abstract thoughts

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two years ago 

four years ago

five years ago

Ten on Tuesday

First of all. I really wish I was more creative with my post titles. Suggestions on how to  be more creative? Maybe there's a creative pill somewhere I can take...

anyways. Here's my take on the Ten on Tuesday questions

1. What was/is your favorite live action (meaning not animated) kids movie?
hmmm...this question is harder than you might think it is! non animated kids movie? I can't remember the last one I saw! I was a huge fan of Free Willy growing up. I think we'll go with that one.

2. What is a bad habit you have? Are you working on breaking it?
I have plenty of bad habits, and I am working on breaking them. I don't plan on sharing them though. they are private.

3. Describe your father in 3 words.
Smart, Fun, Caring

4. Which character in the Breakfast Club were you most like in the ’80s?
I think I've only seen the first 5 minutes of this movie. So....I have no idea. YOU TELL ME!!

5. Name 5 songs you know ALL the lyrics to.
Oh man. I'm pretty sure they're all Disney. I'm too shy to really prove it though. So I'm not sure I really do. I prefer to sing along with a song rather than sing on my own.

6. Do you make pancakes from scratch or a box mix?
I've done both. It really depends. If a mix is on sale, I'll buy it and use it. however, i can totally make them from scratch if necessary.

7. What was your worst job ever? Why?
Hmmm. I've always enjoyed my jobs. The hardest was my paper route I had as a kid. Only because i hated going out in all sorts of CRAZY weather . That was so not fun.

8. What was your favorite class in high school?
High school was a piece of cake. I loved my physics classes, but that's only because I had the most awesome teacher ever. Not because I love science. Quite the opposite really. She made it fun.

9. Favorite summer guilty pleasure?
Summer is non-existent when you're a grown-up with a grown-up job. However, my guilty pleasure is going to the water park on the weekends and playing like a kid. I'm rather excited to do that really soon. :o)

10. Please share your best money saving tip!
I budget. Or at least try to. I discovered (through the recommendation of a friend) Mint.com. This site is awesome and I love how it shows your spending trends, etc. It's really super awesome.  That's my tip.

Have a fabulous Tuesday y'all. I know I will.

Musings on a Monday

Musings is an interesting word. I like the way it sounds and then makes me think "hmmm..." Do you have a word you just love?

Anyways. Back to the topic. Musings on a Monday.Things I'm thinking about in no particular order:

• my weekend was fabulous. camping was awesome, the weather was perfect, I sat in the sun. Basically I love my summer weekends.
• I love sitting in the grass and watching the clouds float by. I did this several times this weekend. I love grass. 
• three year-olds are adorable and i love them. I also love their seemingly endless energy.
• cheesecake makes my clothes shrink. or at least i think it will. sigh.
• I get really upset when someone stands me up. They've apologized, but I'm still holding a grudge. too much? should i just forgive them? i mean, it's said and done now....but still i keep thinking of ways to make them pay but then that makes me feel bad. :P
• I'm getting a new phone! My mommy put it in the mail today. I can't wait for it to get here! :o)
• I love getting mail. Makes my heart happy.
• My bestest friend gets home from her mission at the end of August. I'm rather stoked for this.
• I need to see Toy Story 3. Pronto.
• I'm excited to go to the gym this week. This is a good thing to be excited about.

well...there you go. musings on a monday. what are you musing about right now?

four years ago

Final Friday of the month of June

So basically Christmas is 6 months away from today. How crazy sauce is that?! Also. Today is Friday and I am counting my blessings that the week went by much quicker than last week. I am so grateful.

Also, Linda Eder was abosuletely FABULOUS last night. Minus the fact that she wouldn't indulge any of us and let us stage door her. Sigh. I'm sure Kristy will tell you all about that whenever she posts about the awesomeness. I seriously went to this concert with the best people in the world. It was perfect and I loved every minute of it. Except for when I found taffy on my slacks. That was sad-sauce.

