The Good, The Bad, The Blog

Kid History

2011-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll!!

Two blogs in ONE WEEK!

Does it count if they are both youtube videos? (I think so)

My mom showed me this series of youtube videos and they are HILARIOUS!

I guess a group of brothers told their kids some stories about their (the brother's) childhood. The videos are the kids relaying the stories.

If you go to youtube to watch more (there are a whole bunch) make sure they are from boredshorts. There are a lot of Kid History videos, but they are not all created equally.

Star Wars

2011-09-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

I love Star Wars.

I have my brother to thank for that, because without his obsession I'm sure I wouldn't have been as exposed to it as I was.

That saying, I think this is pretty fun.

Enjoy it.

I did :)

D&C 89.5:22

2011-07-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

I think that if the 89th section of the Doctarine and Covenants was written today instead of in 1833 it would be the same, but it would contain a verse something like this:

"Yea, facebook and all other sorts of social media are ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly"

I recently took a break from facebook and have now come to the conclusion facebook isn't as bad as I once thought it was.

When I was in college I used facebook way too much. Realizing such, when I left college I took a break from facebook and have consequently alienated myself from all my friends in the process.

It took a two year "facebook fast" to realize that it isn't evil, it is an excellent way to stay connected.

Jessie was playing a trivia game the other day generated by facebook, asking her questions about her friends.

She asked me if I wanted to log onto my facebook and play and I abruptly said "no, I don't have any friends."

Well that was a lie, I DO have friends, I just have NO CLUE what they have been up to because I quit using facebook.

I think back to how people "back in the day" kept in contact with each other and it is daunting.

If I can't keep up with my friends and I have something like facebook, how on earth did people do it with snail mail and long distance fees?

I should be grateful for the tool that facebook is and get over my proud "I don't use facebook" ways!

I just need to remember to use it sparingly.

Really?

2011-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

My love of infomercials has inspired a blog before, but I found a couple on youtube that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with anyone who still reads my blog.

Enjoy!

Have I Stooped?

2011-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

I hope my blog doesn't just turn into a rant blog but I have to rant at the moment.

Feel free to stop reading because this is more of a therapy for me than entertainment for anyone else.

Instead of giving a big back story I'm just going to say that the owner of our building, Gregg Bragg, is....mean.

He told us he was going to see how possible it was get central heat and air in our building, and it IS possible, but it is going to cost him $5,000 (pocket change for him, might I add) so he told us he was just going to get us window units.

Well here is the problem with window units in our apartment:

The windows in our apartment are OLD and rotting away and there is about a 1/4 inch gap where the wood has rotted away from the glass and it allows all kinds of things (including precious COOL air) to escape.

The electric wiring in our apartment is OLD. Instead of having outlets that have two plugs (both being grounded) the outlets we have have three plugs and none of them are grounded. And the outlets are few and far between, so they are all occupied.

If he is going to give us window units he can at least buy NEW window units instead of giving us the circa 1970 units his handyman (and newly hired handyman sidekick) just installed.

The handyman was given orders to put a window unit in the bedroom and hallway (those windows are literally like 10 feet apart). But given the old electricity there are no outlets in hallway, so that means he put a unit in the kitchen instead. Plus the handyman was given orders to not put window units in the living room because the living room faces the street and that would "look tacky". Well we LIVE in the living room! I'd rather have a window unit in the living room then the kitchen!

All he does is cosmetic work! Make it look nice and no one will ask questions.

I saw a poll on his stores facebook page (Cover to Cover books and gifts) asking what the design for the awnings on his newly refurbished building should look like.

I am tempted to post a comment on that poll that reads something like this:

"How about instead of sprucing up the outside of the building, you fix the inside first!"

UPDATE:

Jessie called Gregg to inform him of our disappointments and I think he was trying to win her over by telling her of his plans to give us HEATED SIDEWALKS, but we aren't won over!

SCREW THE HEATED SIDEWALKS!

If You were a Fly on my Wall

2011-05-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

If there was a Fly on my Wall this is what he'd be Thinking.

"Oh great Tacy is home. I hope she doesn't sit down in the living room and start singing to herself again."

"Well I guess I don't mind if she sings, but does she realize how LOUD she is singing? She is singing to herself after all, why does it have to be so loud?"

"Oh good! Here comes her sister, maybe she'll shut up now...WAIT! Why did she join her singing?! Don't they realize how off-key they are?!"

"I wish these girls could open their window and let me out, I've had enough!"

"You've got to be kidding me? Reciting poetry? They are reciting poetry? Why on earth are these two girls reciting poetry to each other?!"

"Now they are laughing. Is there any reason for them to be laughing? No! But that doesn't stop them, they chuckle and wheeze and chuckle and wheeze."

"yay! Jessie left to go get in the shower, maybe Tacy will just sit down and watch a show on Netflix."

"Is she talking to me? I don't see anyone else in the room. Is Tacy really speaking plain english to me as though I could respond? Oh... nevermind she is talking to the rabbit."

"Good, she turned on the TV, now maybe she'll be quiet."

"Now why is she crying?"

"Now why is she laughing?"
"Now why is she crying?"

"Now why is she laughing?"

"What is that waffely stick thing she is swinging at......SPLAT"

(I've been kinda bored lately)

Personification

2011-05-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Why do I love this?

And why did Jessie and I spend almost an hour watching other youtube videos posted by klaatu42?

Because it is cute :)

Olive

2011-04-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

I noticed that I never blogged about my bunny!

Meet Olive.

She is a lionhead bunny.

She was born January 27th and we got her on March 12th.

She is the cutest thing ever! She hops around our house and uses a litter box and everything.

Her hair is CRAZY long!

The picture above was taken the day we got her. She was tiny.

She is now about double that size and not nearly as black!

We named her Olive cause she was our little black Olive, now she is more of a little grey Olive.

Reality TV

2011-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

If you are in the tri-state area you've probably heard about the Decorah Eagles, unless you've been living under a rock.

For those who haven't heard about the Decorah Eagles, you've been missing out!

PBS made a documentary about these eagles called "American Eagle" in 2008 and in 2010 the Raptor Resource Project put a solar powered web-cam in the tree by the eagles nest and has broadcast the eagles live on ustream.tv since 2010.

It is AMAZING!

I HATE birds, they creep me out a LOT, but there is something so amazing about watching these birds.

I started watching after the three eggs were laid and I stayed up all night waiting for egg #1 to hatch.

It is awesome to see the circle of life!

The "buffet" of food the parent bring to the nest is sometimes gross but that is life, and it all works out.

I highly suggest watching!

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Little White Lies

2011-04-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

For a little over a month I've been working in the pre-school classroom.

The other day the teacher and I were using a hot glue gun to put pictures up on the wall (it is the only thing that will stick to the cement wall).

At lunchtime one of the boys said to me, "Miss Tacy, Jakeb has something in his pocket."

I asked Jakeb what he had in his pocket and he said, "A mini water-bottle. I brought it with me to have on the bus in case I get thirsty."

I asked him to take it out of his pocket and he pulled out a glue stick.

I held it and looked at him said said, "What did you say this was?"

He again told me it was a mini water-bottle he brought in case he got thirsty on the bus.

It made me think of what I tried to get away with when I was 4.

Happy Holiday!

2011-03-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

I've always considered myself patriotic.

I love the USA!

So today I want to wish everyone a happy National Anthem Day!

My book of 2,001 things to do before I die tells me to memorize the second verse of the Star Spangled Banner.

For a good chunk of my life I thought the second verse was what is actually the fourth verse so memorizing the actual second verse wasn't that easy of a task.

Nevertheless I did it!

Woo-hoo!

The Little Things

2011-02-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

Jessie and I got a coupon in the mail the other day for $3.00 off a large Casey's pizza.

Jessie pulled out the coupon to see when it expires and found out it expires February 31st.

Hmmmm

Ya Never Know

2011-02-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

I love the Antiques Roadshow.

On Sunday I was watching a show on PBS and I saw a "Tomorrow on Antiques Roadshow" clip and I thought one of the people they showed getting an appraisal looked very familiar.

I tuned in last night to watch and I totally knew someone on there!

You don't have to watch the video, but it's here just in case you want to watch it.

Watch the full episode. See more Antiques Roadshow.

I had to go to physical therapy for my arm and the lady getting the appraisial (Joy) was my physical therapist. Well actually she isn't a physical therapist...she was more like the assistant who helped me do all my arm exercises and stuff.

During therapy we'd talk about the Antiques Roadshow and how much we love the Keno brothers!

It was just fun seeing someone I know on there!

...And it's still snowing!

2011-02-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Yay!

A Blizzard!

And it's still snowing!

We are all stuck at my parents for the night...well all but Nathan who, after unsuccessfully trying for an hour to dig his truck out of the snow, decided to walk home to check on his cats.

Hmmm....not the brightest considering the snow came halfway up Jessie and when I went out to take a picture of Jessie I couldn't see 1 foot in front of me due to the wind.

Fun!
I can't wait to build a snow fort tomorrow!

The Fugitive Moment

2011-01-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

I just had a birthday and I can't believe how much I've already lived.

When I was younger (and I am still young...this isn't an 'I'm so old' blog) I seemed to have so many hours in the day, and now I feel like I have so few.

It is already February.

Can you believe it?

I was listening to a hymn today and it said:

"...our time as a stream Glide swiftly away

and the fugitive moment refuses to stay."

It has made me think: What do I do with my fugitive moments?

I have missed quite a few, I've made the most of some, and I hope I have the sense to do the best I can with the ones that remain, because they DO refuse to stay.

This life is meant to be enjoyed, and I know one thing for sure, I'm not going to "waste" my fugitive moments being busy.

"Screw you cat!"

2011-01-25T20:08:00.001-08:00

My sister Jessie LOVES animals.

We caught a mouse in my parents house and the mouse was breathing its last breaths and Jessie cried because it was a dying creature.

Animals, though, do not love Jessie.

Jessie and I are on a committee planning a bingo night in Nauvoo. The first meeting we had concerning the bingo night was at a ladies house and she has a cat that she said is "overly loving" and she apologized ahead of time for the cat, because it would probably try to jump in laps or rub against our legs.

It did jump on peoples laps, and it did rub legs, just not Jessies.

Jessie had to go to the last meeting by herself and the cat again was being it's friendly self just not with Jessie.

She was relaying me the story and she said, "...I think I just want animals to love me too much, well SCREW YOU cat!"

Haha.

I thought it was funny.

Do You Believe in Santa?

2010-12-22T12:51:00.001-08:00

I've been saddened lately with the amount of people who deny their children the joy of believing in Santa.

Francis P. Church responded to a little girls inquiry about the existence of Santa by saying:

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished."

I feel like kids are no longer given the opportunity to be kids, and not believing in Santa is a major factor in that.

Why do people want their kids to grow up so fast? I see so many parents who, as Francis P. Church said, "have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age."

