home for the holidays

Just bought my ticket home for Christmas!! I'll be home Dec 20-28th so be ready to play :) Seems hard to imagine winter with the flaming sunburn I have going on right now...

the govenator

Really? Is the Terminator really the governor of my new state? I know it is old news and it doesn't phase most people but every once in a while I am a little tripped up by the fact that Kindergarten Cop is responsible for the state I live in. I had a work meeting last night and one of the directors informed us the state budget has not been signed by the Governor and if he doesn't sign it soon the SD Regional Center will suspend services for many of our clients- yada, yada- long story short my director ended staff meeting by encouraging us to contact our legislator & Governor Schwarzenegger's office and urge him to sign the budget. All I could think was, "It's not a too-muh!" And then I laughed about the reality of situation...because really...who can be serious when you're talking about Danny DeVito's twin brother??

29 years, 368 days

Wow, it's official. 20-10 as I like to say. Turns out it ain't so bad after all. I was determined to not be bothered by thirty hence the bucket list I came up with at the start of the year. But sure enough, as the dreaded day approached I became more and more cranky. On Friday I had my "oh my gosh I'm really turning 30!" breakdown. The tears came when I became frustrated driving around looking for In-N-Out. Yep, that's what set me off, being lost without a burger. Just be glad you weren't the one taking my order...ha ha!

My birthday was actually really great. After a little post breakdown, wind down I got dressed up and went out with some friends. We went dancing which I don't ever do but it was a lot of fun. Saturday I treated myself to a Spa and had two friends join me. Can't have a birthday or Saturday without the beach so that was next and then dinner with friends and a bonfire at my house after dinner.

Thank you all for your birthday wishes! Hearing from friends and family always makes things better :)

top ten

What better way to sum up the past 5 weeks then a top ten list? Here are some of the highlights of my time in SD - not necessarily in order of importance, excitement level, etc.

10) Spending the first week and a half in SD at the beach. The place I was staying at the time was 15 minutes from Pacific & Mission Beaches. Sadly I haven't been to the beach to soak in the sun for about two weeks.

9) Socializing with people in my ward. In SLC my ward wasn't necessarily my social connection. Big change for me in SD. I've been to almost all of the ward activities (even FHE!) and spend time outside of those activities socializing even more fellow YSA peeps. There is always some kind of party, sporting activity, dinner or get together of some kind.

8) Attending my first Republican Party Meeting! Let me explain...a while back a letter was read from the First Presidency in all wards in California. The church is advising all members to vote for Proposition 8 - declaring marriage between one man and one woman. We are being asked to donate time and money to the cause. It is a rare request - but clearly an important one. A couple weeks ago a town hall meeting was held by the Republican party in which leaders of several faiths spoke about why prop 8 is so important. It was interesting and overall a good experience. For more info check out 'protect marriage' on the web. The pic is of me and a few girls from my ward.

7) Attending the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. I went up with some friends to watch the competition. We stayed with my friend's dad who lives in a condo right on the beach. It was fun getting to know some new friends a little better.

6) Moving into my house!! Sorry no pics but I officially have a place to live. No more staying with friends and ward members. I have my own space!! We have a spare bedroom so please come visit! The house on Huggins Street will be pretty amazing :)

5) The number of times I get lost each week! I don't really get lost so much as I just make wrong turns or forget my exit or think I am taking a short cut. All of which usually end up in me wasting a lot of gas and time. I am getting better each day though.

4) Went up north 2 1/2 hours this weekend to a cabin on Big Bear and did some boating. My roommate and I were invited by some guys in the ward. Wake boarding was a lot of fun & the tubing was even more fun. We held on tight - even tried to ride standing up for a bit - took the boat driver a good 20 minutes to flip us off the tube. When he did we flew a good 3 feet into the air and landed upside down. Here are a couple fun pics!

3) Had my palm read by some guy at Barnes & Noble. I was minding my own business, looking for a running/hiking trail book when a guy walked up to me and told me I looked really familiar. Can you tell where this is going? He asked where I was from and I of course lied. He introduced himself, shaking my hand and then turned my palm over. He said it was very interesting. Apparently I'm conflicted. I'm conservative but have an adventurous side that often conflicts with the conservative side. Hmmm.... I kinda think he was just creepy and has really bad pick up techniques.

