], it is abominable in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend, not only to the bird life, but to the life of all animals…. I have known men— and they still exist among us— who enjoy what is, to them, the sport of hunting birds… (the birds having had a season of protection and not apprehending the danger)— that makes it worse than wicked— it is base, contemptible, ignoble: It is wrong, and I have been surprised at the prominent men whom I have seen whose very souls seem to be athirst for the shedding of animal blood. They go off hunting deer, antelope, elk, anything they can find, and what for? ‘Just for the fun of it.’”
“Men cannot worship the creator and look with careless indifference upon his creatures….Love of nature is akin to love of God; the two are inseparable.”
“Take not away the life you cannot give, for all things have an equal right to live”. Gospel Doctrine 1:371

Joseph Fielding Smith:
“There is no inference in the scriptures that it is the privilege of men to slay birds or beasts or to catch fish wantonly. The Lord gave life to every creature, both the birds in the heavens, beasts on the earth, and the fishes in the streams or seas. They also were commanded to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. It was intended that all creatures should be happy in their several elements. Therefore to take the life of these creatures wantonly is a sin before the Lord.”

Spencer W. Kimball:
“…when I review the performance of this people in comparison with what is expected, I am appalled and frightened… I have the feeling that the good earth can hardly bear our presence upon it… the Brethren constantly cry out against that which is intolerable in the sight of the Lord: against pollution of mind, body, and our surroundings” Ensign, June 1976, p. 4

Ezra Taft Benson:
“You are among those who must undertake the task of alerting mankind to problems with regard to his physical environment, but do you not see that if you attempt to do this without giving heed to the spiritual law involved, you undertake an impossible task.” The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 643.
“Stewardship in the Church is a very important matter…. We are stewards over these earthly blessings which the Lord has provided, those of us who have this soil and this water. We have no moral latitude, it seems to me. In fact, we are morally obligated to turn this land over to those who succeed us—not drained of its fertility, but improved in quality, in productivity, and in usefulness for future generations.”

Gordon B. Hinckley:
“This earth is [God’s] creation. When we make it ugly, we offend him” Ensign (Dec 1983), p.3

Neal A. Maxwell:
“This concern with man’s developing a more harmonious relationship with nature by abiding by its physical laws is timely and legitimate. When we interrupt or destroy the larger ecology of man’s relationship to God and to his fellowmen, we are violating transcendental laws that are as immutable and as inevitable as those breached laws of nature for which we are now beginning to pay a terrible price. (Later installments will me even more severe.) That we do not fully understand these transcendental spiritual laws neither excuses us from learning of them, nor excuses us from their harsh consequences when we violate them.” For the Power is in Them, p. 10
“…This restored work not only involves the things of eternity but is also drenched in daily significance. True disciples, for instance, would be consistent environmentalists—caring both about maintaining the spiritual health of a marriage and preserving a rain forest; caring about preserving the nurturing capacity of a family as well as providing a healthy supply of air and water….Adam and Eve were to ‘dress the garden’, not exploit it. Like them, we are to keep the commandments, so that we can enjoy all the resources God has given us, resources described as ‘enough and to spare’ (D&C 104:17), if we use and husband them wisely.” A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 103

Hugh Nibley:
“We have taught our children by precept and example that every living thing exists to be converted into cash, and that whatever would not yield a return should be quickly exterminated to make way for creatures that do.” Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, p. 4
“Man’s dominion is a call to service, not a license to exterminate. It is precisely because men now prey upon each other and shed the blood and waste the flesh of other creatures without need that ‘the world lieth in sin’ (D&C 49:19-21)” Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless, p. 96

The Life of Ben

2008-10-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

My new favorite blog is The Life of Ben. Here are the reasons:

My honey wrote it and would smack me along side the head if it wasn't my favorite.
I can use it to delve inside Ben's brain to perfect my control over him, mwahahah.
Even though engineers aren't supposed to be able to write well, and Ben pretends he's not a good writer, his blog is entertaining, intelligent and humorous. And I'm not just saying that. He really is an excellent writer.

So, congratulations, Ben, on your entrance into the blogging world. May it prove to be fulfilling and fruitful for you.

Portland

2008-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had Fall break last weekend. Sadly it was only one day off, but on the awesome side of things I only had one class the day before and it was completely skippable. So I packed and went home for the weekend.

Kind of home. My family, except for my dad, was all going on a vacation to Portland to see Taryn's old stomping grounds at Portland State. It was super fun and quite the adventure.