What is wrong with a little make believe?

It is OK to believe whole heartily in something that isn't there, it restores our youth!

And Jesus (the reason for this holiday season) even said in Matthew 18:4 "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

I think we should all look in ourselves and decide if we believe in Santa.
Instead of growing up, take the time to "humble" yourselves "as a little child", especially now when the opportunity is right at hand!

And as long as you keep your priorities straight there is plenty of room for Santa during this Christmas season!

A Poem

2010-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

I Hate Christmas Lights

a poem by Tacy Nelson

Christmas lights, so bright and cheery

I love to see you lit,

But when I go to string you yearly

it always ends with a fit.

Why do you refuse to work?

I really don't understand.

You make me feel like a big fat jerk

like YOU have the upper-hand.

All I want is some Christmas cheer,

is that so hard to see?

It only comes this time of year,

so please cooperate with me!

House of Horrors!

2010-12-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

I hate the house I'm living in.

The reasons why include:

The owner of the house has his car parked in the two car garage and now that winter is here Jessie and I have to park out in the frosty air and defrost our cars every morning even though we are paying AMPLE money to have a two car garage.

The dishwasher doesn't work.

Someone else's stuff is in our basement and they have a key to our house and on occasion come over when we aren't here. I know who it is and I would have NO problem if they were to ask me if they could come over but knowing that someone is there while I'm not creeps me out. Plus IT'S ILLEGAL, key or not.

The electrical outlet in my bathroom doesn't work so I can't blow dry/straighten my hair in the bathroom and my electric toothbrush can't be plugged in unless I plug it in someone random in the house.

We got a notice in our mailbox that our mailbox isn't regulation height and the box isn't level. This is the 2nd time we got one of these notices and the first time we asked if we could fix it and send the owner the bill and he said no, he'd have someone fix it. It got fixed but it's now broken again. The post office gave us a month to fix our mailbox this time or they'd start holding our mail. I passed that info on but guess what...the mailbox still isn't fixed and as of Dec. 1st the post office has been holding my mail.

In the basement there is a 55 gallon garbage can that a random pipe drips into and we are expected to dump the garbage can every 2 days or so.

The doorbell doesn't work.

After receiving a $300 water bill in June I asked to have a plumber come look at the house and have asked a few times since...it is now December and no plumber has come cause the owner doesn't want to pay for it. Today I went into my bathroom and it smelled NASTY, I thought it was the garbage but it wasn't, there is a giant nasty wet spot all around my toilet (carpeted bathroom...sick) and it smells NASTY. So if someone had come in June when I asked there probably wouldn't be this problem and it would have been a lot cheaper to fix then then it will be now!

I thought I was signing a month to month contract so when the summer was over and a cheaper house was available I could give a 30 day notice and we could move. I guess I signed a year contract so now two of us have to pay what 4 of us were splitting and it is draining our savings and checking accounts and soon all the money we've saved will be gone and the owner of the house is just going to have to sue me because I can no longer afford rent to live in this DUMP of a house.

(none)

2010-11-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a motivational poster the other day and thought it was kind of interesting:

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

I'd like to report that it inspired me to do something epic, but it didn't. It just made me think. Which these days could probably pass off as something epic. I don't seem to do much thinking lately. My mind is a blank slate I never seem to fill up. Which is probably why I haven't blogged a truly entertaining blog in a LONG time.

Hmmm.....

At The Risk of Cursing It

2010-10-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

Because I am going to post this blog the weather is going to change, but can I say how GORGEOUS the weather has been?

I love the leaves (granted they are a little dry) blowing around in the gentle warm wind.

I love it all!

Rebel Without A Cause

2010-09-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know I'm borderline obsessed with James Dean.

My car is named James (and my sisters named Dean) partly because of our obsession with him.

I own all his movies, which isn't too grand a feat because he only had the opportunity to be in three.

Today marks the 55th anniversary of his death.

I kinda wish he was still around, but all at the same time I probably wouldn't be obsessed with him if he was.

Obsessed

2010-09-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed!
I was reading a magazine and at the bottom there was a "tag" to scan with your mobile phone.

I downloaded the app (http://gettag.mobi/) and now I can scan tags in magazines and stuff.

It opens a whole new door to advertising.

For example, If I generated a "tag" could put that tag on a brochure or business card. Someone picks up the business card or brochure and scans the tag with their phone and is taken to a website full of information instead of just a brochure or business card.

I scanned a tag in a magazine and that tag was programed to play a video when the tag was scanned.

It is SO cool!!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

2010-08-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

I miss having TV.
I have A tv but I don't have TV and I miss it.

"Derelicte"

2010-08-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

I hate having fresh 100% white shoes.
There is something about a worn in shoe that is so much better to me than a squeaky clean shoe, not just because it is more comfortable, but because it LOOKS better to me.

I have been wanting new shoes lately so today Amber and I were looking at shoes online and we came across the ones pictured above.
$118 dollars for those puppies.
Don't they look...dirty?

I've purchased worn jeans before, but there is something about a pre-worn shoe that is just...wrong.

(bonus points to anyone who can name where my title is from and the significance to the blog)

Pizza Delivery Nightmare!

2010-08-18T11:33:00.001-07:00

I hate houses that don't have an obvious main entrance.

I use to deliver pizza's and I hated walking through the grass (because there was no side walk or stepping stones) to the door that appeared to be the correct door just to have someone yell at me from around the side of the house because, "They don't use that door."
Then why have that door?

I find myself looking at peoples houses and guessing which door would be the one I'd deliver a pizza to. Quite often there are two doors that look equally as usable, and that is just annoying.

The Princess and The Pea...errr Toad

2010-08-14T17:43:00.001-07:00

This is a sad/kinda gross blog.

The other day I stepped out of my car and I felt something under my foot as I heard a crunch.

I got something out of the back of my car and looked down to see what I had stepped on and to my dismay it was a toad!

I almost cried.

Someone IS always watching me

2010-06-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Just an addendum to my previous blog.
He came into the Fudge Factory today.
Never in my almost 11 years of working at the Fudge Factory has he set foot in the store, but he came in today.
I almost cried I was so creeped out.
Even though the Fudge Factory is a public business I feel like he violated my space. The Fudge Factory was my safe haven, and now it isn't.

I always feel like somebody's watching me

2010-06-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

I work at a gas station.

I am often overly paranoid about my personal security there.

When I get into work I always make sure the back door is locked, and whenever a customer comes in I stand by the silent alarm button "just in case".

There is this creepy guy who lives in town who comes into the gas station three of four times a night when I work. He always drives by and looks in the window as he drives by which kinda creeps me out cause I'm always looking out the window and I think he thinks we have a connection or something.

He hasn't really said much to me besides "hello" and "nice night to be doing laundry," once when I ran into him at the laundry mat. The reason I blog about him now is because the other night he came into the gas station and stayed in there and talked to me for 45mins before another customer came in and he finally left.

Because of the topics he wanted to discuss and the things he said he has passed the level of just 'kinda creepy guy who I see sometimes' to 'CREEPY guy who I wish would leave me alone'.

I know he bugs other people besides me. He is unemployed and doesn't do anything except drive around and bug people but I still can't help but think he is stalking ME.

Post Secret

2010-06-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone noticed that I hadn't blogged for like a month.
I think that is the longest I've ever gone without blogging.
anyway...
I found this on Postsecret.com the other day.
I'm pretty sure 99.9% of those things are fake, but I thought that was interesting anyway.

Reflections of a Jr. High Substitute

2010-05-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever formed an opinion of someone in your head and then gotten to know that person better and your opinion was COMPLETELY changed?

As I said in an earlier post I've been working at the Jr. High lately and there is this one kid who I always see at church and in my head (knowing his family) I formed the opinion that he was a "good kid". Not just a "good kid" but an exceptionally good kid... a "good little church boy".
I've seen him pass the sacrament at church and just admired him because he seemed like such a good kid.
Well today that opinion was proven wrong and I was really crushed.

It was the last day of school and some kids wanted to stage a "rebellion" by wearing t-shirts with the sleeves cut off. (yesterday one of the kids got told to go put a shirt on because he didn't have sleeves and he got offended and staged this little event)
I was so sad when I saw the "good little church boy" show up with no sleeves.
Later on in the day I was watching a class he was in and some kids ("good little church boy" included) started throwing paper-wads and spit balls. I told them to stop and one of the kids threw one at me and everyone (including "good little church boy") laughed.
I wish I could have pulled him aside and said:
"Hey! you know better than to try to conform with these guys! People just want someone to follow, so YOU be the leader and let them follow you and just BE GOOD!"
During lunch I was watching everyone as they were playing outside and "good little church boy" was playing football with a group of boys. I was pushed over the disappointment edge when I heard the f-word being yelled.
I guess I had my expectations a little high for "good little church boy".
I was similar to "good little church boy" in high school. I didn't stand up and be the good little leader, I just went with the flow. I never did anything 'bad' (and I don't think "good little church boy" has either) but I still look bad and wish I could have just been just a little bit better.

When I was your age...

2010-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've been subbing at the Jr. High lately and I've noticed myself saying, "When I was your age..." a lot.
For example:
When I was your age, we weren't allowed to bring hand-held video games to school.
When I was your age, we weren't allowed to bring our walk-man's to class.
When I was your age, drawing a gun in art was a no-no.
When I was your age we had to be quite in homeroom.
When I was your age we weren't allowed to make ash-trays in art class.

It's a whole new experience at the school then when I went there, and I can't decide if it was better then or now.

Good Morning/Good Night

2010-05-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when I say, "Good morning" to someone I'm essentially saying, "Hello", but when I say "Good night" to someone I'm saying, "Goodbye".
If it is in the night shouldn't I be able to say "Good night" the same way I say "Good morning" and have it mean "Hello."

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T11:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's day to all those mothers out there.
And all those who want to be mothers.

"Everytime You Kill A Firefly On Your Windshield...

2010-05-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

...somewhere a fairy drops down dead."

That is what tuna told me on the way home from Keokuk when fireflies kept hitting my windshield.

I really didn't have anything to post but I haven't blogged in like a month so I figured I'd better let the world know I wasn't dead.

Blame It On Jamie Foxx

2010-04-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Anyone can have a music career these days.
Jamie Foxx? Sure his song was catchy but come on. Did you see his performance at the grammies??!?! He can't sing AT ALL! It really was horrible.

And Ke$ha?! Her songs are SO synthesized it is ridiculous!

Working at the gas station I always listen to oldies and there isn't synthesizing going on there, it was pure talent from the artists.

These days all you need is to know someone and be marketable and you've got a career.

Changed?

2010-03-29T21:01:00.001-07:00

I'm in some sort of pondering state of mind right now.

I've been really bored lately and I've had a lot of time alone with my thoughts. I've been reading old letters I've found and old emails I've sent and received and I've come to one conclusion:

I've changed.

