I'm Easy Like Sunday Morning

Let's just get this out of the way...I love crushed ice! I think it elevates a simple, pedestrian drink into the most delicious beverage that I have ever consumed. Much to my chagrin, most restaurants do not serve this icy cold delight, but instead use the much more cumbersome, cubed ice. While this does the ntended job of cooling down my drink, I just want some crushed ice!

So imagine my sheer delight when I went to lunch at a new place today, and found myself facing the most luxurious, silken crushed ice I have ever seen. I wanted to crawl in that glass, and live in there like a snow globe! (Alright, that was a little much) Well, the food at this place was totally over priced, but with their glorious ice and smooth jams pumping over the stereo, I had no choice but to add it to my regular lunch rotation. No choice! And now I feel sheepish.

Beaten by a Dog

I've run my share of races over the years. I'm used to being in the middle/bottom of the pack. I've been passed by children, old ladies, and a clown. But this was a first. Yesterday I ran a 5K. Early on in the race I heard a jingling sound behind me, and it was getting closer...and closer...

Yep, it was a dog. Someone was running with their dog on a leash. They passed me and I forgot all about it.

I was thrilled at the end when I got a PR in the race! I looked through my results today, and found out I finished 13th in my age category! I was feeling pretty good...until I saw this:

#6

Alice The Wonder Dog

Age 28

Time 25:34.6

Pace 8:13/M

Yep...the owners of that dog not only ran with her, but entered her in the race, and gave her a bib number. And due to dog years, she placed sixth in my age category. You just can't have any pride.

Oh well - if I have to be beaten by a dog, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing it was a Wonder Dog!

Mmm, this Corn is FANCY!

Know what I think is funny? That ketchup is always labeled "fancy." Same thing with canned corn and other canned vegetables. How did this start? And of all the words they could've chosen - deluxe, premium, or, heck, even tasty - why choose "fancy?"

Probably because it makes me giggle.

Daughtry, Dancing and Def Leppard . . . a few of my favorite things

Loving that Dancing with the Stars is back and it premiered with a cover of one of my favorite bands, Def Leppard, and their song Photograph by Chris Daughtry. Loved it! And to continue with my D-alliteration . . . Derek is one great dancer.

What is at Walgreen's

I have always been perplexed about why Walgreen's keep sprouting up all over the place. Who goes there? I have since discovered my reasons to stop there from time-to-time. Sometimes I don't want to navigate through the football-field sized WalMart when I only need a couple of things, so I stop there. They have so many random things . . . such as the "As Seen on TV" items that have infomercials that are always fascinating to watch. The pharmacy is always jumping. And, my favorite is that I can find obscure candy there . . . the kind that make good candy-grams. Personally, I love getting a cherry Tangy Taffy whenever I am there and remember that from when I was younger. Recently when I was buying one, the cashier commented on how much she loved Tangy Taffy too and it reminded her of her childhood as well. Exactly.

Youth Conference Gems

We had our Youth Conference this weekend . . . a whirlwind jam-packed all-in-one day. We dropped off the last kids at 10:30 pm and were exhausted. We have 9:00 a.m. church, which came very early, and as I sat by the door, someone asked how Youth Conference was. I mentioned that we were out pretty late and she replied, "Oh, is that why you look so tired." No joke. I guess I need to pack on more undereye coverup next week. Thanks, J.

A happy find during our Conference was a yummy strawberry lemonade drink that we had during dinner. I don't know if it just tasted good because we were so hot and tired, but it was delicious. I asked them what it was . . . me the person who hand squeezes lemons and crushes real strawberries . . . it is none other than Kool-Aid's Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade. I can't remember the last time I have had Kool-Aid . . . but I am sipping it right now I thought it was so good. Yum!!!

I Just Lost Some Brain Cells

I make a lot of phone calls every day. And one thing that makes me SEETHE (one of my favorite words by the way) with rage, are the voicemail instructions that I am forced to listen to when I just want to leave a message. Really, are we that dumb that we don't know to leave a message after the beep?