We went to the Oregon Zoo, and I saw a real-life polar bear for the first time. It was HUGE and so happy all swimming around in his pond. I'm thinking of going green for the sake of polar bears everywhere. It was that cool.

Then Mom the kids and I were bumming around on the parkway thingy in the center of campus. There were some bands playing so we went to listen. It was a human rights, anti-poverty rally! Kids were dancing in weird costumes and Mom, Tanner and I got interviewed on video by a dread locked man. He asked us things like if we were "for or against poverty" and is going to send his video to the politicians. Tanner and Alex got their faces painted. It was great because they were the only little kids around, they were treated like rock stars. All the Japanese girls were giggling over them and people were taking their pictures. It went to their heads.

We also rode around on the street car thing that I can't remember the name of. I was Alex's buddy and we were both hanging on the pole by the door. I joked that I was going to push her off on one of the stops. Then when I told her that we really did need to get off, she just gave me the dirtiest glare and held onto the pole tighter.

We did tons of other fun things, like hiking up Multnomah Falls on the way back. I'm not in shape, so it was a heck of a hike for me. But there was a girl in front of me that had high heels on AND was smoking. I hiked that trail because of her.

Fashion = Pain

2008-10-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

What the heck? These are "hot" new shoes by Yves Saint Laurent that most of the fashion world is in love with. Do we hate feet? Why would anyone create something so painful? I wish I could see the model hobbling down the runway, because she really has to have some skills not to look like a moron waking in these bad boys.

Kind of the same point for these, by Stella McCartney.

Sometimes fashion makes me cry. Look at these models poor feet! All scabby and squished. They should get hazard pay.

Work

2008-10-13T16:34:00.001-07:00

Sadly, this is what I spent my afternoon doing at work. Yes, testing markers. A new low.

Maybe I'm Morbid

2008-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ok. I'll admit that I can be pretty weird. I don't mean of this is a creepy or morbid way. It's just kind of interesting.

I've been considering my options for when I die. I'm not expecting it soon, just like to be prepared. And some new alternatives to burial or cremation that have been coming up in the news recently.

For example, nowadays some folks are having their beloved pets s tuffed and put on display in the house. Odd, I know. But I had a wise woman tell me once that she didn't care if she was stuffed on the couch as long as it made her loved ones happy after she had passed on.

And Tanner plans on having my mom turned into a diamond. Then he can take her wherever.

There also are new things like being dissolved (they say it's very green), or being launched into space. Many, many options.

But to tell the truth, after all is said and done, I really like old, cool, historical cemeteries. Like the west side of the Logan cemetery, where I took these pictures. With family history and all that cemeteries just don't worry me anymore. It doesn't really matter where your body ends up. But for historical tracking it is sure nice to have a headstone.

Shout-out to my old phone

2008-10-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just got an awesome new phone. I am enjoying the fanciness immensely. But now to commemorate my first fancy phone, now diseased, here are some of the pictures I had on it...

How to Tell You're Not Your Mom's Favorite

2008-10-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

And some updates:

I get my stitches out on Monday.
Lance is actually 17 hands and 2 (? 2 what?) tall.
Lance is really old and has no top teeth.
Ben and I haven't grocery shopped for a really, really long time, so we are pretty much foodless.
I'm pretty bored right now.
I want to go see the fall leaves this weekend.
I could keep going, but it is rather pointless.
Love you all. Have a good weekend.

Horses, Horses, Horses, Horses

2008-10-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you might have heard, I joined the western riding team at school this year. I didn't think I'd make it on, since I'm not that good at horse things. But, yay, I did! It's been really fun so far. Even watching other people go in circles and scooping poop after practice has been enjoyable. Go figure...

Sadly, I didn't get to ride in the show last week because of my GIANT, GAPING WOUND, but I did sneak a picture of Lance - my main pony man.

I've ridden Lance every time but one so we've really bonded. He's like a million feet tall or sixteen hands high or something. I usually have to have somebody pushing on my bum to be able to get up.

I think I'm getting better. At least I'm not as terrified as I'm towering over all the other riders. I'm having a ton of fun. We practice riding in the outdoor arena, and mostly just trot in circles. We do things like stand and balance on our stirrups or kick our feet back on top of the saddle. And we practice turning and backing up.

At least that's what beginners like me get to do. The other kids lope in circles and some of them get to practice reining on the new horse the school just bought.

And since I didn't know what reining was before now, here is a video of some guy doing it. I guess part of it is that the horse is super sensitive and well-trained so the rider barely even has to move to make it do anything.