And I'm not quite sure if it is for the better or not.

In some regards I feel as mature if not more mature then the average 24 year old, and then in other regards I feel as mature as a 14 year old.

I used to be funny and I'm not really funny anymore.

I use to have a confidence in myself that I seem to lack these days.

I use to be a social butterfly and these days I seem to enjoy being a recluse.

I use to not get along with Jessie and now we get along really well.

I use to have tons of friends and now I have....well....not tons.

Even my beautiful hair I used to brag about has changed. Jessie said it looks grayish and the other day in primary all the kids made weird "What did you do faces?!" and asked me why I colored my hair, and I haven't touched my hair.

all in all I'm not who I used to be and I'm not quite sure if I'm comfortable anymore.

I NEVER Cease To Be Amazed

2010-03-23T12:10:00.001-07:00

I never cease to be amazed at my crazy imagination/paranoia.

A really kind older gentleman came into the fudge factory the other day and I offered him a sample. Instead of taking the sample he gave me (and Tuna who was working with me) a strawberry hard candy.

My imagination went right to work.

Thought #1: Don't take candy from strangers.

Thought #2: Why is he looking at me kind of funny?

Thought #3: Maybe he wants me to eat the candy and it's laced with drugs and I'll pass out.

Thought #4: Don't be ridiculous Tacy he is wearing an Angel Moroni label pin! He is harmless!

Thought #5: Don't be ridiculous Tacy, he is probably wearing that pin to fool you into thinking he is harmless and this candy is laced with drugs and he is going to kill you!

Thought #6: I bet this really kind gentleman act is an act to make me eat the candy...no one is genuinely nice these days.

Thought #7: He already ordered and paid...why he is he just sitting in his car outside the store?

Thought #8: Is he waiting for me to eat the candy?

Thought #9: Good, he drove off. I wonder if Tuna is going to eat her candy.

Swing Dog Swing

2010-03-17T21:03:00.001-07:00

My dog, while among the most annoying dogs I've ever encountered, is also probably one of the cutest.

Today Tuna and I took him for a walk/ride and we played in the park.

Nubbins discovered his newest favorite activity.

Swinging.

forgive the wind in the video.

Major Understatement!

2010-03-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

I donated blood on Friday and the phlebotomist said I might "bruise a little" because of the difficulties she was having.

I've donated before and have never had as many difficulties as I did friday.

First the phlebotomist dug around in my arm looking for a vein.

Then, she must have poked THROUGH the vein instead of just tapping into it because about 14 mins into donating (you have 20 mins to fill your bag...once you hit 21 they can't use the blood and I've NEVER taken more than 10 mins to fill a bag) I started clotting and blood was oozing out from where the needle was inserted.

After that, she dug around some more trying to find a fresh stream in that vein so I could fill the bag.

Well the bag ended up being like 95% full and my vein just wasn't giving anymore blood.

I got home and had a little bruise, like she said, and my arm had swollen where she inserted the needle.

Now my arm looks like this:

actually that picture doesn't do it justice.

the bruise continues down around the other side of my arm and is really really dark purple.

And it's not just one of those really bright unpainful bruises...it hurts. PLUS it is still swollen where she inserted the needle.

Sing, Sing a Song!

2010-03-09T09:41:00.001-08:00

At what age is it officially "uncool" to sing.
I remember loving to sing in church when I was little and then when I got older my mom would have to force me to sing.

I teach the 8 years old in church and there are two boys in my class who LOVE to sing.
When the pianist starts playing the music they perk up in their chair and belt out the tunes. There are a couple of other kids in my class who like to make fun of those two because they sing. Not for HOW they sing, but for the simple fact that they are singing.
I don't get it!

One of the little boys in my class is SO cute when he sings.
I hate to confess he actually made me cry the other day.
We were sitting in primary and he was messing around with a book his mom had given him. I asked him a million times to put it away and pay attention but he just kept looking at the book. As soon as the music started playing he put his book in his bag, sat up at the end of his chair and sang...really loudly, with lots of gusto. He didn't take his eyes off the chorister for one second. And he wasn't ashamed to be singing, even though is voice is weird and I'm sure no one but me knew what he was singing.
And it made me cry.

Anyway...I just want to know when it is officially uncool to sing, and then when it is officially ok to sing again.

You know you're lazy when....

2010-03-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

You need a machine to crack your eggs for you.
Is this for real?!
I have always loved infomercials. The way they make every day tasks seem so dramatic is quite comical.
Here is another one for ya.

I saw this commercial today, but instead of getting the bacon wave you get:

I'm sure after seeing that commercial you thought, "Genius!! Why didn't I think of that before?!""
I know why you didn't think of that before...because cracking eggs ISN'T difficult!
And for $20 you can buy enough paper towels to clean up any egg mess you might make.
What a joke.

New Obsession

2010-03-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

I used to hate buffalo wings.

Now I can't get enough of them.

I'm almost tempted to say the word love.

I think I might love wings.

that's all.

A Prize!

2010-02-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

I got another blog prize!!
Thanks Katy!!!

You might think, "Wow...a readers digest condensed book...what a treasure."
It IS a real treasure! Plus it can hold a real treasure.

It's one of those fancy book safes!! You know you see them in the movies and they usually hold a gun or something. Well now I have one.
I hope no one reading my blog sneaks into my house and finds this book on my self...because they'll know exactly what it is.

...and it's still snowing

2010-02-21T21:26:00.001-08:00

(it's a ruler if you couldn't tell)

Needless to say I'm kind of glad I'm test driving a 4-wheel drive tank this weekend.

(not literally...it's a limited 2007 dodge nitro, but it feels like a tank)

Pride Comes Before The Silver

2010-02-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

WARNING:
This blog may show a side of me you may not know exists. A vengeful, unforgiving, callow, malicious, obsessive,

austere

side of 'the Tacy', heretofore only made manifest to a select unfortunate few.

Continue at your own risk!

I LOVE the Olympics.

(I couldn't just type "love" because that would be false, I LOVE the Olympics)

I LOVE both the summer and the winter Olympics, neither one could take top rank in my book of LOVE.

In the winter I especially love mens figure skating. My favorite male figure skater (up until he retired in 2003) was Alexei Yagudin.

He is from Russia and he was amazing.

Alexei had a rival who really didn't like him. Alexei shared mutual feelings for this guy. His name was (and still is) Evgeni Plushenko (said with disdain).

I've heard people say, "Who is your favorite football team?" and I've heard people respond, "Whoever is playing against BYU."

Every since Alexei (sexy Alexei I used to call him) retired my response to, "Who is your favorite figure skater?" would be, "Whoever is competing against Plushenko (said with contempt)."

Plushenko (said with malevolence) is, in a word, pompous.

He thinks he can do anything, and he can do it ten times better than anyone else.

Don't get me wrong, Plushenko (said with rancor) is an amazing skater. He can land a quad with amazing precision (not as good as Timothy Gable, the quad king, but that is a different post). And he really knows how to entertain a crowd, but what really bothers me is that he is so stinkin arrogant about it. There isn't a humble bone in his body.

I haven't kept up on figure skating too much lately, but I knew going into these Olympics, Plushenko, (said with disgust) had come out of retirement just to prove he could win two gold medals in a row (arrogant? I think so!).

After short programs he was in the lead, but not by much.

In an interview he mocked his competition by saying "If the Olympic champion doesn't know how to jump a quad, I don't know...Now it's not men's figure skating, now it's dancing."

Poking at the fact that Evan Lysacek had decided to not put a quad in his routine.

Plushenko (said with hostility) was the final long program skater, and when he finished his routine he held up two fingers, his arrogant way of saying, "look at me, I just won the gold again."

Well pride cometh before the fall Mr. Plushenko (said with cheek)!

He just wasn't good enough to get the gold twice in a row.

Ha! You Lose!!

(I fully understand that this post makes me no better than Plushenko (said with malice) but I just so happy that he lost I had to post something)

(ps: can I also publicly state that I think Johnny Weir was robbed in his long program scores, not that any of my readers care, but I just had to say it)

When I Grow Up...

2010-02-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

... I want to live here:

Blame it on the Holiday

2010-02-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure everyone has heard the Tennyson poem ending:

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

But is it true?

Is it really better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?

Considering I've never been in love and therefore have never lost love I can not profess to be an authority on love and loss, but the upcoming holiday has planted seeds of cynicism in my mind.

After all...over half of all marriages end in divorce these days.

Thinking it over in my mind I keep telling myself that it would be better to have never loved than to have lost a love, but that seems so cynical.

But I don't think Tennyson was necessarily talking about marriage.

For example, I love my dog.

Nothing makes me happier than picking my dog up from the vet. Seeing him wag his tail and jump into my arms as though he thought he'd lost me forever and I'd come back gives me the best feelings. It is moments like that that I know he loves me too.

Nubbins is getting old, and I know he'll die someday, so when he does die will all the good times we had be for naught because we can never have them again? Of course not!

The same can apply to a human to human relationship.

Relationships are like fires. Fires have to have fuel. All relationships are fueled with good times. The relationships that end poorly just stopped being fueled. So should you never have started the fire in the first place? Of course not!

Even if your fire is extinguished by no fault of your own, I'd argue it is still better to have felt the warmth of a fire then to have been cold forever.

I don't think any amount of bad experiences in a relationship could make up for the lessons learned in actually having the relationship.

So I guess in my mind Tennyson is right:

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Cake and Birthdays

2010-02-04T19:27:00.001-08:00

I posted a while ago that I was in a cake class and I never posted anything else, so here are some pictures.

The first class we all made rainbow cakes. I didn't get a really good picture because I was trying to get a picture of the border around the bottom.

Jessie's rainbow cake.

I can't take credit for the cupcakes above...I believe Jessie did the star one, and my mom did the flowers.I was 100% anti-clown when we went into the class but after learning how to make it I think it is really cute!

That is the cake part, now for the birthday part!
In my family we are very avid birthday celebrators. I know some people who just let their birthday roll around and they may have a cake or something but that is it. That doesn't work in my family, birthdays are a time to celebrate.

Because I love geocaching, my mom and my sister spent hours making me a geocaching birthday scavenger hunt. I got a set of coordinates that led me to someone who had another set of coordinates for me.
It was lots of fun!
At the end I got a new laptop (which I really needed because my old one, beside being ancient, was missing keys) and a purple dinosaur cake Jessie made using the skills we learned in class.
She did an amazing job!
Today is Nathan's birthday, and the theme for his birthday was "perpetual kid!"
So I used the skills I learned in class and made him a lego cake.
Sorry for the long post....and the lack of fun content.

Just So Ya Know...

2010-01-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday!

I'm going to have a hard time convincing people in my cake decorating class that I'm a year older. One of the ladies in there thought I was 13!

