Good Morning!

Good morning everyone!!! Even though I am saddened at the thought of a 9-hour work day, at my desk, inside....I had such a GREAT weekend, that I'm happy. Also, I've decided that I'm going to work on one of my Day Zero goals this week: Don't complain about anything for a week. I'm a pretty optimistic person, but there are times when I complain about EVERYTHING! So...this week I'm going to consciously make an effort to not complain about work, my love life, or the weather. I think I can handle that. I am allowed to voice my complaints on how sore I am after working out. ;) But basically I want to not be a sour puss, or a pessimistic person this week. I think it will be a good exercise for me. :o)

In other news, I have a new crush at church. His 'nym: Surfer Boy. :o) We went to a concert in the park randomly Saturday evening and then back to his ADORABLE house (that he owns!) to watch a surfing movie. He also came over to game night last night. Some of you might be wondering about other men in my life. They've pretty much all fallen off the face of the earth - although BM2 might resurface and Grizzly Bear is....confusing. It's okay though! I'm having the time of my life and it's great fun. :o)

Today is Day 15 of the 21 Day Challenge. I am going to be sad to see this challenge end. It has been such great fun to use style prompts to get ready in the morning. It has definitely helped me to add variety and newness to my wardrobe. Today's challenge was to do something new with your hair. I LOVE experimenting with my hair. I was using Pinterest one day and I discovered this blog with lots of cute hair ideas. I couldn't watch her tutorial for the hair do I went with and I wasn't wanting to pay for it...so I just looked at the picture and did my best to recreate it. I like how it turned out. :o) A great way to hide very dirty hair that I didn't feel like washing this morning....shhhh...don't tell anyone.  The result!

{3 buns! I love it. A great summer hairdo!}

And for your viewing pleasure, the outfit I wore with this hair do:

{plaid shirt w/belt: JC Penny paired with a brown shirt from Walmart, shorts: thrifted and cut off by yours truly}

For cute, right?! :o) I am a huge fan of JC Penny's these days. It's one of my favorite places to shop - but not for dresses. I want a cute new dress, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. It might just have to wait until Christmas though. sigh. C'est la vie.

Well....that's all from me dear friends. I hope you have the best Monday in the world. and just as a reminder...there are only 5 days until BYU Football kicks off their first season as an independent! I am SO EXCITED!!!!!! Have a great day y'all!

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!

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!

2010: The Recap

For the past few years I have done a recap of my year and the highlights of said year (2007, 2008, 2009).  This year I don't feel like putting as much work into a recap (much like last year). Mostly because reliving my past year will bring up some sad feelings in my heart and I'm not wanting to do that to myself.  SO! Instead I've decided to give you my favorite post from each month. I do like looking over the past and seeing what I've accomplished. So here you go...a recap of Alishka Babushka and her life.....

January

The best part of January (that month always seems to suck, ya know?) was the fact that I hit my 3-month mark in ACL recovery. Awesome-sauce.

February

impending doom is never a fun thing, but it does lead to some fun conversations with on-line friends. it also leads to fun blog posts.

March

March was kind of a crazy month and some interesting things happened. I had my birthday and that rocked...but I also got a little confused (though that's no surprise to some people).

April

April was a REALLY good month. However, the best part was easily the day when I got told my knee was good as new! woo hoo!

May

May was a roller coaster month. But there was a gem of a blog post that appeared. Makes me happy.

June

June was a fairly eventful month and I had a hard time choosing a post that was my favorite. I really liked the month of June.  However, I forgot that I read one of my favorite reads of 2010 in the month of June. I shared a review of this book with you in conjunction with my Day Zero goals. Go take a looksee!

July

July was a crappy month overall. I'm surprised I survived it to tell you the truth. The best post is probably the wordiest one of the month...i warn you though, it's not necessarily cohesive.

August

well...It seems my summer months were just kind of lame when it came to posting! I think I know why...but anyways. I guess the best post would be just one of mum-drum ones of the month...that's all i seemed to post! Oh well...Moving on.

September

September was a better month, although I did suffer from some nightmares....

October

October was an interesting month. I celebrated the one year anniversary of my new ACL, but I also struggled to find motivation for working out. I have since found said motivation...but it's interesting to me to see when I finally kicked it into gear. :o)

November

The beginning of the holiday rush. I happened to have a good November and was sunny, spunky, and stealthy. :o)

December

this is a hard one. Obviously, the biggest thing to happen to me happened at the very beginning of the month, but my favorite post so far has been the introductions...guess i'll just leave you with both of them. :o)

Well...there you go. A glimpse of 2010. I am already making plans for 2011. I have dreams and plans and so many other things. We'll see what all comes true...but come back tomorrow to find out my Word of the Year - aka my theme for 2011. :o) Happy New Year!

