Friday Foto

So, I like to visit this site called we heart it. They have pretty pictures that a lot of times I use in varying blog posts. I know some of them will be perfect for certain things, others I just favorite because I like them and I think I'll need them later. (very great depression era of me I know. get over it)

Anyways, I've decided that some Fridays (not all, but some, often? who knows) I will share a favorite photo (or two? who knows!) or foto with you. I will also create a caption to go with it. Maybe. I haven't decided if that's actually going to happen all the time. Maybe you can help caption some of the photos? guess we'll see. So yeah. Look for that below.

Also, I did some rearranging on the blog and put together some "pages." there's an about me page and a page i've titled "newbies." This page has a handful of blog posts from my past that I thought might be pertinent to getting to know my blog and my blogging style. so yeah, if you're knew and haven't read anything from the archives be sure to check that out.

So here we are, Friday Foto time. I chose this picture because it makes me happy in so many ways. Have a lovely weekend y'all.

{photo source}

*sluuuurp*

things, schmings

Welcome friends. It is finally Thursday. It felt like it took ages to get here, but here it got. I've struggled this week to find focus and productivity while at work and I VERY MUCH need the day off tomorrow. I have only about 5 bazillion things on my mind so let's get right to it shall we?

• I skimmed/read John Bytheway's "What I Wish I'd Known When I Was Single" the other day. Don't laugh. I got it a while back when I was in a relationship (it was a free digital download okay?!) but hadn't ever read it. I skimmed it during a break and came across a quote by a random person in John's life that I loved - you might have seen it on Twitter: "The wrong one, Is the right one, To lead you, To the best one." Isn't that just great? I love it.

• Don't judge, but I'm getting a spray-on tan tonight. I haven't seen the sun in a REALLY long time AND while my legs are in REALLY good shape I have so many bruises that it's pathetic. I tend to bruise super easily and I often don't know where I get said bruises. I want my legs to look fabulous on stage and this is more for me then for you....I'll tell you how it goes later.

• I am very tired. I have stayed up late the past couple of nights - not for a boy, but just because. sigh. I am SO sleeping in tomorrow.

• I still need to make a dentist appointment. Have I mentioned how much I hate the dentist?

• BYU won their basketball game last night. I'll admit I'm sort of a fair weather fan when it comes to basketball - but the game was tons of fun to watch.

• I perform in FOUR DAYS people. I really hope you're coming. Make sure to find me after the show and say hi. 

• Oh and said performance that is in four days? Yeah...we still don't know what we're wearing yet. :P 

• I've started reading Emotional Geology recommended to me by the ever lovely Angie. I can already tell this book is going to 1) be amazing and 2) change me. I'll be sure to post a review for you later.

• Sister B's birthday is coming up. I'm excited for the plan I have for her. YAY birthdays!!!

• I didn't go running last night and I won't go again until after the show - but I DID do a pilates workout. Kicked my trash. 

• I love Natural Ice chapstick. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

• I bought new mascara (falsies! we'll see how it works) and lipstick for the show last night. My performance makeup has dwindled in the past few years.

• Did I mention that I am tired? because I AM!

• Finally, my fingernails are the healthiest they have been in a LONG time. I'm loving it. :o)

And that's it for me peeps. I hope you all have a great weekend. I have a little something prepped for you tomorrow but other than that I'm probably going to lie low. I have a ton going on and I'll be fairly busy for the next five days. :o) Woo hoo. Catch y'all on the flip side.

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Dating Battle Stories: Blindman

{artwork by Roommate A}

First off, I have to apologize. I started writing this and then stopped. Don't ask why it took me so long but I figured all y'all deserved to find out how my first "first date" in a long time went down. Roommate A set me up with her boyfriend's roommate - Blindman. I had never met this boy before Friday the 14th. (I did Facebook stalk him, but that's about it) He seemed cool (based off of the stalking) and Roommate A and her boyfriend vouched for his coolness... so I agreed to a blind date.  Our date consisted of the boys picking us up, driving to Nickel City and playing games for several hours and then going back to my/Roommate A's apartment for pizza and The A Team. Then I went to bed and everybody else hung out.