The Pain of Reading

2010-01-21T17:46:00.001-08:00

I love books.
I'm almost 100% positive no one knows that about me though because I don't read as often as I'd like to.
"Why?" you might say, "Do you not read if you love books?"
Here is your answer:
I get so into reading that I kind of become obsessive.
I wrote a blog a while ago about how I live my life vicariously through other people, be it a tv show character, movie character, or even a real person. I need to add book characters to that list.
When I watch a TV show it is usually about 42 mins long and the characters have gone through something and the situation has been resolved. Add a couple more hours to that same situation and you have a movie. Everything happens in a reasonable time frame, so when I watch I don't feel guilty sitting there and watching.
Nothing bugged me more then when we would watch a movie in high school and it'd get shut off half way through so we could watch the rest the next day.
When I read I can't just put the book down and wait to read the rest the next day. I have to read (or listen to) the whole thing or I'll lose sleep!
Just yesterday my mom and Jessie and I were listening to the book The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins. It's really a page turner!) and at about 9:00pm my mom said "Ok, lets shut it off for tonight." I don't even know HOW she could say that! After she left Jessie and I hit play again and listened until 2am when it was finally over.
It's like that for everything I read. Not just the suspenseful page turners, everything!

It is an unhealthy relationship I have with books.

End Of The Road

2010-01-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've reached the end of the "fixing my arm" road.
I had a consultation with the orthopedic surgeon this morning and she informed me that the surgery I was recommended for would only help me move my arm if my rotator cuff was causing the immobility in my arm, but it is my deltoid muscle causing the immobility.
So I'll never feel nor move my upper arm again.
The best chance to get any strength in my arm is physical therapy to strengthen my rotator cuff, but it still won't move like it did.
I'm not complaining though!
I'm alive!
The only thing wrong with me is that my stupid arm doesn't move and there are plenty of ways to adapt to that. I've been blessed beyond what I deserve in my safety, and in a mom who is willing to do whatever it would take to get my stupid arm to work again.

Thanks for all the prayers that were offered in my behalf during all this!
I couldn't have better friends!

Parting is such Sweet Sorrow

2010-01-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to write a blog because I feel like everything I have to blog about these days is fluff, but I have to post something and this has been on my mind. So bare with me and when I'm finally inspired to write something inspiring I promise I'll deliver.

I love Lost.

I don't think I've ever stuck with a TV show through it's whole life and loved it as much as I love Lost.

Like Jimmy Kimmel said, "If you don't follow it closely it's hard to understand, but if you do follow it closely it's even more difficult to understand."

It confuses the crap out of me and sometimes I swear it has gotten so weird I'll never come back, but I always return.

This is the last season and I can't wait! I have so many questions, and even though I'm sure they can't all be answered I know at least some of them will be cleared up.

Feb. 2nd just can't come quick enough!

And That's the Way the Cake Crumbles...

2010-01-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

(not my picture. thank goodness)

It has been a very weird feeling to break for the norm of four years and not return to school this January. Graduating is weird!
When my mom and my little sister suggested I take the Wilton cake decorating classes at Hobby Lobby with them I jumped on the bandwagon!

We meet every Tuesday for two hours.
Last week was just basically just a 'welcome, this is what you need and here is your homework' type lesson.
Tomorrow (or today, however you look at it) we each have to take an already baked and filled and frosted cake to class.
We decided to bake our cakes today so tomorrow all we have to do is frost the cakes and go.
The first cake we made looked ok but had lots of airbubbles in it and the top domed up a lot (which is fixable but still a little disheartening).
We poked the second cake with a toothpick a million times and each time the toothpick came out clean, but when it came time to remove the cake from the pan half the cake came out and half stayed in and the both sides were covered in cake batter.
The third cake baked level (no dome in the middle) and came out of the pan just fine, but after about 15 mins of cooling on the rack it sunk in in the middle telling us it could have baked just a little bit longer.
The forth cake we made (to make up for the uncooked and broken second cake) domed up in the middle and about an inch stuck to the bottom of the pan when we were taking it out (all fixable), but when we went to level the cake off it started to crack into pieces on the side.

I certainly hope every Monday isn't like this!!

I'll keep you updated on what we do in class and how well we do! I'm excited!

It Pays to be Crafty

2010-01-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

Jessie decided she wanted to make a jean quilt.
Nothing too fancy... just squares with an adorable backing fabric.
Katy and I went through a phase where every pair of jeans we owned went into an "I'm making a jean quilt someday..." box.
I told Jessie she could use our jeans (hope that's ok Katy) and she commenced cutting squares.
Last night as she was cutting up a pair of jeans she reached into the pocket and found $7 and a movie ticket stub.
Who knows how long it has been there and how long it would have sat there if she didn't decide to make a quilt.

What kind of tree are you?

2010-01-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

that picture is for you katy :)

Who doesn't like to people watch?
If I know I'm going to be in a group of people I try to place myself in just the right way so that I can people watch.
My roommate Jamie and I used to get Dairy Queen and then go to the Wal-Mart parking lot and people watch.

When Jessie (tuna) people watches she tries to figure out what kind of animal the person she is looking at would be. It's kind of funny because as soon as she says, "The guy over there getting a drink....He'd be a lizard", I can see exactly what she's talking about.

My title alludes to the infamous question Barbara Walters asked in an interview...but if you're curious as to what kind of tree you are follow THIS link :) I'm a cypress tree which I guess means:
"Strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, happy
content, optimistic, needs enough money and acknowledgment,
hates loneliness,faithful, quick-tempered, unruly, pedantic and careless"

A Little Late....

2009-12-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

Right before Thanksgiving Jessie and I decided we were sick of our bathroom.
Floor to ceiling light blue was getting really old, especially since the matching duck decor we used to have was replaced by a modge-podge of other decor.

So we went to the store and decided to redo.
We went with a dark purple. My dad said it would look like a dungeon...and I've had enough Interior Design 101 experience to know that if we did floor to ceiling dark color it WOULD make it feel like a dungeon.

So we went with a barely off-white ceiling and door trim and dark purple everything else.
(our bathtub takes up one whole side of our bathroom so that wall is basically the same color as the ceiling.)
This is what we ended up with.
I really like it.

Don't look too close at our paint job... we are the most amateur of amateurs.

Now if we could just convince our dad to let us paint an accent wall in the kitchen.
Our kitchen/dining room/living room have 100% white walls.
It's disgusting.

A Little Early....

2009-12-24T11:44:00.001-08:00

I probably won't get around to this tomorrow so...

This Christmas season has been amazing for me! I've loved having Katy home and me being home and just being able to relax and enjoy everything.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas tomorrow,
I know I will!

You Win Some You Lose Some

2009-12-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how weak the stomachs of my readers are. The picture isn't bad but if you have a really weak stomach then I'm sorry.

I'm home!
I had my surgery on Tuesday the 15th. They spent 5 hours operating and came to the conclusion that my nerves are damaged beyond repair. So basically the surgery was pointless and I'll never be able to feel my arm BUT if we hadn't done surgery we never would have known the extend of my nerve damage.
But not all hopes are lost!
In my Tuesday surgery they were trying to repair my nerves so that everything would work again. Since that didn't work they are now going to hook up one of my muscles that isn't attached to my dead nerves and hook it up to a muscle hooked up to my dead nerves so that I can move my arm...even if I can't feel it.

So I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
Here is a picture of my incision (12 inches long). Luckily there was a plastic surgeon in the OR so my scaring shouldn't bee too much. They mostly glued it shut with only a few stitches.
OH YEAH! And there was a very special doctor in the OR with me too! I met him on Monday during my doctor visit before surgery.
His name is Dr. Osama and he is visiting from Baghdad! Oddly enough when I very first met him all he did was smile at me and it was oddly comforting. He seemed like a really really nice guy!

Snip Snip Here...Snip Snip There

2009-12-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally here...
(i'm not sure if I should end that in an exclamation point or not so I leaned on the good ole' ellipses)

After my EMG today (the 4th in 4 months) the doctors finally decided that indeed my nerves aren't coming back on their own and they are going to go ahead with surgery.

They will make an incision on the backside of my left arm that will run from my shoulder to my elbow and they'll attempt to find the nerves (overtime nerves retract so there is a possibility the surgery might not even work) and they'll hook nerves from my tricep to the unresponsive nerves.

My surgery is tomorrow (the 15th) at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Wish Me Luck!!

(the most annoying thing is that even if the surgery works it might take a year to kick in...blah)

(: Smile :)

2009-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

I was reading through my journal the other day and I came across a whole page I had dedicated to smiling and laughter. At the end of the page I had resolved that I was going to allow myself to be more happy and to do that I'd smile and laugh more often.

Really, if you think about it, smiling is so easy and can do so much good.

I challenge everyone to smile and laugh more often! Here are a few facts that should encourage my point:

it takes 10 Minutes on a rowing machine to get your heart up to the same rate as after 1 minute of hearty laughter.

15 minutes of laughter a day will result in 1-4 lbs of weight loss per year

50 calories are burned during 10-15 minutes of laughter

Endorphins and HGH (an anti-aging hormone) are increased 27% when laughing

People in the 1950's laughed an average of 18 minutes per day.
Today people laugh an average of 5 minutes per day.

Young children laugh 112 times during the day.
The average 42 year old will laugh approximately 6 times a day.

facts found in jan/feb 2009 issue of LDSLiving

Allow Me To Introduce...

2009-12-03T08:16:00.001-08:00

Lydia!

My friend Jamie started this tag a while ago and I thought I'd pick it back up!

I'll introduce everyone to someone who I think you should get acquainted with. Then that person will post a blog introducing us to someone he or she thinks we should get to know!

Meet my friend Lydia! I met Lydia ummm....I'm going to say about four or five years ago. We met through my friend Amanda at BYU-Idaho. We finally became roommates in Jan of 2009 and we had lots of fun!

Lydia is AMAZING! She dances, she has an amazing eye for design, she has the best laugh, she ran a marathon, she bikes....the list could go on and on!

Lydia can do anything she puts her mind to. Actually, to me this seems like an understatement. Lydia DOES do everything she puts her mind to. She wanted to start running and (like I said) she ran a MARATHON! She put her mind to it and trained and did it. Just read this blog, it proves my point.

Lydia is ALWAYS smiling! She doesn't believe in not being happy. She laughs and smiles all the time and I love it! When we were roommates we were two bedrooms down from each other and I could always here Lydia laughing at a random youtube video. Which reminds me... Lydia is basically the Queen of youTube. I think she's seen every youtube video worth seeing.

Lydia has the best taste in music. I can't even begin to name all the artists she's introduced me to. I can always count on Lydia for a great song.

Lydia is a regular blogger, which these days seems rare. She doesn't just blog nonsense blogs either, her blogs always have a meaning and always make me think. They are great!

Well there is a very brief introduction to Lydia. I feel like I'm not doing her justice with this introduction! To really get to know Lydia you'll have to meet her, BUT because not everyone can do that you should just become regular readers & commenters on her blog:

Me, myself, and who knows what!