Things

Thing 1: it is VERY COLD outside and my toes are freezing. (still)

Thing 2: I ran the required 2.5 miles as part of my workout program last night. I am awesome. When you add in the warm-up and cool down my total distance was 3.05 miles in 40 minutes. I'm a little sore today, but it feels GREAT.

Thing 3: Pumpkin Pie for breakfast is like THE BEST thing ever.

Thing 4: I bought a Christmas Ballet CD the other day. I'm rather excited to teach with it. :o) Should be festive fun.

Thing 5: The countdown has begun. I leave for VA in 23 days...that is CRAZY.

Thing 6: Ten on Tuesday. Woo hoo!

1. Where are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
I am from Payson, UT and no, I have not lived there my whole life. Seeing as how my family has moved 15+ times since I was born = many different homes. Also, my family is no longer in Payson, UT.

2. How would you classify your clothing style?
Uh...Comfortable, Chic, and Cute.

3. What kind of car do you drive?
A 2002 Toyota Camry. :o)

4. What would your dream home look like if you could have it (or already do!)?
hmmm. I definitely want a nice kitchen with lots of counter space. I also would love lots of storage space and a decent sized bedrooms.

5. Do you have kids, and if so, how many and how old were you when you had them?
I have zero kids.

6. What is your favorite hobby?
hmm. I love dancing and cooking/baking. oh and if kissing can count as a hobby I love kissing.

7. Are you going to have any New Year’s resolutions for 2011?
I have a lot of goals...but I always have a lot of goals. So I'm sure I'll have some new ones on January 1, but I'm not speaking them out loud. At least...not yet.


8. What is something, if anything, that you’d want to change about yourself?
hmmm....there are several things I would love to change...but then I wouldn't be me anymore.

9. What is something that you love about yourself?
I love that I can be self-motivated (sometimes) and that I DO set goals for myself.

10. Pick one of the following: Someone to cook for you, someone to do your laundry, or someone to do your dishes.
hmm...I love to cook, but having someone to cook for me on occasion would be nice. Laundry isn't the end of the world...and dishes...well. I can get in the mood for dishes, but in the long run - i'd go with someone to do my dishes. :o)



one year ago
two years ago

Tuesday!

I am rather excited today is Tuesday! Tuesdays are awesome because they are not Mondays (which aren't ever SUPER awesome. They don't suck, but they don't rock either.) and they are not Wednesdays (and we all know how much I hate Wednesdays).

I teach a ballet class on Tuesdays that I LOVE and I'm excited for my lesson plan tonight.

Also, tonight I am getting my hair done. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do...but I'm thinking something between this:

and this:

 I am thinking the bangs from Rory Gilmore and the Haircut from Veronica Mars. We'll see though. I always ask my hairdresser's opinion first (and she's always super honest with me) so we'll see what she says. Also, I have ZERO ideas on color. I think I'll let her surprise me when it comes to that. :o)

Finally. Because it is Tuesday, we've got the Ten on Tuesday meme below. Enjoy your Tuesday y'all!


1. Who makes your Thanksgiving dinner?
well. It depends. the past couple of years I've gone to a family friend's house for dinner. Last year I also made my own dinner the day after for SwingKid because he had to work on Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what's happening yet for this year.

2. What is your favorite recipe the includes pumpkin? (bonus points for including the recipe)
oh i love love love pumpkin crumble. It is delish. I also LOVE my mom's frozen pumpkin pie.

3. What are 5 things you want for Christmas?
a nice hair straightener, a blender, many books, some new ballet music for teaching, and.....some new clothes.

4. Does your family draw names or do you buy for everyone?
well. we "draw names." but this year (and probably every year here on out) we're going to just rotate names, so that we have someone different every year and get everyone at some point.

5. How do you feel about motorcycles?
sigh. I think they are hot and sexy. they are fun. SwingKid loves them and wants one REALLY REALLY bad. They do make me a little nervous, but overall I think I'm okay with them.

6. What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday?
cuddle on the couch next to SwingKid watching a movie and drinking hot chocolate.

7. What is the coolest thing to do in your city?
well...there are some fun things to do depending on what you like the most. Personally, I like going to artsy events.

8. Do you paint your fingernails?
Yeah. I do. Although nail polish just doesn't seem to last very long. I'm trying to figure out how to fix that.

9. Who is your favorite actor over the age of 50?
um...I really suck at the favorite actor/actress business. I don't really have a FAVORITE. Although I always did have a thing for Robin Williams growing up. He's just SO funny!

10. Do you have a high school letter jacket?
nope. I didn't care about it enough to do it.


one year ago
two years ago

Motivation? zero. zilch. nada.