You know what? Blind dates are awkward. I sort of forgot that fact in all my years of dating the same person. You don't know how that person acts in social situations, you don't know what they like, or ANYTHING. It makes it so hard to figure out what to say and what to do at any given moment during the date. So, my overall feeling? Awkward. I've heard through the grapevine that he thinks I'm a cool person but whether or not he'll ever ask me out again is yet to be seen. I think I would go out with him again if only because I don't think anyone should be judged on relationship compatibility from a blind date alone. Unless the person is a creeper or you feel super uncomfortable all night or something. (which I didn't. It was just awkward. Normal awkward - if there is such a thing)

So there you go. Nothing else has really happened in my dating world since then. I've been busy hanging out with groups of friends and getting ready for the show in FIVE DAYS. (get your tickets now!) I keep hoping for something to go down with Sweetums...but we keep missing each other. Our schedules have been polar opposites all month long and that has made me oh so sad. I do have something up my sleeve in a couple of weeks...we'll see how that pans out. :o)

In other news I woke up this morning thinking it was FRIDAY when in fact it is only WEDNESDAY. I'm not a fan of this. :P

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 8th Edition

Here we are, another Tuesday. I can't believe how quickly time has passed since I started this meme. Week 8 guys! Seriously?! time flies.

Anyways. Tender Mercies for the past week:

• I had a couple of awesome spiritual experiences this week. I love those. They help strengthen both my testimony and my resolve. It definitely helps one get over some humps.
• After a not so pleasant evening one day last week I had a friend call me who I hadn't talked to in almost 2 months. It was a wonderful conversation and the things we talked about reminded me why I didn't need to be sad.
• Per yesterday's post - being able to talk to SwingKid and get over that initial post-break up conversation was SO good. I know it is going to take time to just be friends, but I do believe it is possible. 
• I was cleaning up some files on my computer and I discovered a list I made a long time ago of 100 things that I like. I did some tweaking to update it a little bit and then created a Wordle. click on the image below to see 100 things I like!

• Although my knee has been bothering me a little bit the past few days it hasn't hindered my ability to get anything done. :o) Thank goodness!

Anyways, I love doing these posts because they definitely help me remember all the good things happening in my life. There is SO MUCH good!  Anything good happening in your life you'd like to share?

Bravery

Sometimes I pretend to be brave and sometimes I am ACTUALLY brave.

Saturday I pretended to be brave, but yesterday - yesterday I was actually brave.

Yesterday after my church meetings and after choir I introduced myself to a new guy in the ward. I talked to him for a long time and I feel like we clicked just a little bit. I felt so good about myself for getting my flirt on and what not. GO ME!

Also, I was brave yesterday because I initiated an online conversation with SwingKid. This is the first time that we've had a real-time conversation in eight weeks and it was good. I held my breath a couple of times, but overall it was good.

I am excited for today - if only because the countdown to the show begins. :o) The next 10 days are going to be busy. I have a laundry date with my sister, a temple trip to make, friends to see, dentist appointments to make,  a couple hours of rehearsal (we still have to finish our piece! EEK!), a Winter-een-mas party, a Saturday FULL of rehearsals and then a show to present. It is going to be a full week and I am excited for it.

I just want to jump on a rooftop...

AND PROCLAIM MY HAPPINESS!!!!!!

Seriously, I am SO happy right now. Life is just oh so good and it makes my heart swell.  I haven't been this happy in so long  it blows my mind that I thought that everything was okay the way it was. Not to say that the way it was was BAD....but guys! LIFE IS AMAZING RIGHT NOW!!!

{source}

I really wish that a)I had a rooftop to yell from and b)it wasn't so cold outside so that I actually would yell things from the rooftop. How awesome would that be? (First image that pops into my head when I think of yelling  from the rooftops? The fiddler from Fiddler on the Roof at the opening of the show.)

ALSO before we get to Friday Fill-Ins I just want to tell you something awesome that happened last night. Before rehearsal (which went SO well) I was reading The Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer.  I only read the first chapter last night, but the Spirit was so strong while I was reading and I KNEW that the words I was reading were true! I felt so good while reading and I know this book is exactly what I need in my life right now. I am loving it!

Anyways...now to less heavier things. FRIDAY FILL-INS!!! YAY!! :o)

And...here we go!

1. So many of us seem to float through life. Let me tell you, it is NOT WORTH IT. DO NOT FLOAT!

2. I believe it is possible to always be happy, even in hardship.

3. Those who are accepting of the light of Christ WILL BE HAPPY.

4. Somewhere the love of my life is waiting quietly.

5. Light is in both the moon and the stars.

6. Sometimes I forget of all that is ordinary.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner and a movie with a friend, tomorrow my plans include class/rehearsal, cleaning my car and deep cleaning my house (oh man it needs it) and Sunday, I want to get all my visiting teaching done!

