9 days and counting!

I leave for Virginia in NINE days. I have so much to do between now and then I'm not sure how everything is going to get done.

Also, work is crazy busy and my brain is fried. I'm sure I was going to tell you something amazingly interesting (or not) but I can't remember what that might have been.

hmmmm.

Yeah, I gots nothing. Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting. ciao!

"it's busy season!"

that is our  go-to phrase here at work these days. My coworker is super cute when she says it to justify our three-week lead time on our product. The months of November/December are always crazy in the office, but this year it seems to be amplified 100x or so. Life is INSANE around the office.

Anyways. Seeing as how it's been almost a week since I last posted I figured a bullet-point list would be the best way to catch you up on my awesome life. (seriously, life is uber awesome.)

• Monkey Man is the sweetest guy in the whole wide world and I'm the luckiest girl ever. Seriously. I catch myself staring at him all the time and thinking to myself, "how did I get so lucky?" things are good.

• Went to Temple Square on Saturday night w/Monkey Man and another couple to see the lights, go to dinner (Z'Tejas @ Gateway. okay food. not my favorite restaurant) and then party it up at the Clark Planetarium. We took fun pictures on the moon and mars. It was a blast (although VERY cold).

• Had the annual Christmas tour day for my ballet company. that was a day full of driving and stuff. Nothing bad happened and it was a pretty good day overall. 

• Made Aebelskivers last night w/Sister B and her husband and Monkey Man. Also, we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and played games. It was fun times. 

• during the course of this week, Monkey Man and I have something together to do/attend 5/7 days. :o) I'm very excited about this.

• I'm finding it hard to believe that it's been a year. Part of me is shocked it has only been a year. At times it feels longer. 

• I'm addicted to cherry coridal kisses and m&ms. :o) yummy.

• I haven't been very good about going to the gym the past week or so. My trainer is going to kill me.

• I get to party it up with my ballet girls tonight. I'm rather excited to see all my friends. It's been awhile.

• I leave for VA in 16 days. EEK! Christmas is going to be here before I know it. :P

• I need an idea for a mass gift for my RS sisters. Any and all ideas are welcome. a DIY project is not really feasible at this point, but I need to keep cost down as well....so yeah. Please suggest something. ;)

• My office was a brisk 56 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. SO COLD. Stupid next door office that controls the thermostat and doesn't leave it on during the weekends. :P

• The world is very, very small. Roommate R (one of my favorite persons EVER) is friends with someone that Monkey Man knows as well. Insane how small the world is. ESPECIALLY in Utah.

Basically, I'm really  busy with life in general but I'm super happy, twitterpated, and joyful as an elf.  :o) Have a wonderful day!

First of June

Can you believe that it is already the first of June? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it! Since SO MANY things are happening in the month of June and I feel like I haven't given you a really good, meaty boy update, this post is going to be a hodgepodge of everything awesome that has happened, will happen and should happen in the next short while.

HERE WE GO!

First! Some countdowns!

• There are 15 days until Sister B's wedding. I finished the centerpieces this weekend. Shoes have been procured. All that's left is to find a cuter white shirt, finish the guest book and finalize/purchase food for the reception. I can't believe the wedding is here. 

• There are 17 days until the end-year recital: Sleeping Beauty by AofB. I am so excited for my students to perform! They have been working SO HARD and they look so extremely polished. Makes my heart happy and proud.

• In 12 days my family will be here! The whole family hasn't been in Utah since they moved to Virginia. I'm excited to have them be here, even if it's just for a short little while.

• In one week I'm getting my hairs did. Have to look all cutes and stuff for the wedding. ha!

• In 18 days I'm singing a solo in church. I'm just a tad bit nervous about it. I practiced w/the choir for the first time on Sunday and it was a little scary. Here's hoping I don't croak or something. 

• I only have 7 work days until I start my week long "vacation." (Is it really going to be a vacation? Probably not.)

Second! Some updates on boys!

• Leviticus: We are still friends! We ended up at a mutual friend's BBQ on Monday and it was fun to see him and chat and such. We haven't been out in a few weeks, but he's so nice and helpful and such. A great friend truly.

• The Australian: After him telling me we couldn't "date" right now and just with life and what not he and I hadn't hung out in a long time. We decided to hang out this past weekend - and it sort of was like a date. He took me to P.F. Chang's and convinced me to try shrimp. It was a weird texture, but pretty good otherwise. Anywho, after that we watched Willow on my couch and enjoyed cuddling. That boy sure knows how to cuddle. I'm not sure if this means anything. Knowing him it doesn't. Pretty much I'm just enjoying him and our friendship. :-)

• Percy: He's the boy I mentioned here as a new "interest." After playing 2 rounds of phone tag we finally connected on the phone on Monday afternoon. He talks just as cute as he writes. He seems very genuine and that makes me happy.  We're going out to lunch on Friday (which is perfect since it's my day off!) and I'm rather stoked to see him in person. Now I just need to decide what to wear....