Anyways. It is Friday which means it's time for Friday Fill-ins. woot!!

1. On vacation, I like to read and not worry about anything.
2. There are so many different types of fishes in the ocean.
3. One of my favorite vacation spots is Fish Lake. So many memories at that lovely lake down south.
4.This weekend is the perfect weekend to spend a romantic evening outside because of the full moon.
5. Up, up and away, I'll fly away!
6. Bananas make very good banana bread. YUM!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to camping in the mountains w/SwingKid's ward. Woo Hoo!, tomorrow my plans include NOT TEACHING and enjoying the fact that Saturday is ALL MINE. YES and Sunday, I want to hmm...I'm not sure, just enjoy it for being another day of the weekend I guess!

one year ago
two years ago

wordless expressions

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*sniff*

I love the smell of a summer morning. I think it smells SO good. If I could just sit outside from 9-11a every morning I would be one happy camper.  Unfortunately, this is not a possibility for me. C'est la vie.

In other news. It's Tuesday. Yesterday was a FOREVER long day and today, oh man today. Today I sat down to my desk and the phone started to ring at 8:05 am and didn't stop ringing until 30 minutes ago. My to-do list of things to finish from yesterday is still incomplete and my to-do list from things to do today is already as long as my first to-do list. I might die by the end of today. At least the day is flying by though. I need this whole week to just fly by so that I can enjoy my weekend with no ballet classes. :o)

and now, a little Ten on Tuesday meme for all y'all. Loves.

1. If you could trade lives with another blogger for a day, who would it be and why?
hmmm. Well, Gabrielle from Design Mom is pretty awesome, but then there is the Pioneer Woman who also is wicked cool. I just don't know. There are so many cool people that I want to be like! I'd probably put them all in  hat and then just choose one randomly. :o)

2. Do you prefer receiving handmade or store bought gifts? Be honest!
ooo. Some of my favorite gifts have been handmade. There is something special about a handmade gift that just oozes "I care about you and I made this especially for YOU." However, SwingKid is very good at picking out gifts for me and he always nails it right on the nose. So...it depends I guess.

3. Would you rather camp or stay in a hotel?
I love, love, love camping. I haven't been in ages, but I REALLY want to go sometime soon. :o) However, a hotel is nice every once in a while, but right now I just want to go camping.

4. What’s your favorite comfort food?
french fries. I love fries. mmmm. yummy.

5. You’re having a really bad day at work. How do you unwind when you come home?
well. it depends. I either cuddle up next to SwingKid, watch tv, read a book, or take a bath. The gym usually doesn't happen on really bad days.

6. What’s your favorite chore? (Or, the chore you hate the least)
When I get in the mood, I love organizing and cleaning the kitchen counters, BUT I have to want to do it in order to like it.

7. What got you interested in blogging?
I really don't exactly remember. Probably a combination of it was cool and the 100 Hour Board writers did it and I wanted to be like them so I did it too.

8. Are you currently reading a book? What is it?
I just finished THE DEMON'S COVENANT by Sarah Rees Brennan. It was fabulous. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. I have three books on my shelf to read and I'm excited about all of them, I just have to pick one. :o)

9. Do you have a favorite artist?
hmmm. I like art generally. It changes with what the art is for and where I'm putting it.

10. Have you ever met someone famous?
hmm....Nope. Unless you count Cosmo the Cougar. My dad at one point worked with the cheerleaders and I was very good friends with Cosmo at the age of 8. :o)

two years ago

SUMMER!!!!

Today is the first day of Summer, in more ways than one.

Way one: summer solstice. most obvious and necessary for Summer to happen.

Way two: the ballet school year is OVER. After a marathon of FOUR shows in one day, I am done for the next 8ish weeks. WOO HOO!!! No more teaching after work. I love teaching and all, but I definitely need the break. fo'sho'.