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Thursday Things

Thank goodness it is finally Thursday. Even though I have to work tomorrow, I tend to love Thursdays. This week has been long and HARD. Yesterday was a good day and today should prove to be an even better day. I have a yummy pizza lunch to look forward to, teaching ballet, and rehearsal. Oh how I love rehearsal. Let's go over some things shall we?

• The show I am performing in is in 11 days. EEK!!! SCARY!! Do you have your tickets yet?

• My hair is getting SO long and I love it. A lot.

• And yet there is still a part of me that would love to whack it off. I love a drastic change.

• It has been slightly warmer round these parts lately - enough so that it has melted all the ice that was causing me  grief. I really want spring/summer to be here NOW.

• I have pink fingernails. They make me smile.

• I need to make a dentist appointment. I hate the dentist. Seriously - I have never been a fan of going to the dentist. Do you have a good dentist in Utah county you love?

• I'm working on some fun things to happen in the month of March. I'm quite excited about them.

• This year January seems to be going by faster than it has in years past, I am very much okay with that.

• I really like the image below. Makes my heart happy. Have a great day y'all!!

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What I'm Wearing Wednesday

The clothes I am wearing today are greatly assisting in me feeling good. I had a fairly crappy day yesterday and today I was shooting to feel cute - even though my head cold is still raging a war inside of me.

I tried to find pictures to replicate my outfit, but I couldn't find anything EXACTLY the same. So use your imagination okay?

on top: brown DownEast shirt with a cream peasant top over it

on bottom: jean "flouncy" skirt with cream lace on the bottom - hits just below my knees.

 on feet: brown tights and my brown calf-high heeled boots
accessories: brown watch, brown ribbon in hair, brown and teal earrings









So there you go. I feel cute, I've been told I look cute, and so far the day isn't a total crap-out. Granted, the receptionist at work called in sick so I'm sitting downstairs and I am not a fan (especially after her being gone SO LONG) but I'm dealing with it. My evening should be pleasant enough and then it's just two more work days until the weekend. Here's hoping for fun things in my future! :o)

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 7th Edition

Good Morning Peeps and welcome to another edition of .....

 

Life has always been interesting to me and lately I have noticed the ups and downs in myself, particularly my attitude/emotions, a little bit more. I am still trying to find my balance and things I can do that make me happy that don't require a companion. I think that is what I miss most right now - companionship.

Anyways, the tender mercy I want to share with you is one that came yesterday. If you follow me on Twitter then you know that I was without my work computer for a majority of the day. I had other things to do (for the most part) so it wasn't a total waste of company time, but the BEST thing about yesterday was that the phones were fairly quiet. It helped that it was a holiday - but seriously there just weren't many people calling in. This was so helpful to me AND my coworkers. They didn't have to do a lot to pick up the slack of me not having a computer. I did get my computer back, and that is another blessing. :o)

Have a wonderful Tuesday y'all!

Pointe Counterpointe

Alrighty guys. Two weeks from today I am making my (big) comeback!! I am performing in Academy of Ballet's gala show - Pointe Counterpionte.

This performance is on January 31st and February 1st at 7pm. Yes, I know it is a Monday/Tuesday which is a little odd...but it doesn't mean you can't come! Dates can be ANY night of the week! Or better still, bring your FHE group/family. :o)

Anyways. Details. You can purchase tickets through the Covey Center's website, go to their office, or give them a holler on the telephone. Tickets are $8 for the balcony and $10 for the Mezzanine/Floor. If you are a student/senior, you get $2 off.

Now, you might be asking why you should come to this performance in downtown cougartown at the end of the month.  Let me give you 5 REALLY good reasons.

1. You get to see me perform on stage for the first time in 2+ years. The piece I am in is amazing. It's a director's piece and we've been working so hard on it. So come. 
2. You get to see my amazing contemporary piece. This piece is really cool. Seriously, it's one of the coolest things I have ever choreographed. It was hard for me to choreograph and VERY much outside of my box - but it's turned out so cool!
3. It is not ALL ballet! In fact there are quite a few contemporary, modern, and jazz pieces in the show!
4. You also get to see my take on the classic Waltz of the Flowers dance. Shorter than the original, this piece is just aesthetically pleasing. 
5. Did I mention you get to see me dance? I am really excited about this and I would love to have a TON of friends come and support me. Especially seeing how my family lives so far away these days.