• Grizzly Bear: So named because we clicked while at FHE last week at the Bean Museum while next to the bears. Ha! Also, he reminds me of a teddy bear. :o) Grizzly Bear and I texted most of the weekend, I said hi to him at church and have basically been my flirty, cute self. We watched Gnomeo & Juliet last night and snuggled on his couch. He walked me to my car, kissed me on the cheek and sent me on my way. He's already determined that we should hang out again and I agreed. No plans yet, but it will be fun regardless I'm sure. :-)

Third! A cute little something that I am liking this sunny, Wednesday afternoon. Loves!

click to enlarge {source}

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!

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.

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!

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!

the last Thursday Things of 2010!

Well dear friends, it's the last Thursday Things of 2010. Hard to believe that the year ends in just one more day. Here are some final thoughts before my recap tomorrow.

• My vacation is almost over. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Virginia. It has been a nice break from reality.
• I will not miss my perpetually cold toes and nose. That has been that least fun part of my trip.
• Tomorrow is New Years Eve. I will spend most of the day on an airplane or in an airport.
• I brought the perfect amount of books with me. I love when I guesstimate correctly how much I'll read.
• I think flirting is fun. Makes me giggle.

Hope you all enjoy your final hours of 2010!!

Thursday things...in Virginia!!

Well my dear internet friends, I am in Virginia! I am here with my family freezing my toes off. It is really cold (and there's even a tad bit of snow on the ground!) but I am so happy! I love hanging out with my family.  Before I leave you today, let me list off a few things that have happened:

• Part of my flight here included me flying American Airlines. Did you know that AA gives you the whole can of whatever you get when it comes to drink time? This made me heart super happy. One whole can of Coke for me!

• Went and saw Tangled this afternoon. Adorable movie with fun dialog and a cute story.

• I pulled an all-nighter Tue-Wed. It was fun times. 

• I know I've promised an update and nyms on boys and that IS coming...maybe I'll make it my Christmas gift to you. I'll work on that.

• I'm having a wonderful holiday - I hope you do too!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Tender Mercy Tuesday: 3rd Edition

 And here we are with the 3rd edition of Tender Mercy Tuesday! I have started labeling my blog posts (in case you hadn't noticed) so you can click on the label below to see all of the awesomeness that is Tender Mercy Tuesday. Also, if I can figure it out maybe I'll create an extra tab with them all there or something. I don't know.

Anyways. Onward and Upward yes? YES!

Tender Mercies from this week:

1. I had a friend invite me over for dinner and during our conversations I came to some more realizations and conclusions that are helping me each day. It is amazing to me how the Lord inserts little events each day to help us overcome the big overall picture.

2. Speaking of friends, I seriously have the best friends ever. You know when you're dating someone you're not the best friend in the world? Sure you try to keep in contact with people and you'll answer their messages and stuff...but you don't really try to make them a priority. Well, since my breakup all of my friends have been so great to let me back into their lives. Sure, they're not dropping everything for me....but they are willing to make plans with me and do stuff! It makes my heart happy.

3. There was a lot of snow outside this morning when I left for work (and it is still snowing) but I made it to work safe and sound. Yay for nice cars that get me to places safely.


In other news I leave tomorrow morning to go see my family in VA. I hope to keep posting and sharing my adventures with you, but I am only taking George the netbook with me. :o) All that stands between me and getting on the plane is the rest of the work day today, one ballet class (maybe?! I really don't want to drive to the studio in this weather), delivering a Christmas gift to a friend, getting some new books, and watching A Muppet Christmas Carol with my roommate, her boyfriend, and a friend who is yet to have a 'nym. (I'm sorry about that, really, I am. I know how hard it is to keep track of people I keep mentioning on the down-low and not giving you details. The good news is that I am working on the post that explains all....with pictures! be excited!

Forgotten

I had a post idea for today, but now I can't remember what I REALLY TRULY wanted to say.

I have lots of stories. Well. Maybe only two stories. They are about boys. (yes, boys, plural) Said boys need 'nyms. I am not feeling up to coming up with creative 'nyms. I might just use random, weird names. When I do, I will tell the stories.

I have semi-plans for New Year's Eve. What I really have is a girlfriend picking me up from the airport and a boy (from the stories) that wants to hang out and do stuff. We need a game plan. Suggestions for free stuff for New Year's Eve?

I have found music that sort of describes my feelings on how things are now that SwingKid and I are no longer dating. However, one of the songs could be classified as an angry girl song. I am not angry, but the lyrics work. But i wonder if people would really understand if I shared it here.

I am happy.

Utah is having a warm spell. I'm hoping this means VA will have a warm spell when I get there in 9 DAYS.

the end.

What the What?!

another new meme? why yes. Another meme. This one stemmed from posting the past couple of weeks and me having "thing" posts. So...I've created a cute little banner and today I introduce to you:

a simple meme really. Every Thursday I will post "thursday things" essentially just a few THINGS that I have been thinking about/doing that don't necessarily warrant their own blog post. It should be a fun little meme. Participate if you'd like. Steal my banner, I don't care! Just leave a comment so I can come visit you and your things! :o)

So...onward and upward.