2) Went on a date to my first Padres game. We got there late but had awesome seats 20 rows up on the first base line. Sadly the Padres had an embarrassing loss to the Giants. Also tried a great dessert place called Extraordinary Desserts. Very yummy :)

1) Missing family and friends. Yes its true, I do miss you :) I've met some really cool, fun & friendly people but still miss the familiarity of home once in a while. Hopefully I'm missed a little too ;)

1/2) Finally getting the Internet. No more sitting outside the library or walking around with my laptop trying to find a connection. Also part of why I haven't posted much. Now that I have permanent access I'll do better with updates.

keep checking!

Sorry to those that check me regularly...I have much to post but not so much time to write. And the internet connection where I'm staying is horrible. One more week until I'm in my own place!! Will be so nice to have a home again! I think I'm off to a watch a surf competition in HB this weekend. Should be fun even though I don't surf. Stay tuned and keep checking me out!!

cha-ching!!

I got a job this morning!!! Phew, what a relief! I was getting a little nervous since I only have one more paycheck to come from IHC. Yea! Now I can relax and enjoy the next few days in my new city.

I will be working as a behavior instructor at Bridges Educational Corporation. I'll be working with little kiddos with Autism. These are just the little guys 2-4 years old! I will go to their homes and work with them for 2 hour periods of time. Different from Pingree but I think it will be a good job.

Yea!!!!

new zip code

I'm here! I am somewhat officially living in the 92111 zip code. I guess somewhat officially really means unofficially. Let me clarify - I am here but living between two kind friends until I move into my house on July 31st.
I had an interview yesterday and am really hoping to get the position. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I've applied for a couple other jobs in the Autism field and also with some temp agencies. Hopefully something will come up quickly. I'm already getting a little stir crazy. Funny how when I work full time I think about how nice it would be to have nothing to do. Then when I don't have anything to do I get really bored and can't wait to have a job. At least I have the beach to keep me somewhat occupied :)
I drove by the house I'll be living in. It is in a great neighborhood. The house isn't that great on the outside but it is better to have a not so great house in a great neighborhood than a great house in a not so great neighborhood - Right???
I've done my job searching for the morning. Off to the pool to swim some laps and then to the beach for a little sun and sand :)

end of an era!

I've worked at Intermountain Healthcare (aka IHC) for 6 1/2 years. Wednesday was officially my last day. I had met some really great people while working there and learned a lot professionally. I also learned that although it is a great company, it is not what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. When I turned in my badge Wednesday I didn't feel one bit of sadness. It felt a little weird but more exciting than anything knowing that I don't have to go back to work there ever again!

a reservoir named echo

I am really late in posting this, I was waiting for a video clip and some of the pics. Couldn't figure out how to add the video...Anyway for May's adventure I went kayaking at Echo Reservoir with my friends Roscoe & Kayak Master B. It was a beautiful day. We had a great time and I didn't have to do any work! We kayaked over to some rocks and the boys thought it would be fun to jump in. Not wanting to be shown up by a couple of dudes, I jumped too. It wasn't far but the water was VERY cold!!

Tagged - my first!

Wow...my first tag! Does this mean I am officially a blogger??? Of course I'll do it since it is from Ang...reminds me of our days emailing at LDSH with LDSPATTO & LDSHAYS. *Tear* To fill in most of you - after college I got a job at LDS Hospital in Patient Account Services. I met some of my best friends there - girls I'll be friends with for years to come! We spent many, many hours emailing while on the job - and I'm not exaggerating when I say many! Not to worry - we still got our jobs done :)

Okay so back to the tag...here are the rules: Post these rules on your blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions/Collections and 3 Random/Surprising facts. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys
Family
Friends
My Job

3 Fears
Snakes & bears
Heights
Never having kids

3 Goals
Run a marathon in 2008 - better get moving!
Become 100% out of debt (no car payment, nothing!)
Go to New Zealand

3 Current Obsessions/Collections
Checking my email several times a day - really at least 4 times (not including work email)
Bath & Body Works products - I have 6 month stock on hand at all times
Making lists - I make a least one a day, very common to have multiple lists. Sometimes for the same thing. I have a pen and paper on my night stand just in case I think of something at night. Yeah - it's weird!