So there you go. 5 pretty darn good reasons why you should plan on attending Pointe Counterpointe this year. I hope you come! :o)

don't mind me...

I'm just trying to get through the work day! I am SO SO SO excited about my weekend plans! They all start at about 6 pm tonight...and the fun will just continue on through most of Saturday. :o)

anywho...It's thursday! So that means....

1. It is my 3-day weekend. This makes my heart super happy. I have a bazillion things going on and that also makes me happy.
2. Today I get to go to my BEST friend's wedding. Also on the docket for today is rehearsal (2.5 weeks to show guys! EEK!) and Blue Tango dancing. 
3. Tomorrow has many things going on including going to the Temple with sister B, taking a ballet class, cleaning my house, and going on a blind date.
4. I haven't been on a blind date since CPM. I'm a little nervous.
5. Pair my busy schedule with Sweetums' busy schedule and you get chaos. We've talked and tried to get together this week to no avail. Makes me sad. Hopefully next week will treat us both a little bit better.
6. I haven't logged into Facebook while at work since January 1. I am awesome. It has been hard, but SO GOOD for me.
7. My CTR ring is not fitting my finger very well right now. It's a little on the big side. I think my fingers have lost weight.
8. Is that possible? do fingers lose weight?
9. The receptionist came back EARLY! I thought she was going to be gone until MONDAY.  Thank goodness. I hate covering for her.
10. Finally, I'm still thinking about birthday party ideas. Right now I am leaning towards a Super Hero birthday party. What do you think?

Wow. My brain has a lot of thoughts right now! The funny thing is, that's only like...a small portion of them! :o) Anyways. I hope you all have a splendid Thursday, a wonderful weekend, and I'll be sure to keep you posted on how everything pans out! Happy Day!

Dating Battle Stories: Sweetums - Part Two

{artwork by Roommate A}

Before we get started, I just want to point out to all you feed reader peoples that I changed my background. I haven't done this in a long time, mostly because I loved that cute little owl! However, I just decided I was bored with him. What do you think?

And now, as I am sure you have all been waiting on pins and needles for this, I bring you Part Two of the Recap on Sweetums. (make sure you've read Part One, or this is going to make NO sense whatsoever.)

So as I got on the plane to fly to Virginia - utterly exhausted mind you - I was very happy. I don't think things could have gone any better than they did. Sweetums and I didn't talk for several days (beyond a happy holidays text to each other) but that makes sense seeing as how we were both spending time with family - and there is a two hour time difference. We did talk about two days before I flew back to Utah and he asked some specifics on how I was getting home from the airport, what time would I land, etc.

When I landed in Utah and turned my phone back on I found a couple of text messages - one from Roommate R (who was picking me up) and one from Sweetums. He told me to give him call after I landed. So...I called him. Sweetums told me that I should gcome down to Elk Ridge where he was hanging out with Mighty Mouse and his wife, (you can search mighty mouse on my blog, i have mentioned him a few times and I used to have a huge crush on him a long time ago) SC and his wife (yes, the famous SC from this post) and SC's family. I agree to meet him down there - so off I go. It was an adventure getting to SC's parent's house - but I eventually made it.  Sweetums met me in the driveway and walked me inside. I met several new people, said hello to the people I knew and sat down to play some games.

Then...it was time to ring in the new year. We stood up to countdown and Sweetums and I are standing right next to each other. As the clock struck midnight and we yell Happy New Year, our married friends celebrated with a kiss and Sweetums put his arm around me. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "this doesn't change anything, but it is tradition" and then he kissed me. I have to say, I was very pleased with his tactic. I had thought earlier that day while sitting in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport for four hours that I would be okay with a New Years kiss, but I wasn't sure how to convey that to Sweetums. Luckily, he must have thought about it as well seeing as how he went about it that night. :o) It was a very sweet kiss - a very good first kiss in my opinion. I'm not going to lie, after kissing someone for 2+ years I was a little worried about kissing someone new, but I am no longer worried about that. :)

{this is pretty much how that kiss went down... :o) }

After that - I tried sushi (yes, I tried sushi. I wasn't a fan of the texture, but the flavor was good.) and then SC and wife, Mighty Mouse and wife, and Sweetums and I left to go to SC and wife's house. We had so much fun making jokes, laughing SUPER hard, playing scum and just generally hanging out. We stayed up until 3:30 in the morning at which point we all went out to our cars. I'd started my car a few minutes earlier so it would be warm, but Sweetums hadn't. So while his car was heating up, he sat in my car and we talked. We talked about everything under the sun. I shared some secrets with him, we talked about how we still planned on moving slow, we talked about the weather...you name it, I'm pretty sure we talked about it. I don't remember everything we talked about, mostly because by this point I had been up for 24+ hours. (having to leave my parent's house at 6:45a to get to the airport before our flight. ugh.) By the time Sweetums and I finally decided to call it a day and I drove myself home - it was 6 am. I was up for 26 straight hours. Crazy eh? I went to sleep and then spent the day with Roommate A, her boyfriend, and The Australian.