• I have been feeling fairly happy this week. I've still felt like posting - which is amazing to me in some ways and not surprising in others. Writing and expressing my feelings has always helped.

• related the above one - I've started writing more diligently in my personal journal and it has been very....healing.

• I get free lunch today. I'm very excited for this.

• I leave for VA in 13 days. WOOT!

• I have started to notice how the running has been helping my body - I'm a trimmer, more slimmed down version of Alishka. I'm excited about this.

• Also related to the thing above - I am planning on continuing the couch to 5k after i finish next week - but doing it to get faster. At the same time I am also going to implement a strength training workout 2-3x a week. Not sure exactly what that is going to involve yet, but I know it will make feel even BETTER!

what are some of your "things?"

thoughts today

• my running program is treating me so well. I need something similar for weight lifting. After this program ends, (and I start it again at a faster speed to reduce my 5k time) i hope to add strength training to my workout so I can trim down some fat.

• I really want to dance again. another director and i are hoping to do a "directors" piece this year in the gala. we'll see how that goes down.

• tonight is my work Christmas party. It should be fun....although they are serving fish and I hate fish. so that sucks. but the party itself should be fun. :o)

• i'm going dancing tonight. hurrah! i haven't been to Blue Tango in several weeks and I am much looking forward to tonight's dance.

• I don't work tomorrow, but I don't feel like I have the day off. See...tomorrow my cute company girls are presenting "Clara's Nutcracker" along with a bunch of jazz Christmas pieces at 4 different elementary schools. It should be fun.

• Three weeks from yesterday I fly to VA. 20 days. CRAZY!!

• I bought SwingKid's present today. I think he'll like it. I sure hope he will.

• My parent's gift is going to ROCK! I got some amazing news about it yesterday but seeing as how they both read this we'll keep it a secret. If I remember, I'll tell you about it after Christmas.

• I decorated for Christmas and my house looks SO CUTE. I love Christmas decorations

• Have I mentioned how GOOD  I feel lately? I attribute it to my running program. It is doing amazing things for me and I am SO SO SO happy I decided to do this couch to 5k program. :o)

one year ago
two years ago

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

Happy Black Friday!

I have, on occasion, gone shopping on Black Friday. Only when I'm in dire need of something someone has on sale. This year, I'm not in dire need. :o) This year, I'm going to clean my house (it looks like a mini-tornado swept through here), listen to Christmas music and decorate my house for Christmas. I love Christmas. :o)

With that said, here's some Friday Fill-in for you!

1. Three things I must have on my Thanksgiving table: rolls, Turkey, and my mom's Cranberry Jello salad (i made it this year).

2. I love being with SwingKid sacked out on the couch.

3. This is one of the best Thanksgivings without my family I've ever had.

4. I believe it is time to decorate my house for the holidays!

5. Oh, man, thankfully it's my mini-vacation. I need this time off!

6. Someday I want to perfect the art of amazing rolls.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing special, tomorrow my plans include probably babysitting and the BYU-Utah Football game! aka the HOLY WAR and Sunday, I want to enjoy the last little bit of my holiday break!

two years ago

tuesday!

well guys there's like this huge storm coming my way and stuff. Winter warnings, blizzard talk...it should prove for an exciting evening in with SwingKid. (canceled the ballet classes for tonight. no driving on the crazy I-15 for me!)

anyways. I'm getting very excited for the rest of this week (just have to get through 9 hours of work tomorrow!) and then the rest of the holiday season. :o)

And now I bring you (before I get back to my crazy busy desk) Ten on Tuesday.

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?
This year I am spending Thanksgiving with SwingKid and his family. Sister B is spending the holiday with HER boyfriend's family...so it will be a very different year for everyone involved.  I am traveling to VA to see my family at Christmas time and I am very much looking forward to that because I get 10 whole days to be with them! (well...more like 8 when you minus two days for flying...but still!)

2. How do you make the plans for the holiday? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit?
I make plans on how I feel. SwingKid hasn't ever come out to VA for the holidays...it's really expensive and until we're engaged it will probably stay that way. We just...decide I guess?

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?
I'm a fan of having the meal in the early afternoon. Around 2pm. Which is exactly when I'll be eating this year. :o)

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
uh. no. eating good food and being with family is about as crazy as I get.

5. After a big meal do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?
hmm. usually I lounge. Maybe play a game or two of something festive.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?
Sometimes I shop on Black Friday, sometimes I don't. It honestly depends on what deals are out there and if I want anything bad enough to get up that early in the morning.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?
Early. I'm a planner and very organized with my Christmas shopping. I should have it all done before December 10th this year. (probably the latest yet...but SwingKid is HARD to shop for and he's being difficult this year)

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? Is there a budget?
Yes we do. We don't have a set budget...seeing as how one of us has always been in school while we've been dating the budget has been "don't go broke."

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?
Thanksgiving weekend. After Thanksgiving. I plan on doing it Friday/Saturday/Sunday this year. :o)


10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or do you keep it simple?
um....I live in an apt. so I can't really decorate the outside...but I do go pretty "far out" in the living room. I love christmas decor!


one year ago
two years ago