Anyways. That's what I did this weekend. It felt like my weekend disappeared in a flurry of tutus and the same ballet music over and over and over.

this morning I was up WAY too early for any normal person to take Sister B to the airport. She is currently on her first leg of her journey to Ireland. I'm way excited for her. She's going to have a blast. :o)

And now, I best be back to work. I'm tired as all get out and can't focus, but I'm still going to try and work. ha.

three years ago
four years ago
five years ago

fa la la la la la la la

*I'm not sure why this never posted. I had it scheduled and everything. Blogger decided to have a mind of it's own though. However, this post HAS to post before I can post for reals today. so...here you go.

It's Friday! and I'm singing for joy! This week was ridiculously long and I thought I was going to die. Especially when on Tuesday I thought it was Thursday so on Wednesday it was Friday in my head so when I realized it's only Wednesday I sort of freaked out and wondered how I was going to survive. (also, that seemed like the longest sentence in the world to type. it's probably grammatically incorrect. oh well. i don't care enough to fix it right now.)

Anyways. the point is, it is finally Friday. This weekend is shot to smithereens because of the show for my studio, but I will survive and then next week when I don't have to teach at all and I get to see Linda Eder live for the first time in my life I know I will be able to die from happiness.

 *sigh*

here's a little Friday Fill-in Meme for you all. I really do like the meme. Makes my heart happy.


1. I never seem to notice when it is 6:58. Intriguing yes? I think yes.
2. It was the reason, of course, that my clothes shrunk.
3. Reading The 100 Hour Board is something I no longer feel the need to do.
4. I have another errand to run, then I might get to relax. Maybe. Unless I feel the need to run more errands.
5. Green grass...just go find it. And then take a nap in it, preferably in the sun.
6. What were once vices seem to now be acceptable across the globe.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to date night with SwingKid, tomorrow my plans include 12 hours in a theater and Sunday, I want to recoup and spend a few last minutes with Sister B before taking her to the airport for her study abroad in England!!!

one year ago
two years ago

GOAL!

but not for any one soccer team. I am so not even paying ATTENTION to the World Cup, let alone cheering for somebody.  No, my title refers to my Day Zero project goals that I am working on. I accomplished my VERY FIRST goal last Thursday by taking a spin class. It was hard, but I loved it and I'm going again tonight. :o)  I have about half a dozen (or more?!) goals in progress and I will have just started two more with this post. See, one of my goals is to "Write a book review once a month for 1 year" and another in conjunction with that is to "post 3 reviews of books on my blog."

I want to get in the habit of writing more reviews on Goodreads for the books I read (thus the first goal) and then, because I'm not friends in real life with many of my readers, I want to post 3 of those reviews here on my blog. I'm in no sense a "book blogger" (although I have many friends who ARE! and they are amazing) but I want to share the awesomeness that I read from time to time. So, below you will find my first book review that I will share with all of you.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

First off, I got this book put into my hands by the lovely Angie when I requested something different, maybe a "classic" (?), and something I wouldn't normally pick off a shelf for myself. I wonder if Angie thought of this book as a risky suggestion, but since I trust her so explicitly with her reading suggestions (she's never steered me wrong!), I took this book willingly and a little excited to try something unusual. However, the doubts started to fly as I began this book and wondered what I had gotten myself into with this novel. The thoughts were especially strong when in the beginning I just couldn't seem to connect at all. I'd barely read a chapter at night after swallowing a Sookie Stackhouse book in one gulp. However, once I really started paying this book some attention, it delivered. Big time.

This book has two point of views - that of the Alzheimer ridden Dr. Homer and his daughter - Codi. I loved the telling of this story. It was absolutely perfect. The majority of the book is narrated by Codi but with the snippets of Dr. Homer the book is simply perfection. At one point, my favorite part by far of the book, I really connected with the story and was actually enjoying myself. By about page 200 I was flipping pages like a maniac and I seriously could not put this book down. I stayed up way too late last night drinking in the wonderful dialogue between Codi and the people of Grace and then within her own mind.