Since then Sweetums and I have talked a couple of times and have made plans to make plans. ha ha. His schedule is still being finalized, but once it has then we'll probably end up doing stuff. :o)

So there you go. My adventures with Sweetums are now up-to date. In fact, all of my Dating Battle Stories are up to date! I will have a new update after this weekend seeing as how I have my first date with the Blindman on Friday. :o) Woo hoo! Have a great day y'all!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 6th Edition

Wow. I can't believe I've had this going for six weeks now! Crazy how time flies!!

I just have one simple tender mercy to share today and that is the fact that someone responded to something I did in a very positive manner. (I'm being very vague on purpose. A girl's got to have her secrets yo!) This really made my day. It has helped me to continue to heal. I wasn't expecting a response to my action, but the fact that this person took the time to respond and the fact that it was in such a positive manner really truly made me happy.

Anyways...I have had little things every day - in fact, I think everyone does! I've been trying to write down something each day in my journal and that's where I'm getting my weekly tender mercies for you guys. This exercise has been one of the best things for me, hands down. Taking time each day (and then again for a whole week) to notice what little tender mercies or blessings I have been given has really strengthened me as a person. I have been happier and more optimistic. Life is good. If you are sad right now, take a few minutes and look to see if there has been SOME kind of good thing to happen to you. Sometimes it is a small, tiny thing and at other times it is a BIG thing that happens. So there you go, my unsolicited advice on how to be a happier person. :o) Have a great Tuesday y'all!

Dating Battle Stories: Sweetums - Part One

{artwork by Roommate A}

Mondays are usually no fun at all. So, to make coming back from the weekend a little bit better I have my last dating recap for you! This one has to be my favorite - which is why it has been saved for last! :o) Today's recap is all about Sweetums. This story ended up being really long, so I've decided to post it in two different posts. :o)

so, without further ado - Part One.

So, I have to start off this story with a little bit of background by saying that Sweetums and I did, in fact, go to high school together. Our groups of friends overlapped, but I never went out with him or hung out with him on a regular basis in high school. After graduating we got to be better friends and talked online all the time. I developed a huge crush on him. During our first semester as freshman at BYU he would stop by my place of employment and say hi all the time. He took me on a group date with his friends once and then about a month later I took him to Fall Preference. It was tons of fun. Then, he went on a mission for our Church. He got back and I was kind of dating someone, then he was dating someone, then we were both dating someones. During this time (aka the past 3 years) we would hang out from time to time, see each other at friends' weddings, talk online, etc. Every time I saw him I was reminded of how awesome this guy is, but wouldn't do anything about it. (usually because of the current relationship status.)

About 6 weeks before SwingKid and I broke up, Sweetums and I had a really good, long conversation about life and what I was doing and how my relationship was going. I got the feeling that Sweetums wished I was single...but didn't dwell on that fact. 3 days after SwingKid and I broke up I got the feeling that I needed to call up Sweetums. Using my favorite social media site Facebook, I sent a message to Sweetums telling him we need to hang out. We talked about 4 days after that and had a really good long conversation that I vaguely mentioned here.

The second Saturday in December I had plans to get some Christmas gifts made for my ballet company, but those plans fell through when the supplies were giving me issues. Sweetums happened to see my online, asked if I'd be available and later called me to hang out. We got some food and then ended up at his place (with a real fireplace!) and roasted marshmallows, starbursts and played video games. Much flirting ensued. We also watched a Muppet movie. I vaguely mentioned this event in this post.