3 Random Surprising Facts (might not be all that random or surprising)
I LOVE eating hot dogs. Chicago style with sauerkraut instead of sweet relish. Mmmm....
I have a scar on one of my fingers that I refer to as my 'Neil Diamond scar' - Ask me later
I broke my collar bone my first (and last) time skiing when I was 15 and every once in a while still have some weird nerve thing that will shoot from my neck down to my hand.

I tag Macy, Donna, SheRoos (who can defer to HeRoos if she chooses), JackieSue & Deborah Dawn.

a lot to say

I have a lot of catching up to do - most of it will have to wait. Less than two weeks before leaving for SD! Crazy but exciting! It is the last week of school which is a little sad. I'll miss all my little kiddos. I have lots to do before the move. Crossing my fingers I get it all done before July 5th. I'm waiting for some pics to update my May adventure. Still working on June's adventure :) This is all very jumbled so I'll just say...stay tuned....

complain, complain

Ugh. I don't like looking for jobs. Anyone want to do it for me? Wish my new adventure didn't require so much work!

Ok, I'm done complaining now.

lessons learned

Last weekend I ignored the long list of things I needed to get done and went down to Zion's National Park with some friends. There were twelve of us that drove down Friday night and camped at Mosquito Cove. It rained all night but despite my doubts, my tent kept 3 of us dry! Early Saturday morning we headed for Telephone Canyon to do some canyoneering. The first rapel was off of a muddy cliff and went down 170 feet. I stood there while the guys set up the ropes wondering how much of a pansy I would look like if I skipped out on the canyoneering and hiked back down. My pride won over and I stayed. I did spend the next 30 minutes checking and rechecking my harness. I examined the stitching wondering if it would hold up & if the carabiner had a crack I was missing. I realized I had to stop obsessing and just do it so after a quick prayer that I wouldn't die I headed down. And it was a L-O-N-G way down.

Lesson #1 came on the first descent: Wear a harness that fits It was painful going all that way in a harness that was too big.

To make a long hike and story a little shorter...the hike took us about 16-17 hours to complete. No one had done this canyon before so we weren't prepared for the little unexpected problems including trying to hike out of the canyon in the dark while wet and cold. Lesson #2: For my own peace of mind next time I'll make sure someone is familiar with the canyon.

After a minor disaster with the condo reservation in St. George I was able to shower at 4:30 Sunday morning and go to sleep in a nice dry bed. Lesson #3: Make sure the reservation & security code to the condo are printed off before the trip (or remind the person who is responsible to do so!)

Overall the trip was pretty good :) All of the people on the trip were great & fun to take on an adventure like this. While the company was fantastic I think next time I take a trip like this it will be with someone I trust with my life....

t.g.f.r.

The power went out during my post run stretch tonight. It wasn't a big deal until it got dark and I got really bored. Lucky for me I have good friends. One of them picked me up to go get an ice cream. Wasn't really in the mood for ice cream but it was something to do. Lucky (again) for us, Rubio's was still open AND it is Taco Tuesday! Fish tacos for $1.25!!! They are delish. SheRoos introduced them to me when we were roommates and I've been hooked ever since.

I'm kinda happy the power went out tonight :) Who new a fish taco could make a girl this content?!?!

this is what's new

It has been brought to my attention by a few of you that this blog is not serving it's purpose...that is I'm not doing a good job of keeping people updated about the latest and greatest in my life. This is my attempt to update everyone on what is new.

Last Friday I went to an amazing concert. I went to the Swell Season - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. They were in a movie last year called Once. I thought the movie was okay but loved the music. Hearing it live was so much better! If you have the chance to go to a concert I highly recommend going! Sorry you missed it rcachm!!

So let's see....what else? Oh yeah, looks as though I'll be moving to San Diego in July. I've thought about moving for quite a while and had a couple places I was considering. I won't go into all the things I was looking for in my new city but everyone with an opinion said San Diego was the place for me. While I can appreciate good opinions I thought it would be best for me to check it out myself :) I went down last month to take the CBEST and had a great time. It all just feels good. Now the home and job search is on!!

i passed!