Home again home again, jiggity jig

2009-11-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

WELCOME HOME SMITH!!

My friend Amanda Smith got home from her mission today!
Hazza!!
She served a full time mission (18months) for the LDS Church in the Moscow Russia West mission. She also spent some time in Kazakhstan.
I'm sure it was hard for her to leave. After spending a year and a half in one place doing service for the people I'm sure you start to love it as much as home!
In her weekly emails home she would give a "this week's reason I love Russia (and Kazakhstan)", here are some of my favorites:

their grocery carts. I know, you think that's not a reason to love Russia - but oh it is. They APPEAR to be just like ours, only smaller. But they're amazing. They glide just like mayonnaise. None of this our-carts-back-wheel-is-shorter-than-all-the-rest, theres-a-hair-wad-stuck-in-the-wheel-so-i-cant-drive, our-cart-is-so-noisey-everyone-knows-we're-leaving-the-bread-aisle-and-heading-towards-the-cantaloupe business. They -glide front to back, and SIDE TO SIDE! Oh, so amazing. You have to come drive one. I think it's because their aisles are so tiny, and everyone is always so hurried.... having good carts probably prevents a lot of problems. :)
Russian for ladybug is "god's cow." Russian for chin is translated literally as "under beard." AND, they have a specific verb that JUST means "to have difficulty the sounds 'R' and 'L.'" No joke. Fun huh?
They play paper-rock-scissors with FOUR elements. I know. Crazy. Paper, rock, scissors, and -- WELL. (As in, I need some water, lets go to the ____) apparently rock and scissors both sink in the well, and paper covers the well so it's the only thing that wins. Insane huh?

Welcome home Amanda!
-not that she'll ever read this, but I just want everyone to know I'm proud :)

Not homesick, futuresick

2009-11-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

Future-Sick Part 1
In October the doctors in St. Louis did a few tests and decided that the nerves in my arm weren't coming back on their own so I'd need surgery.
The surgery was scheduled for Nov 18th. They also scheduled a repeat of the tests for Nov 16th so we could make 100% sure the nerves weren't coming back on their own.
After the test Nov 16th my doctor said, "The tests show that it isn't coming back on it's own so we'll go ahead with the surgery".
This surprised me a little because I felt like I could move it more than I could before.
I said to the doctor "Darn, I was pretty sure it was coming back on it's own!" So he said, "Well let's do a few manual tests to see."
So we did a few tests and he decided that the EMG Nerve study test that was done only an hour previously was incorrect and he agreed with me that my arm WAS coming back on it's own!
WOO-Hoo!! I was so excited.
That was until he said, "Come back in December for surgery, that way we'll give it one more month to see if it'll come back on it's own."
I WASN'T excited for that. Sure I should have been, but I had made myself ready for a "Yes, you're having surgery," or a, "No, it's coming back on it's own." Not a, "hmmm....come back in another month and we'll see what happens."

I'm ready for the future! When my arm is finally better. I don't care if I do or don't have to have surgery, as long as the doctors appts. are over and we know my arm is coming back and I can get on with my life!

Future-Sick Part 2
I've never been one of those girls who flocks to a baby so they can hold it. I like kids, and I love teaching the 6 year olds in primary, but I've never really been the kind of girl who pines to be a mother.
This past week I babysat for a family in our ward. I've babysat for people for extended periods of time before (like spent the night at the house because the parents were gone for a week or so) and left thinking, "Ok, that was that." But this time babysitting THSES kids had a weird affect on me.
One of the kids asked me, "Did we make you not want to have kids?" And embarrassingly enough I almost started crying. Ok, I'll confess... I DID cry. I went to my moms house and started crying because I was feeling some void in my life because I didn't have a family.
I left the kids Monday morning so I could go to St. Louis for my tests/surgery (grrr) and one of the kids said, "Wait!!" and he ran down the hall and gave me a hug before I left. I got in my moms van and cried again because I was sad to be leaving.
I don't know how their parents left and didn't emotionally break down, because they AREN'T EVEN MY KIDS and I got all emotional when I left.
That story probably made me seem like a freak and I'm sure their parents will NEVER let me babysit again because I'm such a weirdo. But their kids really were great. They weren't perfect all the time and I got frustrated a few times, but they really were wonderful.

I'm ready to be a mom...I think. I'm ready for the future when I have a family and I can feel justified in crying when I leave them because they are MY kids. I don't think I could have a small family either. I want lots of kids.
I've always wanted my mom to adopt, and think in order to make up for her never adopting I want to adopt.

Ok... I need to stop blogging because this is ENTIRELY too long and I'm starting to look weird.

OH MY GOSH!! Just real quickly I went searching for a picture to put at the top of this blog and I typed "future" in to an image search and it came up with this:
hello! Family is HUGE on that!!!

There's a Turtle in my Soup

2009-11-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post this post for a long time.
Everyone knows I rolled my car and I'm fine, and that my passenger Sophie is fine.
BUT I forgot to tell everyone about my other passenger.

His name is Soup and he is a turtle.

He was a gift to me from my friend Katie who happened to find him in bowl in Beaver Dick Park, just outside Rexburg, ID. She had no way of getting him home (she was sure she couldn't smuggle him on the plane home) so he became mine. He sat in a small rubbermade in-between Sophie and I on the ride home.
While Sophie and I were waiting for the ambulance to arrive a man who stopped to help (who just happened to be an off-duty EMT) asked me if there was anyone else in the car. For some reason (probably the shock) I kept asking for my turtle, Soup. I bet everyone was expecting something wonderful, an exotic tortise with spurs on it's shell perhaps, ...not a rubbermade with a smelly half-dollar sized turtle in it.
The ambulance came and as they were checking everything vital the man, along with some other people, kept looking for Soup.
I was sure he was dead, there was stuff from my car thrown all over the road, there was no way Soup made it.
Just as they were putting the stretcher in the ambulance the man said "I found it! And it's still alive!" He brought Soup to me and we both rode in the ambulance to the hospital.

Soup has been great. He's got a fun personality and It's neat to watch him sometimes. When I turn the lights off in his tank (he needs at least 12 hours of light a day) he starts pushing his rocks around and his home is rearranged when I turn the lights back on in the morning.
As much as I love Soup I know his current tank isn't a good enough home for him.
He needs a filtration system (which I don't have). Because I don't have a filtration system I (well...actually Jessie) has to clean his tank out every week, and sometimes it doesn't get done. And sometimes the day after it is cleaned it is already dirty again.
It really isn't healthy for him to swim around in filth.
So I decided it was time to find soup a better home.
A lady I work with said her daughter had a tank with a filtration system and everything and she already had one turtle and she'd love to have Soup.
He was adopted today.
I'm sad that he's gone but I'm also happy he has a good clean home with someone who'll love him as much as I did.

Plus....as much as I loved Soup I really want a tortise (a tortise is a 'turtle' that lives on land, a 'turtle' lives in the water).

Lady...You're an Idiot!!

2009-10-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

I work at the Fudge Factory.
We often get really stupid comments and questions.
For example:
What kind of nuts are in the plain chocolate?
ummm.....are you kidding? There are NO nuts in the plain.
Probably one of my favorites is:
Do you guys makes this here? (as Jessie, Dorris, Eli, or Durell are busy over a hot 20lb batch of fudge)
People are just stupid.

I love it when people reach for a sample that is pink (strawberries & cream) and say "Is this the chocolate mint?"

For Halloween we have a couple of seasonal flavors. Cookies & Scream, and Pumpkin Pie.
I had a sample of both of those flavors sitting on the sample tray the other day. A lady and her husband came in and inquired about the flavors. The husband grabbed a sample of Cookies & Scream. (which is oreo cookies crushed up in a very simple vanilla fudge with orange food coloring to make it more festive) After tasting it he made a weird face and said:
"Nothing special about that...it tastes like Penuche (which is a brown sugar fudge with almost a maple flavor) with orange flavoring in it."
I had to hold back my laughter.
Seriously??!?!
Just because it is dyed orange doesn't mean there is orange flavoring! I can guarantee you that if we blind folded 1,000 people and gave them a sample they wouldn't taste ANY orange. And as far as tasting penuche??!?!
Then wife grabbed a sample of pumpkin and quickly recoiled from the counter and said, "WOW!!! TOO MUCH NUTMEG!!!!!"
I couldn't help but say, "Nutmeg huh? We don't put any Nutmeg in it."
I know some people put nutmeg in their pumpkin pie, but we just use the simple libby's pumpkin pie mix which is basically just pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. There might be a little nutmeg in the mix but it is so minute that to say too much nutmeg is hilarious.
Who knows what they were thinking.

Some Kind of Reality

2009-10-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

I live my life vicariously through other people.
These "other people" are usually a character in a book, a character in a movie, or a character in a TV show.
Because I do this I sometimes have a hard time separating myself from reality and that is probably why I am a movie/book/tv show crier.
I had a friend recently watch the OC series in reruns. When it came to the end of the series she couldn't help but cry because she had become so attached to the characters and it was like saying goodbye to a friend you'll never see again.
I feel her pain. I willing admit that I know some TV characters better than I know people I consider my friends.
I remember watching Dawson's Creek and thinking "I wonder what Pacey and Joey are doing today." As if they really were in Capeside, Massachusetts living a life and I was allowed to peek in on them every Thursday at 8pm.
I used to sit in the sewing lab at school talking to my fellow One Tree Hill lovers about what had happened in the episode before. People would overhear us and would be so confused because we talked about the characters as if they were our friends and we knew them personally.
My sister called me the other day on the verge of tears because she needed to be brought back to reality after too much Grey's Anatomy.
I'd be willing to bet it happens to more people than would freely admit to it.
Even still, I think I am ok at keeping a grasp on what is fiction and what is reality.
Some people though might be in trouble.
I bet there are some women (and men for that matter) out there who won't rest until they find their Edward Cullen, their Derek Shepard, their Pacey Whitter.
I, on the other hand, KNOW that these characters have skilled writers who work hard to make these people perfect so we keep watching/reading.
But.....it doesn't hurt to dream a little.

Whoop De Duo!

2009-10-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

I know back in the day twins were probably novelty. With their lack of prenatal care and all, but we are now in the 21st century and even though twins are fun and exciting they aren't necessarily rare, or a phenomenon of any sort.

This leads me to wonder why people always ask if Jessie and I are twins. We aren't, in case you didn't already know, our couldn't clearly tell from the picture below.

Besides our weight and our hair color we don't look anything alike.
No fail if Jessie and I are working at the Fudge Factory together we get asked if we are twins, and sometimes three or four times a day.
We were walking into wal-mart the other day and the wal-mart greeter lady asked us if we were twins.
It's not like you don't ever see twins, twins are quite common. We had three...I think three...sets of twins while I was in high school and that was out of 100 people, imagine a bigger place. I'm sure there are tons of multiples.