I loved Codi's character a lot. I really started to feel a connection with her and while I haven't had all of her same problems, I do feel where she's coming from. I loved the letters from Hallie and the flashbacks to her weird childhood. My favorite part (mentioned earlier) is at one point when Loyd and Codi are driving around and talking about "animal dreams." I loved their philosophical discussion and really enjoyed what they thought about. It made me think on my own life and that's when I found my connection to this book and fell in love with Codi and all of Grace.

I love this book. It's going on my list of books that I must buy in the future and I can't wait to read this book again and again and again....

two years ago 
three years ago 

Feelings expressed wordlessly

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two years ago

four years ago

i'm not feeling creative so this title sucks.

well yesterday went fairly well. I'm happy with everything - for the most part. there are some complaints, but not many. mostly because my girls are awesome. :o)

also. I ran outside last night for the first time in a LONG time (just been doing the treadmill thing) and man ALIVE it was HARD-sauce. I thought I was going to die. Going to have to do more of that running outside business in order to survive the 5k. ugh.

and now...Ten on Tuesday. then more work. then more dress rehearsal (i'm only going to part of today. yay me). woot.

1. What would the title of your autobiography be?
Title: My Awesome Life (not very creative I realize. I can't think this morning)


2. What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard a child say or seen him/her do?
oh. teaching ballet to 3 year-olds and babysitting for much of my teenage years has led to several funny, funny things. I think my favorite though is when my dad was trying to discipline the youngest when she was about 2 and he said to her "young lady, i'm not very happy with you" and my little sister put her hands on her hips and repeated the phrase right back at my dad. It was hilarious.

3. What is your favorite kids game to play?
I love just going to a park and swinging like there are no cares in the world. I'm totally counting that.

4. If you got invited to a potluck BBQ tomorrow, what would you bring?
Seeing as I have not very much food in my fridge and I can't go grocery shopping until Friday...I'd probably jsut make some cookies. I think I have stuff for cookies...




5. If your ears are pierced, how old were you when you got your ears pierced?
I was 12. That was the rule at my house, and I'm okay with that.




6. If you were celebrating your 30th anniversary, where would you want to go?
I would want to go on a Mediterranean cruise. So many awesome places. Now, if that wasn't feasable - Disneyland sounds pretty awesome. Then again, Disneyland always sounds awesome since I have never been ever.


7. What one blogger would you love to meet and why? And what would you want to plan to do with them?
You know, I blog stalk alot of people and there are some really, really cool people out in the blogging world. I'm not sure who I would want to meet at this time. I think in some ways I'd love to meet someone who isn't as noticed in the blogging world and we could hang out and create awesome posts about our adventures and then the world would love us. Or something awesome like that.

8. On a scale from 1-10, how good at you at home decor? (Pictures welcome.)
Probably a 7. I'm fairly crafty and make some  cute things for my house. However, I'm not always good at creating "themes" and my house is sort of hodge-podgey right now. Granted, I live in an apt. with 2 other girls. That could be part of it.

9. Do you have good fingernails?
Ugh. fingernails and I aren't always good friends. mine right now are pretty good in length, but i've been getting hangnails like CRAZY.

10. Pickles: Dill or sweet? Baby, spears, or chips? Plain or on a burger?
Oh i love pickles. Dill and sweet. Cucumber chips are AWESOME. I love sweet pickles - especially during the holidays. I eat pickles however I can get them. They are awesome.

one year ago
four years ago 
five years ago 

thoughts on a monday morning.

This week is not going to be fun. Dress rehearsals are every day this week and the ballet and jazz shows are this weekend. sigh. I am not going to ALL of the dress rehearsals that my company is going to be at, luckily my co-director can attend everything. Regardless, the time I am going to be there is not going to be my favorite. Does anyone actually ENJOY dress rehearsals? for anything? I just don't think they're all that fun.

oh well.

Also, two years ago I met SwingKid. You can find the post linked  below. Soon we'll be celebrating our 2-year anniversary...by running a 5k for the Freedom Fest. :o) Yay for love.


two years ago
three years ago
five years ago

Long time coming...