And has anyone ever tried the numeric page option? It must be pretty popular because it's usually the first option! But my favorite is, “When you have finished recording, you may hang up.” Oh, really!? So glad you mentioned that! I would have stayed on the line forever!

And it happens when I try to retrieve my own messages. When I call in for messages, I’m told, “To listen to your messages, press 1.” Why else would I be calling!? Unless there's a secret option to order a pizza, then I'm all for it.

TAG! The 10 Oldest Shows on Your DVR

Consider yourself tagged: I want you to name the 10 oldest shows on your DVR...you know, the ones you just can't bring yourself to get rid of. As you will see by my list, you must include items even though they are embarrassing* (thank goodness 10 shows is too few to reach my stash of made-for-tv Christmas movies)

My 10 oldest are all movies, and they may surprise you (they surprised me).

1. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

2. Drive Me Crazy*

3. Gladiator (edited for TV of course)

4. Staying Alive*

5. Mission: Impossible

6. The Truman Show

7. Crocodile Dundee

8. Brian Regan: Standing Up

9. Can't Buy Me Love*

10. Spiderman II

What's on your list?

Cooler Than Me

Oh how I love me some Provo. I was driving along the other day, and heard what I thought was a really loud scooter pass me by. As it slowly scooted by, I realized that this was not your typical scooter:

Look closely...this is not just a scooter, it's the original fun bus! That's right, this gent is riding on a cooler on top of a Razor scooter, outfitted with a lawnmower motor! Tell me that's not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen! And, it actually worked out pretty well for me. At the next stop sign, I winked at him, and he totally gave me a drink from his cooler. And it was delicious.

Pet Peeve

One of my pet peeves is when I'm listening to a song on the radio and it has either sirens, alarms, or a phone ringing. It is totally disarming and gets the adrenaline going - especially with sirens. Recently, I've heard the new Jesse McCartney song, Shake, and the phone rings about three times in that one . . . and of course, the ring sounds just like my phone. It drives me crazy . . . in a Britney Spears kind of way.

Spring Spruce

I took some pictures a while back of some areas in my house that I spruced up during the spring. Recently, when I was home a lot, but without a lot of money, I loved discovering things on etsy.com and especially vinyl lettering that I could put around my house. I have a love for putting lettering all over. It's inexpensive, easy to change when you want to, and comes in all sorts of fonts and designs. Love it.
Our last name provides lots of inspiration. I found this letter at Hobby Lobby . . . can we talk about how great that store is . . . for less than $2 and painted it myself. I loved this print from etsy and the clear frame from WalMart.


Love President Hinckley's quotes which inspire and remind.

My basement bath needed lots of help for its bare walls . . .



And then upstairs too . . . now I think I've got the walls all covered and am content for a bit.

Lovely Labor Day

I love Labor Day . . . there is nothing better than a Monday holiday. You don't get the Sunday blues thinking of going to work the next day and you get a shorter work week to boot. It's great and we wanted to make the most of it. We started out going to Swiss Days early on Saturday morning. I absolutely LOVE Swiss Days in Midway . . . a giant craft fair that I have been going to for years. But, the trick is to get there early, right when it opens at 8, and then we are done by 11 or so when the many strollers start to appear and crowd the tight rows. Kristen is holding the coveted item . . . the booth that always has a huge line . . . the wrapping paper. They have cute styles that you just can't find anywhere. We also ended up with some other fun decorations. And, we can't go to Swiss Days without a giant scone and other delectable treats . . . yummm!

Then, the Bird's Nest gals thought it would be fun to get a place up in the Canyons . . . so after church, we scurried up there and invited the family up for dinner and to hang out.
The kids all easily fit on one of the beds.

Emma and Melinda

Sara enjoyed the mega tub . . . and the soft bathrobes

Kristen and Jacob

Julie and Jena

Grandpa and Sara

We had fun playing games together and snacking on Kristen's famous guacamole and Holli's scrumptious pina coladas . . . the ingredients to which are always a staple in my pantry.