Not only do Jessie and I get asked if we are twins, but if Katy and Jessie and I are all together we will get asked if we are triplets, or if two of us are twins or something.
We look so different, I just don't get it.

(I hope this doesn't come off sounding negative, I don't care if people ask if we are twins but it is just weird that someone would actually ask)

Here Goes Nothing

2009-09-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Literally.....Here goes nothing because I have nothing to say. I'm just updating because I'm bored with the "I had an apple" blog, but nothing exciting is happening and I haven't been thinking too deeply so there aren't any good "here are my thoughts" blogs built up in my mind.

I Had An Apple and I Cut It Up

2009-09-20T21:02:00.001-07:00

I bet you didn't know that:

There are 7,500 different varieties of apple grown worldwide.
It takes about 40 apples to make 1 gallon of apple cider.
Apples float because 25% of their volume is air.
The largest apple on record was 3lbs 2 oz.
The apple belongs to the rose family.

I have always liked apples but I've never been sure what my favorite kind of apple is.
This year (as one of my 2,001 things to do before I die) Jessie, my mom, and I conducted an "Apple Test" to see what apple was our favorite. Of course we didn't have all 7,500 varieties. We went to all the grocery stores around here and bought one of all the apple variety they had (besides red and golden delicious because we know we hate those).

After tasting 11 varieties of apple I have decided that Braeburn apples are my favorite. My mom's favorite were Jonathan, and Jessie's favorite were Honeycrisp.

It was a great way to usher in the new season!

Hey Mr. Arnstein

2009-09-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been watching a lot of Turner Classic Movies and I've fallen in love with the male characters in them.

Not necessarily the actor (even though Robert Redford and Yul Brynner are fine).
Movies just don't have the men that they used to.
People compare Brad Pitt to Robert Redford and he just doesn't compare. Brad Pitt could never play any character that Robert Redford played because writers don't write the male character like they used to.

The Nerve!!!

2009-09-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who don't know my left arm still doesn't work. Making my name "tacy t-rex" a very appropraite one because my upperarm stays close to my body while I use the forearm area, making my arm really small and almost unuseable...kind of like a T-Rex.

What is being done about it?
Well my arm doesn't hurt so much anymore so that is good but from my elbow to my shoulder is still numb and I still can't make it move.
I had an EMG and the doctor said that none of my nerves were severed (hazaa!) BUT even though nothing was severed the nerves were still severely damaged and the doctor still weren't sure to what extent.

So now I have to go to Dr. Susan MacKinnonShe works at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
I guess she is amazing. I googled her and got a lot of returns, plus the head of the orthepadic department at Quincy Medical Group had an article she had written in a magazine ripped out and hanging on his wall. What is a little confusing though....is that she is the head of the department of plastic and reconstrustive surgery. I'm not sure why I need to see her because no one said anything about surgery.
Anyway...until my appointment (october 8th) I'll continue going to physical therapy twice a week to see if we can make my stupid arm work.

The Widow's Mite

2009-09-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

(please listen to the last song on my playlist while reading this blog)

This is my little sister Jessie. She loves me. Wanna know how I know she loves me?
Here's the story.

Ever since I lost the full functionality of my left arm, everyday tasks have been a little more complicated. For example, I can't put my own hair up because I can't get my arm up to my head. Jessie does this for me. She does everything for me. I can't get both hands into the sink so even though I dirtied all the dishes Jessie does them, and so far I haven't heard her complain.
Today Jessie came to pick me up from work (seeing as I don't have a car) and she told me how excited she was because my mom had bought candy bars as prizes for a game she was playing with the Young Women. Jessie said that if there was extra candy my mom would bring it home and Jessie was really excited about this because one of the candy bars was a Milky Way and Jessie LOVES Milky Way.

My mom came home tonight and there was a king size milky way left over!
Jessie didn't eat the candy bar right away because she wasn't 100% hungry for it and she didn't want to eat it and not enjoy every single second of it, so she waited.
She came into the kitchen when she was finally ready for her candy bar to discover that it had been opened and someone had eaten at least 3/4ths of it. There was enough Milky Way left to equal a fun size candy bar.
Jessie was a little upset but she sat down to eat it anyway.
I (because I'm mean and want to see how far I can push people) asked Jessie if I could have a bite of her one bite candy bar.
She looked at me with possibly the saddest look I've ever seen her have and she slowly shook her head up and down saying yes, she would cut her one bite in half and give me a bite.

This is how I know she loves me.
And because I love her back I didn't really take a bite.

April 27th

2009-09-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

As a member of the National Arobr Day Foundation I just thought I'd quote Erez Sitzer and say
"If I knew the world would end tomorrow I'd still plant a tree today."

*Results Not Typical

2009-08-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

In my 2001 Things To Do Before You Die book one of the things is "Read the fine print"
I've started reading the fine print, mostly on TV commercials but also on other products.
I was reading my shampoo bottle the other day and it said "Hair is 5x's stronger!!" followed by a '*'. I followed the '*' to the bottom of the bottle to find out that results showed that when using the whole Garnier Fructis system hair tested five times stronger than using the leading brand of non-conditioning shampoo alone.
Duh!
I wondered why my hair didn't feel amazingly strong.

Mercy! That was tender.

2009-08-17T21:25:00.001-07:00

(sorry this one will probably be boring for anyone besides my family or those who care about my personal life...I'll post something fun and interesting later)

please listen to #80 on my playlist while reading

As I was driving home on July 24th I couldn't help but feel a little reluctant.
Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my family and I love being at home but I graduated from college and I have NO clue what I want to do with my life and I didn't really want to get comfortable at home and never move on with my life.
I remember in January thinking "I will NOT move back home when I graduate, that'll be a social death sentence!" Nevertheless...I didn't make any other plans and going home just fit in the cards.
Even on July 24th I wasn't sure if it was the right decision.
I was thinking about how much I was going to miss being a college student and how much I was going to miss Rexburg and all my friends and how much I was going to miss the "comfort" of knowing what was next.
As excited as I was to see my family and be home I couldn't seem to convince myself that everything was going to work out and being home wasn't going to be the death sentence I thought it was.
As Sophie and I left the Rockies and approached the Mid-West we were greeted by an amazing lightning storm.
With every bolt of beautiful lightning I felt more and more at ease with what was happening. I was first reminded of how much I miss REAL storms (Idahoans don't know what they're missing). I was reminded of how much I love being home and how much lay ahead. Yes, I was closing one door, and while one might not be open right now one will open as long as I keep looking for it.
That lightning storm was a tender mercy and I lost sight of the comfort that I felt from that storm because only a few hours after witnessing that storm I rolled my car.
I guess rolling your car would make anyone stop and say "was I doing the right thing? was 'someone' trying to stop me from coming home?" and the feelings of doubt have flooded me.
It could be the hours and days and weeks I've spent alone with my thoughts (which never proves healthy) but again I was questioning myself and where I am.
But last night I couldn't sleep (nothing new there) and I had the privilege of watching another amazing lightning storm which reminded me of that July 24th night and how sure I was then that I was making the right decision and the feelings of comfort that started masking the uncertain feelings of an unknown future.
So sorry to anyone out here who is afraid of lightning or hates storms because I'm sure every time I am doubting myself another storm will come alone to remind me that things are ok.

Grody part 3

2009-08-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

The third and final (I promise) installment of my Grody blogs.

For those of you who do or would like to start peeing in the shower I was directed by a friend to this article which I'm going to summarize.

Apparently the world is catching onto the idea of peeing in the shower as a way to conserve water. Here is a list of peeing in the shower "etiquette":

1. Don't go until the water is going. The water acts as a good disguise for what is happening. It also shortens the amount of time that the urine sits on the bottom of the shower as the water quickly washes everything down the drain.

2. Do your business at the beginning of the shower. It allows for a full rinse cycle.

3. Don't pee in your friends shower.

4. Don't pee in public showers.

5. Pee in the shower all you want, but don't get carried away and start washing in the toilet. And never under any circumstances poo in the shower.

One Ring To Rule Them All

2009-08-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

(please listen to song #72 of #73 from the Lord of the Rings)

My sister Katy and I have these rings we wear on our left pinkie finger.
No it isn't a replica Lord of the Ring ring. It is a simple gold band.

We've had these rings for probably around five years. If we calculate up all the time that mine has been missing it'd probably be three years. No joke. But this ring, like the Lord of the Rings ring ALWAYS comes back to me. It is like it can't be away from its owner! It is a little creepy.

The first time I lost it I was at work at the Fudge Factory. I don't remember why...oh yes I do! haha! My little sister Jessie tried to hold my hand and I hate touching so I violently ripped my hand away and the ring flew off my finger. I searched and searched for that ring and couldn't find it anywhere! In meantime I went back to school in Idaho and around Easter time I got a phone call that one of the ladies I work with found my ring. It was crazy because I thought it was lost forever!

Another time I lost my ring I was in St. Anthony Idaho at the Sand Dunes. It was dark and we were having a bonfire and I flailed my hand some way and my ring flew off my finger. The sand was tan, the ring was gold, it was dark...I was for sure I had lost it forever. My friends and I grabbed our cell-phones (no one had a flashlight) and we searched and searched the dunes on hands and knees. Remember that this is sand, and if you misplace ANYTHING for too long the wind will blow and the sand will cover it. I've had friends lose shoes out there! We searched for about an hour and then gave up and went back to bonfiring. As we were leaving my roommate decided to give it one last look and guess what...she FOUND it!

One morning I woke up to discover the ring had slipped off my finger in the night. I searched my bed and couldn't find it. I pulled off the sheets and removed all my pillowcases and found nothing. I moved my bed I vacuumed with the hose covered with my nylons (so i could suck stuff up but catch what I was looking for) and never found the ring. Months went by and many many vacuums went by...I chalked it up to being gone forever. The next semester I was moved and gone and I got a phone call from my roommate. Her new roommate who had taken my room had decided to move furniture and found a little gold ring under the dresser (which was on the other side of the room from my bed)! Crazy?!?! Yes!

Here's the last story. (even though I COULD share a few more) Last fall I didn't wear my ring much because it is a little too big for my finger (obviously...haha) and I didn't want to lose it while I was mowing a lawn or something and have it gone for good so it spent a lot of time in a ceramic dish in my kitchen (don't ask my why it was there... it just was). Well the time came for me to go back to school and the ring wasn't in the dish anymore. I know I didn't move it so it was weird. I looked for it and found nothing and once again chalked it up to being gone forever. I came home about two weeks ago and my little sister and I were going through her dresser drawers. She emptied out a drawer and what does she pull out of it? My ring!!

Smells Like A Birthday Girl!

2009-08-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

The last song on my playlist coincides with this blog beautifully!

Today my blog is dedicated to Katy!
Happy Birthday!!!!