Got my scores back and I passed the test! Phew!! Good thing I'm not a moron!

item #4

I mentioned my quest for a new adventure each month in a previous post. The idea is that I have one big adventure or do something I haven't done before each month this year. A couple friends have called it my 'bucket list'. So funny and I love the name. I may not be kicking the bucket but I am leaving my twenties behind so I'm calling it my 30 year bucket list.

Anyway....yesterday I completed #4 on my bucket list. I went rock climbing for the first time! Ok, it wasn't on a real mountain or cliff or whatever it is you rock climb on but I did go to a climbing gym. I think I did pretty good for my first time. Not sore one bit today :) It was fun so I think I'll do it again. As long as I have someone trustworthy at the bottom with the rope I'm good to go.

Next month will take me far outside my comfort zone! Stay tuned....

latest adventure

Last week I went to San Diego to take the CBEST which is a test required for all teachers in California. As one of my friends put it..."It's basically a test to make sure you aren't a complete moron." Here is hoping I pass!!!

SD was so much fun! Plenty of sun and water to make for a perfect weekend. I went down with a friend from SLC and stayed with another friend who recently moved down there. Spent a day at the pool, one at the beach, had a bonfire with some friends, went to church, did a little sight seeing in La Jolla, dinner with friends and did a little shopping. Good times!

The pics were taken on my phone so they aren't the best:

sign?

I'm sitting in the airport in San Diego patiently waiting for my flight home. The weather has been fabulous and I've had a great time. Met some really cool, genuine people. Good times all around. Just found out it is snowing at home. Is this a sign? Delayed in sunny SD from my not so sunny home. Hmmmm.....

gone baby gone

A couple people gave me suggestions for a March adventure but I failed miserably to produce one. I did do something this month that I haven't done before and something I've been wanting to do for a long time. You decide if it qualifies as an adventure. Laser hair removal. Yep, that's right. I had my first treatment. Thanks to the fabulous Candy Apples who gave me a gift certificate. Anybody want to guess what body part had hair removed?? That sounds only slightly inappropriate. If only I knew how to set up one of those polls so many of you have on your blogs.....

oh and p.s. it HURTS!

be your own windkeeper

Classic Friends episode (2.19 TOW Eddie Won't Leave)
*Note* Insert 'bad job' for 'men':
PHOEBE: Oooh, so so so, did you read the book?
MONICA: Oh, it was incredible!
PHOEBE: Didn't it like totally speak to you?
RACHEL: Woah, woah, woah, what book is this?
MONICA: Rachel you have to read this book. It's called Be Your Own Windkeeper. It's about how women need to become more empowered.
PHOEBE: Yeah and oh, and but there's, there's wind and the wind can make us Goddesses. But you know who takes out wind? Men, they just take it.
RACHEL: Men just take out wind?
PHOEBE: Ya-huh, all the time, cause they are the lightning bearers.
RACHEL: Wow.
PHOEBE: Yeah.

This episode came to mind while I was driving home from work today. I am on spring break from job #1 so I've been working at job #2 all week. After a day and a half I remembered why I hated that job so much. It sucked my wind (aka my will to live!!). Ugh. I am amazed at how much impact a negative environment can have on my mood. I can't express how much I hated that job. SO THANKFUL for my new job. I love it! The kids are adorable. Love working with them. A bad day working with autistic kids beats the best day working with adults in accounts receivable. No more letting a bad job steal my wind!

Did I mention how much I love job #1????

a call for excitment

Since 2008 is a big (and by big I mean dreaded) year for me I decided back in January I would do something exciting or unique every month. January was a weekend of snowboarding, February was a trip to Kauai, and March....eek I don't know! I need some suggestions. Help please! Keep in mind that I don't do heights and I'm on a budget. I'm open to all (most) suggestions so bring 'em on!

happy birthday

Today is my sister's birthday. She would be 36 if she were here with us today. It has been 17 1/2 years since she died. I can't believe it has been that long. There are many, many great memories. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of her. There is always something that reminds me of her. It might sound sad to some of you but I'm actually very grateful for the reminders - it helps me remember what life was like when she was on earth.

This is one of my very favorite pictures of the two of us. I keep it in a frame in my room. Love our hair. Love our outfits. Classic!