Right before I left to go to Virginia he and I made plans to watch a movie and hang out. I mentioned that here and here. That night was a blast. As I mentioned here, I ended up pulling an all-nighter. We watched the movie and then just got to talking. We were also hanging out with Roommate A and her boyfriend and ended up playing Guitar Hero for several hours. We made mac and cheese at 2 am (such a single thing to do!) and then watched Invader Zim for a little bit. As Roommate A and her boyfriend fell asleep in the cuddle chair, Sweetums and I cuddled on the couch. We ended up talking about a ton of different things and he asked me if he could kiss me. Unfortunately for him I had decided to not kiss anyone until the new year. (I had several reasons for this) We also talked about "us." Some might say we had a DTR. It wasn't meant to be that...but it's kind of what it turned into. Basically...we both admitted to feeling attracted to the other person (and having those feelings for a long time) and we want to explore the possibility of a relationship, but we don't want to rush into anything. I want to date lots of people and he said he wasn't ready to commit to a serious relationship yet. (key word being yet. :o) ) The evening (or should I say morning?) ended about 15 minutes before Roommate A and I left for the airport. Sweetums and I had tentative plans for New Year's Eve - and I knew he and I would be in touch. I was one happy camper getting on the plane that morning. :o)

...........to be continued..........

Dating Battle Stories: Mad Dog

Time for another Dating Battle Stories Recap!!!  Today's receap is all about my great guy friend, Mad Dog.  Some of you might recognize the name Mad Dog, and not just from the introductions I did at Christmastime. Mad Dog and I met swing dancing about 2ish years ago. I went to his birthday party once.

Anyways, shortly after SwingKid broke up with me Mad Dog and I were conversing on Facebook. (sidenote: I do a lot of chatting with friends on Facebook, but this doesn't mean that I am on Facebook ALL THE TIME. ok? ok.) Anyways, because I didn't make a big to-do about my sudden single-ness he hadn't heard the news. I told him and we talked like friends tend to do. He's an awesome friend and a few days later sent me a text.  We texted back and forth a little bit and it ended with him asking me if I'd like to go hot tubbing with him at his place. Would I ever! I agreed and a time was set upon and I drove over to his place to begin our adventure.

Unfortunately, hot tubbing wasn't meant to be as the hot tub was broken because some dork put detergent in it. Don't ask me why someone would do that...it's just mean. Mad Dog and I chilled in his apartment talking about stuff and ended up watching Inception with his roommate. It was a fun evening and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. (later that night I ended up hanging out with the Australian it was a very late night.)

About a week later - just a few days before I flew to see my family - I invited Mad Dog over to watch a movie at my place. We watched some awful movie with a very young Jude Law in it. That was the only good part about the movie. It was awful.

Mad Dog is a very big flirt. Which tends to work well for me, because I am a very big flirt as well. :o) It always leads to fun times. He's also extremely ticklish. One of the most ticklish guys I know! That is also great because I am so ticklish and I don't think it's fair when I try to retaliate and boys just sit and stare at me. sigh.

Anyways. Mad Dog and I chatted a little bit while I was in Virginia and when I got back we decided to hang out! So the first Sunday in January he came over to my place and we talked, watched Anastasia and just chilled in my living room.

Mad Dog is a great friend and I am SO GLAD he and I can hang out and stuff. It makes my heart happy to have a friend to do things with. I'm sure he'll make a few more appearances in this segment....but we'll wait and see.

When cleaning your room gets to be the "fun" thing you do on a Friday night

Today is the First Friday of the new year. I love Fridays. They make my heart oh so happy! I just wish I had today off. :o( Oh well. I am also sitting her wishing I had fun and amazing plans for my Friday night. Unfortunately for me, I've got nothing. I desperately need to clean my room seeing how I've barely been home a week and I still have piles of Christmas presents and dirty clothes in the corners of my room. Sigh. Since when did cleaning your room become the "fun" thing to do? sigh.

Anyways. There are few things that I wanted to blog about today. The first one being - my birthday! I love my birthday. It is a holiday all about me! At least....I like to think of it that way. :o) Today marks the 2 month countdown until my birthday. 2 months people! In 2 months I will be a quarter of a century old - GAH!

It is a big milestone birthday and because of that, I want to do something AWESOME! I would love to go to Disneyland...but as of right now I'm not sure that's going to happen. I do have another event happening later in March, but I am not at liberty to blog about it yet. I will when I can. :o)

So...the reason I am blogging about my birthday now my dear internet friends is because I need some ideas of what to do for my birthday that are not expensive and I can do them here in Utah.  I want to have an awesome birthday party to celebrate. I'm thinking a mocktail party would be really fun but any other ideas you might have would be welcome. I really want to have it be a "themed" party - like a fiesta party or toga party or something. Your thoughts would be much appreciated.