You're the best older sister I have and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!
What would be wonderful is if everyone who read my blog went to her blog today and wished her a happy birthday!

I Can't Sleep

2009-08-05T00:55:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to comfortably sleep for the longest time.
The "longest time" actually equals about a week and a half, but still! To someone who is sleep deprived a week and a half feels like forever.
I can't sleep on my back because my shoulder lays all funny and it kills when I wake up in the morning.
I can't sleep on my right side because my left arm has to balance and that just doesn't work.
I can't sleep on my stomach because if I'm on my stomach my arms automatically want to go above my head...and my arm WON'T go above my head.
I end up sleeping in a recliner which isn't that uncomfortable but it doesn't really allow for stretching.
Even if I take PM medication I can't sleep through the night.
It wouldn't be that bad if I had someone to keep me company because 3am is awfully lonely, but all I have is QVC and the Home Shopping Network.
It's kind of funny actually because they'll have a caller form Iowa or something and I think to myself, "It is 3am for heavens sake! Why are you calling the Home Shopping Network?!" and then I realize that I'm basically doing the same thing.

Scam-Wow!

2009-08-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love infomercials!
Imagine my excitement when I got home from Idaho and found ShamWow hiding in my little sisters room. Don't ask me why it was hiding in her room, but upon finding it I decided I HAD to give it a try.
I ran into the bathroom and filled the sink with a little bit of water and threw the ShamWow in, expecting it to soak up with ease.
Well guess what...ShamWow sucks! I think a Brawny papertowel could absorb more than that stupid thing.
Maybe Tuna got a crappy one. Has anyone else tried it?
Well if you haven't tried it I say DON'T! They don't work.
Sad day.

Thanks!!!

2009-07-29T15:40:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who commented on my last blog!

It really does mean a lot and it is nice to know that someone cares :)
You guys rocks!
Good to know that all I have to do to generate blog comments is risk my life :) jk

Anyway....
I'm feeling...better.
I'm going to physical therapy three times a week because my left arm from my elbow to my shoulder doesn't work. And by doesn't work I mean I can't move it and it is numb...so it basically just hangs there unless I use my right hand to move it.
I keep discovering bruises I didn't know I had before and for some reason my bruises seem to be getting darker. What gives?
Here are some pictures of my bruises...not all because that would be boring.
Not like these aren't boring but at least it is a new blog right?

My Shoulder

Under my left forearm

My leg...or my arm... I think my leg

My left arm

Pride Cometh Before The Roll

2009-07-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

At about 6:11 am (central time) I decided it would be fun to practice my stunt car driving skills.

Ok- actually Sophie Smith and I were on our way to Nauvoo from Rexburg and we got to Pella IA (about 3 hours from Nauvoo) and I must have fallen asleep/closed my eyes because I rolled my jeep three times.

I don't remember anything before the rolling besides saying "man! I can't believe how awake I am and we're going to be home in 3 hours!" Sophie says we were having a conversation and she reached down to her feet for something and I lost control (closed my eyes) and over corrected and we flipped/skid three times, eventually landing right side up. Sophie thought the car was going to explode so she kept telling me to get out but my arm had gone through the driver side window so it was cut/not going anywhere. She ran to help me out and she said I was really really white, even my lips were white, and she kept telling me to sit down. I really don't remember much about waiting for the ambulance it is (understandably) a blur.

We called our parents (3 hours away) and were taken to the hospital and tested. We both have lots of cuts and huge bruises but not a SINGLE broken bone or anything major.

We are TRULY TRULY blessed! The airbags didn't deploy and when we went back to get the stuff from the car we were amazed that we were able to walk away. If we didn't have our seatbelts on we would for sure be seriously injured...actually dead. We would be dead because the whole area around us in the cab of the car is smashed in and our seatbelts held us in place.

It really is a miracle!

beside the fact that my arm was hanging out the window and I can't lift it and it is numb (they say it isn't broken, I believe them) our injuries were minor. Of course were are incredibly sore form whiplash and such but we walked away without injury!

(which is more than I can say for my totaled Jeep)

Actually without injury would be a little bit of a fib. I love my hair (as is evident by this blog!) and I was in such a state of shock that my hair started falling out! Gross I know, but it isn't just like little pieces of hair, huge chunks of my hair! It is sick! I feel like Jo on Little Women when she cuts her hair and her sister says, "your one beauty!" :(

I can't complain though! I'm ALIVE! WE are alive! We truly truly truly are blessed, it is a good thing we said our prayers before leaving!

Oh- and Sophie and I did suffer a casualty. They had to cut our bra's off for our chest scans and Sophie was wearing he favorite bra and I was wearing my ONLY bra! I had just packed the day before and thought, oh I know...I'll get rid of all of these bras I never wear and I'll buy amazing new ones when I get home.

And Sorry to anyone who got a text from me this morning with a picture of me on a stretcher with some comment "guess I should have taken a nap" or something like that. I guess I was trying to channel my shock into humor and that was NOT funny but I was delusional.

Sorry

Hug????

2009-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

I want a hug.
Not because I'm in a bad mood because at this moment my mood seems to be ok, but instead of craving food (which I should be because I went grocery shopping all of once this semester-I told myself I'd only eat when I went on a date...and we see how well that turned out- jk but I did only go grocery shopping once this semester ) like a normal human being would be, I am craving a hug!
That is all.
And you know what is the next best thing if you can't give me a hug? A comment :)

PS:
This is for you Jake ;)

Sexy arms AND sexy face!

#64

2009-07-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

# 64 in my book: 2,001 Things to do Before You Die (which I made reference to in this blog) is "Eat Alligator"

Well after tonight I can check #64 off the list!

My friends Lydia, Jason, Carson, and I went to BJ'S Bayou in Robert's Idaho where we ate alligator tail!

Honestly it tasted like chicken!
Hmmm...what if they gave us chicken and just told us it was alligator (head-scratching).

Anyway...the place was kind of weird but fun all at the same time.
We were the only ones there and the waitress basically sat with us the whole time, it was strange.
Nevertheless I ate alligator!!
Woot!!

To Tell or Not To Tell...That Is The Question

2009-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

"Like anyone would be, I am flattered by your fascination with me."
-Alanis Morissette

Hmmm...I'm not quite sure Alanis got it right with that lyric.
Are we REALLY flattered when someone is fascinated with us or does it freak us out?

I've always thought it would be fun to have a stalker or someone that had a crush on me. I thought it would be a self esteem booster. But never having been in that situation it is hard to gauge exactly how I would react.

When people have crushes on their friends or are attracted to their friends is it better to just let that go unspoken or should you tell them? It doesn't seem like it would hurt to tell your friend you are attracted to them, but most people don't know how to take a compliment like that. Because in the end that is really all that it is, it is a compliment. Nothing needs to be read into it but something always does get read into it.
On the other hand...I do see where it could get awkward.
I have a male friend who has a female friend and one day this female friend confessed a crush on this male friend. The male friend politely said that he didn't return affection but would enjoy still being friends.
No harm done right?
But in most situations I don't think the "crushee" can keep their cool like my male friend did.
It seems to me that if you tell your friend you've kind of got a thing for them they start pushing you away so you won't get even more attached to someone that doesn't return "crush" feelings. And that seems considerate to an extent but then that means you are losing a friend.
Which is why most people just keep their mouth shut. Because there is no need to lose a friend just because no one knows how to properly take a compliment.

Cologne: Helping Ugly Guys Look Handsome

2009-07-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

I know it's been said before (never in my blog) but cologne can be a magical thing. Recently my roommate and I have been distracted in church because some man smells SO good!
There is a limit. Too much cologne screams "I'm a tool!"

Plus cologne isn't the only thing that works to make a man look more attractive than he really is. The other day in one of my classes the guy sitting in front of me smelled like a bar of soap and it smelled so good! I couldn't concentrate because he smelled so good! And I have NEVER looked at this guys twice, he isn't very attractive to me at all, but because he smelled good I was masked. Soap, laundry...basically anything that smells clean.

The same type of thing happened to me in my Russian class today. Except it had nothing to do with smell. I know I've said it before (I even wrote a blog about it) but I'm a huge fan of well toned arms.
(a delicious zack efron arm! look at the veins and lack of hair!!! I love it!!)

Well a guy in my class today who isn't attractive to me AT ALL, was holding a book up in-between the rows so the person in the seat across from him could read it. His arm was SO attractive. It looked just like the one in the picture and I couldn't focus! I was staring and grinning like a creep! But I couldn't help it! And for the whole time he was holding up that book there was no one as attractive as him.
haha

Grody part 2

2009-07-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

My friend told me today, after saying my name incorrectly which I think he said he did on purpose, that he peed in the shower the other day which made him think of me.
(In response to my Grody! blog)
That, my friends, is grody!

haha

(To my friend who peed in the shower-who might read this even though you said you couldn't "commit" to reading my blog-I didn't use your name because I wasn't sure if you'd be embarrassed and then next time I see you you'd give me one of those looks you give me sometimes :)

I'm forgotten and not yet gone...

2009-07-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

First off listen to #57 on my playlist on the right: "Fred Jones Part 2" by Ben Folds
really....don't pretend you are listening...actually listen.

I have always had this problem where people mean more to me than I mean to them. I've also been plagued with an amazing memory so I basically never forget anyone. This isn't a joke, just ask my friend Amanda. (ok, she is in Russia so you can't ask her, but honestly...I remember EVERYONE, first name, last name, possibly even their birthday)

So imagine my sadness as I am getting ready to leave Rexburg for the last time and never come back. I have made friends here who I know for a fact I will never see again. And it is ok that I'll never see them again because I know they'll be in my memory but I'm afraid I won't be in their memory. Especially since some of them are still going to be here having fun with their other friends and new people they meet and I'll be out of sight out of mind.
I care way too much what people think of me, which is why I try to make as big an impression on them as I can so they can't forget me but it is inevitable. And I know people forgetting me isn't the worst thing that could happen but in my head it is! I am crazy I know....it shouldn't make me cry....I shouldn't worry about it. I just want everyone to have a "Tacy Void" when I'm not around. haha.
So basically I'm just sad to be leaving everyone. I'm glad that I'll be done with school but I've become so comfortable with it that I am terrified to leave. I don't know if I'm ready. I know that is to be expected but I'm really not taking it very well....at all.

I did have a guy tell me the other day (I gave him a ride cause he was limping and it made me sad) that if he never sees me again he'll look forward to seeing my shining smile in the afterlife. haha. I guess my smile made an impression on him.
Ok...I'll stop crying now...maybe :)
ps: it is never a good idea to leave me alone with my thoughts for too long. I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to that.
pps: this blog makes me seem incredibly needy. If you don't already know that I'm needy then it is a good thing you found out this way instead of having to experience it first hand.

Grody!

2009-07-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

Grody: (gro-dy) nasty, dirty, disgusting, foul, revolting, yucky; slang from grotesque

I was reading a beauty magazine (don't read them...they'll only make you feel ugly! confused? refer to my last blog) and came across an article about being grody.