It's finally Friday all y'all. Seriously, it has been a LONG time coming.

First things first - I took a cycling class last night at the gym. oh my gosh. I am so FREAKING sore. I am sore in places I didn't even know would GET sore from cycling. Sitting at work is not very comfortable today, but I LOVED the class. It was so great. I'm definitely adding it into my weekly regimen.

Second thing - I love the beginning of summer. I really enjoy walking outside and smelling the heat and the summer air. There is something relaxing about it that makes my heart happy.

Third thing - It's the weekend guys! I'm so excited. I don't even have a ton of real plans, but I'm looking forward to some possible relaxation and such.

Finally - Friday Fill-in's!! Woot woot!

1. Running through the grass barefoot in the middle of the afternoon feels great.
2. The solution is to eat more chocoalte.
3. I love having the sound of rain to help me fall asleep.
4. How about some more sunshine and another 3-day weekend?
5. Watching the clouds float by and relaxing in the grass is something I highly recommend!
6. Imagine a bright summer day filled with summer activities...mmm so nice.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to several possibilities, including some fun baking, tomorrow my plans include my last class with this year's junior company and a good friend's wedding reception and Sunday, I want to make it to my early morning meeting and try to catch up on some sleep!

How I feel (in 5 photos) Wednesday....

editor's note: I saw this from a blog I stalk (don't you just love blog stalkers? I do.) and thought it was perfect for me today. You will see it from time to time. Loves!

two years ago
three years ago 
four years ago
five years ago

Ten on Tuesday + other scattered thoughts

As I was getting ready and driving to work this morning I know I had some clever things to blog. Then I realized that some of those clever things to blog are slightly TMI, and I'm second guessing myself on posting some of my clever things. This makes me sad.

Other things that are scattered in my brain today:

• I have a bruise on the bottom of my foot. This is not fun.
• My right butt cheek hurts when sitting for a long time. This does not bode well for sitting at a desk all day.
• Greek yogurt is pretty yummy stuff. Especially when mixed with raspberries, strawberry fruit popsicles and orange juice.
• I really want a full body massage. 

Now, for a little Ten on Tuesday meme

1. What does your car say about you? If you don’t have a car, what kind of car would be your daily driver?
Um. It says I'm conservative and boring. If I had gotten the yellow car like I originally wanted then it would be more representative of ME. Alas, my car says I'm smart and planning for the future, or something.

2. To this point, what has been your purpose on this planet?
I think it has been to help people connect with movement in ways they haven't in the past.

3. If you could trade places with any person for any amount of time, who would it be?
Someone who lives a very different life then me so I could see the other side of the spectrum.

4. What is your favourite kind of cake? If you don’t like cake, what is it about it that you don’t like?
Oh I love yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I also LOVE red velvet cake.

5. Would you have wanted to live in your parents’, grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ generation or only your own?
hmmm...my grandparents grew up in the time of the great depression. I think it would be interesting, but not super happy. Now, my great-grandparents time would be pretty awesome. bring on the constant swing dancing.

6. Do you have any home remedies for illnesses, cleaning or otherwise?
hmmm. not so much.


7. What is your ideal weather situation?
I'm a fan of the mid-high 70's with a slight breeze and sunny-partly cloudy skies. Either that or a great, big thunderstorm.


8. What is your best attribute (physical or personal)?
SwingKid mentioned the other day that I have great legs. So I guess right now, it's my legs. Personality wise I'd have to go with my optimism.

9. Do you text or surf while driving?
well. it's illegal. so no. but i do check them at the stop lights...but not while driving.

10. How long have you known your best friend?
hmmm. one of my best friends i've known since i was 8 (which was a long time ago) and the other since I was 14. so between 10-16 yrs give or take a year or two.

a not so happy Monday

It is not a happy morning guys. Not happy at all. I didn't sleep very well last night - in fact, my body woke me up around 4:30/5 this morning and it took me a LONG time to get back to sleep and before I knew it my alarm was going off to get going this morning. I have a headache and I'm not looking forward to my stack of things to get done at work. :P

However, there are a few happy things in the bloggersphere this morning that I'm in love with.