{source}

So. I'm trying to be healthy. I really am. I've lowered my red meat intake, I try not to eat the sweets offered at work and I try to keep desserts at home to a minimum. (minus special occasions of course)

but going to the gym? it's just not happening. I missed ALL of last week. The week before was a lame week. i haven't been to a cycle class in ages.

sigh. i'm not fat. I'm really not. However, I do have more fat then muscle. my % body fat is a little high. I would love to not have those rolls around my tummy. (i mean, who does?!)

And that should be enough motivation, but the fact is that it isn't. After working a 9-hour day, teaching an hour + ballet class (where I don't dance too much, I give corrections, but I rarely break a sweat.) and driving to and from said activities makes me TIRED! I don't WANT to got to the gym after all that. I want to curl up on my couch next to SwingKid and read a good book. Working out in the mornings isn't an option seeing how I have to be in the office at 7 am. And there is no way I'm getting to the gym at 5 am. NO WAY.

I've tried going during my favorite tv shows and watching them while running away on the treadmill.

I've tried giving myself rewards when I hit certain goals.

I've tried lots of things and I just don't know what to do anymore.

Today, today I'm going to start the couch to 5k program. Except, I'm not quite in "couch" condition. So I think I'm going to start on Week 3. We'll see how this treats me. I just wish there was some easy way to find that motivation button. It's hiding and sometimes I hate playing hide and go seek. Today is one of those days.


three years ago

catch me if you can

editor's note: i started this yesterday and meant to post it. and then...life happened and I didn't. i'm sorry. So...pretend this posted yesterday. Although, I know I'm not going to be able to post again today. SO! a real weekend update probably won't be here until tomorrow. but at least it will be here!!

While my weekend was mostly relaxing, I really wasn't "around." I did check my reader a couple times over the weekend, but still ended up with a bazillion unread posts. I think I'm okay with that . Mostly. Gives me something to look at when I need a break at work - especially since I'm on a Facebook fast this week as part of my Day Zero goals. whew. Today was HARD, but I think it will only get easier. At least, it better....

So, I should really do a weekend recap, and I will I promise! However, I have pictures! (GASP! I know! real life pictures!) And they are so much fun and I want to share them with you oh so much, but right now I'm lazy and I don't want to get off my butt and go and get my camera. So...since it's Tuesday I'll leave you with a little Ten on Tuesday meme and then promise to post about all the fun that was had tomorrow. Okay? okay. loves.


1. If given the opportunity, would you choose a mediocre job that paid well or your dream job that paid poorly?
dream job. hands down. I actually do have my dream job - just another job to go with it too. My dream job definitely pays poorly. c'est la vie

2. What is your favorite thing about the 4th of July? (For the foreigners: What is your impression of the 4th of July?)
hmmm. I love how summery it is! It's everything that is summer personified into one big day. Most of all, I love the fireworks.

3. What’s the most random fact you know about American history?
um...I really can't think of a random fact right now. I'm not a huge history nut. at all.

4. What is the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen?
Well. I don't tend to remember the firework shows from years past. Except last year's awful one in cougartown. ugh. This year, I went to PG with SwingKid and his family (more deets laters!) and watched an AMAZING show. minus the part when the fireworks attacked the audience. but that's another story

5. Who taught you how to put on makeup?
my mom sort of did, and then i learned more when i was taughter by my ballet director and then my current roommate AF taught me even MORE. Now I'm pretty much awesome at my makeup. maybe.

6. Have you ever gone through a financial planning process? Tell us about it.
sort of. I currently use Mint to budget my finances. My parents were pretty diligent to teach me good budgeting skills as a kid too.

7. What was your favorite outfit as a kid? Bonus points for pictures.
hmmm. I can't think of my FAVORITE outfit. I don't remember clothes as a child. ha. I do remember wearing very 80s style outfits for a long time in the early 90s. I was awesome as a kid.

8. Do you prefer a beach, lake, swimming pool, or no water?
I've only been to the beach once. I think I would like it more if I could spend more time there. Otherwise, I love the swimming pool. Lakes seems way to icky for me. Unless it's some beautiful spring lake or something. maybe. nah, i still like pools better.

9. Do you recycle? If not, why?
at work we recycle paper and cans. i participate in this recycling.

10. What are your thoughts and feelings about the Twilight Saga?
well. i love the fluff of the books. the third book is definitely my favorite, and from what i hear it's the best movie as well. I hated the second movie and disliked the book. The ending is lame and cheap in the 4th book and if i was one of the movie directors i would rewrite the ending. especially since they've taken such liberties with the first two movies. sigh. i'm in love with MUCH better books these days.

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 

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.