The other thing I wanted to blog today is the Friday Fill-ins. It has been a long time since I have participated in Friday Fill-ins and today I am going to do it. :o) Enjoy!!

1. It's 2011; I am loving this fact. 2011 is rockin' it out hard core y'all.

2. Oh my gosh, I LOVE pickles.

3. Thankfully I have my cute shirt to help with the winter blues.

4. I love how the little things tend to be the best things in life.

5. I am so excited for my future. My future is bright yo.

6. I love eating a bowl of soup on cold days. Warms the soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning my room *sigh*, tomorrow my plans include teaching, a teacher meeting, the gym, a bridal shower and date with Dr. Teeth and Sunday, I want to enjoy my stake training meeting and set up my visiting teaching appointments!

Thursday Things

whew. I am so glad it is FINALLY Thursday! I just have one more day of work and then it will be the weekend. Love me some weekend!

things that are on my mind right now:

• I LOST SIX pounds during the holidays. This made me so super happy. Also, I'm going faster on the couch-5k program + I've added some strength training exercises. go me!
• I got my hair did last night. I love it. Makes my heart happy.
• I proclaimed to the world the other day that I'm available for suitors...bring on the men!
• My best friend gets married in one week. I love her.
• My parent's house is under contract! YAY! This is SUCH HAPPY NEWS!
• Work has been crazy busy the past few days. My poor head hurts from all of it.
• The SLC Utah Food Bank is getting $1 million dollars. Cool, huh?!
• I have my second rehearsal for my piece that I'm performing in LESS THAN A MONTH tonight. I'm excited!
• Speaking of said show...y'all should come. I'll give you more details next week on how/where to buy tickets and all that jazz.

I think that's it. Life is busy around here, but busy is good. I like busy.

Dating Battle Stories: The Australian

{artwork by Roommate A}

So. I haven't posted ANYTHING about any of my Dating Battle Stories. I am quickly getting very behind in all the stories. So. I've decided to do a few posts in the next week or so to bring us up to speed on each of the cast of characters that I posted about on Christmas. Some of these characters have lots of stories, some have zero stories. One of these characters is most likely never going to be featured on the Dating Battle segment after his recap, a few of them will probably be around for awhile.

I hope you understood all of that.

So. Today. I present: Dating Battle Stories: The Australian.

I met The Australian on the second Monday of December. I came home from running 2.75 miles and there he was sitting in my living room with Roommate A and her boyfriend. He was definitely cute. We exchanged a handshake, names and a smile. Some flirting commenced. Now, due to my sudden change in social status I was a little worried about how well I really could flirt with someone new. I needn't have worried. I left the living room after chatting for an hour to go take a shower. Just before getting in the shower I sent my roommate a text saying "Don't say anything but The Australian is SUPER cute!" and she replied with "He thinks the same about you, but you didn't hear it from me."

I took a super fast shower, and went back into the living room to join the gang for a movie. The Australian was sitting in our ever famous blue cuddle chair, the roommate and her boyfriend on the couch. I had two options - sit on the floor, or sit with The Australian. I offered to help complete the awesomeness of the cuddle chair and the Australian accepted. What followed was a 2 movie marathon cuddle session. It was awesome and fun and as the Australian left I knew that he would be a fun person to hang out with more.

Fast forward a few days. Sister B and her boyfriend invited me to go to Temple Square and see the lights with them. I agreed and after agreeing decided that I didn't want to be the third wheel. I tried two of my friends - both were unavailable. Then...Roommate A decided that The Australian should go with me. She texted him and after waiting TWO days to get a response (during which time Dr. Teeth and Sweetums both offered their services) he agreed! Off to Temple Square we went! We had a blast!! We flirted, held hands, and teased Sister B and her boyfriend. It was a very pleasant evening. We then came home to drink apple cider and hot chocolate and watch the Claymation Christmas Celebration.

Fast forward another week. I come home from hanging out with Mad Dog (more about that later) to find The Australian in my living room. I sit down next to him and finish watching whatever he and my roommate and boyfriend were watching. It was fun. He needed a ride to the airport two days from then and I said I could take him. So I did.

Then it was Christmas break. I didn't talk to him at all. He was in Australia after all.

New Years Day. After getting a pitiful 5 hours of sleep (more on THAT later too) Roommate A, her boyfriend and I were out grocery shopping. The Australian declares he is back in Cougartown. We drive to his house and kidnap him. We watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and then played video games. I took him home. It was fun. We cuddled more...etc etc.