First: Kami over at no biggie is giving away a custom airbrush tan. I would love a little bit of color this summer - without getting skin cancer first. Pop on over and take a looksey - or don't. It will increase my chances of winning. ;)

Second: I won a bookcase from Emily at Em's Reading Room and it came in the mail this weekend. I set it up and it looks so pretty in my house. Now I just need more books to fill it. :o)

Third: I am sort of in love with kirtsy.com and all the fun things that get posted there. If you haven't visited this awesome website, I strongly encourage you to take a little field trip and just enjoy everything that it has to offer.


Hopefully these things will brighten your Monday, or at least help speed it along. :o) LOVES!

you guys...it's FRIDAY!

oh man. Even though this work week has only been a 4-day work week, it has felt like the LONGEST work week in a long, long time. I am so happy that it is Friday. I am overjoyed.

That said, I'm rather excited for my weekend. Just read the fun Friday Fill-ins for some insight to my life and my plans for the weekend. :o) woot!


1. Anywhere new and exciting OR! where my family lives is my favorite place to travel to.
2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember the awesome cartoons and the adventures of make believe.
3. A person you bond with makes for a good friend.
4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, are all signs of me enjoying the outdoors.
5. Summertime is so exciting!
6. My best friend knows a lot of things about me, but she doesn't know everything! ;)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the gallery stroll in Cougar Town (we've almost gone several times in the past  year, but have never actually been), tomorrow my plans include getting a bunch of chores done and my cousin's wedding and Sunday, I want to teach a great sunday school lesson!

FYI: I might die from butt-hurting

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I mentioned this a couple of days ago. This is still a possibility, although the probablity has lessened quite a bit. After sitting in a car for 12 hours on Friday, several hours on Sunday (church+graduation) and then another 12 hours on Monday...my poor rear-end is not happy. the good news is that sitting at work is getting easier.

Also, I'm working on a recap from my little trip. Some funny, funny things were said. At least, *I* think they were funny....so stay tuned for that little post that should be coming...eventually. Not being at a computer from Thursday evening to Tuesday morning meant I had 90 unread emails and 243 unread blog posts to read - and that was just my PERSONAL inbox. I had a work inbox to get through as well. It was quite the daunting task. :P

However, I do have on fun, new thing that I wanted to post. Have you heard of the Day Zero project? I found out through a blog that I stalk and decided to take the plunge and do it. What is the Day Zero project? Well, it's a project concept that was started by a blogger from New Zealand in 2003 that is meant to challenge, encourage and inspire you to set and achieve 101 personal goals and accomplish them in 1001 days.

This sounded pretty awesome to me because 1) 1001 days? that equals about 2.75 years. This means your goals can be short term, mid-term, or long term. and I liked that. A LOT. 2) 101 goals? Yes, it's a lot of goals...but that's what so awesome about it. Couple that many goals with the number of days and you'll feel like you're getting some things done in the next few years. Take it from me, a year out from college graduation and I'm STILL trying to figure out what I want to be doing short term and long term. I have an amazing job situation and a great boyfriend, but beyond that...what do  I want to be achieving in my life? This project is assisting me to do fun, challenging, different and interesting things by setting goals to complete in a certain amount of time. Instead of saying, "Oh I'll do that SOMETIME," I'm saying "I'm going to do this and have it done by THIS date." And that my internet friends, is AWESOME!!!!

Anyways, I HIGHLY recommend this project for anyone looking for a way to set, track, and achieve certain goals in a certain amount of time. My list can be found HERE. Feel free to steal some of my goals or just use them as inspiration for your own. Some of my goals may seem vague to you, but they make sense to me, and that's what matters. :o) I'm REALLY excited about this project and will try to keep you posted on my progress.