The next day, Kristen and Melinda and I took to our phones to find a great place for lunch . . . and boy did we find one. There were great reviews for a sushi place in a strip mall in Kimball Junction called Shoyu Sushi House. Once we found it, we tried several rolls and we loved it. I think we all agree that our personal favorite was the salmon crunch roll that was filled with crab, avocado and other delights, then smothered in a salmon topping that we pretty much licked off of the plate. We would definitely go there again. Then on to shopping at the Park City outlet malls . . . along with everyone else in the valley. The line to get in to park was ridiculous! But, once we were in there, we had some good success. Sushi and shopping . . . the makings of a perfect day.

Really?

We have a shred bin in our office. You know, where we put your confidential HR documents to be shredded. The other day I noticed the caution at the top of the bin:

"NO HOT ASHES"

Really? This was so much of a problem that they had to put it on the lid of EVERY shred bin? What yay-hoos are putting hot ashes in a plastic bin???

Chocolate Heaven

A few weeks ago I had a YW getting her Medallion in church. For her Sunday celebration, I asked what her favorite kind of treat was and she said anything chocolate. Come Saturday night, I had to pick something up to be ready for the morning and Melinda told me about a local secret . . . the famous Dunford Double Fudge Chocolate Doughnuts are available at 7-11 24/7. Did you know that? I had only known about the retail store in West Jordan or Costco, which are not convenient late on a Saturday night . . . so I went around to my local Sev's and purchased the cutest little chocolate doughnuts and was all set. If you haven't tried these doughnuts . . . they are A-Maz-Ing! I kind of want to lick the picture . . . don't judge.

Milestone

My sweet car just hit the 200,000 mile mark . . . never thought I'd have a car that long. Shortly after my job sabbatical started, my car started acting up. . . again . . . and I think while I was out of work, my car was in the shop 3 times for different things. Awesome timing. Thanks to Keng, (who I'm pretty sure that I have provided for his entire family this year), he keeps my Acura running strong. I'm at the point where the repairs far outweigh a monthly car payment . . . but I have to hang on for a little while longer. . . knock on wood. I'm excited for the cooler weather . . . my little car has to work so hard in the hot summer months, that it takes a good 5-10 minutes for it to cool down after I turn it off from driving. Many people think that my car is still running after I have turned it off and have long since left . . . oh no, it's just cooling off. Here's to hanging on for a little while longer.

I Hate it When That Happens

The other day I drove through McDonald's to get one of my favorite things . . . an ice cold large, REGULAR, Coke for $1.00 . . . $1.07 with tax . . . yay!!! I get so excited when I have a few extra minutes to take time to do this little luxury . . . so I go through, get my drink and drive off. I unwrap the straw for my drink and start to take a sip when . . . I realize that it's DIET Coke . . . blehhh!!! Melinda has seen the reaction when I taste this imitation beverage instead of my favorite regular Coke and it's not pretty . . . there may be some gagging involved. By this time, I am already back on the freeway on my way . . . and I'm miffed. I can't even drink it . . . it tastes so bad to me. I realize that I am probably one of the few women in the Wasatch front that doesn't crave a Diet Coke . . . and I also realize that I probably could use it based on the amount of Cokes I drink . . . however I don't want it. Please just give me my regular Coke. This happens more than it should . . . boo! And, I also carry straws in my car because I have been caught without one from these same drive throughs, which is also a bummer when I go to drink the goodness. Really, I just need a fountain drink dispenser in my car and I'd be all set.

I Laughed. Out Loud.

You know those messages people make with plastic cups on the freeway overpasses? They usually spell out "Welcome Home, Elder," or "Will you marry me?" or things like that. Today I saw this profound thought spelled out neatly with the cups:

POOP!

I laughed out loud. Without the exclamation point it's just stupid kids messing around. With the exclamation point it's genius. Your thoughts?