Kim and I shared a room growing up. Our room was small so we had a day bed. I slept on the trundle. I think my mom and dad got the bed thinking I would put my bed away every day so we would have more space. That rarely happened but it was a good thought! At night we had a deal worked out where I would tickle Kim's back while she read to me out of the book I was reading and then she would tickle my back until I fell asleep. Our beds were close together which made it easy. It was so great. No fighting. Just time spent with my sister. I miss it.

Other things that remind me of Kim....chocolate chip cookies, Diet Pepsi, refills at Walkers, Peter Cetera, Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Pretty in Pink, Patrick Swayze, Sixteen Candles, sewing, gold station wagons (or any car that doesn't go in reverse!), Kenny G, Alabama, Dixie College, Storehouse Market, my brothers, Wet n' Wild in Las Vegas, Days of our Lives, mom, dad, Clearly Canadians, cheesy church music, sneezing just after putting mascara on....the list goes on and on.

Happy Birthday Kimmy Sue! So glad to have you as my sister. I don't come from a super mushy family but I know we all love each other. Such an awesome blessing. Love you all!

Now if someone would just tickle my back until I fall asleep..... :)

indecisive?

What do lime & chili almonds, frosted animal crackers, cherry laffy taffy and pepper jack cheese have in common?? Beside a wicked belly ache?

After a couple hours of snowboarding with friends, we stopped at a gas station to get a quick snack. I wandered around the store trying to decide what to get. I couldn't decide on one thing so I ended up buying all the above mentioned snacks. This illustrates a common theme in my life as of late. I may have a bit of a problem with making decisions - I think this realization is called an epiphany ;). From the tiny 'snack' decisions all the way up to the big 'life' decisions I struggle! Why is that? I thought I had a fear of commitment but now I think what I have is a fear of making the wrong decision. Earlier this week I was talking to a friend about her current relationship. My advice was that she can't live her life thinking 'what if...' (as in what if he isn't the one). Eventually you have to make a decision then pray and hope for the best. Things may or may not work out the way you thought but its better than looking back and regretting time wasted or a pile of missed opportunities.

I should probably take my own advice and stop worrying about all the 'what ifs'. Just might prevent a belly ache next time I stop to get a snack!

kauai 2008

Kauai was simply fabulous! I could definitely get used to listening to the sound of the ocean as I drift off to sleep. And 80 degree weather. And flip flops or sandals everyday. And the feel of island air. And the beautiful flowers. And the palm trees. And....I'll stop.

It was only 4 days but those 4 days were heaven. Thursday night was for exploring the resort & walking on the beach. Friday we went to Kipu falls. It is a really short hike to the falls where there is a rope swing. I was really nervous because the valet at the hotel told us a guy got hurt there the day before. Turns out he was more than hurt...he died. After reading the newspaper article I decided I wouldn't be taking any dives off a waterfall or rope swing. I changed my mind though :) It was scary but I knew I'd regret not doing it. After the falls I went scuba diving where I saw my favorite sea creature - the turtle and heard the symphony of the whales. Pretty amazing to hear! Saturday was a pontoon boat ride of the Na'Pali coast. AMAZING! I was in awe the whole time. It rained for part of the boat ride but I have to say that it made the mountains all the more beautiful. While on the boat ride we saw a couple of whales breech. So cool...especially after watching the Planet Earth movie on the migration of the whales. Dinner and ice cream Saturday night. Sunday was sacrament meeting in Ka'pa and then a drive to the north shore to Hanalei. Along the way we stopped at Wailua falls & a couple other random beautiful spots. The weather was great on Sunday. Perfect way to end a vacation...sun, sand & waves!

*One of many hammocks around the resort. The first morning there I woke up at 5 am and laid on the hammock for two hours. I watched the stars until they faded away and the sun came up. All while listening to the ocean.....*

*Yeah...I could definitely get used to this. Hanalei Bay*

*Sunrise at the hotel in Poipu*

*Na'Pali Coast*

*Wailua Falls*

Thanks for the invite brevans!!

minus one job

I am officially done with job #3. I finished just in time for my trip to Kauai. So nice! It was a little more than I had time or energy for. Hopefully now I can concentrate more on job #1 and school. Tonight I'm finding that I still have a list a mile long of things I need to do. Is there ever enough time?? I'm wondering how I can have too much to do when it is just me that I'm taking care of. How do all of you with spouses and kids do it?? I like being busy but sometimes wonder if I'm busy with things that aren't really all that important...hmmm.....

sick day

I took a sick day on Monday to go snowboarding with my nephew. It was rough but we managed to have a good time :0 T had his first lesson and did great!