The magazine polled about 1,000 women and asked them questions about their hygiene.

Here is one that really grossed me out:

Have You Ever Peed In The Shower?
more than 75% of women polled admit to it
"Let's start with a few facts: toilet flushing accounts for almost 27% of indoor water use in a home. The amount used per flush ranged from a gallon in eco-friendly model to a whopping seven in older types. Where are we going with this? We beseech you: Save water! Save the planet! Pee in the shower! OK, we won't insist, but it isn't really that gross. Unless you have an infection, urine is sterile and nontoxic. Proponents of "urine therapy" even believe it can help treat athlete's foot. Heck, Dr. Billy freely admits that he is a shamless shower squirter."

ok... I have had this discussion with friends in the past and I think I am the only one who finds this disgusting! I guess guys do it on a regular (is that true male readers?) but for girls it seems that much more grody.
What do you think?

Trust Me

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

I'm running out of things to post.......

Remember back in 99 there was a song on the radio that wasn't really a song it was just a guy talking to music?
That song gives some great advice! I've posted the lyrics and highlighted a few of my favorite lines.....If you want to listen to it, it's #11 on my playlist on the right.

"Everybody's Free....To Wear Sunscreen"

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now:
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked
….You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary
…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can
…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance.
…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…

Sorry To Disappoint

2009-07-02T01:49:00.001-07:00

In response to my mom's comment on my last blog:
"...I hope you are as worried about your school work as you seem to be about men/women relationships lately."

I just thought I'd let you know that no, I am not as worried about my school work.

It is terrible I know but every high school/college senior has known the feeling.

And I wouldn't say I'm "worried" about men/women relationships, but they have been occupying my thoughts lately. Probably because I'm about to graduate from "BYU-I Do".

Is it possible for a girl to complete four years at BYU-Idaho without a single date?

the answer: yes.

I don't know how I achieved it, but I did.

My sister achieved the same fete! (she did do some one on one 'hanging out' but a date is Planned, Paid For, and Paired Off)

It isn't the end of the world, and I obviously haven't melted or internally combusted or anything but it is still kind of weird.

I hate to toot my own horn (that's a lie) but I think I'd be a fun date! I know how to keep a conversation going and I think I know how to have fun.

Too bad no one at BYU-Idaho will ever find out.

Well I guess that isn't entirely true...there are still twenty something more days left until I can officially claim to have graduated 100% dateless, but who is kidding who here?

That is IF I graduate. If I keep "worrying" about men/women relationships and keep not worrying about school I might find myself another semester to find a date.

ENDNOTE:

I swear if I get a single comment that says something to the effect of "don't base your academic success on the amount of dates you've gone on" or "don't 'worry' about it, I still love you" I'll scream. Now that I think about it I probably shouldn't have posted this blog, but what is done is done! Please don't confuse my blog as a plea for sympathy. I don't need sympathy! Perfectly amazing girls go years dateless all the time! Right?

10 Things He Wishes You Knew

2009-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading a magazine and came across the "man manual" section.

The article was titled
"10 Things Guys Wish You Knew"

So here they are:
(Fella's who read my blog will you let me know which ones are true?)

10 Things Guys Wish You Knew
1. You look sexy when you're puffy from lying on the pillow all night.
(This is funny because my roommates and I were just talking about how no girls sleeps pretty! You always have your mouth half open with your face squished and your hair matted to your cheeks)
2. We don't understand your addiction to celebrity gossip. Whatever you do, don't talk about it on a date.
3. Guys get a monthly type of PMS too. We get moody and need our space.
4. It's the hottest thing when you say, "Are you going to kiss me now?"
5. We read and reread your texts and e-mails.
6. It's annoying when a girl continues to ask, "What's really on your mind?" Eventually, the answer is going to be "You asking stupid questions is what's on my mind."
7. A lot of us are insecure about our bodies. Women look like beautiful, soft, gorgeous angels when they're naked. We look like hairy orgers or little scrawny trolls.
8. It's cool when a girl isn't weird about food. I love a woman who will eat something slimy.
9. Never tell a guy he's just like your father. It creeps us out.
****Parental Advisory of Sorts****
10. Put on a men's dress shirt and nothing else. We'll be able to unbutton it no problem, and it shows off your legs in a wonderful way.

Dear Jason

2009-06-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

My friend Jason told me he read my blog (even though he didn't leave a comment) and he thought perhaps a blog or two were directed at him.

Well Jason, this blog IS directed at you!

If you read my blog you HAVE to leave a comment!
And STOP calling me Stacy :D

ps: sorry about the funky side angle picture...that is all I had and I am not a creeper who would save a picture of you from your facebook page to put on my blog and I can't post a blog without a picture.

The Magic That Is Me

2009-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

I know that more often than not I write blogs that make me seem like the most narcissistic person in the world.
Really I'm not! I, like most girls and even some men I presume, am incredibly insecure and self-conscious so I tell myself (and everyone else) they should love me!

Well today I took a quiz on facebook that professed to tell me my best "trait". It was Joyfullness and this was the description it gave me:

You light up a room with your smile and laughter, and people gravitate to you because of your joyfulness. You love life and get excited about all it has to offer. You love to cheer people up and give them encouragement when they are down. Your bubbly personality and genuine smile brighten up peoples' day. Your positive attitude helps lighten up those who take life too seriously. You know how to have fun, let loose, be spontaneous. Be it life's greatest experiences or just the small simple details of life, you soak it all up and it inspires everyone around you...

Even though it was a stupid facebook thing I felt like it really did describe me! I've had my roommates and other friends lately tell me that almost word for word!
I say it all the time, but I LOVE making people happy! I love making people smile!
It BUGS me when there is someone who refuses to let me make them happy! It kind of makes me feel like I'm failing in some way! Like my job is to go around spreading joy and happiness and if I can't make everyone smile I lose the game!
************
ADDITION:
So my friend Jason read my blog (even though I have told him MILLIONS of times he can't read my blog without leaving a comment) and he thought one of my blogs had to do with him. Well if you want me to name names Jason, I can!
It BUGS me that I can't make you smile! For some reason I'm always drawn to these guys who I can't make smile (michael haas anyone??) and I refuse to let them go until they realize how amazing I am!
There you have it! I won't leave you alone until you realize how amazing I am!

Open Mouth Insert Foot

2009-06-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been saying things that I regret!
Everyone knows the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I should probably heed that council.
The other day a group of my friends and I were sitting around talking. We started talking about a date my roommate had gone on. The guy was really nice but he was a real big dork! So when my guy friends asked my roommate to explain why he was a dork I decided to step in. I started with, "Well the first time I met this guy......" (and three of the guys interrupted me and said, "we know him!" and proceeded to say his name followed by affirmations of their love for him. I wanted to crawl under the table!
A few days later I was talking about a Biology teacher I hated and was saying how awful of a teacher he was and my roommate said, "Well he is probably never going to teach here again." (she is a biology major and knows everything that goes on in the biology department). I asked why and she proceeded to tell me that he was in a motorcycle accident with his 11 year old daughter. The daughter had major skull fractures and my teacher also had major skull fractures and they had to amputate his leg and they aren't sure if he has any brain activity left or if he is even going to survive much longer.
I felt horrible!

So basically I need to start talking nicer.

Liar Liar Pants On Fire!

2009-06-24T16:16:00.001-07:00

The other day a few of my roommates and our guy friends were having a discussion about dating do's and don'ts and favorite and worst date stories.
At some point in the discussion my roommate (I think it was my roommate) asked the guys if it was ok for a girl to ask a guy on a date, or if guys didn't like that.
All the guys said they would never turn a girl down and that they don't mind when a girl asks them. The only problem is the "who is gonna pay?" situation which, now that I think about it, we didn't resolve.

Anyway....I'm calling them out!
That is a huge lie!

Girls shouldn't have to ask guys out anyway, guys should be on top of that.

Lame-o!

The Way Your Smile Just Beams....

2009-06-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

I'm writing a things I love blog. Hopefully it'll get me out of my funk. I'm sick of being in a funk.

I LOVE so you think you can dance! I have a class that doesn't end until 1/2 hour into the show so I have to watch the first few dances online but it is SO worth it!

I love having a clean kitchen. I can't function in a messy kitchen.
We have fhe at my house every Monday, and even though I'm sure my bros don't really care about the cleanliness of my kitchen I clean it for them, which always puts me in a better mood because nothing is worse than a sink full of dishes.
(unrinsed ones at that)

I shouldn't love facebook, and sometimes I don't, but more often than not I do.

Mmmmm, I LOVE these pizza's! They aren't very many calories (330 or something close to that) and they are filling and DELICIOUS!

I love the Cash Cab. The questions are more realistic than Jeopardy plus there is something very attractive about Ben Bailey. It might be his voice.

I love steak, and I can't eat a steak without A1!

I love that this picture on facebook has 1,042 comments on it, and about 1,000 of them have NOTHING to do with the picture.

I love my car. It gets me where I want to go and it does it in style.

I love laughing, but more importantly I love making people laugh. I said it in a previous blog, but nothing makes me happier than making someone smile or laugh.

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella.....For Now

2009-06-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

I've got a personal space bubble. I don't hug. I don't give or receive massages. I'll never ask you to scratch my back and if you ask me to scratch yours I'll respectfully decline. I don't like touching people and I don't like them touching me.

For some reason lately I've just wanted to give people a big hug. Not a little hug, a big hold for a few seconds hug.

Plus I heard somewhere that hugs help lower your blood pressure decreasing your risk of heart disease. I don't want heart disease.

I've also wanted to "snuggle" with someone. I snuggled with someone once in my lifetime and I'm pretty sure I could snuggle with someone again, it'd just have to be the right person (and by right person I don't mean I need to be in love to snuggle, snuggling is so non-committal! I mean I'd have to be comfortable snuggling with that person. I can't snuggle with a twig!)

So if you are within hugging distance of me I'd invite you to let me give you a hug.
This bubble might not have this hole in it for very long so act quickly.

And if any gentlemen would let me snuggle with them so I can fill my snuggle void that'd be awesome! I wouldn't even read anything into it like some girls would.

Hugs are like emotional Heimlich's.
Someone puts their arms around you and they give you a squeeze and all your fear and anxiety come shooting out of your mouth in a big wet wad and you can breath again.
-Chuck from Pushing Daisies

Supersize My Dog

2009-06-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

My parents boarded my dog at the vet for the week they were in Utah and my dog wouldn't eat anything because he was depressed (poor little guy). So the vet, in a last attempt to get my dog to eat something went to McDonalds and bought him a chicken sandwhich (my dog is allergic to beef so it had to be chicken).
My dog ate it.
We don't feed my dog McDonalds on a regular basis, or ever actually so who knows why he would only eat that.
Weird