Two days ago he declared on Facebook that he is in a relationship...with some girl. Roommate A hates her. Her Boyfriend doesn't like her either. But apparently...The Australian likes her. So...needless to say The Australian was fun while he lasted, but I probably won't see him again for awhile and when I do? Nothing will probably happen. Especially if he still has a girlfriend. Oh well. He was a fun little fling that I am counting as my "rebound."

So there you go. The Australian. Short lived mini-romance that really didn't go anywhere - but that's okay! I'm not sad or depressed or anything. I never thought anything would happen there anyways. He is 3 years younger than me and just getting going on his undergrad. :P

p.s. if you made it through that entire recap I am much impressed. kudos to you!

Tender Mercy Tuesday

One month ago today my life turned upside down. I was tossed about in crashing waves of a break-up that hurt more than I ever thought possible.

One month ago I said good-bye to the person I loved.

One month ago I discovered that there is more to me than being the other half of a relationship.

One month ago I had outpourings of love from unlikely places.

One month ago I decided that I would embody D&C 6:36

One month ago I discovered that I could be happy again.

That is my Tender Mercy today. Without knowing it the breakup that tore my world upside down, the one that I thought would kill me turned out to be one of the better things to happen to me. I know that sounds awful and part of me hates saying that I am so much happier right now. I loved SwingKid, I really did. (and to be honest I still do. a part of me will always love him) However, our relationship had reached a stalemate point. Neither of us was moving or going anywhere we were just frozen in time with each other.

Life is not meant to be lived in stalemate. Life is to be full of changes and challenges.  We need to be moving and growing in order to feel fulfilled. I didn't realize it then but my life was not being fulfilled. My life seemed to be in limbo (side note: you definitely need to follow that link Heather does a great job describing how I was feeling in SO MANY WAYS) and I didn't know where I was going.

I know where I am going now. I have a purpose. I am FLOURISHING. I still miss SwingKid. My heart still aches for him in the still moments of my life. However, I don't hate him for doing what he did to my heart. In fact, I respect him a lot for having the courage to act on the realization that we were in stalemate. This event was necessary for me to realign myself with my path in life. I am back on my path.

Finally, let me leave you with this little tidbit from Mormon Messages. It is so wonderful and a great reminder to all of us about moving forward.

a simple truth

{source}

I saw this today on weheartit.com and it totally jived with me. I love simple truths.

just wanna say

I feel really blessed right now. After all that has happened in my life, at this very moment I feel closer to being on the path that Heavenly Father wants me to be on then at any other time in my life.  I am so very blessed with friends and family who love me and who take the time to show me they love me. I hope that I can somehow return the favor.

Have a wonderful sabbath everyone.

New Beginnings

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I hope you had an enjoyable evening with lots of friends, fun and whatever else makes you happy.

I have been looking forward to the new year for several weeks now. Approximately a month ago I had several "ah-hah!" type moments and I knew there were things that I wanted to change in my life for the year 2011. I have already begun working on several personal matters and I am excited about the difference they have made in my life.

I have several plans for the year 2011. Each of these plans revolve on my living up to my Word of the Year that I have picked for 2011. My word for 2011? Flourish. Merriam-Webster defines flourish as several things but the on I am going with is the second one: to achieve success.

So how am I going to flourish? Let me show you a little peek at my plan for flourishing in 2011.

FIRST:

I will continue to work on my Day Zero goals. I have kept these in the back of my head, but I am going to make a dent in them this year. It is going to rock.

SECOND:

I am taking my personal finances in hand - some of my Day Zero goals address this but I have sat down with my budgeter (mint.com) and I have a plan! By the end of 2011 I will have 2 payments left on my car and one year left on my student loan.  I will also have a solid amount of savings in my bank account.  

THIRD:

I have lots of FUN things I want to do in 2011, but these are not FOR SURE things. These are things that I am going to save up for and if nothing bad happens and the timing works right I will do these things. These things are: go to L.A. and Disneyland (hopefully for my 25th birthday!) and go to the Dance Teacher's Summit in July.  Like I said, there are other variables for these things to happen, but they are definitely in my radar.

So there you go! I plan on Flourishing this year. I can already tell that it is going to be a great year and I am very excited to track my progress and keep you, my lovely internet friends, posted on said progress. Do YOU have a word of the year? New Years Resolutions? Please share!