I'm off to Kauai in 8 hours...better get to bed

old & dead? NO!

It is true that I am a little sensitive about what my 2008 birthday will bring. Turning the dreaded 2010 or as a friend of mine calls it -the dirty "th" word- is not something I am looking forward to. But what is a girl to do?? It's coming whether I like it or not. To ease the pain I've set some lofty goals for the year and am making sure I have at least one adventure a month! I have been doing a good job of reminding myself that I'm still plenty young...until I began receiving information about Medicare. WHAT?!?! I am not kidding, I get at least one advertisement in the mail a week for various "old people" products...Medicare insurance plans, hearing aids and then this week...this:Seriously?!?!?! I am not dead and not near death and I'm not old!!! Ew! I'll admit it may have set me over the edge a little bit. And I may have slapped the mailman if he'd been close enough. But really...how did I get on these mailing lists? Any ideas on how to put an end to this? Until I figure it out I'll have to keep repeating, "I'm still young, I'm still fun, I'm still in shape, I'm still young, I'm still fun, I'm still in shape...."

i can hardly wait!

18 days until Kauai!!!!!!!!!!!!!

snow.friends.snow.fun.snow

Such a fun weekend! Saturday I went snowboarding with some friends at The Canyons. My roommate saved me the $70 lift ticket by scoring a couple of free passes - nice! It was my second time on the mountain this year. By the end of the day I had found my 'boarding legs' again. I'm still a nightmare getting off the lifts. I don't have much control so I usually tell my lift buddies "save yourselves!" I most likely won't be looking out for them- it's all about keeping ME on my feet.

Saturday night ended with a trip to a hot tub with some of my best girls...ahhh!

Monday school was closed so I was free to play (I am LOVING a teachers schedule - too bad the pay is just pennies). I met up with SheRoos & HeRoos for some lunch at the Porcupine Grill. It was a perfect place to eat after a big snow storm and the company was even better.

I had Tuesday off too - Teacher Development Day - which I translate to mean another day to play. Seriously...I love this schedule! I did squeeze in a little work in the morning before heading up to Brighton for another fabulous day of snowboarding. The powder was so much fun!! I'm a chicken but when there is powder I get a little more daring. I did eat snow once - and went rolling but I smiled the whole way :)

What a great weekend!! I'm a lucky girl to have such fun friends - I wouldn't trade 'em for nuthin'! Can hardly wait for next year's snow adventure!!

Plans gone bad...

I had a plan. A plan for how I was going to accomplish the extra jobs, school and training I’ve taken on in 2008. Monday was great. Tuesday things started to unravel. Thursday I had a minor meltdown on my way home from job #2 wondering if I had possibly taken on more than I could handle. By Friday afternoon I found myself sick in bed and in quite a pissy little mood. This was NOT how things were supposed to go this week. So much for all of my new year’s resolutions – and my plan. I finally fell asleep though and woke up a lot less distraught then I had been a few hours earlier. So what if things didn’t go the way they were supposed to? Life doesn’t always go according to plans…right? Sometimes the most memorable and fun experiences don’t come from a plan…but from throwing out the plan and “living in the now”. I’m someone who always likes to have a plan but this year the plan is to be a little more *bendy* with those plans. After all didn’t someone once say that life is what happens when you are making other plans??

Ok – so about this blog thing. I am addicted to reading blogs!! I couldn’t resist starting one. I realize that most people won’t read it – losers. Just kidding! But seriously, I’ve been accused of not sharing what is going on in my life so for those that really are curious this is for you. Shout outs to Just-Jackie for helping me find a name. It is so fitting for my state of life right now J. And a shout out to nancy4wood for the awesome pic. Thanks for capturing a compli-KATE-d moment. Glad I could provide some entertainment for the Zion’s 2007 crew.